Most Recent: PC

Console versions of Risen 2 drop anchor in May

Posted on March 14, 2012 by John Scalzo

Deep Silver has announced that the console version of Risen 2: Dark Waters has set sail for the muddy waters of May.

Previously scheduled for an April 24 release, Risen 2 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 will now be available on May 22. The release date of the PC version was unchanged and remains April 27.

I hope somebody was forced to walk the plank for this! Arrrrr!

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Pre-order Guild Wars 2 for early access and exclusive in-game gear

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

Starting April 10, players will be able to pre-order one of three editions of Guild Wars 2 and not only guarantee themselves a spot in beta weekend events, but also get a three-day head start before launch to rub into their friend’s faces.

But wait, there’s more! As a bonus, early birds will also receive a “Hero’s Band”, an exclusive item that will provide characters with a range of power boosts.

If you have the $149.99 to blow, you can get your hot little hands on a hand-painted 10-inch statue of the bestial warrior Rytlock Brimstone, a custom frame along with five Guild Wars 2 art prints, a 112-page Making of Guild Wars 2 hardback book, a “Best of Guild Wars 2” soundtrack CD, and five in-game items, including a Mistfire Wolf and a miniature Rytlock who will accompany players on their travels through Tyria.

If that seems a little pricey, you could always go for the “Digital Deluxe Edition.” It’s a slightly more affordable $79.99, and you’ll get the five in-game items that the Collector’s edition has.

For the complete scoop on the various Collector’s Editions, head over to the Guild Wars 2 website.

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Scrolls will remain Scrolls, but any sequels must be called something else

Posted on March 13, 2012 by John Scalzo

ZeniMax and Mojang have finally settled their trademark dispute over the word “scrolls.” While it’s a victory for Mojang (their next game, Scrolls, will retain its original title), ZeniMax comes out of this looking like an adventurer who took an arrow to the knee.

According to the settlement, ZeniMax (which is the parent company of Bethesda Softworks) will obtain the trademark to “Scrolls” and will license it to Mojang for use in their upcoming game. This decision was reached due to ZeniMax’s ownership of the “Elder Scrolls” trademark. The word “Scrolls” can also be used in any expansion to the digital card game. However, if Mojang ever creates a sequel, the terms of the settlement state that it cannot use the word “Scrolls.”

So I guess that’s settled. But the question remains, why did ZeniMax/Bethesda believe they had any right to the “Scrolls” trademark? Their most famous game series may be known as “The Elder Scrolls,” but the three most recent games in the series are always referred to as simply Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim… even by the company’s own website. By putting restrictions on Mojang’s use of the word “Scrolls,” Bethesda just comes across as a bully.

And how did Mojang expect to trademark a single word such as “Scrolls” anyway? The mind boggles.

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New Releases: Tales of Graces F, Silent Hill Downpour, Yakuza Dead Souls, More

Posted on March 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

It’s “The Wait is Over Week” in this week’s edition of the new release report as a trio of games that were announced a long time ago finally make it to store shelves:

Japan has always been a game or two ahead of the US when it comes to Namco Bandai’s Tales series. So fans of the RPG franchise will be pleased to know that the PS3-exclusive Tales of Graces F is ready for release.

The US releases in Sega’s Yakuza series are typically the victim of a similar situation. And so it goes with this week’s new entry in the series, Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3), which was originally released in Japan in early 2011.

But when it comes to Silent Hill: Downpour (PS3, Xbox 360), gamers have had to wait a while for the game due to a good old-fashioned delay. Several of them, in fact. But it too will be in stores this week.

Finally, EA’s FIFA Street series has suffered any delays, territorial or otherwise. Instead, it just disappeared for a few years. But the franchise is back, in rebooted form, as FIFA Street on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Hit the jump for the complete list of this week’s new releases including a pair of plane games and the new Naruto game. (more…)

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Splinter Cell 6 announcement coming “soon”

Posted on March 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

Ubisoft began building their Toronto studio over two years ago. In that time, the team, which is under the command of Jade Raymond (Assassin’s Creed), has been hard at work on a new entry in the Splinter Cell series.

Now, in a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Raymond revealed that an official announcement for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 6 will be happening in the very near future:

GI.biz: So what’s your next big milestone for Toronto?

Jade Raymond: Well we’re basically going to announce our first big project, Splinter Cell, soon, so that’s going to be a big push for us.

According to Raymond, the game has been in development for 18 months and she is “impressed by what the team has been able to create.” She goes on to say “I’d say it’s better than what we could have done in most established studios.”

Of course, she probably has to say nice things about the game as you never know when Sam Fisher will leap out of the shadows and take you down.

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Modern Warfare 3 fends off Final Fantasy XIII-2 in February 2012 NPD ranking

Posted on March 9, 2012 by John Scalzo

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sits atop the NPD’s monthly list of bestselling games for the fourth month in a row. The shooter sequel managed to fend off new releases Final Fantasy XIII-2, UFC Undisputed 3, and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which rounded out the top four. Two other new releases managed to make it into the top ten, Namco Bandai’s Soul Calibur V (at #7) and Sony’s Twisted Metal reboot (at #9).

The NPD Group didn’t list any Vita games in the top ten during its first month of availability. No 3DS games cracked the top ten either, for that matter.

You can find the complete list of February 2012 bestsellers after the break. (more…)

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Skyrim takes home Game of the Year honors at 2012 GDC Awards

Posted on March 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim took home the coveted Game of the Year award at this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards, but Valve’s Portal 2 was the big winner of the night. The story of Chell, GLaDOS, and Wheatley won Best Audio, Best Game Design, and, of course, Best Narrative.

The other big winner of the night was Supergiant Games and Bastion. The title from the small seven-man team was awarded Best Downloadable Game as well as Best Debut.

A trio of special awards were also handhed out last night:

  • Epic Mickey and Deus Ex developer Warren Spector received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
  • Atari’s Dave Theurer received the Pioneer Award for his work on Tempest and Missile Command.
  • Lawyers Ken Doroshow and Paul M. Smith were presented with the Ambassador Award for their defense of the game industry in the Supreme Court case (Brown v. EMA/ESA) that established First Amendment protection for video games.

Hit the jump for a complete list of award winners including Best Technology, Best Visual Arts, Best Handheld/Mobile Game, and more. (more…)

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Independent Games Festival announces fourteenth annual awards winners

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

The Independent Games Festival, hosted by the Game Developers Conference, today announced it’s award recipients for 2012.

Fez, the unique “perspective-shifting” platformer, was the big winner, taking home the Seumas McNally Award for Best Independent Game and the $30,000 grand prize. Phil Fish, the lead developer on the game, was the central focus of the documentary Indie Game: The Movie, which was shown at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and screened earlier in the week at GDC.

Daniel Benmergui, developer of the game Storyteller, earned the Nuovo award and a $5,000 prize. The Nuovo Award honors abstract, short form, and unconventional game development, and Storyteller’s unique comic strip narrative format fit the bill.

Other award recipients include Dear Ester, by thechineseroom, which won for Excellence in Visual Art, and rightfully so- the idyllic landscapes remind me of Myst when it first came out and blew everyone away. Technical Excellence went to Demruth’s Antichamber, a psychological Escher-esque puzzle game, Excellence in Design to Mossmouth’s Spelunky, which creates levels as you play, and Excellence in Audio to Amanita Design’s Botanicula, which features a soundtrack created by Czech alternative band DVA.

Best Mobile Game was snatched up by Simogo for Beat Sneak Bandit, a rhythmic stealth/puzzle game, Best Student Game went to CMU Entertainment Technology Center/Coco & Co for Way, an online cooperative game focused on cross-cultural communication, and finally, the Audience Award went to Mode 7’s Frozen Synapse, a simultaneous-turn-based tactical game.

Finally, Capy Games took home the first XBLA Prize, a contract with Microsoft to publish a game on the Xbox Live Arcade. The Sword & Sworcery developers subsequently announced Super T.I.M.E Force for Microsoft’s download service.

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