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0 CommentsSpellirium beats Kickender campaign, tackles Adequately Animated stretch goal
By Jenna Pitcher at 12:23a 05.23.13
Untold Entertainment's Spellirium, an adventure game 'for hardcore word nerds,' met its $10, 000 Kickender campaign funding goal.
As Untold Entertainment have been working on Spellirium for five years, and is close to being finished, the studio only required funds to wrap up the game's development. Money from the campaign will be spent on the game's third act, voice-overs, sound, music, balancing difficulty, fixing bugs and general polish.
The independent funding campaign is now into its second stretch goal called Act III, Adequately Animated with 30 days to go. The developers ultimately hope raise $50, 000 in total in order to hire freelancers to help finish the game.
Those who pre-order the game are immediately granted with a playable alpha version, which consists of the first two...
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0 CommentsFuncom celebrates Age of Conan 5th anniversary by unleashing brutal boss monsters
By Jenna Pitcher on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
Beginning May 23, Funcom will celebrate the 5th anniversary of its massively multiplayer role-playing game Age of Conan by unleashing brutal boss monsters across Hyboria and will also introduce membership improvements, according to the game's official website.
One boss monster of increasing brutality will be unleashed each day of the event until five monsters will roam the land. Players of any level can partake in the boss monster battles.
Through the membership improvements users will receive 200 Bonus Points each month, a Blessing of Asura item that doubles experience points, will earn one Alternate Advancement Point per level advancement and other perks.
As part of the celebrations, all players will be given a one-week Access Pass to the land of Khitai, which was introduced in the...
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2 CommentsFar Cry 3 map editor expands with Blood Dragon content
By Jenna Pitcher on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
Ubisoft recently released the Far Cry 3 Mark IV Style Map Editor Pack for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which contains assets from the standalone spin-off title Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
Using the free map editor pack, gamers can now create maps based on Blood Dragons universe of '90s retro VHS-era future. The pack includes modular components of the buildings featured in Blood Dragon, such as ramps, doorways and more.
The Far Cry 3 Map Editor lets users to create maps and share them with the community and it is necessary to own a copy of Far Cry 3 to use the map editor.
Blood Dragon launched earlier this month for Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Windows PC. Actor Michael Biehn revealed in an interview with Major Nelson that creative director Dean Evans is in discussions to create...
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10 CommentsHalo TV series early in development, but Microsoft expects 'dramatic impact on how people think about TV'
By Michael McWhertor on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
The original Xbox owed much of its success to one game: launch title Halo: Combat Evolved. Microsoft Studios' Phil Spencer hopes to repeat that Halo-driven success as the Xbox maker becomes a first-party producer of an original live action TV series based on the franchise Bungie created in 2001.
"I think much like Halo begat the Xbox," Spencer told Polygon, "I think the Halo TV series can have a pretty dramatic impact on how people think about television."
343 Industries general manager Bonnie Ross and Xbox Entertainment Studios head Nancy Tellem announced the new Halo television series at Microsoft's Xbox One reveal event yesterday. The two also announced that director Steven Spielberg, who Spencer said has long had "an affinity for Halo," will produce the show.
"We've been a...
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12 CommentsSimCity update 4.0 introduces new areas, re-enabled features tomorrow
By Megan Farokhmanesh on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
SimCity's 4.0 update, launching tomorrow, will introduce new areas, re-enable features and add additional fixes, according to a post on EA's forums.
Post update, global market prices now "dynamically" change, and region filters and leaderboards are once again active. SimCity will also show the player's current server in the options menu and include more detailed rollover information about Sim happiness.
The update also adds two new areas. Edgewater Bay is a region with seven city sites in a single cluster, and SimCity Launch Park is a special area dedicated to fans that will be available exclusively to "early adopters."
Update 4.0 also includes a few graphical, messaging and weather updates. You can read the full post for more details.
Maxis recently teased new add-on content for S...
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0 CommentsIndies Crash E3 winners include FrozenPixel, Man Fight Dragon and Sunstone Games
By Jenna Pitcher on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
The winners of Indies Crash E3, a community-voted contest to provide independent developers with E3 badges, were announced and include FrozenPixel with Nucleotuide, Man Fight Dragon with Black Annex and Sunstone Games' Kaiju Combat.
Winners and, controversially, their fans will be provided with badges to attend the tradeshow which runs from June 11 to 13.
Sunstone Games' Kaiju Combat's Kickstarter campaign was suspended in March because it is the subject of an intellectual property dispute with Wizards of the Coast. Man Fight Dragon's action strategy title, Black Annex, was revealed as one of six PAX Aus Indie Showcase winners.
Other winners include Argentinian-based Saibot Studios; Brazilian game development studio Behold Studios; Polish game studio Spiffy Goats; Pardis Game Studio...
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4 Comments38 Studios court case begins, state has an 'avalanche' of evidence to back claims
By Megan Farokhmanesh on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
The lawsuit against Curt Schilling's game company, 38 Studios, began today with opening arguments from both sides, Providence Journal reports.
In June of last year, 38 Studios declared bankruptcy after missing payments to the state on its $75 million loan. The developer then laid off its entire staff and shut down. Rhode Island is currently suing the now defunct company on the grounds that it knew it would fail and did not inform the state.
The validity of the state's case is currently in discussion. According to Max Wistow, an attorney for the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, which backed 38 Studios' loan, the state has an "avalanche" of evidence to back its claim.
Reports from last week indicated that 38 Studios is currently looking to sell assets related to its...
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2 CommentsDungeons and Dragons Online: Shadowfell Conspiracy launching Aug. 19
By Megan Farokhmanesh on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
Turbine will release its upcoming Dungeons and Dragons Online expansion, Shadowfell Conspiracy, Aug. 19, the company announced via press release.
Shadowfell Conspiracy is the game's second expansion and will raise the level cap to 28. The expansion is set in the Forgotten Realms era and introduces new wilderness areas, monsters and dungeons. Additionally, players over level 15 will have access to new playable Iconic Heroes. Iconic Heroes allow players to jump in at level 15.
According to DDO's senior producer, Erik Boyer, the Iconic Classes system will be available immediately to those who pre-purchase the game. Pre-orders opened today and come in two different editions. The Standard Edition, $29.99, includes one character slot, 1,000 Turbine Points, special goggles and more....
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0 Comments7 Grand Steps coming to PC and Mac June 7
By Dave Tach on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
7 Grand Steps: What Ancients Begat, developer Mousechief's video game tour of Western civilization, will be released on Windows PC and Mac June 7.
The Independent Games Festival-nominated title will be available for $15 on Steam and Mousechief.com. The strategy game uses board game mechanics, text vignettes and four playable social classes to chart a course across the human history.
"With each turn, you optimize the use of resources to achieve powerful legends, using a tactical board-game mechanic that empowers overarching family strategies across the generations," according to the developer's description. "Along the way, children are conceived and romances forged, discoveries are made and tragedies suffered. Will your lineage survive through the ages, or be crushed under the weight...
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1 CommentClandestine: Anomaly devs announce PS Vita support for ARG on Kickstarter
By Dave Tach on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
Clandestine: Anomaly, ZenFri's augmented reality game currently seeking funds on Kickstarter, is in development for PlayStation Vita, the developers announced today on the game's Kickstarter blog.
The developers describe the game on Kickstarter as a "reality expansion pack" that will use portable devices to augment reality with the game. You play as yourself in Clandestine: Anomaly, "an epic, story driven game that you play in your own neighborhood." The game was originally in development for iOS and Android devices.
Earlier this year, Sony announced that the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation Mobile would support the Unity engine. Early this month, Sony announced that it would waive the publisher license fee for PlayStation Mobile this summer. The...
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4 CommentsElder Scrolls Online video reveals a new monster, the deadly marsh-dwelling Wamasu
By John Funk on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
A teaser posted by ZeniMax Online for The Elder Scrolls Online introduces a new monster not yet seen in Elder Scrolls lore.
The bulky, lizard-like wamasu lives in the Black Marsh where it threatens adventurers and passersby. It has some sort of innate electric power as evidenced by its lightning breath and tendency to crackle with electricity, and can knock enemies down with a powerful tail lash.
In a post on the Elder Scrolls Online site, the developers shed some light on the creature's creation. "The wamasu has never appeared in an Elder Scrolls game, and it’s rarely mentioned in existing lore, so we had some freedom to define and flesh out this intimidating foe," reads the post.
The post elaborates on how the wamasu fits in to the world of The Elder Scrolls, and how the team...
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12 CommentsComparison video shows visual improvements from Modern Warfare 3 to COD: Ghosts
By John Funk on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
Activision has released the Call of Duty graphics comparison video that Microsoft showed yesterday at its Xbox One reveal event illustrating the difference in graphical fidelity between Modern Warfare 3 and Ghosts.
The Xbox One hardware allows for improved polygon counts, and higher-definition textures, says the video, flipping between shots of Modern Warfare 3 and Ghosts to illustrate its point. Yesterday during Microsoft's stream, the reveal of Ghosts' canine companion in this video became an instant meme, spawning joke Twitter accounts like Call of Duty Dog.
Yesterday we learned that Call of Duty: Ghosts would be coming to Xbox One with timed-exclusive DLC.
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13 CommentsThe Warriors hits PSN May 28
By Dave Tach on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
The Warriors, a 2005 beat-em-up from Rockstar Games, will arrive on the PlayStation Store May 28, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog.
The $9.99 PlayStation 3 version will launch as a PS2 Classic. Based on the 1979 film of the same name, the game sees players fighting through the streets of New York after being framed for killing a rival gang leader. Originally developed by Rockstar Toronto, it was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PSP.
The Warriors will join other Rockstar titles on the PlayStation Store like those from the Grand Theft Auto series and Manhunt, which was released last week. Other Rockstar PS2 classics on the PlayStation Store include Bully, Max Payne and Midnight Club: Street Racing.
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26 CommentsXbox One will support avatars, but Microsoft expects more 'real images'
By Dave Tach on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
Xbox One will support avatars like Xbox 360, but Microsoft believes that users will use more "real images" to represent themselves on the next-gen console, Ben Killgore, corporate vice president of interactive entertainment business, told EGMnow.
"Avatars are still around," Kilgore said. "Identity is a big thing for us. We believe on Xbox One, people will start to use more real images of themselves as well, but we still support Avatars."
Avatars were introduced to the Xbox 360 in 2008 alongside the New Xbox Experience. The revamped user interface also allowed players to create and customize avatars to represent their profiles. Several games, including 1 vs. 100 and Guitar Hero 5, allow players' avatars to be used in-game.
After Xbox One's unveiling yesterday, Microsoft...
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17 CommentsMicrosoft's NFL partnership worth $400M over five years, reports AP
By Samit Sarkar on May 22, 2013 05.22.13
Microsoft's new agreement with the National Football League for interactive NFL experiences, which includes the NFL on Xbox app for Xbox One, is worth $400 million over the next five years for the NFL, reports the Associated Press.
Neither the NFL nor Microsoft disclosed terms of the deal yesterday; the AP cited an anonymous source familiar with the deal between the companies. Reached for comment, a Microsoft representative told Polygon, "We do not comment on rumors and speculation and we do not disclose the financial terms of our partnerships."
Microsoft announced an Xbox One app yesterday during its Xbox One reveal event. The app is designed to enhance the NFL viewing experience for fans by integrating Microsoft technology built into the Xbox One such as Skype and SmartGlass, with...
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30 CommentsRemedy will return to Alan Wake 'when the time is right,' says creative director
By Megan Farokhmanesh at 3:34p 05.22.13
Alan Wake creator Remedy Games' next title won't be a sequel, but the team hopes to return to the property "when the time is right," creative director Sam Lake said during a video aimed at fans.
"As you might have already seen or heard from the Xbox reveal event, we are working on something new," Lake said in the video, which you can watch above. "Something big. Which of course means that the next big game from Remedy won't be Alan Wake 2."
Lake said that after the release of the first game, the team worked hard to make a sequel happen. But there are several things needed to make the title fall in place, Lake said. The team could have created something "less ambitious," but that wouldn't have done justice to the fans or the game.
"From the creative perspective, it would be awesome if...
