BioWare returns to the genre of high fantasy RPGs with Dragon Age: Origins. We go in-depth with the console version and test BioWare's long-standing legacy with this new classic.
How do you measure the success of a game? By how many grenades its players have chucked at each other.
Well, it does say something, and Nexon is looking at this positively as a sign of Combat Arms' popularity with gamers. Hey, who can resist a free FPS as vast as Combat Arms? So according to Nexon, 1.5 billion hand grenades have been tossed since the game launched in 2008. Of that number, 240 million actually done some damage, enough to take over four billion players total.
“Our players seem to be taking to heart that ‘close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades’ with the amount of bombs thrown,” comments producer Graham Kays.
“Sometimes, it’s the perfect throw, other times it is magnificent timing and for some of us, it’s just dumb luck. Regardless, fragging with grenades is always a good time.”
You know, this sounds pretty awful taken out of context, being proud of wracking up 1.5 billion grenade-deaths. Ah well, not much worse than chainsawing Locusts.
Were you miffed at those silly people who went out and pre-ordered Left 4 Dead 2 just to brag about getting early access? Think "patience is a virtue" is just for squares? For the patient or lazy, your day has come, as the Left 4 Dead 2 demo has finally been released to all Steam users and Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers. Xbox LIVE Silver members can download the demo next week, on November 10.
The L4D2 demo features two parts from "The Parish" campaign, set in the urban New Orleans French Quarter. Here you can play with three other friends over the internet or have a co-op buddy next to you if you're using an Xbox 360 to mow down the Infected hordes, including the three new Special Infected and the Uncommon Common Infected.
To aid you on your way, you can try out new melee weapons such as chainsaws, frying pans, axes, baseball bats, and others. A new set of guns and items will also be available to deal with the Infected hordes and help support teammates to increase their chances of survival.
Those who have yet to experience Left 4 Dead will also be able to witness the AI Director at work, which will dynamically control the game with your performance. Weapons, enemies, objects, and pathways will change depending on how you're playing. Each game session will never be played the same way.
The Left 4 Dead 2 demo clocks in at over 2GB for Xbox 360 players and just over 3.6GB for Steam players so be prepared to set aside a few hours towards your bandwidth.
Some time ago, distributor NetEase.com was attempting to bring World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade into China. Unfortunately for NetEase and Activision Blizzard, China's General Administration of Press and Publication (lulz, press) has ultimately decided to return the application to operate.
Yes, the banhammer has been brought down, despite the Ministry of Culture having already approved Burning Crusade on a previous date. The GAPP is now ordering NetEase and its affiliates to stop charging users for the game, as well as disallowing the creation of new accounts. Poor gamers -- wonder if they'll even get to play Wrath of the Lich King. And really, think of all those gold farmers who are being squeezed out with every new patch!
Call us crazy, but we think this might have something to do with Beijing's attempts to control online gaming. The government's fear of "undesirable content" leaking through the nation's Great Firewall has also spawned new regulations banning many forms of foreign investment in China's online games market.
It's unlikely that NetEase.com's setback will affect Activision Blizzard, and analysts are certain China's online gaming industry will continue to boom for the time being.
Well, Lionhead Studios is definitely up to something. The gaming community has recently uncovered a recruiting ad posted on the University of Bath's website, calling for doctoral students in "real-time humanoid A.I." study.
The Fable developer is apparently looking to a bright-eyed researcher and programmer who would be willing to work at Lionhead for three years as a part of earning a four-year doctoral degree.
There is a more detailed description of the offer, though nothing points to any specific game. Everyone's banking on some Natal progression, since it would be odd for Lionhead to branch off before their pet project with Microsoft gets a chance to take off.
Here's a segment of the recruitment letter:
The target of the research is to use upcoming game technology to create a humanoid character that will enhance the human computer interaction experience. The research should make use of multiple concurrent sensory inputs including 3-dimensional optical and audio, as well as user pose. These inputs may be used as part of communication exchanges, emotional empathy, and possibly physical interactions of some kind such that under a restricted set of circumstances it would appear that the Turing test had been passed between the character on the computer and the human subject. Systems AI engineering will be emphasised, as we aim to develop not only impressive demonstrations, but reusable components for human-like AI systems.
Really now, this is just going to make Milo jealous. Before long, he'll run away in an act of rebellion against Molyneux and bump frames with some poor girl's Home avatar.
Seeing as how they're still looking for candidates, it's unlikely this has much to do with next year's Natal-compatible Fable. Keep a sharp eye out!
Guns, cars, crime, and perhaps one of the more ambitious DS games out there
Now when video game hobbyists see the initials "DS," their eyes tend to glaze over. Looks like Ubisoft is trying to change that.
The French developer and publisher is one of the more ambitious companies in the industry, though their experimentations are often hit or miss -- case in point, Red Steel versus Assassin's Creed. Their latest endeavor brings Nintendo's DS into the picture.
Presenting C.O.P.The Recruit, just one of many titles to be released today and subsequently overshadowed by BioWare'sDragon Age: Origins (or Activision's Band Hero, if you prefer). Well, if you have a DS, C.O.P. does sport numerous recommendations from the media, and our own experiences are being documented in an upcoming review.
Sure, it's not going to replace your high-power PC or HD console, but sometimes good things come in small packages. Check out the launch video and screenshots to get a better idea.
This is what you see, and this is what Australia sees...
Last we heard, it seemed Left 4 Dead 2 would be seeing a censored release in Australia, the land apparently free of gore, sex, and other such pleasantries. Based on some comparison footage one earnest gamer put together from the region's PC demo, that is certainly the case.
Fans of the first game will notice this version has been edited to all hell and is even less violent than its predecessor. To our friends in the Australian government: a zombie(ish) game without gore just isn't a zombie(ish) game.
Thankfully, if you do live in Australia, you do have options: gamers have already figured out how to hack it, although you'll be restricted to playing online with your fellow countrymen only and to those who have applied the fix -- note it may not be permanent or work at all on the final release, and your achievements may not be tracked. The other option is to further depreciate the Australian economy and order the uncensored version from the nearby UK, as the tradition goes.
Difficulty tweaks, bug fixes, and European language support noted
Frozenbyte's fantasy TRINE sees a new patch for the PC version released, bringing with it various tweaks, fixes, more language support, and more.
The PlayStation Network version has recently launched in North America -- check out our review if you haven't yet. For gamers on this platform, you'll have to wait for the new patch as Frozenbyte's developer Joel tells us:
"As far as I know the patch hasn't been applied to the NA version. The patch has been done for a while and we're trying to make the release happen... We're hoping that it'd be released asap because it adjust the last level difficulty and adds e.g. the Trophy icons, so it'd make a lot of people happy... But as of now we don't have any real information."
Anyhow, below are your release notes; grab the patch via the source.
tweaks the last level, now much easier on Easy/Medium/Hard
adds save support for selected controller type
adds log support for PhysX errors
adds several small technical optimizations
fixes audio that was not stopped when skipping the end cinematic
fixes thin horizontal bar visible during videos on some resolutions
fixes break effect for objects in the last level
fixes two broken checkpoints in levels (4th in Shadowthorn Thicket and 10th in Iron Forge)
fixes some wall collisions in Iron Forge
fixes camera bug when restarting level during a cutscene
fixes bug regarding levers
fixes bug where enemy item drops are considered secrets
From the highlands of Cimmeria to the snowy alps we go
Funcom as a developer is known for games with rich stories (The Longest Journey), and deep RPG designs (Age of Conan). So it's a bit of a stretch when we hear they've just received a $260,000 grant to aid in the development of an online free-to-play snowboarding game.
It gets better: the PC and Mac title, named On the Edge of the World, will feature "social networking access and trans-media integration." Lord only knows what that last bit could mean...
We'll give the benefit of the doubt this'll be a good title, cause it's Funcom, but it's much easier to believe their current financial situation is the deciding factor here.
It seems with just about every console ever released, there's always a few staple franchises that manage to appear on these systems to be played once again with a few updates here and there. Usually it's a puzzle game, a sports series, or a fighting game that show up. DSi owners will soon have a shot at one of the more long-standing party game series ever conceived, if not one of the earliest: Bomberman.
Hudson Soft has confirmed through their Twitter page Bomberman Blitz will be available to purchase from DSiWare on November 9. This time around, the large arenas are split in two across the DSi's screens with paths to access them as you please and bombs to explode across them. You can take on up to seven other opponents locally or over the internet for some short but hectic matches.
Bomberman Blitz features ten different stages with a unique element in each of them. So far, there's a racing-themed area, an arena lined with conveyor belts on the floor to move Bombermen and bombs around, and a lethal battleground where the impenetrable walls are removed for protruding spikes that can be safely traversed if you wait for them to recede. To help you and hinder you in your matches are classic power-ups from past games such as increasing or decreasing your bomb's range, amount of bombs on screen at a time, movement speed, remote detonators, and a throwing ability. And there's other power-ups yet to be revealed.
Bomberman Blitz doesn't have a price yet but the Japanese release is currently worth 500 Nintendo Points. Check out Hudson Soft's Twitter page in the coming days for an official price.
Future's looking a little brighter for next creation
Original owner of the Fallout series (and still partly so) Interplay are still in the midst of a legal tussle with the series' other owner Bethesda, but things are looking up for the release of their Fallout MMO (codenamed Project V13).
The case has sounded messy from the beginning, with both parties not being entirely honest and so casting doubt over the status of the game. However, following Interplay's recent opposition to Bethesda's attempt in canning the project, some concept art has been released -- a sign this baby ain't going down without a fight.
Here's what Interplay developer Chris Taylor had to say when revealing the art you see here on the publisher's forums:
Hi everyone!
Some of the concept art for the game has been released due to the lawsuit. This forum will be a place where we can post high quality versions of the same art and you can give us some feedback on it at the same time.
Keep in mind that this is concept art. It's not finalized art, but it will give you a feel for what we are aiming for with V13.
(And I'll keep bugging the lawyers to release more art when we can... I'm pretty excited that we're finally able to show you some of the work that we've been doing up until now.)
He later says they're going for a somewhat richer look for the universe rather than "just shades of brown" as with previous entries. It's reported at this stage Interplay have already come up with "more than 600 pages of extensive game design documents [for the game] detaling, without limitation: characters, character abilities, equipment and in game items, weapons, concept art, story outlines, and environment descriptions, among other game information." A demo for a playable section of the 3D environment has also been created.
Fallout for us has been very much about the "isolation factor"; nevertheless, these artworks do look promising. If done properly, the game could be a true testament to the classic universe.
Whether or not it goes forward will be determined at the hearing in a few weeks; check back for developments.
Enter the Chaos Space Marines and more bloody madness
So we hear you like Space Marines! Yeah, so do many other people so that's not particularly unique. Anyway, Relic and publisher THQ have releaed some new assets for the upcoming Chaos Rising expansion for Dawn of War II.
We've got a new teaser-esque trailer and plenty of screenshots. As many had hoped (and predicted), the Chaos Space Marines are making an appearance as a playable faction, allowing fans to continue the DoWII storyline with a new army. With new gear and a raised level cap, 15 additional levels shall provide more interesting challenges; luckily, your gear, abilities, and experience from the previous squad will remain.
Improving international sales is the next big step for Japanese publisher
Capcom is basking in the 24.5 percent increase in sales and 58.4 percent boost in profit scored during the first six months of its current financial year. The publisher's revenue of ¥38.9 billion ($426.5 million USD) and profit of ¥2.97 billion ($32.6 million USD) were attributed to strong Japanese sales of titles like Monster Hunter Tri, Resident Evil 5 and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. On the other hand, Capcom's performance outside of Japan wasn't as telling as it had hoped despite recent efforts. The publisher pledges to change that, and its game plan for the remaining half of the business year is threefold.
Increasing its hold in markets outside of Japan remains one of Capcom's most important goals. In fact, the publisher pledges to have "overseas titles" account for up to 75 percent of its upcoming lineup.
The next step to global domination involves expanding its presence in online gaming. In addition to targetting PC users in the rest of Asia with Monster Hunter Frontier Online, Capcom will also push online multiplayer for upcoming console titles like Monster Hunter Tri and Lost Planet 2.
Finally, Capcom will further leverage digital distrubtion for targeted console software and DLC.
In laying the groundwork for the second half of its financial year, Capcom also forecasts the performance for its biggest releases. The publisher expects Lost Planet 2 to be its next most important title, predicting sales of 3.7 million units. Dark Void is next on Capcom's list at 1.3 million units. Capcom lamented not being able to release the Airtight Games-developed title earlier this year, and even attributed its delay as a key factor for its "soft" overseas sales thus far.
Interestingly, Capcom is playing it safer with its mainstay franchises, namely Street Fighter and Resident Evil. The publisher is predicting Super Street Fighter IV to score potential sales of 1.1 million units, while Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles for the Wii could reach 800,000 units.
A new trailer came out today showing off some multi-player action from the upcoming new chapter of Bioshock, due to arrive February 9th.
The trailer concerns the new 'Capture the Sister' MP mode. You and your team has to go about the maps, snatching Little Sisters protected by Big Daddies. Once you snag a Little Sister, you can deposit her into conveniently located shafts in the walls.
The sequel to the hit Bioshock will be set 10 years after the events of the first game. Behind much of the troubles in Bioshock 2 is [small spoiler here] one Little Sister who happened to mechanize herself, transforming into a Big Sister, who became a terrible menace, going around abducting children and stuff, and causing grief.
And since we are on the topic of Bioshock 2 videos, here is another recent one -- this one came out last week. Entitled the "Alone Among The Dead" trailer, this one deals with a bit of the back-story of the upcoming game, and shows many combat scenes taken from the single player mode.
Much easier than carrying around a deck of Magic cards
Magic: The Gathering - Tactics was announced today, from Sony Online Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast.
Based on the long-running card game, Magic: The Gathering - Tactics will be an online, 3D turn-based strategy game. The PC version of the game is due to arrive in the first half of 2010. According to the game's new website, beta sign-ups will "be available soon." A PS3 version of the game will follow the PC version, at an unspecified time later on.
“The growing Magic: The Gathering community has an insatiable desire for great strategic game experiences. Sony Online Entertainment is the perfect partner to transform the best of Magic’s story, strategy and competitive play into a fantastic ‘Tactics’ game experience for current and new Magic fans,” Greg Leeds, president of Wizards of the Coast, was quoted as saying.
In both single player and PVP game modes, players will be to draw from a virtual deck of spell cards that'll be used to wage wizard war against their opponents. Regular content expansions (i.e new decks), an achievements and ranking system, and the ability to participate in tournaments is planned for the game.
Six core CPUs and CPU/GPU Fusion coming in 2010/2011
Two detail-packed leak photos turned up in Japan recently. They are pictures taken of AMD's milestone roadmap, for desktop and notebook parts, stretching into 2011. As always with CPU development, there are some big plans and changes ahead.
Probably the most exciting CPU of the bunch is AMD's upcoming hexa-core (6 core) CPU. Codenamed Thuban, it will be a 45nm part, guessed to be clocked at about 2.8GHz.
On the graphics side of things, we can expect 2011 to be the year of HD 5000 series; HD 6000 won't be touching down until 2011. Codenamed Northern Island, HD 6000 will be a 32nm design.
The boxes in orange on both roadmaps show AMD's new 'Fusion' designs. The Fusion chips will be CPU/GPU hybrid chips. While we don't expect Fusion to be able to cut through many DX11 games, we can guess that it will be a cost effective way of delivering integrated graphics for the needs of the mainstream.
Two days left on pre-order discount; new gameplay video available for viewing
We've been covering the PC-only zero-g multiplayer shooter known as Shattered Horizon for some time now, if you haven't noticed. Developed by Futuremark Studios, the fellas behind the popular 3DMark PC benchmark tool, this one shows a ton of promise; our own Stephen Duffin had only great impressions of the beta.
It's all coming to a head this week; the game launches this Wednesday, so interested gamers have just two days left to take advantage of the 10% discount (if you were in the beta, you save 25%), from the standard $19.95 price.
Presumably to encourage you to do this, the Future people have released another trailer for Shattered Horizon today. Titled "Escalation", it delves directly into the zero-g combat, also revealing the ISS, Flipside and Arc levels, the HUD, the three grenade types, scoped shots and finally, melee attacks -- delicious.
There's also a few new screenshots below -- looking great as always.
Potential players should note this one requires Windows Vista or 7 for DirectX 10 -- further requirements are listed on the product page above.
Game publishers and developers have come up with a variety of ways to reward MMO loyal subscribers for playing long-term (throwing their lives away). We've seen temporary EXP boosts for resubscribing or recruiting new players, or even special weekend events as seen in Guild Wars. NCsoft has now revealed its own program for Aion: free loot!
Through Aion's "Veteran Rewards Program", ongoing subscribers will be able to send free items to each character they have created. These items will be distributed on the first day of every new subscription month, including the free month that comes with the game. So far, NC Soft has detailed the rewards for the first six months of subscriptions.
Month 1
Expand Cube Ticket - Expand the amount of slots in your character's cube by one row (nine extra slots). Make good use of this!
Pop Legend Emote - A character emote that has your character dance. It looks familiar.
Four Lodas Amulets - Using one of these amulets lets you earn a 20% EXP bonus for one hour. Be careful as you can lose the effect if you die and you'll have to wait nine hours for the next use.
Four Revival Stones - Revive yourself or a fallen target upon death. Mind your surroundings as you will be revived in a weakened state.
Month 2
Four Lodas Amulets
Four Revival Stones
Month 3
Adept of Aion title - Enables the "Putting on a Show" title that passively grants a stat boost. Seems it might benefit Rangers and Assassins the most.
Forbidden Dance Emote - Another dancing emote for your character.
Four Lodas Amulets
Four Revival Stones
Months 4 & 5
Four Lodas Amulets
Four Revival Stones
Month 6
Wing Feather of the Black Cloud Traders - A free set of wings for Level 40 characters and above. It surpasses all other in-game wings for its extended flight time and stat boosts. Appearance will vary for Elyos and Asmodian characters.
Four Lodas Amulets
Four Revival Stones
Aion subscribers can begin to receive their rewards starting November 4. To see the full list of details regarding the rewards and redeeming them, check out the source link.
Could be a sequel to the 2008 reboot, or Sands of Time
Our sneak peek at the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie saw one particularly interesting bit of news slip from the team behind it: a new game in the series will be announced this spring.
We have no official details (it was noted it's "not their place" to say anything else), but a trademark filed earlier this month by series creator Jordan Mechner (who is overseeing the adaptation) for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands suggested this would be a sequel to last year's fantastic entry, if not to Sands of Time itself (the film and/or game), what with the "Sands" in the title and all.
Survive against the zombie hordes, build your fort
Looking to get your zombie fix early? We visited Kerberos Productions recently to go behind the scenes with Fort Zombie, a lite action-RPG that requires you to survive against zombies by base-building, more or less.
Fort Zombie came out today, so you can pick it up from any major digital distributor for $9.99 USD or €9.99, if you're in Europe. Instead of exploring cities and getting from point A to B, players must select a building in town and begin gathering supplies and building defenses.
The dev team is, of course, excited with launch and have released an amusing little statement and trailer. Check out the game!
“Every time we blew the arm off a zombie bowler or whacked an undead business man with a shovel, we regretted that we could only talk about it with the zombie fans and gamers on our messageboards. After months of holding back these ghouls by ourselves, we’re thrilled that gamers finally get to aim-for-the-head themselves and we look forward to welcoming more zombie survivors to our boards over the coming weeks!”
Next week's Rock Band 2 updates feature three tracks to celebrate the 20th anniversary release of Nirvana's debut album "Bleach", which will be re-released; this special edition release includes an previously unreleased live concert recording from 1990.
Foo Fighters will do likewise by releasing a "Greatest Hits" album on the same day and give RB2 players a shot at four songs, two of which are new and exclusive to the album.
Rounding up the updates is a song from Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' 1984 album "Fake Friends". Here's the list:
Foo Fighters – “Best of You”
Foo Fighters – “The Pretender”
Foo Fighters – “Wheels”
Foo Fighters – “Word Forward”
Nirvana – “About a Girl”
Nirvana – “Blew”
Nirvana – “School”
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – “Fake Friends”
The Foo Fighters songs can be purchased together in the "Foo Fighters Pack 03" for 560 Microsoft Points or $6.99 USD / £3.49 UK / €5.29 EU from the PlayStation Store. The "Nirvana Bleach Pack" lets you bundle up this week's songs for 440 MS Points, or $5.49 / £2.49 / €3.99 from the PlayStation Store. All individual purchases go for the usual 160 MS Points, $1.99 / £.99 / €1.49 from the PlayStation Store, or 200 Nintendo Points.
The Rock Band Unplugged store reaches 55 songs this week with the help of two additions, each going for the usual $1.99, or £.99 / €1.49 if you're up in Europe.
Bullet For My Valentine – “Waking the Demon”
System of a Down – “Toxicity”
Xbox 360 and Wii owners get their content November 3 while PlayStation 3 and PSP owners get theirs on November 5, which is also when the Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2DLC is added -- unrelated, but still interesting!
Kereberos Productions Fort Zombie wasn't the only zombie game released in the last 24 hours. Predecessor to Left 4 Dead and a top-notch mod for Valve's Source engine, a new version of Zombie Panic! has been released.
Zombie Panic! is a zombie-FPS game played in rounds. Unlike Left 4 Dead, one side plays as the zombies, and one as the survivors. The goal -- you can probably guess -- is to survive an evacuation when playing as non-zombies; when playing as the zombies, the goal, of course, is to feast on human brains, because they are delicious, and best enjoyed with a side of arm.
Version 2.0 is a big update to this game that has been worked on since 2005 (the public beta came out in 2007). The game enjoys a small but steady playerbase.
The new version brings a whole slew of features. Most notably there is a new game mode called ZPA, the HUD display received a big upgrade, and a team autobalance feature has been put in.
If you want to jump into the Zombie Panic!, all you need is the Source SDK, which comes with any of Valve's Source games (i.e Half-Life 2, Team Fortress, etc). The game be downloaded over here.
Death by way of candy and hats, plenty of Halloween goodies
It's been just over two months since Team Fortress 2 has gone without an update with Valve's TF2 team assisting the Left 4 Dead 2 team getting their game wrapped up in a nice severed hand. But it appears the TF2 folks have finally been released to resume work on the game as they've decided to spook out the employees of RED and BLU with a Halloween-themed content update.
The "Terrifying Team Fortress Haunted Hallowe'en Special" is a series of updates that will run on the Team Fortress blog from October 29 to November 2. Today, the TF2 team has revealed a new King of the Hill map called "Harvest," featuring a unique addition: a ghost! Boo and such.
Any hapless player who gets into its path will be temporarily paralyzed with fear and left completely defenseless. Who knows if an Ubercharge can stand up to the ghost's deadly gaze? The map will also afflict corpses with candy for some zany reason.
Included with this update are the "Mildly Disturbing Halloween Hats," with one of them revealed to be just a paper bag with a face scribbled on. The new map will also come with exploding pumpkins and five new achievements that are linked to unlocking the new hats.
Only 10,319 players were able to get a few hours ago: a free hat! Said 10,319 players nabbed the "Ghastly Gibus," the same spectral top hat worn by the ghost. You can still get one by dominating a player who is wearing the hat while playing in the Harvest map. Good luck with that.
All of the new content will presumably be released at the end of the blog updates. Update: New content is out now!
Windows 7 has been big hit in China, according to early reports. Copies have been flying off the shelves. Much of them pirated.
While the Beijing government has been making some in-roads in curbing excessive piracy, it seems they still have a long way to go. According to a student quoted in the English language, government-run news agency China Daily, pirated copies of the new operating system continue to be sold openly in many malls and markets, and you can get a pirated copy of Windows 7 (non-beta presumably) for 20 yuan (which is about $3 bucks USD).
Microsoft has lowered the price of Windows 7 many Asian countries, including China, in order to better accommodate the general wealth disparity of the average folks, from the West to the East. In China MS's newest OS has had a significant price cut, and is now selling for a world-low price of $58 USD. But for many Chinese, this price seems absurdly high.
Concerns over losing market dominance might be keeping Microsoft reluctant to finding more ways to make their software more resistant to piracy -- but certainly, the company will be trying hard through marketing and political pressure to encourage mainland Chinese to purchase legitimate copies.
The piracy situation could not be much worse this time around than what happened with earlier MS operating systems. Despite a massive, multi-million dollar advertising campaign, Vista was thought to be an abysmal sales failure in China, according to third party analysts (Microsoft declined to release sales figures). Just the concept of buying an OS seems to be somewhat an unusual proposition to the average person in People's Republic -- last year this week, there was massive rage throughout the Chinese blogosphere over changes to the Windows Genuine Advantage that caused pirated desktop backgrounds to turn black.
The Asian piracy of Windows 7 isn't only limited to China of course -- the picture above was a taken in the Philippines, where the OS is selling for about $1.50.
Trailer ft. six exclusive gameplay unlocks, at the same price as standard edition
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is just one of many awesome titles crammed into next year's spring release period. This is looking worse than November 2007, jeez.
Anyway, EA has released details for the Limited Edition version, also set for March 2, 2010 -- three days after if you're in Europe. The biggest draw of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition may be its six gameplay unlocks, not found in the normal edition, but should not cost gamers extra; that's right, the Limited Edition is the same price as the regular one, so hurry up while supplies last!
According to its publisher, these unlocks might give players an extra edge to win; they include four vehicle upgrades and two Battlefield 1943 weapons, which will be available as soon as you fire up the game. Details are as follows.
Four vehicle warfare unlocks
Improved Vehicle Armor – An up-armor package is mounted on all vehicle types, decreasing the effect of both explosive and penetrating warheads, significantly improving vehicle survivability.
Supreme Vehicle Firepower – Additional weapon packages are mounted for the driver of all armored vehicles, greatly expanding the range of targets the vehicle can successfully engage and destroy.
Vehicle Motion Sensor – Use this electronics warfare package to locate enemy units in direct proximity to the vehicle.
Tracer Dart Pistol – This magnetic dart attaches to any vehicle surface, allowing squad members to track, lock on, and fire rockets onto moving targets even beyond line of sight.
Two classic Battlefield 1943 weapons
M1A1 Submachine Gun – Reliable but heavy this classic weapon is a powerful force in the hands of any Battlefield veteran.
M1911 Pistol – Highly customized M1911 are favored for its dependability and the power of its large .45 caliber round.
Maverick Hunter X & Darkstalkers Chronicle now up for download
Capcom has announced today they are releasing two PSP favorites to PSN: Darkstalkers Chornicle: The Chaos Tower and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X.
If you missed out on these games the first time and are now glued to your couch, unable to get to a game store, then Capcom has provided a solution with this PlayStation Network release. Just make an effort to grab your PSP first, and these games can be yours.
Here's a little pitch for each title:
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
The secret power of the dark is unleashed! Fight head-to-head in a fierce and brutal battle for supremacy! This fan favorite features vivid animations and unbeatable fighting combinations. This fighting phenomenon is updated, redesigned, and ready for a comeback.
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
Back by popular demand! When Sigma leads a group of Reploids in a revolt against mankind, it’s up to X and Zero to protect the world from ruin. The revolutionary Mega Man X side-scrolling game is recreated with 3-D graphics, remixed music and special unlockable features!
Game development tool Unity seems to be relatively popular among independent and amateur developers for many different platforms (PCs, consoles and mobiles alike), and it's about to get a lot moreso we reckon -- the "lite" version, previously known as Unity Indie has now been redubbed simply Unity, coming with a new pricetag of $0.00.
We're writers, not developers, now, so we can't tell you how good the kit is, but it appears pretty in-depth, and hey, it's hard to argue with the price of "free."
The paid version has also been updated to version 2.6, but as it's going for well over $1,000, we're going to guess you're not too interested.
Unity is available for both Windows and Mac users, supports PC, Wii and iPhone development to name a few examples, and can be downloaded right here.
Just in time for Halloween, Valve's demo of Left 4 Dead 2 has arrived for PC gamers, over a day after the expected release date. But as we mentioned before, this demo is only available to people who have pre-ordered the game through Steam.
As you are no doubt aware, the demo will put you in the shoes of a pack of four survivors in the southern United States, and covers "The Parish" campaign segment, which takes place in the bayous of New Orleans . The full game is due to arrive on November 17, 2009.
As for the rest us folks who have not pre-ordered the game, or who prefer to do our gaming on the Xbox, the demo will drop November 3 -- but only for folks with Xbox Gold memberships. Xbox Silver folks will have to wait until November 10 to get their hands on the game.
Here's the latest Left 4 Dead 2 video -- this one is entitled 'Outbreak'.
Classic ARPG Divine Divinity available now, compatible and DRM-free
The action-RPG list for the PC is terribly long, with a handful of series that really stand out from the pack. Aside from the Diablos and the Sacreds (among others), we have the Divinity series.
Back in the early part of the decade when everyone was bringing their RPGs into the 3D realm, developer Larian Studios said to heck with it and made a traditional-style isometric RPG which we now know as Divine Divinity. Lucky for them the game was very well-received by fans and the press alike, and now fans old and new can get a stab at it with its release today on digital distribution site Good Old Games (GOG), priced at just $6.
GOG's deal with Larian also sees the less well-received but still worthy of release sequel Beyond Divinity lined up -- expect that one in the coming weeks.
As is always the case with GOG's releases, these come compatible with current operating systems (Windows 7 is pending, but with similar results to Vista so far), are DRM-free, and come with extras (these ones pack soundtracks, some very cool novellas -- one written by Mirror's Edge author Rhianna Pratchett -- and more). Note this version of Divine Divinity is the "remastered" version which includes fixes and supports higher resolutions.
And if you like these titles, remember Divinity II: Ego Draconis -- a 3D take on the series -- is being readied for a North American release this winter.
Between those long bouts of collecting X amount of items or slaughtering Y of a certain enemy, you're bound to hit a roadblock in World of Warcraft when a quest suddenly calls for going through an instance that requires a whole party.
You can ask for help in the game's "Looking For Group" channel but all that comes down to is hoping that someone will see your chat entry, they're what you're looking for, and a whole mess of other factors. Or you would camp out by the instance while eating a sandwich and reading the Steamy Romance Novel you found and hope for passers-by. Blizzard will finally have a remedy for this issue since the game's release to help find groups and reward you too.
Blizzard has posted new details on an upcoming patch that will include various updates and new features for World of Warcraft dungeon runners. The new features were designed for players to have a more enjoyable and smoother experience when resorting to PUG play, or "pick up groups" when friends aren't around. There are also extra rewards to earn when playing in PUG groups and changes to the looting system. Here's the list of all the features that are coming soon:
Join as Group or Solo - Flag yourself or a group you've made up to that point and add in the details as the role of a tank, DPS, or healer for each individual player. You can now choose as many dungeons as you wish instead of just three dungeons at a time and the matchmaking system will seek out to create balanced groups.
Cross Realm Instances - Players from other realms can join you for your dungeon run but only through the matchmaker system. You cannot manually select a player from another realm.
Instance Teleporting - Using the tool will instantly teleport you to the dungeon you want to attempt and you'll be given the added convenience of being placed right back where you initially were when you used the tool. You are also given the freedom to temporarily leave the dungeon to do an errand such as repairing your gear or selling trash items. Only groups seeking members or premade groups of five can use this.
Smarter Group Matching - The system will do its best to mix in more experienced players with less experienced ones, match party members' character levels as close as possible, and balance out the classes in the party.
Daily Random Dungeons - Take a chance! Choose a random dungeon at either normal or Heroic difficulty and earn two emblems based on the difficulty you've chosen to gather and trade toward rewards. This also applies to dungeons that were already present before Wrath of the Lich King content was added.
PUG Benefits - Play in more groups through the matchmaking system and earn extra rewards. A new Perky Pug non-combat pet can be yours through PUG runs.
Vote Kick - Is someone being troublesome? Get four votes from other members and they're out. Use it when necessary but don't abuse it at the same time.
Updated Need Before Greed - If you're in a PUG group, take notice: looting only be restricted to Need Before Greed. The Need Before Greed system has also been updated to better grant items to the appropriate classes and also making sure they can even equip the item in the first place. This goes for armor as well.
Group Disenchanting - Any items not claimed from looting with any kind of group will be available to be disenchanted by any enchanters in the group right from the looting window.
Looking for Raid - Help yourself to look for raid groups by seeking for them manually. There will also be weekly raid quests available in this update.
No word on a release date, but new content posted on the World of Warcraft website usually means it's coming real soon.
Epic music worthy of any high-budget movie, by Markus "Captain" Kaarlonen
Why do sci-fi productions always get the most amazing soundtracks? Who knows, but Shattered Horizon is fulfilling that stereotype.
If you haven't been keeping up, Shattered Horizon is a multiplayer FPS set in space, about 40 years in the future when humans are mining on the moon. An accident has occurred, leaving the moon in pieces and various miners stranded. One of the game's biggest innovations is its 360-degree zero-gravity play, which encourages players to experience a new kind of immersion. Oh, and it looks amazing.
Their latest trailer isn't so much a trailer as it is a feast for the ears. Visually we get an image of Earth and some text, displaying an interview with Shattered Horizon composer Markus "Captain" Kaarlonen. While most trailers about a game's OST will actually show the composer talking and directing an orchestra, Futuremark goes with a simpler approach. The emphasis is really the music here, so just sit back and enjoy.
And it's like, totally fun and I'd totally like, play more
Gamers have debating the boundaries between "casual" and "hardcore" for some time now, with many desperately clinging to an elitist notion that only a select few can really be gamers. Of course that's not how business works, and publishers will target the masses if they know they can make money off the endeavor.
Enter Band Hero for DS. Rock Band and Hero games have always been in a unique category of their own, presenting a social gaming experience for those who may not normally pick up a controller. The latest Band Hero trailer really drives that point home by interviewing a bunch of random people at a mall.
Anyway, the trailer features said "random people" claiming how cool Band Hero is and how eager they are to get it. Presumably to play some more. So apparently the drum pads are just like playing the drums, and "it's great" -- according to one random classy lady. Okay, the DS drum pads look fun, but they can't be "just like" the real thing! Here, enjoy the trailer and cast your verdict. Cringe.
Really though, if this resonates with you, get Band Hero for DS as a holiday gift to yourself or someone else.
Tried to get toothbrush by pulling levers and switches
With all the violent games out there taking heat for allegedly influencing crazies to murder and do other weird crap, Silent Hill has mostly sat under the radar despite its obvious mind f*cking qualities. That is, until a crazy from the Netherlands showed up.
Identified as "Jan H." to the press, the 35-year-old man had snuck into a the Sophia Hospital's basement in April 2008 and shut off the establishment's power. Why? He blames psychosis and claims he thought he was playing Silent Hill at the time.
The hospital was without electricity for about 45 minutes and thankfully, no one died during the outage. However, hospital staff had to manually respirate intensive care patients during that period. During a court trial last week, Jan said he thought he was playing the game at the time and had "no idea of the true consequences of his deeds." He was apparently trying to get a toothbrush by messing with the levers and switches that controlled the hospitals electricity.
Now we're a huge fan of Silent Hill, but no one remembers a puzzle that required you to find a toothbrush in a hospital basement. Well, at least Jan wasn't hallucinating and armed with a rusty axe -- that would have been bad.
No additional Windows 7 support for some older cards
Following the recent launch of the HD 5000 series (and DirectX 11), ATI is taking a moment to rearrange their driver priorities. Today they listed a slew of cards that will not be receiving fresh driver updates. The following cards have been relegated to 'legacy' driver status:
ATI Radeon 9500 Series ATI Radeon 9550 Series ATI Radeon 9600 Series ATI Radeon 9700 Series ATI Radeon 9800 Series ATI Radeon X300 Series ATI Radeon X550 Series ATI Radeon X600 Series ATI Radeon X700 Series ATI Radeon X800 Series ATI Radeon X850 Series ATI Radeon X1050 Series ATI Radeon X1300 Series ATI Radeon X1550 Series ATI Radeon X1600 Series ATI Radeon X1650 Series ATI Radeon X1800 Series ATI Radeon X1900 Series ATI Radeon Xpress Series ATI Radeon X1200 Series ATI Radeon X1250 Series ATI Radeon X2100 Series
If you have one of these video cards, and worried about Windows 7 compatibility, rest assured -- you don't have too much cause for concern. While Windows 7 support is not 'official' for these aging cards, you still should not have any trouble using the recent Vista Catalyst 9.8 drivers without too many problems in Win 7.
If you are miffed that your card has been deemed a 'legacy' product, a good way of dealing with the situation is taking it as a great excuse to justifying spending money on a new gaming graphics card.
Long before MySpace and its godawful layouts were popularized, there was Geocities, a web host started up in 1994 that provided anyone with a computer and an IQ of 5 or more with the ability to create their own site. Used Angelfire myself, where I first learned how to link a page ("it's <a herf=>", right?), but it's the same story.
Before its purchase by Yahoo, Geocities was the #3 site on the web, so for some it's sad news to learn the company has just yesterday shut down the service, integrating it with Yahoo Web Hosting.
However. A group of fans going by the name of Archive Team heard the news months in advance and have spent much of their time since then downloading pages for the purposes of preservation. If you just can't let go, head to geociti.es once the project sees completion.
X-COM: UFO Defense is one of those classics that always seems to make it near the top of magazines' 'Best 100 PC Games of All-Time' lists. The first turn-based (squad-combat hybrid-strategy) game in the series came out in 1993, by the legendary Microprose development studio, working with Mythos Games. It influenced a whole generation of PC gamers so there is no surprise to hear that plans of a new remake are always cropping up.
The latest hint that a new remake is in the works came about through an online resume for a 3D artist. Resumes aren't something that people fake (well, generally speaking of course!) so we think that it is pretty solid indication that this rumor bears weight. The latest job on artist Shamus Baker was listed as: ""Jan 2007 – April 2008 2K Games Canberra, Australia… ? X-Com (Xbox 360, PC Game)."
The resume has since been pulled offline -- which again makes us think that this is the real deal.
A prior rumor suggested that no other then game narrative pro Ken Levine, of Bioshock fame, was behind the project, and that 2K Games bought the rights to the series in 2007 -- which matches up well with this new resume hint.
This new X-COM would not be the first remake by a long-shot. Most notably there has been an entire new series done by ALTAR Interactive, which found moderate success, and there have been twogreat fan made X-COMs as well.All in all, including spin-offs, there have been over 12 big X-COM games -- and not to mention, loads of fan fiction, two novels, and probably millions of man-gaming hours lost to the series.
The game has always had a slower, strategic pace to it -- which is generally these days frowned upon -- so it'll be quite interesting to see how 2K Games reworks it. Perhaps they take some ques from the third game in the series, the arguably under-rated X-COM: Apocalypse (1997).
European cemetery provides perfect Halloween atmosphere
Nexon has released a flythrough trailer featuring the new "Grave Digger" map in Combat Arms, their free-to-play online FPS. The new map will feature multiple play modes and be added with the next update.
Here's a brief description:
Located in a monastery near a small central European city, this new map supports Elimination, Elimination Pro, Capture the Flag and One Man Army games. In a building intended to keep peace, the battle rages on … and there can only be one winner.
Of course, this is being timed with Hallow's Eve so players can get into the Halloween spirit while pulling off headshots and blowing up zombies in Quarantine Mode. All that nastiness aside, the video does show a very nice looking playground for Combat Arms players; sit back and enjoy the tour.
Cartoonish ARPG now ready for sampling and purchase
The wait is over: ARPG fans looking for a cheap but enjoyable fix can now pick up Runic Games' Torchlight for $20, or try out the demo.
Both can be had via just about any digital retailer (Steam, Perfect World, GamersGate, Gameware, WildTangent, etc.), but if you'd like those hard-working developers to get more of your money, consider buying it from the official site, where the demo will also be up within the next day or two.
For those concerned about DRM, the digital copy (box version coming early next year) from the official site uses GameShield (the scheme used varies by vendor). The details on the components used aren't yet clear (limited installations, one-time or every time activations, etc.), but we do know this scheme requires no change to the game's source code, unlike most, which is a good thing for gamers (fewer issues, better performance). Feel free to share your experiences.
Update: Runic's Travis Baldree says this: "Basically you get a key and unlock the game, and then it stays unlocked. We issue 10 unlocks by default, and if you run out, you call and snag some more. There's no rootkit craziness or any other junk - it just checks in once when you unlock to decrement the key count. We don't care if you install it on multiple computers you own."
We've been playing this one the past few days for our review, which should be up within the next couple of days, and it's been a blast. In fact, we're going to go play again right now...
If you've not only wanted your own personal army of zombies to take over the world, but also be able to do so from the palm of your hand, Frima Studio's soon to be released Zombie Tycoon is worth a look.
The new gameplay trailer below features groups of the undead being controlled by a mad scientist, bent on reaping human and animals brains and destroying cities. It would probably help to not look like a giant hot dog during a zombie apocalypse.
From what we can tell, you'll be able to choose from a variety of zombies and equip them with armor and weapons to defend themselves. After that, it's a matter of deploying and navigating your living dead through various locations to bring in the chaos.
Zombie Tycoon will be released as a PSP mini application for PSP and PSPgo units on October 29.
PC gamers have had cause to be somewhat distraught over recent news that Modern Warfare 2will not have dedicated servers for PC gamers for online play. And now, in a third blow, it looks like Rebellion Development's Aliens vs. Predator will not feature dedicated servers either.
Though this has not been confirmed officially, in a recent chat with CVG, AvP producer David Brickley awkwardly danced around questions given to him on the topic, indicating that he is probably withholding some bad news. Asked three separate direct times on the subject on whether AvP would have dedicated servers for PC gamers, the game's producer answered the questions with waffles and babbles, going on about DirectX11, the game's strong PC heritage (Rebellion made a PC AvP game in 1999), and how servers were really expensive and how they want PC gamers to have a great time with the game. And then he capped things off by saying things haven't been determined yet.
All in all, it looks like he could have just said 'no' from the get-go. But we'll have to wait for the official determination.
PC gamers bemoaned the liberties taken with the online multiplayer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, particularly developer Infinity Ward's decision to pull client-side dedicated server support in favor of a new Steamworks-backed matchmaking service dubbed IWNET. Infinity Ward justified the multiplayer overhaul as a bid to better connect with and manage what they deemed a "fractured" Modern Warfare community on their end.
Fans don't seem to be buying Infinity Ward's vision of the new PC online multiplayer. Perhaps unsurprisingly the naysayers are joined by DICE, developer behind the Electronic Arts-published Battlefield: Bad Company 2. DICE producer Gordon Van Dyke reaffirms why exactly his company doesn't feel the need to rock the boat when it comes to dedicated servers in a recent blog posting aptly titled "Dedicated To Our PC Players":
Other games use player-hosted or 'peer to peer' solutions, often resulting in a "host with the most" situation; where the player hosting the match has an advantage over other players connected to their game. Everyone else is dependent on the host's internet connection and if they don't have a great connection neither will you regardless how great of an internet you have. Also, unless server migration is implemented the game ends when that hosting player quits the game forcing you to find another player-host or start your own. With dedicated servers everyone gets non-stop action with no connection penalties based on some other player and their internet. This makes dedicated servers the best solution for online PC gaming hands down!
According to the FAQ accompanying the post, players interested in setting up client side servers remain welcome to do so with the option of renting from DICE's "trusted partners with datacenters worldwide". Actual costs of renting dedicated servers have not yet been divulged, but Dyke confirms users will be able to manage them via remote admin tools.
The additional benefits of operating a dedicated server, like making reserve lists and hosting private matches, are not expected to change. Hosts can also run their servers as officially ranked, allowing clients the option to earn rewards and unlockables. Clients will still need to search for available servers with a browser. Anti-cheat software will be required for all servers and clients.
The Battlefield series on PC hasn't been without its own down notes. Back in August, DICE confirmed Battlefield 1943 for the PC would be delayed until Q1 2010, though Dyke promised exclusive features will make up for the extra time required to iron out the "different and unique challenges to the PC".
Sins of a Solar Empire is regarded by many as one of the finest strategy games in recent years; launching in the summer of '08, this one did awfully well for an independent title, climbing its way up the PC charts and rankings lists.
Celebrating the success and offering a little something extra, the game's European publisher Kalypso Media are putting out a Game of the Year Edition for it in the region this Friday, October 30. Packing all updates and including an orchestral soundtrack and "huge" tech-tree poster, it'll be retailing for £24.99 (~$40 USD). North America has had this version awhile now, of course.
Oddly (particularly since the pricing matches up) the Entrenchment expansion is not included, as is typical of GOTY editions. Packing that in would be a big incentive for those that haven't picked up the game yet and don't want to have to bother with an extra download, but we digress.
Last year, you might have come across the amazing footage of BigDog: a cargo-bearing military robot looking like it was straight out of a concept sketch for Half Life 2. Well the makers of BigDog have shown off what they've been working on lately, and it is just as (or arguably almost) impressive as BigDog.
The PETMAN robot is another example of how robotics is the field that we are going to see increasing leaps and bounds from, over the next few decades. If there is one thing that Boston Dynamics knows well, it is how to enable a robot to walk: in the video below, you can see that PETMAN has fantastic bipedal motion. And even like BigDog, PETMAN has a sense of balance; the robot can right itself if it has been pushed, or if it has slipped.
The obvious question here is: will they be mounting machine guns on the torso and sending this device to Iraq? The answer is nope -- not yet anyways. PETMAN was ordered by the one of the great benefactors of robotics science, the U.S military, to be delivered to a lab in 2011 for the advanced testing of a next generation of chemical-protective suits. These legs will be fitted with a torso, arms, and dummy head over the next year, and the robot will eventually gain a full spectrum of lifelike movement, including crawling and running. PETMAN will even be able to sweat when things get hot, in order to test humidity levels in the suit.
Sure it would be cheaper to use a human test model, but it would not nearly be as much fun (or nearly as safe, of course).
The PC cooling designers at Scythe have come up with a new refresh design of their inexpensive Katana CPU cooler.
The AMD Katana 3 cooler will keep your socket AMD 754, 939, 940, AM2 (+2) and AM3 chips cool, while the Intel Katana 3 will be at home sitting on top of socket LGA 775, 1156, 1366 processors.
First shown off at Cebit back in March, the new design weighs in at just under half a kilogram, composed of a nickel-plater copper base, aluminum fins, and six copper heatpipes. A 92mm 300-2,500 RPM fan (included) keeps the air moving.
As far as CPU coolers go, the Katana 3 is a lower priced one, and should be selling for about $30 USD.
New quests, a dungeon, Veteran Points system and more debut, 20-45% off sign-ups
Funcom's MMORPG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures sees its 5.6 patch debut today; titled "Nights of Lost Souls", this one brings with it fresh in-game seasonal content, quests, rewards, a high-level dungeon, and something many players have been looking forward to: the Veteran Points system. And perhaps due to its recent financial straits, the company is also offering major discounts on long-term subscriptions.
"It being that time of year, we employed a few tricks to provide our players with some special treats," says Craig Morrison, Game Director and Executive Producer on `Age of Conan'. "In this update we have added new seasonal in-game content where players will have to progress through three brand new quest lines and get to challenge the dark and mysterious ghosts of Hyboria's fallen warriors in order to collect the seasonal rewards. We are also very excited about introducing the Veteran Points system, which allows us to reward those players who have been sticking with the game for longer periods of time."
Funcom are showing their sense of humour with this one, making available Halloween-themed weapons like the Unholy Backscratcher, not to mention pet demons. Two new locations are in store, too: a villa where "dark and gruesome" events are going on, and the Iron Tower, a massive structure in Tarantia's slums intended for veteran players. Both areas will offer new loot and encounters, as one would expect, and also bring the story of the district to its final end.
Next is the Veteran Points system, which rewards players who've subscribed for one month or more with mounts, experience potions, teleportation abilities, special equipment, or a host of other bonuses. More, the longer you stay subscribed, the more points you get, which can then be used with in-game vendors. Really going the extra mile here, Funcom notes the points apply to players who've already been subscribed, so if you've been with the game since launch, you'll want to find a whole lot of room for the gobs of loot you're about to uncover.
Lastly we have the new subscription model. For gamers who sign up for three months of playtime, this will give you a 20% discount (~$34 total); six months brings 30% (~$55 total); one year brings 45%.
Dementium: The Ward came out a few years ago, and received a moderate ammount of praise for being one of the first titles to actually convey the horror genre on the DS platform. Its developer Renegade Kid also went on to create Moon, a shooter similar to Dementium but in a sci-fi/horror setting, again receiving many high scores from critics.
Its sequel, Dementium II is coming up, and with that a very unconventional pre-order system; keen Renegade fans looking for bonuses with the latest installment will be faced with certain barriers. Usually these are redeemed by taking a trip down to the retailer you pre-ordered with, or if you bought online, the goodies are sent via mail. When you pre-order Dementium II, you will have to find and scan your proof of purchase before sending it to the publisher at the following email address: DementiumII@southpeakgames.com. The bonus gift is a poster featuring the title's cover art signed by creators Jools Watsham and Gregg Hargrove; gamers must pre-order by October 31 to take advantage.
No solid release date for the game yet, but fans can expect it before the year's out.
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