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Announcement

Today in Gaming News – March 21, 2012

March 21, 2012 By Richard Jacklin In Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod, News, Nintendo, PC, Playstation 3, Sony, Wii

Mass Effect 3 ending controversy spawns ‘content initiatives’ with details coming in April

Co-founder of Bioware Ray Muzyka has finally spoken out over the Mass Effect 3 ending controversy. However, his opinion of the subject may be a controversy in itself. According to the Bioware co-founder, the company will be looking to add “more clarity” to the ending of the game by altering or adding to it in a way that maintains the story’s artistic integrity.

“Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions,” he said, ”providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You’ll hear more on this in April.”

We will have to wait until April to hear what Bioware’s exact plans are, but the co-founder did make it clear that these new ”content initiatives” are seperate from the company’s pre-existing plans to continue the Mass Effect universe’s expansion. The real question is, will these “content intiatives” be free or paid?

Dark Souls PC announcement imminent?

The official Facebook page for Dark Souls has a new app titled “an announcement is incoming”. Currently, the app is just a static image that will likely be replaced with an announcement once the page reaches enough likes. This has many speculating that the announcement is that of a PC release for the title.

Adding fuel to the fire is the April issue of PC PowerPlay. An image from the magazine has popped up on NeoGaf which shows that the game will be featured in the magazine one way or another.

We will have to wait and see what comes of this announcement.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two officially announced for Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii

Rumors about the existence of Epic Mickey 2 have been floating around for a while. Finally, the media has seen the title and the Associated Press has the first details on the title.

The developer, Junction Point Studios has revealed that they are focusing on improving the game’s camera, which was a weak point for its predecessor. Also being added are voices for the various characters. The title will be also taking a slightly odd turn as it is set to be a musical.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two does not currently have a release date.

Zynga purchases Draw Something developer for $200 million

According to a report on ArsTechnica, Draw Something developer OMGPOP has been purchased by Zynga for around $200 million. OMGPOP’s latest title Draw Something has become quite popular, having been downloaded over 35 million times. So far 1 billion drawings have been produced, with a rate of about 3,000 per second at the game’s peak.

OMGPOP has revealed that with Zynga’s backing, the company will be adding many new features to the game. These include chat, galleries, and the ability to draw your own avatar image.

Double Fine and 2 Player Productions Announce Kickstarter for New Adventure Game and Documentary

February 8, 2012 By Richard Jacklin In News, PC

Double Fine and 2 Player Productions have officially announced a kickstarter for a new adventure game and documentary. This announcement comes hours after Tim Schafer took to Twitter to say “on the topic of using non-traditional game funding to fulfill fan requests, we WILL be making an announcement later today!” This announcement also came via Twitter.

Those interested in donating large amounts to the Kickstarter fund will receive the following:

Pledge $15,000 or more:
Dinner with Tim Schafer and key members of the dev team.

Pledge $20,000 or more:
Dinner and BOWLING with Tim Schafer and key members of the dev team.

Pledge $30,000 or more:
Picture of Ron Gilbert smiling.

Pledge $35,000 or more:
Undoctored picture of Ron Gilbert smiling.

Pledge $50,000 or more:
Become an actual character in the game.

Pledge $150,000 or more:
Tim Schafer (that’s me) will give last four remaining Triangle Boxed Day of the Tentacles, in original shrink-wrap.” (Limit of 1) (Holy crap, what am I thinking? I only have four of those!)

Previously Schaffer was in talks with Minecraft creator Notch about the possibility of Notch funding the development of a sequel to Psychonauts. Talks are underway over the development of a Psychonauts sequel and it remains to be seen how this latest announcement will affect those talks.

You can check out the Kickstarter page for the game here.

Sources: Twitter, Double Fine

Medal of Honor 2 Announcement Teased for March 6

February 7, 2012 By Richard Jacklin In Microsoft, News, PC, Playstation 3, Sony, Xbox 360

EA has signaled that an announcement of the next Medal of Honor game may happen early next month during the 2012 Game Developers Conference. A “save the date” invitation that was sent to GameSpot reveals that the publisher is preparing to reveal something surrounding the Medal of Honor series on March 6. That date puts the reveal during the Game Developers Conference which runs from March 5 – 9 in San Francisco.

Many had mixed feelings about the last entry in the Medal of Honor series. How will fans react to this upcoming announcement? We will have to wait and see.

Source: Gamespot

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Announced, Due in 2012

August 15, 2011 By Thomas Mayer In Apple, Mac, Microsoft, News, PC, Playstation 3, Sony, Xbox 360

Valve has been busy lately, working on DoTA 2 and pretending Half-Life 2: Episode 3 will ever exist. But it looks like they’ve added something new to the mix – a new goddamned Counter-Strike game. Currently pegged as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, this will be as close to a true sequel as we’ve ever gotten.

A Steam page is now available for the game, though it only contains this description:

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago.

CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.

“Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999,” said Doug Lombardi at Valve. “For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS’ award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac.”

CS: GO is being developed by Valve in cooperation with Seattle-based Hidden Path Entertainment. The title is targeted for release in early 2012 and will be playable at this year’s PAX Prime and Eurogamer Expo.

Hidden Path Entertainment were the folks behind the well-received, tower-defense game, Defense Grid: The Awakening. They also collaborated with Valve on Counter-Strike: Source, bringing Steam achievements and other upgrades to the title. It looks like their partnership went well, as they are placing the much-anticipated sequel in their hands. There is no firm release date, but those attending PAX Prime will be able to get their dirty mitts on it. That includes your’s truly.

The title is scheduled to be released sometime in 2012 for the PC, Mac, Xbox 360 (via XBLA), and PSN.

Source: Steam
Via: RockPaperShotgun

Cult Classic “The Neverhood” Coming to Mobile Platforms

July 6, 2011 By Thomas Mayer In Android, Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod, News, WP7

The critically-acclaimed (but financial failure) The Neverhood has been announced as coming to all major mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, and WP7. Development has not officially started, as the original developers are still negotiating rights. A release date is still TBD, but as soon as announcements are made, you can be sure you’ll hear it here.

The Neverhood was a PC-only released in 1996 in the US, which featured gorgeous, handcrafted clay environments and characters. It was a point-and-click adventure game, which was sales poison by the time of the game’s release. The genre was all but dead, with only a few outliers through the years. The Neverhood only mustered around 42,000 copies sold. A sequel was released on the PlayStation, titled Skullmonkeys. Perhaps as a reaction to the poor sales of the first game, Skullmonkeys was a platformer instead of a point-and-click adventure game. It still featured the claymation art style, and was, again critically acclaimed for its art style and music composition.

Source: The Neverhood Facebook Page

L.A. Noire Confirmed for PC This Fall

June 24, 2011 By Thomas Mayer In News, PC

PC gamers don’t fret – Rockstar has not forsaken you. The critically-acclaimed L.A. Noire will be coming to PC later this fall, with the port being handled by Rockstar Leeds.

Although the initial launch of Grand Theft Auto 4 for PC was a mess-and-a-half, Rockstar is touting many enhancements and support for a “wide range of PCs.” The usual benefits include the obvious improvements to visuals (increased resolution, better textures, etc), customizable key-mapping and gamepad support, and even 3D-display support. It certainly sounds promising, and I’m sure Rockstar doesn’t want to repeat their GTA4 mistakes.

Source: Rockstar Games

Dance Central 2 Announced; Features Simultaneous Play

June 6, 2011 By Thomas Mayer In Microsoft, News, Xbox 360

It’s hardly surprising that the best selling Kinect game of last year is receiving a sequel, and Harmonix did not disappoint. Dance Central 2 is coming and is bringing several great additions.

Keeping with Harmonix tradition, users will be able to import all of the tracks from the first Dance Central. One of the biggest missing features last year was 2-player, simultaneous play. Fortunately, that has been fixed and DC2 will have it in spades. The game is set to launch late 2011.

‘Metal Gear Solid’ and ‘Zone of the Enders’ Receiving HD Collections; Coming to Xbox 360 and PS3

metal-gear-solid-zone-of-the-enders-hd-collections-announced

June 3, 2011 By Thomas Mayer In Microsoft, News, Playstation 3, Sony, Xbox 360

Konami has announced two lovely high-def compilations today: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Zone of the Enders HD Collection. The ‘Metal Gear’ collection will include:

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

The ‘Zone of the Enders’ collection includes the original Zone of the Enders, and the sequel Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. Both titles will be coming to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

This news is especially good for those who never entered into the Sony console space. Metal Gear Solid 2 saw a port to the original Xbox, but MGS 3 was strictly a PS2-exclusive. The same is true for both ZOE games. For Xbox 360 owners, this is an excellent opportunity to catch up on these PS2 classics.

The PlayStation 3 versions of the collections will feature what Kojima has dubbed “transfarring.” The feature allows saves between compatible games to be securely transferred between PlayStation 3 and PSP. Peace Walker will feature transfarring, as it was originally a PSP game. Kojima plans to extend this feature into future releases for the NGP.

The MGS HD Collection is slated for a November 2011 release, while the ZoE HD Collection isn’t due until 2012.

Source: G4

Carmageddon Countdown Completes; Carmageddon: Reincarnation Announced

June 1, 2011 By Thomas Mayer In Microsoft, News, PC, Playstation 3, Sony, Xbox 360

The mysterious countdown clock on the quietly launched www.carmageddon.com website has finally completed. Though the website itself is not functioning, a press release has revealed that the Carmageddon brand has reacquired by the original developers, Stainless Games.

Along with this news, Stainless Games announced they are working on a new game in the series titled Carmageddon: Reincarnation. The title will debut on digital platforms, though none have been specifically named yet. It is currently planned for a 2012 release.

Press release follows:

Stainless Games Begins Development of Carmageddon: Reincarnation

Isle of Wight, UK. 1st June 2011. The Carmageddon brand has been reacquired by the team that developed the original PC titles Carmageddon and Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now. Stainless Games today announced that a new title is in early development, called ‘Carmageddon: Reincarnation’.

“Carmageddon has returned to its Indie developer roots, and the time is right to bring the game to a new audience,” said Patrick Buckland, CEO and Stainless co-founder. “Originally an ambitious title that tested the hardware limits of its day, we’re excited that the game will finally get the showcase it deserves on today’s platforms.”

“Carmageddon: Reincarnation will feature the same black humour and comic violence that made the original game such a success.” said Neil Barnden, Executive Director and Stainless co-founder. “All the laughs, the crazy power-ups, and extreme destruction will return. We will make sure the existing fans get what they want and expect from a Carmageddon game, and a new generation discovers the delights of sliding into a Cunning Stunt.”

“I was in the war!” Patrick added.

Now in the early stages of pre-production development, ‘Carmageddon: Reincarnation’ is slated for release in 2012. Stainless Games is actively seeking a partner with whom to move the project on to full production.

‘Carmageddon: Reincarnation’ is being developed for digital download, for which Stainless Games have built an enviable worldwide reputation, with numerous cross-platform releases and multiple No.1 titles on XBLA.

For more info and a chance to win some limited edition ‘Carmageddon: Reincarnation’ swag visit: www.carmageddon.com

The House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut Validates Purchase of PlayStation Move

May 27, 2011 By Thomas Mayer In News, Playstation 3, Sony

There’s few reasons to even tease the idea of purchasing a PlayStation Move kit, and SEGA has just given us one more. Announced today, the previously Wii-exclusive The House of the Dead: Overkill is coming to PlayStation 3 with an “Extended Cut” edition.

The additions are significant over its Wii brother. The most obvious upgrade is the HD graphical update, but SEGA is even including 3D support. “Extended Cut” also adds two new scenarios, so there’s even more opportunities for Washington and Agent G to fill the room with ridiculous/awesome obscenities. Plus with the inherent increased fidelity of the PS Move Wand, it should be a slightly snappier experience.

Although PS Move hasn’t been a game changer like Sony would have hoped, it has become the system of choice for light-gun shooters.

Source: SEGA
Via: Joystiq