Crytek's Ryse now a next-gen release - report

December 11th, 2011, 01:10 Posted By: wraggster

UPDATE: Crytek: "We don't comment on rumours and speculation."ORIGINAL STORY: Crytek's Kinect-exclusive action title Ryse, announced at E3 this year, is now a next-gen project, judging by the LinkedIn profile of a former developer.According to the CV of one of the game's senior level designers, who has now left the company, it's an "X-Box Next Gen" project."Pushing boundaries of next generation gaming, RYSE is an original AAA IP from Crytek slated to deliver an Epic first-person melee experience in the Roman Empire."A NeoGAF poster added further colour, explaining that a Crytek representative speaking at a recent CryEngine 3 student lecture had mentioned there was a "big chance of Ryse going next gen because of all the work they had to do and all the people they are hiring for the Ryse team."We've approached both Crytek and publisher Microsoft Game Studios for comment and will update if any clarification is offered.Sources recently told Eurogamer that Microsoft is working on a next-generation version of Kinect which packs considerably more power, potentially allowing the device to lip read players.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...release-report

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PC racing sim promises top player real-life apprenticeship

December 11th, 2011, 01:07 Posted By: wraggster

New PC racing simulator V1 Championship is promising one top player a year-long £100,000 apprenticeship competing in the 2012 Renault Clio Cup.Developed over the last four years, the sim subjects aspiring racers to a host of different measurements designed to assess driving ability, including physiological and psychometric tests to gauge style and attitude.All those who shell out £39.50 for the sim gain automatic entry into the competition, with the 10 best performers given the opportunity to take place in on-track qualifiers to assess their offline skills.One winner will then be selected for the main prize which will see them entered into next year's Renault Clio Cup where they'll be mentored by British Touring Car Championship veteran Jason Plato.Runners-up get two tickets for a weekend at the British Touring Car Championship."This is the perfect opportunity for anyone who thinks they have the makings of a racing driver," commented V1 co-founder Jay Marshall."For years I have watched the gulf between the haves and the have-nots widen. Time and time again I have seen really talented drivers being passed over for those with the right connections or financial backing."I now look forward to developing and promoting genuine talent no matter what their social or financial background."http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...apprenticeship

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New Duke Nukem Forever DLC out next week

December 11th, 2011, 01:06 Posted By: wraggster

A new Duke Nukem Forever DLC expansion goes live on 13th December, developer Gearbox has announced.Titled The Doctor Who Cloned Me, it adds a new single player campaign that sees Duke taking on Dr Proton in Area 51. Take a look at the screens below for more.The expansion features brand new weapons, new enemy types and bosses, additional Achievements and various new interactive items.You'll also get four new multiplayer maps:

• Sky High: The alien-infested corporate offices of Pooty, Inc. near the center of Las Vegas. This map includes three indoor floors taken over by the aliens and two rooftops, jump pads, stairwells and building-to-building combat.
• COMMAND: EDF command center with an imprisoned BattleLord at its core! A two-level map featuring winding stairs, straightaway corridors, and jump pads.
• DROP ZONE: Rooftop of Duke's Lady Killer Casino featuring indoor and outdoor combat, stairwells for platforming, an EDF dropship on a landing pad and a bottomless pit.
• BIOHAZARD: Fight in the Breston Plant Nuclear Power facilities and compete across multiple floors in locker rooms, restrooms with showers, control rooms, and the nuclear waste storage room.

The pack will set you back your regional equivalent of $9.99 on PC and PlayStation 3, or 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360.The series' long-in-the-offing comeback limped to a dismal 4/10 in Eurogamer's Duke Nukem Forever review following its June launch earlier this year.

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Rayman Origins sells 50,000 in debut US month

December 11th, 2011, 00:56 Posted By: wraggster

The fate of two of the big name titles missing from yesterday's US November top 10 has been revealed.NPD analyst Anita Frazier told Eurogamer that Michel Ancel's well-reviewed platformer Rayman Origins sold just over 50,000 copies during its first four weeks on sale.She didn't reveal where it placed on the chart, though, for some context, Super Mario 3D Land managed 625,000 and didn't make the top 10.Sales of Origins were similarly underwhelming on this side of the Atlantic too, where the game failed to make the UK top 40 in its debut week.Frazier also revealed that Sonic Generations was the 26th best-selling title of the month. No sales figure was quoted.While Rayman's showing will no doubt disappoint Ubisoft, it can take some solace in Assassin's Creed: Revelations' performance. The publisher announced sales of the latest game in the franchise were up 10 per cent year-on-year on 2010's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. That puts its first month total at around 1.26 million.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...debut-us-month

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PAYDAY: The Heist gets huge 'Xmas update' on Steam

December 10th, 2011, 23:32 Posted By: wraggster

A huge update for the PC version of PAYDAY: The Heist has been released via Steam.
The update adds, among a long list of things (below), the new ability to join a game that's already in progress. It also has a new Christmas Achievement which is unlocked by finding a Christmas present hidden in any of the levels.
Here's the full change log:
PAYDAY Xmas achievement!
Find a Christmas present on any of the levels in multiplayer - take it and you will be given a Santa mask! Plus you will get the chance to be surprised later on...
Big features:
Player drop-in ability in load-out and in-game!
You can now join an ongoing game! You will no longer be locked out of games just because they have already started or because you dropped out during play. Just rejoin and continue collecting those precious dollars and gems!
These are the rules: Players who are downed or in custody and drop out only to rejoin the same game will respawn in custody. Drop-in is disabled during the "point of no return" phase of the heist, as well as on the end screen.
Heavily improved fighting and acting by team AI and enemies
New features and fixes include:
- New events and enemy tactics on all levels
- Team and enemies now pick better cover and firing positions, and use more intelligent firing lanes for suppression and sniping
- Enemies now master additional acrobatic moves (such as dashes and slides) and they can fire at you while doing them!
- More cover moves for team AI and enemies
- Enemy AI move in tighter formations and coordinate better
- Team AI now keeps up with human players much better
- Smoother turn and aim on team AI, and reduced animation glitches on movements
- Better looking weapon recoils on team and enemies
- AI teammates now pick weapons that better suit the current combat situation
- Combat will now be more mid ranged and not run-in gun battles
- Team AI no longer has "ants in the pants" (they don't move around so much) when there are no enemies around
Advanced GFX settings menu (AG menu)
Custom visual settings and optimizations, including:
- Texture resolution setting "low" to "high"
- Texture filtering "off" and up to x16
- V-synch on/off
- AA on/off
- Light streaks on/off
- Animation level-of-detail setting for better performance
- More suitable default resolutions to fit laptops etc.
- AlienwareFX on/off (for Alienware computers)
- Added eight color grade filters (inspired by a range of heist and action movies)
"Payday +"
"Dinero"
"In Traffic"
"Bastard"
"BHD"
"Xgen Brown"
"Future of Gaming"
"The Matrices"
New masks:
To celebrate that yet another bunch of military shooters was released recently, we've added four new masks to Payday!
Improved network code"
Disclaimer: We did not fix the Internet. Please talk to Al Gore about that.
We've added a red toothbrush to Panic Room, and we've made sure this one's worth the hullabaloo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT1HS...ature=youtu.be
Additional features and fixes:
Slaughterhouse and Diamond Heist are now available in the Normal difficulty setting
Single Player has improved scenario and difficulty balancing
Added more money bundles to First World Bank
The legendary über killer sniper removed from Heat Street
Teammate "mugshot" icons (lower left corner of the screen) now flash to indicate who is talking over VOIP
You can now see the cash value of the "near completion challenges" in the TAB menu
Fix to better hear team AI voices
Fixes for random crashes
Fixed the drill that kept resetting to full time for some people
Fixes for fake lobby appearing
Changed [Enter] to $Continue; to fix binding of enter to block the final stats screen.
More camera impacts on explosions
All weapons now have alert ranges, unique for each weapon
Chains is no longer replaced by Wolf on rare trade occasions
Bain will now correctly call the equipment "saws" (not "drills") in Panic Room

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...date-on-steam/

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Apple names Tiny Wings iPhone game of the year

December 10th, 2011, 23:10 Posted By: wraggster

Apple has named Andreas Illiger's one-button iOS game Tiny Wings as the iPhone game of the year.
Runners-up were NimbleBit's life-stealing time management simTiny Tower, and physics puzzler To-Fu 2. The Chillingo-publishedContre Jour was named best iPad game, ahead of Shadowgun andGesundheit HD.
Angry Birds was the top-selling iPhone app of the year, with Angry Birds Rio and Seasons, Cut The Rope, Fruit Ninja, Doodle Jumpand Tiny Wings all making the top ten.
In the US, Tiny Tower was best iPhone game, with Dead Spacenamed best iPad game.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/apple-n...hone-game-year

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Ultima creator reveals Facebook game

December 10th, 2011, 23:01 Posted By: wraggster

Social developer and publisher Portalarium has announcedUltimate Collector: Garage Sale, a self-explanatory Facebook game designed by Ultima creator, and Portalarium co-founder, Richard Garriott.
"The collectible craze is growing leaps and bounds," Garriott said in a press release. "It's been fuelled by cable television programmes such as American Pickers, Pawn Stars and Storage Wars. By the broadest definition, this is an unregulated multibillion dollar industry in the real world.
"Ultimate Collector spans the gamut of that entire activity and is a way for treasure and bargain searching people to transfer that enthusiasm - that passion for the ultimate hunt - into the social network space."
Garriott, it appears, is quite the collector himself, with a press release claiming his Austin mansion contains "shrunken heads, vampire-killing kits, quack medical devices, centuries-old armour, automata mechanical toys, space artifacts, swords and scientific instruments," some of which will be available in the game itself.
Executive producer Dallas Snell added: "There are literally thousands of collectible items in the game. They are all real-world items and we've scoured the internet looking at auction and collectors' sites to determine authenticity. We've provided links in the game so players can go back to these websites to learn more about the items they've collected and, in some cases, even buy them for real."
Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale will launch on Facebook early next year, and players can sign up for the upcoming closed beta at the source link below.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/ultima-...-facebook-game

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Square Enix develops for Google Chrome

December 10th, 2011, 23:00 Posted By: wraggster

Square Enix is among a number of developers Google has signed up to develop console-quality games playable in its Chrome browser.
VentureBeat reports that CEO Yoichi Wada was at the GooglePlex headquarters in California yesterday, and revealed that the publisher has remade its 2009 action-adventure Mini Ninjas as a Native Client game. The client is Google's open-source technology that allows for web applications that execute native code in a browser.
"Let us begin this new era together," he said. "Google's native client will be welcomed worldwide as a truly innovative technology for the IT industry and game industry as well. It is an excellent solution for browser gaming."
A dozen other game companies were on hand, including Supergiant Games, developer of Bastion, which is also being ported to Chrome. Google emphasised the ease of porting current console and PC games to the native client because of its support for familiar development tools. Chief among those is Unity - devs can export from Unity to Chrome by checking a single box.
The news is further evidence of Google's growing committment to, and Chrome's increasing suitability for, games. Last month we reported that the browser was soon to support gamepads, microphones and cameras without the need for plug-ins.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/square-...-google-chrome

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Angry Birds turns two this weekend

December 10th, 2011, 22:58 Posted By: wraggster

Rovio's mobile smash Angry Birds is two years old on December 11, and the Finnish developer is marking the occasion in several ways.
First, a new update for Angry Birds, dubbed Happy Birdday, unlocks all episodes and adds 15 levels, plus new menus, graphics and achievements. In the US, retail chain Barnes & Noble will host special events and giveaways on Sunday between 11am and 3pm. Toys 'R' Us will offer 25 per cent off Angry Birds merchandise, and a code that unlocks a special level in Angry Birds Chrome.
In London, Forbidden Planet will also be marking the occasion. It will even be celebrated in Japan, where CMO Peter Vesterbacka will give a presentation at the Apple Store in Ginza, with a special event taking place in Tokyo's Harajuku.
It's hard to believe Angry Birds is only two years old: it's beendownloaded 500 million times, is the most copied brand in Chinaand has turned Rovio from a small Finnish developer into a studiovalued at more than a billion dollars and comparing itself to Disney.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/angry-b...ns-two-weekend

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Apple may launch TV-enabled iMac

December 10th, 2011, 22:54 Posted By: wraggster

A new iMac with TV capabilities could arrive before the firm's expected own-brand smart TV according to an analyst.
BGR reported that Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair took a break from commenting on the triangular fried potato snack market to claim than the new iMacs could launch in the first half of 2012.
The new iMac will essentially bundle the features that are found in the firm's current generation Apple TV device.
The idea of a slim all-in-one PC with a TV tuner and PVR app is hardly groundbreaking although doubtless Apple will claim it is if they should launch such a device.
The development of Apple's own brand TV prompted Steve Jobs to say "I finally cracked it" according to his autobiography. One might expect something pretty special in that case and the New York Times revealed just how that might be.
The paper said Apple's new TV would use voice commands rather like the iPhone 4S's Siri digital assistant. The Wedge Partners analyst didn't have anything specific to say about Siri-like voice capabilities of the mooted TV-iMac but he did reckon sweet chilli sauce is the way to go.
We may have made up that last bit.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...ed-imac/027633

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Google launches tablet-specific ad formats

December 10th, 2011, 22:52 Posted By: wraggster

Google said in a blog that it has looked at how consumers engage with ads on tablets, and concludes that "they have higher expectations of ads on tablets, believing they should be more interactive and touch screen friendly."
So it's come up with Rich Media Designs for Mobile, which lets advertisers create rich media banner ads using existing assets.
And in search it has put Media Ads in beta this week. Media Ads bring video content directly into an ad on the search results page. In addition to watching video game, TV or movie trailers, US consumers will also be able to view locally relevant movie showtimes within the ad.
These new tablet-specific ad formats build on earlier launches including tablet-specific ad formats on AdMob and tablet-targeting in Adwords.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...formats/016443

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Microsoft Can Remotely Kill Purchased Apps

December 9th, 2011, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster

The terms of service for Microsoft's newly launched Windows Store allows the seller to remotely kill or remove access to a user's apps for security or legal reasons. The story also notes that MS states purchasers are responsible for backing up the data that you store in apps that you acquire via the Windows Store, including content you upload using those apps. If the Windows Store, an app, or any content is changed or discontinued, your data could be deleted or you may not be able to retrieve data you have stored."

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/12/...purchased-apps

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Two thirds of Brits use social media in front of the telly

December 9th, 2011, 22:49 Posted By: wraggster

And 29 per cent watch TV on mobile.
A global study of 9,000 viewers by Motorola has detailed the stealthy rise of the 'social TV' habit wherein people watch a programme and bitch about it at the same time on social networks.
It found that, with a combined weekly average of 14 hours of viewing, Brits are watching more than any of their European neighbours. They are joint second with Japan, behind the US, where the average viewer watches 15 hours a week.
Meanwhile, 63 per cent of them say they have used the Internet or a social network to discuss a TV programme while they are watching it.
In China 92 pe rcent of the population have discussed a TV show online.
29 percent of British viewers are watching streamed or downloaded video/TV on a mobile device or laptop.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...e-telly/016441

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HP to launch another Touchpad fire sale this weekend, because it's cold outside

December 9th, 2011, 00:43 Posted By: wraggster

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Windows 8 app store to offer devs 80% cut

December 9th, 2011, 00:09 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has said it will take 30 per cent cut of sales through the forthcoming Windows 8 app marketplace, reducing that to 20 per cent once software makes over $25,000.
The move is more generous than Apple and Facebook's current policies, where both companies take a 30 per cent cut, but it's not as competitive as Google's Chrome Web Store, which only takes 5 per cent.
"We're going to give you a bigger bite of the apple," said Windows Web Services vice president Antoine LeBlond, as reported by All Things Digital.
A beta for the store will go live in February, offering games, ebooks, apps, and other software, and will featuring the Metro interface, most recently used for Xbox Live and the Windows Phone OS.
Free apps and trials, in-app purchasing and in-app advertising, will all be supported. Apps will be priced from $1.49 to $999.99.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...80-percent-cut

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PopCap relaunches Bejeweled on iPhone

December 7th, 2011, 23:33 Posted By: wraggster

PopCap has 'retired' its existing Bejeweled 2 + Blitz release for iPhone and iPod Touch in order to relaunch the game it says is the second highest selling mobile game ever, after Tetris.
The free version is the popular one-minute score attack gameBejeweled Blitz, while the 69p/€.79 Bejeweled features two modes from Bejeweled 3 - Zen and Diamond Mine in addition to Classic. Both act as platforms for ongoing development, so expect them to be updated with new modes and features over time.
"As we strive to reach virtually everyone with a mobile communications device, PopCap will continue to make games that are even more accessible to that ever-expanding global audience. We’re taking a critical step toward this goal with the introduction of these new Bejeweled titles that will enhance our offerings on the iPhone for years to come," says Giordano Bruno Contestabile, recently made Bejeweled franchise business director at PopCap and a columnist for Edge.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/popcap-...jeweled-iphone

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OnLive microconsole in UK shops before Christmas

December 7th, 2011, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster

MCV reports that the UK retailer Game has done a deal with OnLive to sell its microconsole in its stores in time for Christmas. The hardware allows the service to be displayed through TVs and includes a joypad and costs £69.99 through OnLive's online store. We've asked how much it will retail for at Game.
In an interview, CEO Steve Perlman said the deal also means that Game's website will feature game demos powered by his company's service. The shop will also sell OnLive subscription cards.
Other retailers will be free to sell the microconsole in 2012. OnLive launched in the UK on September 21, but the company has not yet disclosed any user numbers other than to tell MCV last month that its audience numbers "millions".

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/onlive-...hops-christmas

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Will Windows 8 Be Ready For Release In 2012?

December 7th, 2011, 22:56 Posted By: wraggster

MrSeb writes with an excerpt from an Extreme Tech article on the Windows 8 release timeline:"...A Microsoft vice president announced that the Windows 8 beta would begin in late February 2012. The beta will be feature-complete and will allow developers to begin listing their apps in the Store. The timing of the beta is curious, and ultimately quite telling. ... The first public build of Windows 8 ... emerged in mid-September 2011; by the time the beta rolls around, it will have been ruminating for more than five months. If we follow the timeline forward — it took 10 months for Windows 7 to go from beta to public release — then it's possible that Windows 8 might arrive just in time for Black Friday 2012, or perhaps not in 2012 at all. Will its late arrival affect its chances of cutting out a swath of the tablet market from Apple and Android? Or will Windows 8 be different enough that it will do well, no matter when it arrives?"In related news, an anonymous reader notes that IDC predicts Windows 8 will be irrelevant to the traditional PC market.
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12...elease-in-2012

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New indie PC platform 'ends discoverability woes'

December 7th, 2011, 22:52 Posted By: wraggster

Amazon-like recommendation engine 'gives all devs a fair chance'; Royalty rate at 15-25%

A new PC games platform has launched with the promise that high profile games won’t muscle out smaller titles on the store’s front page.
IndieCity, a digital games destination for independent developers only, incorporates an Amazon.com-like recommendations system that customises the storefront for each individual user.

The platform’s creator, Blitz Games Studios, believes the sophistication of the recommendations engine is an elegant solution to discoverability issues within the oceanic indie games market.
“What we’re trying to do is allow developers to make the most noise about their work,” said IndieCity project lead Chris Swan.
“We’re really proud of the recommendation engine, where we give customers an individual endorsements based on what they’ve played before,” he said in a newly published interview with Develop.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...erability-woes

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Piracy block 'sparked upsurge in FM12 sales'

December 7th, 2011, 22:48 Posted By: wraggster

Sports Interactive creating new jobs from the extra money

London studio Sports Interactive has enjoyed an upwards surge in digital sales for the latest Football Manager title, having employed various anti-piracy technologies.
Studio head Miles Jacobson said each annual Football Manager game is typically cracked five days before commercial release.

But this year, having employed a package of antipiracy technologies, including one-time Steam authentication, hackers were unable to crack the game for about ten days after launch.
“I don’t believe that one pirated copy equals one lost sale, but we definitely converted some people,” Jacobson told Develop.
“We were reading comments on piracy sites where people were saying ‘I can’t wait any longer I’m going out and buying it’, which was great.”

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...-in-FM12-sales

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