|
Valve Confirms Mac Versions of Steam, Valve Games
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Gamasutra:
"Valve will release a version of its Steam digital distribution service for Mac next month, along with Mac-native versions of its own games, the company confirmed today after days of hints — and owners of Valve games will have access to both platform versions. The Source engine, which Valve uses to develop all its internal titles and also licenses to third-party developers, will incorporate OpenGL in addition to DirectX, to allow Mac support for all Source developers. ... 'We are treating the Mac as a tier-1 platform, so all of our future games will release simultaneously on Windows, Mac, and the Xbox 360,' said Cook. 'Updates for the Mac will be available simultaneously with the Windows updates.'"
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
Game Devs Only Use PhysX For the Money, Says AMD
arcticstoat writes "AMD has just aimed a shot at Nvidia's PhysX technology, saying that most game developers only implement GPU-accelerated PhysX for the money. AMD's Richard Huddy explained that 'Nvidia creates a marketing deal with a title, and then as part of that marketing deal, they have the right to go in and implement PhysX in the game.' However, he adds that 'the problem with that is obviously that the game developer doesn't actually want it. They're not doing it because they want it; they're doing it because they're paid to do it. So we have a rather artificial situation at the moment where you see PhysX in games, but it isn't because the game developer wants it in there.' AMD is pushing open standards such as OpenCL and DirectCompute as alternatives to PhysX, as these APIs can run on both AMD and Nvidia GPUs. AMD also announced today that it will be giving away free versions of Pixelux's DMM2 physics engine, which now includes Bullet Physics, to some game developers."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
|
Ubisoft's Authentication Servers Go Down
ZuchinniOne writes "With Ubisoft's fantastically awful new DRM you must be online and logged in to their servers to play the games you buy. Not only was this DRM broken the very first day it was released, but now their authentication servers have failed so absolutely that no-one who legally bought their games can play them. 'At around 8am GMT, people began to complain in the Assassin's Creed 2 forum that they couldn't access the Ubisoft servers and were unable to play their games.' One can only hope that this utter failure will help to stem the tide of bad DRM."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
Microsoft Demos Three Platforms Running the Same Game
suraj.sun writes with this excerpt from Engadget:
"Microsoft's Eric Rudder, speaking at TechEd Middle East, showed off a game developed in Visual Studio as a singular project (with 90% shared code) that plays on Windows with a keyboard, a Windows Phone 7 Series prototype device with accelerometer and touch controls, and the Xbox 360 with the Xbox gamepad. Interestingly, not only is the development cross-platform friendly, but the game itself (a simple Indiana Jones platformer was demoed) saves its place and lets you resume from that spot on whichever platform you happen to pick up."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
|
Xbox Live Now Allows Gender Expression
Last year we discussed news that an Xbox Live gamer was banned for identifying herself as a lesbian on her profile. Microsoft said at the time that nothing sexual in nature could appear in Gamertags or profiles. Now, they seem to have reconsidered their stance, and they've updated their Code of Conduct accordingly. Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten wrote:
"[The update] will allow our members to more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles. Under our previous policy, some of these expressions of self-identification were not allowed in Gamertags or profiles to prevent the use of these terms as insults or slurs. However we have since heard feedback from our customers that while the spirit of this approach was genuine, it inadvertently excluded a part of our Xbox LIVE community. This update also comes hand-in-hand with increased stringency and enforcement to prevent the misuse of these terms."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
Sony Patents Game Demos With Feature Erosion
MojoKid writes "When a game developer releases a demo, it's typically intended to entice players into first trying and then purchasing the full version. This is the stuff of Game Design 101 for most of us, but a crack team of cutting-edge gaming researchers at Sony have applied for a patent based on a novel concept: game demos that become progressively less fun the more you play. Sony refers to this as 'feature erosion.' The idea behind this dubious concept is that gamers will become hooked on a game while it's still in demo, then squawk unhappily as features and abilities they've unlocked begin to disappear. In order to prevent this, the player ponies up for the full version. A demo or program that provides limited functionality or play time is one thing; a game that's purposefully designed to take your progress away, in an admitted attempt to get you to buy once you've been hooked, is something altogether different."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
|
Valve Announces Portal 2
eldavojohn writes "Enough rumors, Portal 2 is due out for 2010. Valve also let users know through an announcement on Steam. Game Informer seems to be the de facto provider of Portal 2 information so far. Prepare yourselves for more aperture science! Notice anything funny about the underlined letters in Steam's announcement?"
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
The Most Painful Toy Hack
wintersynth writes "We hacked a toy brainwave reader to electrocute people if their brainwave frequency got too high (by concentrating). We took outputs off of the 5 level LED indicator, put the outputs through a transistor/resistor/relay circuit to give 2 levels of high voltage through an electric shock circuit right into the user's arm."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
|
New Call of Duty Titles Announced, Fired Devs Sue For Name
eldavojohn writes "Activision has announced new Call of Duty titles while fired Infinity Ward Developer leads Jason West and Vince Zampella sue them for the rights to the name. According to Activision, 'The company intends to expand the Call of Duty brand with the same focus seen in its Blizzard Entertainment business unit. This will include a focus on high-margin digital online content and further[ing] the brand as the leading action entertainment franchise in new geographies, new genres and with new digital business models.' Ars opines that Activision is set to over-saturate the market with tons of CoD titles similar to how it expertly brought down Guitar Hero."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
NVIDIA Driver Update Causing Video Cards To Overheat In Games
After a group of StarCraft II beta testers reported technical difficulties following the installation of NVIDIA driver update 196.75, Blizzard tech support found that the update introduced fan control problems that were causing video cards to overheat in 3D applications. "This means every single 3D application (i.e. games) running these drivers is going to be exposed to overheating and in some extreme cases it will cause video card, motherboard and/or processor damage. If said motherboard, processor or graphic card is not under warranty, some gamers are in serious trouble playing intensive games such as Prototype, World of Warcraft, Farcry 3, Crysis and many other games with realistic graphics." NVIDIA said they were investigating the problem, took down links to the new drivers, and advised users to revert to 196.21 until the problem can be fixed.
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
|
Ubisoft's New DRM Cracked In One Day
Colonel Korn writes "Ubisoft's recent announcement that upcoming games would require a constant internet connection in order to play has been discussed at length on Slashdot ('The Awful Anti-Pirate System That Will Probably Work'). Many were of the opinion that this new, more demanding DRM would have effectiveness to match its inconvenience, at least financially justifying its use. Others assumed that it would be immediately cracked, as is usually the case, leaving the inconvenience for paying customers and resulting in a superior product for pirates. As usual, the latter group was right. Though Ubisoft won't yet admit it, Skid-Row managed to crack the new DRM less than a day after it was first released."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
How To Play Poker With Your Rock Band Drum Kit
SeanLind writes "After writing a similar article for converting your Rock Band guitar I got flooded with feedback and requests for a Drum Kit versions. So that's exactly what I did, three easy steps to converting your Rock Band drum kit into a wireless game controller, and using that to play online poker."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
|
Venezuela Bans Hostile Videogames and Toys
An anonymous reader writes "In an effort to 'help improve child education and prevent misconduct,' the Venezuelan government began enforcing a law on March 3rd banning war videogames and toys, imposing a fine and 2.5 years in prison on the production, distribution, sale, hiring and use of video games and toys inciting violent behavior. Alberto Federico Ravell, former director of opposing news network Globovision, has already come on twitter denouncing the authorities for seizing imported Gameboy, Wii and PlayStation 3 consoles, due to considering them violent."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
Cross-Platform Mobile Gaming Gaining Traction
andylim writes "Several mobile gaming companies are developing cross-platform multiplayer games allowing Android and iPhone users, for example, to play games against each other. Last month touchArcade reported on a cross-platform baseball game developed by Com2Us called Homerun Battle 3D. Unlike turn-based multiplayer mobile games, Homerun Battle 3D allows players to compete against each other instantly, but you don't see the other player — instead you only get to see your competitor's score being updated. Pushing cross-platform multiplayer games even further, a company called Bulky Pix has created a table-football-style game that displays the action as it happens — both players see the ball moving around. This hopefully suggests that cross-platform, multiplayer mobile shooters aren't far behind."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
|
Portal Update Hints At New Game
An anonymous reader writes "It appears Valve has begun another ARG (Alternate Reality Game) similar to the one that led up to the release of the original Portal game. A recent Portal update unlocked a new achievement which has uncovered various hidden images and sounds containing references to the Portal and Half-Life universe. Many believe this to be part of the run-up to the announcement of Portal 2 and/or the next installment of the Half-Life series. A thread on the Steam forums has already reached over 1 million views as people piece together the information. Another thread summarizes the information found so far. Based on clues from the ARG, some are speculating an announcement at the 2010 Game Developers Conference where Valve's co-founder Gabe Newell is to receive this year's Pioneer Award."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
NewsBone.com
Suggest a feed to syndicate here, or check out what I'm doing over at freshtao.
~Created Tue Mar 9 18:21:59 2010
|
|
Resonance of Fate Gameplay Montage Video
Quick gameplay montage video for Resonance of Fate
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
Rock Band 3 confirmed for this holiday
BREAKING NEWS: Harmonix and MTV Games getting the band back together, Electronic Arts handling distribution once more.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
|
Puzzle Quest 2 Screens
28 new shots posted.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
Aliens vs. Predator DLC hatching March 18
Rebellion's action shooter picking up quartet of multiplayer maps previously released as part of Special Edition package on 360, PS3, PC for $7.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
|
38 Studios, EA in Big Huge RPG deal
Ex-baseballer Curt Schilling's studio inks deal to publish PC, 360, and PS3 single-player RPG penned by author R.A. Salvatore; Oblivion, Morrowind vet lead designer; Spawn's Todd McFarlane art directing.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
Bodycount Screens
2 new shots posted.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
|
Black creator talks up Bodycount on PS3, 360
Q&A: Shooter specialist Stuart Black shares details on "glossy techno-thriller" shooter, due out in Q1 2011; says Black 2 "bit the dust" at EA.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
Greed Corp Review
This slow-starting strategy game is deliciously destructible once you learn the ropes.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
|
Industry to rebound after February decline - Analyst
Wedbush's Michael Pachter predicts 10% software slump to $665 million for last month, March's "phenomenal" lineup will break industry's down streak.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
Just Cause 2 - Helicopter to Helicopter Mayhem Gameplay Movie
Rico jacks three helicopters once in midair.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Tue Mar 9 15:01:50 2010
|
|
Hidden Identity: Chicago Blackout Review
In Hidden Identity: Chicago Blackout it's not the Windy City that's blacked out, but the unnamed main character. After waking up with no idea of either who or where he is the protagonist sets off in search of clues to help him piece together his past. This, of course, means finding lots of objects. Chicago Blackout adds a few new twists to the hidden object game formula, but for the most part fans of the genre won't experience much in the way of surprises.Hidden Identity: Chicago Blackout Review originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 11:35:58. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
Steam Coming to Macs
Valve has confirmed rumors that a Mac version of their Steam digital distribution service is on the way, along with Mac versions of their own library of games, including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, and Portal. Valve intends to release all their future games simultaneously on Windows, Mac, and Xbox 360. According to the press release: "Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge. For example, Steam Play, in combination with the Steam Cloud, allows a gamer playing on their work PC to go home and pick up playing the same game at the same point on their home Mac." Steam for the Mac should be available next month.Steam Coming to Macs originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 14:05:04. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
|
Secret of the Magic Crystals Review
Despite it's generic fantasy sounding name, Secret of the Magic Crystals is actually a simulation game that has you breeding horses. Mythical horses like unicorns, pegasus', and demon steeds. It's a unique concept, and the game does a good job of melding casual gameplay with strong simulation elements. Unfortunately, Secret of the Magic Crystals is also far too repetitive, leading to a somewhat uneven experience.Secret of the Magic Crystals Review originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 18:11:10. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
8 Places To Find Casual Games
There are plenty of casual games out there, but sometimes actually finding something to play can be a chore. After all, unlike traditional games, you can't simply go out to a store and pick the latest hidden object game off the shelf. Thankfully there are plenty of online casual game portals that do all of the work for you, leaving you with just one decision: what should I play? Here are eight of our favorites.8 Places To Find Casual Games originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 09:06:38. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
|
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Ships
EA sends word that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has shipped to stores across North America, and is also now available on Steam. There's a short launch trailer touting some early review scores on the Battlefield Blog, and a launch-day patch has also been issued. It's the first Battlefield game on the PC to feature a full-blown single-player campaign as well as online multiplayer, and fans of this series seem anxious to get their hands on it. I've posted some screenshots of the game for your perusal.Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Ships originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 13:11:01. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
StarCraft 2 Preview
A sequel to StarCraft, perhaps the most highly-regarded multiplayer real-time strategy (RTS) game of all time, is no small event. It's hard to understate the impact that StarCraft had on the genre, or the dedication of the incredible cult following that has grown around the game in the decade since its release, especially in Korea. Well, here we are some 12 years after the original game launched, and StarCraft 2 is undergoing multiplayer beta testing. These are my first impressions of Blizzard's latest RTS game.StarCraft 2 Preview originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 08:51:45. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
|
Shutter Island Review
Shutter Island the game is loosely based on the film of the same name, in which U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is sent to investigate a missing patient at a hospital for the criminally insane. I say loosely because, while the game features the same characters, settings, and a few plot points with the film its based on, it also glosses over the majority of the story, including the very important twist of an ending. Learn more about this hidden-object game in our review.Shutter Island Review originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 13:42:19. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
Osmos Review
In Osmos, you control a sphere with the ability to absorb any smaller spheres you come into contact with, while larger ones will absorb you. But propelling yourself forward means that your sphere will slowly decrease in size, so the game becomes a constant battle between deciding whether or not to conserve your size or risk it all to go after a larger sphere that will help you grow bigger faster. Here's our review of this physics-based puzzle game.Osmos Review originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 18:48:42. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
|
DDO Surpasses One Million Players
Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited has had considerable success attracting new players since going free back in September of last year. Turbine announced today that over one million new accounts have been created in that period. Of course, the real issue is how well that translates in revenue for the game. According to the press release: "The massive influx of new players has been across all of the various consumer plans available. DDO Unlimited's paid subscriber base has more than doubled, while at the same time players are transacting in the new DDO store at three times the industry average, growing the franchise's revenue over 500% since its launch in September."DDO Surpasses One Million Players originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 18:00:17. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
Mind's Eye: Secrets of the Forgotten Review
Mind's Eye: Secrets of the Forgotten starts out traditionally enough, as you take on the role of a Gabrielle, an investigative journalist who's looking into the murder of the town's mayor. Pretty standard hidden-object game fare so far. But soon things take a turn for the weird, and Gabrielle is eventually thrust into a world of bizarre psychological experiments that gives the game a somewhat dark and creepy vibe. Take a closer look at Secrets of the Forgotten in our review.Mind's Eye: Secrets of the Forgotten Review originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 12:41:29. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Tue Mar 9 17:36:15 2010
|
