OnLive knocks 75% off most titles for Memorial Day weekend

May 28th, 2011, 12:12 Posted By: wraggster

Cloud gaming service OnLive hopes you'll spend some of your free time this holiday weekend playing (and purchasing) games from its library. In a tweet from earlier today, it was announced that "most" of its catalog is selling for 75 percent off over this Memorial Day weekend.

To check out exactly what's available at the discounted price, you'll need to sign into the service. Thankfully that's free, as is the ability to demo the first 30 minutes of a majority of the games it has available.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/28/on...l-day-weekend/

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Windows tablet OS preview coming next week?

May 28th, 2011, 12:10 Posted By: wraggster



We've heard an awful lot about a Windows tablet OS this past year, with stirrings of a 2012 launch -- heck, even Steve Ballmer's fanned the flames of speculation -- and now the rumor mill's been set in motion with word of an impending preview expected next week. According to Bloomberg, three sources have confirmed Microsoft's plan to flaunt the much-anticipated UI, possibly at upcoming appearances at AllThingsD and Computex. The showcase is supposedly set to run the touchscreen-enabled software on a Tegra-equipped machine. We'd previously reported on stirrings of a June demo. Considering all the evidence that's stacked up over the past few months, we'd say 2012 is looking like a rather practical target.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/26/w...ing-next-week/

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Hitman: Absolution to be "more accessible"

May 28th, 2011, 12:03 Posted By: wraggster

Hitman: Absolution will be aimed at a wider audience than earlier, less forgiving entries in the franchise, developer IO Interactive has revealed.

Speaking in an interview with DigitalTrends this week, director Tore Blystad explained that the steep learning curve of previous titles in the series had limited their reach.

"The Hitman games of the past have been very hardcore," insisted Blystad. "Even though the fantasy of the Hitman universe has a very universal appeal, the games have been so difficult to play, that it's been more of an acquired taste.

"The biggest challenge that we had with this game was to make it much broader in every sense, so that it was easier to play and more accessible, but still retain a very strong, hardcore side as well. We don't want to alienate any of our fans who have been extremely loyal for so many years."

Elsewhere in the interview, Blystad discussed how the game's innovative AI technology will make for a more immersive experience.

"If you attack an enemy from any angle, than we're able to have them fight back, or continue on in a normal state if you ignore them," he explained.

"There are similar things in games like GTA or these bigger sandbox games, but it's on a much less granular level because we have a very strong focus on the abilities of the characters.

"You get so close to the characters in this game. They all have names, and they have all some kind of part to play in the story, so that they act as believable as possible is the most important thing for us. It's the most central part of the game."

Officially announced earlier this month, Absolution is due out on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 some time next year.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ore-accessible

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New Black Ops PC patch available now

May 28th, 2011, 12:02 Posted By: wraggster

A new title update has just hit Steam for the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops, developer Treyarch has announced.

The patch - fully detailed below - re-balances weapons, fixes exploits, smooths over a few bugs and makes preparations for the impending arrival of modding tools.

A post today on Treyarch community manager Josh Olin's Twitter feed confirmed that those modding tools are still on schedule to arrive before the end of the month.

Here's the full changelog for patch 1.09:

Added support for mods in preparation for the upcoming tools release.
Addressed various MP & Zombie exploits.
Improved memory utilization in MP.
Improved DLC filter in server browser – you can now hide any servers running content you do not own.
Corrected issue which sometimes required repurchase of emblems or clan tags on weapons.
Address some cases in which player could not receive Zombie invites.
Replaced RPG with Grim Reaper in Gun Game Wager Match.
Fine-tuned napalm and bombing-run damage indoors.
Prevented rare invulnerability issue.
Demolition bombs can no longer explode and be defused at the same time.
Spy plane now activates in One in the Chamber in all cases.
The "Sprint Kills" challenge for Steady Aim perk now rewards the player with the correct number of kills.
Addressed a rare issue where a hacked camera spike would not function properly if the hacker also had a camera spike that was destroyed.
Recording a clip with the speed mode for 2 cameras set to .1 will no longer increase in speed when switching perspectives back and forth.
Improvements to Zipline functionality when viewed in Theater mode.
Settings from custom games are all cleared and no longer carry over from one custom match to another.
Nova gas will now affect players that are standing over their tactical insertion.
Hardcore players who kill another teammate in Second Chance now lose the proper amount of points.
Calling in a Chopper Gunner immediately after getting shot down in a Gunship will no longer end the Chopper Gunner run prematurely.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-available-now

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Interview: Inside Football Manager Handheld

May 28th, 2011, 00:12 Posted By: wraggster

Football Manager is the reigning champ of the management simulation genre.
The PC version, created by Sports Interactive, consistently ranks highly year-long in the UK PC and all formats charts.
In 2006, Sports Interactive began bringing their unique blend of football management to handheld platforms. And the following year, former head of development Marc Vaughan took up his current role as head of handheld development at the studio.

With the four iteration, Football Manager Handheld 2011, now available for PSP and iOS platforms, we quiz Vaughan on what it takes to make the Football Manager formula successful in handheld form, how the series has evolved and where it will go next.
Firstly, well done to Sports Interactive and Sega for donating all revenue from the FMH 2011 app from March 11-18 to a disaster relief fund for Japan. Was that your idea?
To be quite honest it’s something which SI has always done throughout our history - we try and support good causes where we can. The most publicised of these is probably our relationship with War Child, as that’s been ongoing for many years now. But we also support a fair few other causes both inside football and in the world at large.
While that’s not part of the normal business for a games studio, it is one of the things about SI which I’m most proud about.
Why does management simulation appeal to so many people?
I think it’s that age old thing where supporters of a team watch them play and think, “we’d be doing better if only he’d put (favourite player) on the pitch.” Management simulations allow people to find out whether their decisions would have been the right ones and live out the fantasy that they’re in charge of their team.
That’s a hugely appealing notion to any sports fan, heck half of us grew up wanting to be professional football players after all.
What is it about FMH that consistently separates it from the likes of Championship Manager and FIFA Manager?
To be frank, I prefer not to discuss other companies products - it takes a huge amount of time and effort to create a game and I think it’d be disrespectful to the teams involved in other products to say anything about them.
With regards to SI’s products, we have a relatively simple approach to things. We attempt to create a ‘living’ simulation of the football world and then allow the player to interact with it through the same options and abilities which the computer simulation ‘managers’ have within it. It’s as simple as that.
Taking this approach tends to lend itself to creating a realistic and compelling experience and importantly gives no artificial advantages or disadvantages to the human manager, which is vital if the world is to feel real to users.
Describe some of FMH’s major improvements in the last three years.
The three biggest features which FMH players would probably mention since its inception would be the 2D view, editing facilities (PSP only) and the ability to play multiple nations leagues at once.
The 2D view isn’t perfect at all yet, but its evolving nicely and is shaping nicely as it evolves through iterations. The scope of this side of the match is somewhat limited in part by the need to keep the matches short and snappy for people who are playing during commutes when they might only have a few minutes available to play, but I think it’s an exciting area and very enjoyable watching plays unfold.
Editing is something which everyone loves. It allows you to ‘correct’ any perceived errors in the database. For instance, for some reason the research team don’t believe me when I remind them that Bobby Zamora’s current ability really should be at least 25 points higher than it is.
Playing multiple leagues at once is something which allows for a more realistic simulation and also allows users to move between national leagues, finding new challenges during their careers.

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/309...nager-Handheld

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Cray XK6 supercomputer smashes petaflop record, humbly calls itself a 'general-purpos

May 27th, 2011, 01:27 Posted By: wraggster

Sure, IBM's ten petaflop supercomputer may sound impressive, but Cray can do you five better -- the outfit just announced the Cray XK6, an upgradable, hybrid supercomputing system capable of more than 50 petaflops of computational muscle. Powered by Cray's Gemini interconnect, AMD Opteron 6200 processors, and NVIDIA Tesla 20-Series GPUs, the XK6 system blends x86 and GPU environments with the firm's own flavor of Linux. The folks at Cray won't resort to bragging, however -- they're humbly declaring the machine to be the first "general-purpose supercomputer based on GPU technology," and not, as they put it, a stunt to place high on any Top 500 lists. Suggestive, aren't they? Check out the unassuming press release after the break.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/25/c...bly-calls-its/

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Huge Minecraft patch goes live

May 27th, 2011, 01:09 Posted By: wraggster

Update 1.6 has just gone live for indie world-building sensation Minecraft, bringing with it a long list of new features, improvements and fixes.

As detailed in creator Notch's blog, new additions include craftable maps, slow-growing mushrooms, hatches and Nether support for multiplayer.

Here's the full (very long) list of changes:

New features:

Added Nether support to multiplayer
The client will ask minecraft.net if the current login is valid. If the server says "no", a warning message appears in the client. You can still play the game even if this happens.
Added craftable maps
Added hatches
Added tall grass in some biomes
Mushrooms now spreads (very) slowly
Added server property view-distance. Sets the radius of terrain updates (in chunks) to send to the players. Range 3-15, default 10.
Added dead shrubs in deserts
Added allow-nether (set to true or false) in server.properties
Blocks destroyed by other players in multiplayer now shows the breaking block particle effect
Doors make sound for other players in multiplayer
The record player now supports more than 15 different songs (you can't get the records yet, though)
Activated dispensers make sounds and trigger particles in multiplayer
Players stuck in walls will slide towards the nearest gap if there is one
Changes:

Disabled Advanced OpenGL until we can fix some bugs with it
It's no longer possible to build solid blocks on the top layer of the maps (sorry!)
Made booster tracks speedier
Severely nerfed fire so it spread slower, and doesn't spread infinitely
Seeds are now found in tall grass, using a hoe on the ground no longer works
Compressed network traffic more agressively
Blocks that don't change appearance when the data changes don't send block updates when their data changes now
Arrows shot by players can now be picked up by all players
Nothing riding anything or being ridden by anything can enter portals
Bugfixes:

Fixed running out of memory corrupting the current level
Fixed the side textures of grass getting extra dark when mining them
Fixed anaglyph 3d rendering mode having severe visual bugs
Fixed the crash screen vanishing immediately
Fixed not being able to target blocks when at x or z pos 1000
Fixed the achievements screen messing up the sky color
Fixed saving while sneaking dropping the player through the ground
Fixed a system clock change messing up the game speed
Fixed rain sounds not playing with fast graphics enabled
Fixed hair and cloaks being rendered in the wrong locations on sneaking players
Fixed the attack/swing animation not being applied to the armor layer
Fixed player rotation not being loaded correctly when loading a saved game
Fixed arrow physics, making them not get stuck midair when you open a door
Fixed arrows hitting reeds, portals, and other non-solid blocks
Fixed keybindings not getting saved properly under certain conditions
Fixed the player not being able to sneak off lowered blocks like cacti
Fixed a bug where the player could mine without swinging their arm
Fixed boats placed on snow being placed too far up
Fixed submerged boats rising very very fast
Fixed sand dropping onto boats getting stuck in a falling animation
Fixed a game crash when riding a vehicle or animal into the nether
Fixed falling while riding not dealing damage to the rider
Fixed buttons and levers too close to the player being impossible to use
Fixed dispensers shooting through walls
Fixed fire hurting through wall corners
Fixed entities reaching water through wall corners
Fixed placing doors next to cacti creating half-doors
Fixed buttons and levers being placeable on leaves in "fast graphics" mode
Fixed furnaces and dispensers not dropping their contents when destroyed
Fixed dispensers biasing later slots
Fixed farmland taking too long to dig
Fixed tilling below some blocks being possible
Fixed tilling the underside of blocks somehow working
Fixed fences and stairs sometimes becoming invisible
Fixed walking on top of fences not producing step sounds
Fixed fire sometimes existing mid-air as an invisible block of pain
Fixed fences and wooden stairs not being flammable
Fixed fire effect on burning entities sometimes getting rendered in the wrong location
Fixed fishing rod rendering being a bit lacking
Fixed fishing rods being stackable
Fixed mining glass hiding the clouds behind the glass
Fixed rain falling through liquids
Fixed items in glass blocks not getting ejected properly
Fixed water interacting strangely with glass
Fixed glass not blocking rain sound
Fixed fences and signs preventing grass from growing
Fixed rain and snow being incorrectly lit
Fixed grass staying alive below stair blocks
Fixed the achievement screen not pausing the game
Fixed some screens breaking the sky tint color
Fixed fullscreen mode switching causing mouse issues and screen closes
Fixed chat messages surviving through game switches
Fixed ice so it regenerates regardless of whether it's snowing or not
Fixed rain falling too slowly
Fixed levers being placeable on weird locations
Fixed floor levers sometimes not delivering a signal downwards
Fixed floor levers sometimes not being removed when the floor is removed
Fixed rail tiles sometimes not properly connecting to a new neighbor
Fixed minecarts next to each other causing extreme velocities (sorry!)
Fixed wolves not following their owner if the name has different caps
Fixed creepers retaining charge level when they can't see their target
Fixed dying in the nether spawning new portals
"Fixed" beds in the nether
Fixed inventory acting weird when portaling by making the portal close all screens
Fixed wooden pressure plates being mined with pickaxes
Fixed redstone repeaters having the wrong particles
Fixed saplings being plantable through snow onto non-grass blocks
Fixed ore density varying per quadrant from the center of the world
Fixed dispenser graphics being one pixel off. ONE PIXEL!!!
Fixed mushrooms spawning everywhere during nights
Fixed animals only spawning near light during the night
Fixed the multiplayer join screen input field being too short
Fixed IPv6 addresses being parsed wrongly. To connect to a specific port in IPv6, use the format [1234:567::1]:25565
Fixed network packets being sent unbuffered, causing huge amounts of packets being sent
Fixed entity positions going out of synch sometimes. They get re-synched every 20 seconds now.
Fixed inventory icons not animating after being picked up in multiplayer
Fixed mushroom soup not leaving a bowl in multiplayer
Fixed entities above the map height limit becoming invisible
Fixed healing not flashing the health bar in multiplayer
Fixed arrows being animated really strangely in multiplayer
Fixed arrows triggering too many entity move updates in multiplayer
Fixed the compass not pointing at the spawn location in multiplayer
Fixed fires being impossible to put out in multiplayer
Fixed record players spawning client-side fake records in multiplayer
Fixed records not playing for other players in multiplayer
Fixed players spawning in the wrong location and quickly lerping to the correct location
Fixed monsters not being visible for players with their difficulty set to peaceful
Fixed pigs getting hit by lightning in multiplayer spawning client-side zombie pigmen
Fixed loads of exploding tnt generating way too many particles, possibly crashing the client
Fixed bonemeal use in multiplayer sometimes spawning fake client-side trees
Fixed saplings sometimes spawning trees client-side in multiplayer
Fixed weather sometimes changing client-side in multiplayer
Fixed grasscolor.png and foliagecolor.png not being read from texture packs
Fixed stats getting saved to different files in offline mode if the caps in the player name differ from the true spelling
Fixed fireballs not being visible in multiplayer
Fixed ghasts' fireing animation not being visible in multiplayer
Fixed receiving more items than the maximum stack size sometimes causing an oversized stack in the inventory

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...atch-goes-live

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PC Street Fighter IV: AE DRM detailed

May 27th, 2011, 01:07 Posted By: wraggster

You'll need a persistent internet connection to get the most out of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition on the PC, developer Capcom has admitted.

Speaking in a lengthy post on the Capcom Unity blog today, senior VP Christian Svensson announced that that game will run off Games For Windows Live.

According to Svensson, you'll be able to access less than half of the character roster if you're not signed into a GFWL account, with a number of the game's other features also disabled when you're offline.

"If you aren't signed in to an online GFWL profile, the offline mode has limited functionality. Obviously there's no online play, access to replay channels or other online-centric features (and this is the part that keeps the online play secure from hackers or pirates)," he wrote.

"Additionally, you won't be able to save any progress in challenges or settings, won't have access to any DLC you've purchased and all local play will be restricted to 15 of the 39 characters."

But what happens if you lose your internet connection mid-session? "No problem," insisted Svensson.

"You'll be able to keep doing what you're doing until you come to a logical break point, like exiting to a menu, at which point you'll be asked to sign back in. Assuming your PC is back online, everything will continue as it should, just like on Xbox 360."

As hinted at above, the measures are designed to see off hackers who, Svensson argued, "plagued" Street Fighter IV and "messed up leaderboards."

Capcom has also announced the system requirements for the game, which is due to launch in early July. Here's what your PC will need to be packing:

Minimum requirements:

OS: Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz and up
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: DirectX 9.0c/Shader3.0 and up supported (operation on-board is not guaranteed)
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 and up (except for NVIDIA GeForce 7300), VRAM: 256MB and up (operation sharing with main memory is not guaranteed) or ATI Radeon X1600 and up VRAM: 256MB and up.
Hard Drive: 4.5 GB free hard drive space
Sound: DirectSound, DirectX9.0c Compatible Audio
Other Requirements: Online play requires software installation of and log-in to Games For Windows – LIVE
Recommended hardware:

OS: Windows Vista/Windows 7
Processor: Intel Core2 Duo 2.0 GHz and up
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: DirectX 9.0c/Shader3.0 and up supported (operation on-board is not guaranteed)
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 and up, VRAM: 512MB and up (operation sharing with main memory is not guaranteed)
Hard Drive: 4.5 GB free hard drive space
Sound: DirectSound, DirectX9.0c Compatible Audio

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EA reveals Simpsons Facebook game

May 27th, 2011, 01:02 Posted By: wraggster

EA is developing a Facebook game based on The Simpsons. It's due to go live this September.

A social version of settlement building simulation SimCity is also on the way, and will appear on Facebook at a later date.

Both games are likely in development by EA-bought social gaming studio Playfish, according to MCV. Playfish archrival Zynga already launched SimCity-clone CityVille on Facebook - the two franchises will now go head to head.

What will The Simpsons Facebook game be like? A Springfield-themed FarmVille? Mafia Wars featuring Fat Tony? EA is keeping schtum.

Nearly four years have passed The Simpsons Game earned 6/10 on Eurogamer. Above average.

But before that there were darker times. Simpsons fans endured the GTA-inspired The Simpsons Hit & Run, Crazy Taxi clone The Simpsons Road Rage and Tony Hawk-alike The Simpsons Skateboarding.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-facebook-game

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The Witcher 2 patch 1.1 delayed

May 27th, 2011, 01:00 Posted By: wraggster

The upcoming Witcher 2 patch 1.1 has been delayed.

"The good news is that the patch is ready," read an update on The Witcher website. "The bad news is that we have encountered some problems with the server infrastructure, making downloading DLC impossible.

"We want to apologise to our fans for not meeting our target of delivering the patch last night."

Patch 1.1 aims to fix a number of bugs as well as boost game performance by up to 30 per cent.

CD Projekt told Eurogamer that a second patch addressing yet more problems will be offered next week as well.

The Witcher 2 has been heralded as a role-playing great. A console version of The Witcher 2 is expected to be announced at E3 next month.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ch-1-1-delayed

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Mozilla Labs: the URL Bar Has To Go

May 27th, 2011, 00:55 Posted By: wraggster

Since Google's move to enable users to hide the URL bar, we have seen what could be the beginning of the end of one of the key features of the web browser. Mozilla has its own thoughts, but there is little doubt that Mozilla is reconsidering the purpose of the URL bar in future versions of its browsers. In a Mozilla Labs post today, David Regev suggests that the location bar should be replaced with a tool to support more than just one command.

http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/05...-Bar-Has-To-Go

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China Alleged To Use Prisoners In Lucrative Internet Gaming

May 27th, 2011, 00:52 Posted By: wraggster

SoyQueSoy pointed out an article that reveals it's not all fun, but forced games for some Chinese prisoners. It is alleged that after a day of hard labor some inmates are forced to work through the night as gold farmers. "Prison bosses made more money forcing inmates to play games than they do forcing people to do manual labor," [prisoner] Liu told the Guardian. "There were 300 prisoners forced to play games. We worked 12-hour shifts in the camp. I heard them say they could earn 5,000-6,000rmb [£470-570] a day. We didn't see any of the money. The computers were never turned off."

http://games.slashdot.org/story/11/0...nternet-Gaming

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Age of Conan offers free-to-play option

May 27th, 2011, 00:37 Posted By: wraggster

Massively multiplayer online developer Funcom has announced that it is to offer a free-to-play option for Age of Conan, in parallel to a traditional subscription package.

The new option will be introduced this summer, as the game attempts to take advantage of the forthcoming new Hollywood movie and undergoes a name change to Age of Conan: Unrated.

"The time is right for Age of Conan now as we recognised the opportunity presented by the increased profile of the license, with the new Conan movie coming out this fall," said executive producer Craig Morrison in an interview with sister site Eurogamer.

The "freemium" option will work similarly to most Asian online models, with basic play being free but users having to pay for extra items and expansions.

"This is done by allowing free players [access] to most of the original content, and having the expanded content as premium content," said Morrison. "So free players will have access to all the original levelling quests and outdoor playfields that take them all the way to level 80."

Although the game will introduce content specifically related to the movie there is no expansion directly related to it.

In a separate interview Morrison explained that, "We wanted to do something for the movie. But we also knew that we couldn't do all the improvements that we wanted alongside a fully-fledged expansion pack on the side."

"We'd have to shut down everything else and only focus on that. And we really didn't want to do that," he said. "We wanted to provide content to tie into the movie and be able to do the constant updates and the tweaks and the fixes the players want."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...to-play-option

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Ubisoft announces Ghost Recon Online MMO

May 27th, 2011, 00:35 Posted By: wraggster

A new PC-based massively multiplayer online (MMO) game named Ghost Recon Online has been announced by publisher Ubisoft, with the game due for release in early 2012.

Like previous titles in the series the game remains a third person, cover-based tactical shooter, developed by the Ubisoft Shanghai studio. However, Ghost Recon Online will be offered free-to-play, with a closed beta program beginning this summer.

Although free-to-play the game will offer premium items for players to purchase, mimicking the business model typical of MMOs in South Korea and China.

A brief trailer of the game at the official website shows visuals and gameplay typical of the franchise, with Ubisoft promising three different classes of characters, customisable weapons and "a rich lobby platform for hosting social and persistent progression features".

The publisher is also planning to "back the game with a full set of services, including regular events and game content updates, customised content based on community feedback, and live support."

"Ghost Recon Online takes the best attributes of the Ghost Recon game franchise and brings them online, making the experience of being a Ghost accessible to millions of new players and fans," said Hugues Ricour, senior producer at Ubisoft. "This game was designed from the start to be a free-to-play experience. Our development teams are dedicated to making Ghost Recon Online a truly unique, top-quality online title." "The online market is an exciting new frontier for video games and for gamers," said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.

"With Ghost Recon Online, and other major upcoming projects, Ubisoft is creating online experiences that allow our fans to stay connected to their favourite brands and to continually receive new content and gameplay. This direct link with our fans will allow us to create new and ever better experiences for them."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...con-online-mmo

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Rumor: The Penguin to terrorize Arkham City, his first picture revealed

May 23rd, 2011, 00:28 Posted By: wraggster

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TMS RamSan-70 SSD packs 2GB-per-second throughput, up to 900GB capacity

May 23rd, 2011, 00:20 Posted By: wraggster

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New Malware Simulates Hard Drive Failure

May 23rd, 2011, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster

A nasty strain of malware goes beyond mere sensational alerts, it makes it seem the user's hard drive is failing. It moves files from All Users and the current Windows user's profile into a temporary location, making it appear as though problems with the hard drive are causing files to disappear. It also disables a user's ability to change wallpaper images and sets registry keys to hide certain icons — giving the impression that programs are going missing as well. Of course, it's all done in an attempt to get people to buy the software that will fix it."http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/05...-Drive-Failure

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Carmageddon timer counts to new game?

May 22nd, 2011, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster

Square Enix may be about to unveil a brand new Carmageddon game.
Says who? Says the - drum roll -www.Carmageddon.com countdown timer.
At the time of writing there are 11 days and 17 hours left. That means the clock will chime zero at 9am BST on Wednesday, 1st June.
Carmageddon was cancelled as a series during the development of Carmageddon 4 in 2005.
Carmageddon, released first in 1997, spiced up car racing by granting race-time for wrecking competing vehicles and smashing into pedestrians. Such a premise attracted a lot of controversy, resulting in a 10 month to-and-fro as Eidos waited for the BBFC to clear the game for UK sale.

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Starbreeze making a downloadable game

May 22nd, 2011, 23:54 Posted By: wraggster

Swedish developer Starbreeze is making a new downloadable game.
"The development of a downloadable game continued during the third quarter," readStarbreeze's financial report (translated for Eurogamer by Eurogamer.se).
"At the moment it is still self-financed. A smaller team also worked with adapting to and learning the licensed Unreal Engine which will be used as a technical base for all Starbreeze productions over the coming years."
Meanwhile, Project Red Lime, heavily rumoured to be a Syndicate reboot, has grown in scope.
"After the end of the quarter an agreement was made with Electronic Arts to increase the scope of the project," continues the document. "This has mainly been done in order to perform a number of creative improvements. At the time of publishing this report the agreement hadn't been formalised in written contract form.
"The high staff turnover during the autumn and winter had a negative impact on the production time. Most of the people who left have been or will be replaced with hired consultants and new staff."
EA hasn't confirmed that it's planning a new Syndicate title but rumours abound that The Darkness dev Starbreeze is working on it.
In April 2010 Starbreeze was spotted trade-marking the name Syndicate three times. Further Syndicate trademarks were spotted later in the year.
EA signed Starbreeze in early 2008 to rework a major franchise for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Could Syndicate be it? E3 is just around the corner.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...nloadable-game

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Microsoft offering free 360 to US students

May 21st, 2011, 23:53 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has announced a deal in the US which will see any student spending $699 or more on a Windows 7 PC offered a free Xbox 360.
Any Windows 7 PC is valid for the deal, although Microsoft has recommended specific models as being particularly suitable for students. Purchases can be made online with a .edu email address, or in participating stores with a valid student ID.
The console being distributed is the 4GB 'slim' model released last year. The offer begins on 22 May in the US, and is also planned to roll out in France and Canada at an unspecified time.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...to-us-students

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