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Weekend Roundtable: Inappropriate Videogame Tie-Ins
Fri May 03, 2013 at 03:00 PM ET
As much as the videogame industry loves to license movie titles for their brand name recognition, some movies should really never, ever be turned into tie-in games. In this week's Roundtable, we bring you some of the worst ideas we could imagine.
Insomniac's 'Fuse' Arriving in Demo Form May 7
Fri May 03, 2013 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Fuse, Insomniac (all tags)
After 'Resistance,' Insomniac having a tough time getting traction.
'Fuse' is coming to the 360 and PS3. The four-player sci-fi shooter promises to benefit from the years that Insomniac has spent developing 'Resistance' and the 'Ratchet and Clank' titles.
At one time known as 'Overstrike', the EA published title will probably be popular with players fascinated by the wacky weapon variety of previous Insomniac titles. As a member of Overstrike 9, the player must work with their squad mates in order to bring their powers to bear. Those powers are born from Fuse, an alien substance that Overstrike 9 is trying to recover, and that now powers each member of the team.
While the 'Resistance' series managed to stay part of the conversation through three titles of varying quality, the move away from the first-person view and platform exclusivity has yet to electrify audiences. Insomniac hopes to change this ahead of the title's May 28th release, and that hope now rides on the May 7th demo.
'Fuse' is scheduled for a May 28th release and is available for preorder.
Source: CVG
Author: Brian Hoss
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TimeGate Studios Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Fri May 03, 2013 at 08:30 AM ETTags: Aliens: Colonial Marines (3 posts) (all tags)
'Aliens: Colonial Marines' and 'Section 8' developer suddenly without funds.
TimeGate Studios, the onetime developer of RTS titles 'Kohan' and 'Axis & Allies' has hit the skids. After working on multiple 'F.E.A.R.' titles, the studio followed up with two 'Section 8' titles and the woefully delivered, Gearbox-helmed 'Aliens: Colonial Marines.' It is those recent projects of dubious quality that may have sunk the company.
What began with a legal battle with 'Section 8' publisher SouthPeak games has turned very dark for TimeGate. Despite initiating the courtroom drama, four years of legal fees have left TimeGate owing SouthPeak $3.75 million.
At the same time, the fallout of 'Aliens: Colonial Marines,' a title which so under delivered it has left egg on the face of SEGA and Gearbox, would seem to have hurt TimeGate's chances of landing new contracts.
Nevertheless, TimeGate recently announced "MINIMUM,' a free-to-play PC only shooter. This announcement of course followed TimeGate's normal mode of operation, laying off the majority of employees.
TimeGate is part of a small stable of companies under the same ownership that include health care company Healix, and yet, TimeGate has now filed for bankruptcy.
From Polygon, "The petition filed by TimeGate lists less than 50 creditors owed money by the game developer and total liabilities ranging from $10 million to $50 million. TimeGate's top creditors include companies like Unreal Engine developer Epic Games, online game service Agora Games and transmedia developer DJ2 Entertainment. Creditors listed in court documents also include a local pizzeria, to whom TimeGate owes $34.80, and video game agency Birthplace Management Group, which is owed $20,539.20."
While it is possible that TimeGate may yet manage to escape its debt and ship another title, the company's soured partnerships and reputation are less easily erased. 'MINIMUM' had been scheduled for an April 16th launch on Steam's Early Access, but that date was missed, and would seem to be on indefinite hold.
Source: Polygon
Author: Brian Hoss
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It's Spreading: 'The Last of Us' Plot Details Leaked
Thu May 02, 2013 at 12:30 PM ET
Demo build level and asset names filled with spoilers.
Eurogamer is reporting an unfortunate side effect of Sony's inclusion of a 'Last of Us' demo with 'God of War: Ascension.' Filenames extracted from the build cut right to the fate of several characters and subsequently are spreading through various message boards, forums, and comment sections throughout the internet.
'The Last of Us' has the player guiding Joel and Ellie through a post-infection urban wasteland, wherein both infected and surviving humans crop up as obstacles. The PS3 exclusive title is being developed by Naughty Dog, most recently known for the 'Unchartered' series. It is fair to say that the title is one of the most anticipated of the year, and is frequently mentioned as a choice title to conclude the current generation.
'The Last of Us' is scheduled for a June 14th release date, and is available for pre-order.
Source: Eurogamer
Author: Brian Hoss
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'Game & Wario' Spreads its Wares to the Wii U in June
Thu May 02, 2013 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Wii U (all tags)
"Prepare for GamePad pandemonium."
Nintendo's 'Game & Wario,' an offshoot of the long running, Game Boy Advance born 'WarioWare' series, is heading for a June release for both North America and Europe.
'Game & Wario' is a title completely designed for the Wii U's GamePad. The game features both single player and multiplayer modes with multiplayer still being operated through a single GamePad.
Traditionally, the series has been known for wacky, frenetic gameplay that often occurs in bursts of a few seconds. Some iterations have focused heavily on Nintendo specific inputs, and 'Game & Wario' sees the gameplay shifting from the big screen to the GamePad and back again with a frequency not seen in other games.
'Game & Wario' is scheduled for a June 23rd release in North America, (June 28th in Europe), and is available for pre-order at a value price of $40.
Source: Joystiq
Author: Brian Hoss
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'LEGO Marvel Super Heroes' Assembling for this Fall
Wed May 01, 2013 at 12:20 PM ET
This multi-platform title is packed with upwards of a 100 Marvel characters.
Traveller's Tales continues to combine the LEGO license with a host of a great properties, which in the past has yielded 'LEGO Star Wars,' 'LEGO Indiana Jones,' LEGO Harry Potter,' 'LEGO Batman,' and 'LEGO Undercover.' Now the focus shifts to its most ambitious project yet, 'LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.'
While the Avengers, X-Men, Spiderman, and Deadpool headline the title, upwards of a 100 Marvel characters are being teased as part of the game. And the game, unlike the recent 'LEGO Undercover' is coming to just about every platform including the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC, PS Vita, 3DS and even the DS. It is also likely that next-gen platforms like the PS4 will get a version, though those versions may not be produced for some time.
The game, which is expected to be filled with Marvel universe references of all kinds, will also have an expanded use of voice acting. Beyond the voice acting used in the 'LEGO Batman 2' story, characters in 'LEGO Marvel Super Heroes' will jaw at each other during play.
'LEGO Marvel Super Heroes' is scheduled to be released on October 31st, and is available for pre-order.
Source: LEGO
Author: Brian Hoss
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Videogame Releases: Week of April 28th, 2013
Tue Apr 30, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
If you love even one single thing from the 1980s, then you owe it to yourself to check out 'FarCry 3: Blood Dragon'. That, along with what has to be the most anticipated PS Vita game by far, means that this week is stacked with misfit videogames not to be missed. Read all about them in the blog today.
Rockstar's Three-in-One Trailer Means Septmeber 17 Can't Come Soon Enough
Tue Apr 30, 2013 at 11:30 AM ETTags: Grand Theft Auto (8 posts), Rockstar Games (all tags)
'Grand Theft Auto V' looks the part.
Few games move the industry like 'Grand Theft Auto,' and yet the passage of years since the last proper release (2008) have raised some doubts. Can 'Grand Theft Auto V' live up to expectations? Will the game be worth the wait? Can Rockstar Games parent Take-Two keep the game's production on track long enough to prevent a financial disaster?
The answers to those questions may still be a ways off, but if the newest trailer raises hope far beyond the game's earlier teaser. 'Grand Theft Auto V' features three payable protagonists, whose interlocking stories will allow the player to swap between them in missions and to have a choice when in free roam. This is a first for 'GTA,' and the latest trailer, which is broken into three parts, 'Michael,' 'Franklin' and 'Trevor,' seeks to introduce the three character's distinct personalities.
'Grand Theft Auto V' is scheduled for a September 17th releases on the 360 and PS3 and is available for pre-order.
Source: Rockstar Games
Author: Brian Hoss
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'Game Dev Tycoon' Sets off a Vicious Piracy Cycle
Tue Apr 30, 2013 at 08:30 AM ET
Leaked torrent version of the game leads to amusing pirate progress blocking.
Developers leaking versions of their games with built-in progress blockers are nothing new and are used to confuse game torrenters during a game's launch window. Usually though, the progress blocking technique takes the form of a subtle bug or kill screen, but in the case of the recently released 'Game Center Tycoon' the leaked version altercations are a bit more poignant.
'Game Dev Center,' a title which could be described a clone of another game, is floating around in a leaked version that sees the player's progress ultimately fatigued due to game piracy.
It seems after one day on sale, the $8 game was suffering with 3104 of the 3318 copies being played being pirated copies. With so many playing the leaked version, several messages requesting help appeared online that seem to drip with the irony that the developers had in mind.
One such message was captured by Eurogamer, "I can't progress further.. HELP! Guys I reached some point where if I make a decent game with score 9-10 it gets pirated and I can't make any profit. It barely sells 100k units.... I mean can I research a DRM or something... There's no point in inventing a new engine because the revolutionary game mode out it will get pirated and I will not be able to cover my expenses."
As messages from the two man dev team and those game pirates that were looking for support online continue to surface, the game has managed more publicity than would have been expected otherwise. The game's website and main buying portal are down, the cause of which remains unknown.
Patrick Klug, co-developer of 'Game Dev Tycoon,' "As a gamer I laughed out loud: the irony!!! However, as the developer, who spent over a year creating this game and hasn't drawn a salary yet, I wanted to cry."
'Game Dev Center' is available DRM-free for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.
Source: Eurogamer
Author: Brian Hoss
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'Watch Dogs' Nabs November 19th Release Date
Mon Apr 29, 2013 at 12:30 PM ETTags: Watch Dogs, Ubisoft (all tags)
A new trailer and details for the UK Collector's editions released today.
Ubisoft has announced that the third-person grid-defying 'Watch Dogs' will release on November 19th in North America for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and PC, with the European date just three days after. Ubisoft has also stated that the still unpriced PS4 version will be available as a launch title. The game was also mentioned as planned for "other next generation consoles."
Among the myriad of special editions currently announced at exclusive to various UK retailers are multiple Steelbooks, and in-game content in the form of missions and items.
For the Dedsec_Edition:
Physical content:
A 23cm Aiden Pearce Figurine
Steelbook
DedSec Collector box
Watch_Dogs Artbook: artworks and illustrations that inspired the game
Original soundtrack of the game
Watch_Dogs map of Chicago
Set of 4 collectible cards: discover Watch_Dogs iconic characters through augmented reality
Set of 3 exclusive badges
Digital Content:
Palace Pack
Signature Shot
Breakthorugh Pack
For the Vigilante Edition:
Physical Content
Vigilante Collector box
Aiden Pearce's cap
Aiden Pearce's mask
Original soundtrack of the game
Digital Content:
Palace Pack
For the Uplay Exclusive Edition:
Exclusive Steelbook
Palace Pack
Signature Shot
Breakthrough Pack
For the Special Edition:
The Breakthrough Pack
'Watch Dogs' is currently available for pre-order.
Source: CVG
Author: Brian Hoss
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