EA to give players free game to make up for “dumb” SimCity launch

Posted on March 9, 2013 by John Scalzo

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It happens almost every time, doesn’t it? Some publisher releases a game with a massive online component and then throws their hands up in horror as more players than they ever expected bring down the servers. EA’s SimCity is just the latest bungled launch in a grand tradition that goes back a long time. Lucy Bradshaw, the Senior Vice President at Maxis, has admitted that it was “dumb” not to expect so many players in a new blog post on the developer’s website:

The server issues which began at launch have improved significantly as we added more capacity. But some people are still experiencing response and stability problems that we’re working fast to address.

So what went wrong? The short answer is: a lot more people logged on than we expected. More people played and played in ways we never saw in the beta.

OK, we agree, that was dumb, but we are committed to fixing it. In the last 48 hours we increased server capacity by 120 percent. It’s working – the number of people who have gotten in and built cities has improved dramatically. The number of disrupted experiences has dropped by roughly 80 percent.

So we’re close to fixed, but not quite there. I’m hoping to post another update this weekend to let everyone know that the launch issues are behind us.

To make up for their mistake, EA plans to offer a free game download to all SimCity players. The game (likely a list of games, and each player will get to pick one) hasn’t been chosen yet, but SimCity players will learn more in an email set to be delivered on March 18.

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Wreck-It Ralph spoofs King of Kong with “Garlan Hulse: Where Potential Lives”

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Andrew Rainnie

As well as being one of the best animated films of all time, Wreck-It Ralph had a very well planned marketing strategy that built an entire history behind the titular retro arcade game, including this old-school advert. Now, to promote the release of the film on Blu-ray and DVD, Disney has gone one better, creating a fictional version of smash documentary King of Kong for Wreck-It Ralph‘s world.

Entitled Garlan Hulse: Where Potential Lives, the 28-minute mockumentary features the film’s director, Rich Moore, as he leaps back to 1982 to enlighten us about Garlan Hulse’s recordbreaking Fix-It Felix Jr. score. He held the fame-winning title for only six weeks, before it was lost to former best friend, Kent Zborski. Cut to present day, and Moore journeys through California in search of the former gaming wunderkind. It is as equally as funny as the film it is promoting, and deserves half an hour of your day.

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Ultima creator Richard Garriott turns to Kickstarter for Shroud of the Avatar

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Andrew Rainnie

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Famous games designer (and creator of the modern RPG) Richard Garriott, best known for the Ulima franchise, as well as the ill-fated Tabula Rasa, is returning to the game development fold, and is looking for a little help from fans. His new game, Shroud of the Avatar, was announced on Friday by Garriott’s new studio, Portalarium. Based in Austin, Texas, the developer’s announcement was timed to coincide with the first day of the city’s SXSW Gaming Festival. With Shroud of the Avatar, Garriott is aiming to provide gamers with “the keys to an ultimate role-playing experience.”

“These important tenets include things like a fully interactive virtual world, deep original fiction with ethical parables such that players’ choices are relevant, cultural histories and fully developed alternative languages and text. Also we want our players to have physical game components like cloth maps, fictional manuals and trinkets. These are all things that people came to expect in my earlier works and we plan on bringing them all back to create Shroud of the Avatar.”

In order to fund his new title, Garriott has launched a Kickstarter campaign under his alias, Lord British. In the video, Garriott explains that he feels modern RPGs coddle players too much, and hopes to set them free to do as they wish with Shroud of the Avatar.

As of this writing, the project is almost halfway to its $1 million target, with 29 days still to go. So it would be safe to assume we will be seeing Shroud of the Avatar on the PC very soon.

Posted in News, PC |

Zeno Clash II gameplay trailer punches you in the face

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Andrew Rainnie

The first gameplay trailer for Zeno Clash II, a first-person brawler from Chilean developer ACE Team, is hard-hitting. Literally. Players must once again take control of Ghat and battle their way through the weird and wonderful creatures that populate Zenozoik, to try and rid the world of the Golem known as Kax-Teh. Ghat is now accompanied by his sister Rimat, who wishes to reunite her family after events of the first game tore it apart.

Once again powered by Valve’s Source Engine and published by Atlus, ACE Team is hoping to make the game available on Steam, PlayStation Network, and the Xbox Live Arcade in the first half of 2013.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Gore Verbinski’s Matter “no longer being pursued” by Microsoft

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Andrew Rainnie

Microsoft has seemingly cancelled the Kinect puzzle game Matter that was due for release on Xbox Live this year. It was being developed by Blind Wink Games, a studio formed by Universal Pictures and film director Gore Verbinski, famous for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and the upcoming Lone Ranger adaptation. The official soundbite from an unnamed representative of the company states, “Microsoft Studios is no longer pursuing this title. We have no further details to share at this time.”

This is a contrast to its debut at E3 2012, when Phil Spencer, Corporate VP of Microsoft Studios, sang its praises: “To a lot of people who haven’t played games for a long time, somebody standing completely stationary with a controller in their hands kind of seems emotionless, even though we know that we’ll be sweating or twitching. And [it was Gore Verbinki’s] feeling, that with motion and movement, that the connection of the emotion that’s happening on screen and how the player feels would be more natural.”

Neither Verbinski or Blind Wink Games has commented thus far on the reasons behind the cancellation. Is this a sign that Microsoft are moving away from Kinect? Given the multitude of rumours suggesting that the device will be mandatory with the next iteration of the Xbox, it seems highly unlikely.

[Source: Joystiq]

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: March 8, 2013 – Birthday edition!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Nicole Kline

It’s true, Internet – today is my birthday! And it falls on a Friday, which is pretty much the best day to have a birthday ever. And it’s Ralph “The Father of Video Games” Baer’s birthday too!

I’m spending the evening with some friends at a going away party for a pal who is headed out on a road trip to GDC. Then tomorrow I hope to see Nullsleep, but there’s a big board game night event as well, so I have to decide! Too many wonderful choices. Not a complaint!

So what’s happening on my birthday? Not a darn thing. No video game deals. And I’ve decided I’m not going to buy any of those games in my cart until I beat at least one more. I spent last night with Dead Space 3, trying to give it another chance, but I snuck in some Fire Emblem: Awakening when Isaac wasn’t looking. I know, I know, I live on the edge!

My birthday also brings good t-shirts! Though I’ll admit it, I don’t want to buy any. Good or bad? You decide!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Ubisoft bringing guided demos of AC4: Black Flag, SC: Blacklist, Watch Dogs to PAX East

Posted on March 8, 2013 by John Scalzo

assassinscreed4-large-boxUbisoft has announced their 2013 PAX East lineup and it’ll include all of their “heavy hitters” set for release later this year including Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and Watch Dogs. Sadly, all three will only be available as guided demos/videos controlled by Ubisoft staff. But you will receive an inflatable cutlass if you watch the Black Flag presentation.

If you’re looking for games to play, Ubisoft will have those available on the show floor as well. You can check out the list of playable demos right here:

  • ShootMania Storm (PC)
  • Might & Magic Heroes VI: Shades of Darkness (PC)
  • Might & Magic: Duel of Champions Online (PC, iOS)
  • Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (PSN, XBLA)
  • Spartacus Legends (PSN, XBLA)

PAX East 2013 is being held from March 22nd through the 24th at the Boston Convention Center. Hit the jump for a few more details on Ubisoft’s “heavy hitters” lineup.

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Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , ,

PBS Inventors profiles Ralph Baer, the Father of Video Games, on his 91st birthday

Posted on March 8, 2013 by John Scalzo

Before Cliff Bleszinski… Before John Carmack… Before even Shigeru Miyamoto… there was Ralph Baer. While not known as a game designer, Ralph Baer gave the video game industry something much more important: the first home console.

Today is Ralph Baer’s 91st birthday and PBS has decided to celebrate with the “Father of Video Games” by profiling him as part of their Inventors digital series.

Baer began work on his “Brown Box” console all the way back in 1966. It would eventually be released to the public in 1972 as the Magnavox Odyssey. The prolific inventor is also responsible for the first light gun and the first light gun game, Shooting Gallery as well as the Simon handheld game. Happy birthday Ralph! Never stop inventing.

I’d also like to wish a happy birthday to Warp Zoned’s Senior Editor, Nicole Kline. I’ll bet she had no idea she shared a birthday with video game royalty.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro |