Most Recent: Articles

38 Studios makes loan payment, will release Amalur MMO in June 2013

Posted on May 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

Former Major League pitcher Curt Schilling has turned in another gutsy performance to continue a different impossible dream. In 2004, it was the “bloody sock” that lead to Boston’s first World Series win in decades. And today, it delivering a check to the state of Rhode Island to save his company, 38 Studios.

The state of Rhode Island lent $75 million to the team at 38 Studios to help finance their move into the state as well as the company’s MMO, which is codenamed Project Copernicus. According to the developer, none of the money was used on this year’s single-player RPG, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which was developed in Maryland at Big Huge Games. The MMO, which is also set in the kingdom of Amalur, is currently scheduled to ship in June 2013. A first look at the game, dubbed a “fly-through” by 38 Studios, can be found after the break.

The $1.125 million payment on the loan is just the first of many that 38 Studios will have to make over the next several years including a $2.6 million payment in November and another $12.6 million in 2013. (more…)

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Microsoft to give away an Xbox 360 to students who buy a Windows 7 PC

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

Just like last Summer, Microsoft has announced they’ll give a free Xbox 360 to any student that buys a Windows 7 PC.

To take advantage of the offer, students or their parents must provide valid student ID as defined by a participating retailer. Some of the retailers participating in the promotion include Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics, Dell.com, HPDirect.com, the Microsoft Store, and NewEgg.

Students who buy a qualifying Windows 7-based PC (last year, Microsoft required a minimum purchase price of $699), will receive a free 4GB Xbox 360 console. The promotion starts on May 20th, and is good for as long as supplies last.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

Daily Scoop: May 18, 2012 – Hooray for Friday!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Woo, it’s Friday! Tonight I’ll be playtesting a new game over at the awesome Cipher Prime studio. If I’m allowed to write about it, you’ll be the first ones to hear about it! Scout’s honor.

Amazon’s having a huge sale on downloadable games right now! They’re calling it “Game Downloads Mayhem” with “12 Days of Dynamite Deals.” Act now to get both BioShock games for $7.49 (total!), Metro 2033 for $4.99, and the Alan Wake Collector’s Bundle for $17.49, among many others.

No shirts today, but please go vote for this one so it gets printed: (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PC |

Lollipop Chainsaw special edition includes Buffybot

Posted on May 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

The makers of Lollipop Chainsaw have released a new live-action trailer promoting the game’s special edition. If your wallet can handle it, you can head down to your favorite retailer on June 12 and come away with a copy of the game and a life-size Juliet Starling robot that will “do anything.”

Warning: The Lollipop Chainsaw special edition doesn’t exist, so you won’t be able to purchase a robotic Juliet-in-a-box. Nor does such a robot even exist. I’m sorry.

Is this video a comment on the out-of-control contents of some special editions and the pre-teen mindset of most male gamers? Or is it an obvious reference to the Buffybot from Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Or is this just another excuse to have Jessica Nigri prance around in Juliet’s barely there cheerleader costume?

You decide!

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time steals a spot on the Vita this Fall

Posted on May 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

It looks like Sly Cooper will be stealing time on the Vita, as well as the PS3, this Fall in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time . Sony confirmed that developer Sanzaru Games will bring the raccoon-burglar to their handheld yesterday, along with announcing that franchise favorite Carmelita will return as a playable character.

The Vita version will include rear and front touchscreen controls as well as motion control options. Best of all, both the PS3 and Vita versions will include cross-save functionality, meaning you can transfer your home save to your Vita and play on the road (and vice versa) in the same game.

The feature was cool yesterday when Konami announced it for the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and it’s cool today.

You can see more of Carmelita in action at the PlayStation Blog.

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PlayStation Store to offer early pre-loading starting with Sorcery

Posted on May 17, 2012 by John Scalzo

Being able to pre-download an unreleased game is one of the coolest features that Steam has to offer. And now, a similar “Pre-Buy” feature is available to PlayStation Network users.

Starting today (at least in Europe), gamers can pre-purchase Sorcery and download it to their PS3 system. The game will unlock when the Move-enabled magician sim is released on Tuesday, May 22. More games will include a “Pre-Buy” option in the future.

The “Pre-Buy” option should open up for PSN users in North America soon.

[Source: Gamasutra]

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Check out these pretty pictures made with Unreal Engine 4

Posted on May 17, 2012 by John Scalzo

Epic Games has teamed up with Wired to release a few screenshots showcasing their upcoming Unreal Engine 4. If you want to skip straight to the pretty pictures, they’re after the break, but Epic had plenty of interesting things to say about their new engine as well.

“There is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of our engine team and our studio to drag this industry into the next generation,” said Epic Design Director Cliff Bleszinski. “It is up to Epic, and [CEO] Tim Sweeney in particular, to motivate Sony and Microsoft not to phone in what these next consoles are going to be. It needs to be a quantum leap. They need to damn near render Avatar in real time, because I want it and gamers want it… even if they don’t know they want it.”

Bold words CliffyB, bold words.

Epic will publicly unveil the Unreal Engine 4 at this year’s E3 expo. But eight images created using the technology that will likely power future-generation game development can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged

Telltale sells one million downloads of The Walking Dead

Posted on May 17, 2012 by John Scalzo

The Walking Dead has been extremely successful for Telltale Games. How successful? It’s only the best-selling game the company has ever produced. According to the publisher, the first episode of the series, “A New Day,” has been downloaded over one million times on the PC, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade.

And after it scored a seven out of seven in our review, that’s none-too-surprising.

“Premiering The Walking Dead game series to record numbers across so many diverse platforms is a tremendous achievement that shows the value of bringing strong storytelling and game play together,” said Dan Connors, CEO of Telltale Games. “The tailored narrative design puts gamers in control of their own story within the universe of The Walking Dead in a way that appeals equally to hardcore gamers and to more casual gamers who are fans of the franchise. The most exciting aspect of getting off to such a great start is that this is just the beginning of the five episode series. The Walking Dead fans are going to experience some really great moments in the months ahead that are uniquely influenced by the choices they make throughout the season.”

The second episode in the series, “Starved For Help,” will be available in June.

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