Mass Effect 2 from Bioware The Dark Second Chapter to the Epic Science-Fiction Trilogy - Coming Early 2010 for Windows PC and Xbox 360

Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts, announced the development of Mass Effect 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the multi award-winning 2007 hit, Mass Effect.

The Mass Effect trilogy is a masterful science-fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life forms and mysterious uncharted planets. In this dark second chapter, Saren’s evil army of Geth soldiers has just been defeated, and humans, still struggling to make their mark on the galactic stage, are now faced with an even greater peril…

“We’re going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. “Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred

action.”



Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 video game system in Early 2010.

Killing Floor - Unreal Tournament mod to become full game on Steam...

Popular young-persons' Unreal Tournament 2004 modification Killing Floor is to be beefed up into a full game and released on Steam, Tripwire Interactive has announced.

Killing Floor is a first-person co-op game in which up to six players defend themselves against an onslaught of monsters in non-linear London-based environments using a mixture of weapons.

Along with knives, fire-axes, shotguns, rifles and a flamethrower (there are more than 12 weapons in total), players can also try and weld doors closed to push the monsters along certain paths.

Read full post here on EuroGamer...

NASA name new video game Astronaut - Moon, Mars and Beyond...

After news that NASA are working with Information Place, Virtual Heroes and Project Whitecard on a new MMO video game they have announced the title... Astronaut - Moon, Mars and beyond.

NASA hope the game will spark an interest in space and the universe - we can only wait and see if this wish comes true.

The gamne is financed by individual investors and sponsors with NASA lending their expertise in development.

“‘Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond’ was selected because the three companies involved had a really ideal combination of qualities we were looking for,” Daniel Laughlin of NASA’s Learning Technologies Project Office said in a statement. “They have the right experience, they demonstrated their ability to engage middle school through higher education curricula, and they have extraordinary enthusiasm about working with NASA to make a fun game. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from more than 800 pages of public input, it’s that this game must be fun if it’s going to be of any use for education.”

"When they see that they can use these skills to build something – like a space shuttle or a greenhouse – then they understand why it’s important,” said Sonny Kirkley, CEO of Information In Place. “So, ultimately, teachers will find that a gaming environment makes it much easier to engage students in STEM subjects and provides context for the other things they are teaching.”

WWII online - Battleground Europe offers free 14 day PC trial of

Cornered Rat Software is offering a unique twist to their 14-day free trial of their massively multiplayer PC game, "WWII Online: Battleground Europe". For a limited time, trial players will have the chance to have their face added to an in-game character. The game is available for download and play at the official website, www.BattlegroundEurope.com.

Cornered Rat Software is inviting gamers to participate in a limited time 14-day free trial offer for their award-winning MMOG, WWIIOL: Battleground Europe. Anyone who creates a free trial account between March 20th and April 10th, 2009 will be entered into a draw in which three winners will have their own likeness added to the library of faces used for infantry characters seen by thousands of players. Information about how faces are added to in-game characters can be found at www.battlegroundeurope.com/faces. See the trial information page for more details at BattlegroundEurope.com.

About Battleground Europe:
Set in World War II Western Europe, "Battleground Europe" features more than 600 towns and cities and 29,000 buildings and a zone-less map covering 350,000 Km (Over 217,000 miles) of terrain where battles rage for days and campaigns for weeks.

Whether you want to be a British sharpshooter, French tank commander or a German fighter-pilot, "Battleground Europe" has an assignment waiting for you. With over 100 weapons and vehicles accurately modeled and utilizing military-grade physics, every soldier can make a measurable contribution in the battle for Western Europe!

Death of Spies - Moment of Truth with new gadgets, new weapons and new missions

Leading Eastern and Central European publisher 1C Company is pleased to announce the development of a sequel to the popular stealth-action Death to Spies titled Death to Spies: Moment of Truth.

The game's main character is Semion Strogov, Captain of the 4th department of the Soviet counterintelligence service called SMERSH.
SMERSH literally means in Russian Death to Spies, which was the name for a set of counterintelligence departments in the Soviet Army formed during World War II. Strogov is back from his previous missions and must now participate in a series of even more complicated and exciting military operations under the code name Death to Spies: Moment of Truth.

The hero possesses all the skills required to accomplish especially dangerous missions including, getting information about the disposition of hostile military and civil units, assassination of enemy agents and representatives of Wehrmacht’s high-ranking officers and espionage.

By the order of his supreme commander Strogov, who passed through a serious retraining, will have to accomplish various top secret missions. His task is to capture spies, saboteurs and gather information about their actions using unique technologies and devices.

Death to Spies: Moment of Truth is scheduled for a Q3 2009 release.

SplitFish Ships FragFX V2 PlayStation 3 Controllers

Form Meets Function in Universal Controller for the PlayStation 3

SplitFish Gameware, Inc. ("SplitFish") is pleased to announce the release of the new FragFX V2 controller for the Sony PlayStation 3. This long awaited advanced gaming accessory represents the next significant industry advancement for PS3 gamers. The FragFX V2 truly delivers on giving the first-person shooter (FPS) player the gaming precision, speed and control previously only available to PC gamers.

Over the past year, SplitFish has painstakingly re-engineered and turbocharged the key performance features of the FragFX V2 system to ensure maximum playability and performance for PS3 gamers of all levels. Based on carefully analyzing the feedback received from V1 users, and pro gamers, the new V2 now includes significant improvements to the following components: optical mouse, frag switch, mouse & motion sensitivity, mouse buttons, and d-pad. In addition, improved game support will ensure that FragFX V2 users continue to dominate on today's genre of games (enhanced response in Call of Duty: World at War, Killzone 2 and Resistance 2) as well as future front line releases. In the event firmware upgrades are needed, they will be provided for free and instantaneously by simply downloading them directly from www.splitfish.com.

The FragFx V2 also serves as a fully optimized mouse for the browsing and navigation of the PlayStation HOME virtual world and the PlayStation Network browser.

"When it comes to fast-paced gaming where precision counts, gamers demand the most from their controllers and that is where the FragFX V2 comes into play. We decided to release a FragFx V2 to incorporate some of the great suggestions made by our hard core customers and pro gamers - the resulting hardware and firmware modifications, make the V2 an even more versatile and better quality PS3, FPS controller." said SplitFish president Werner Demetz.

Key features of the FragFX V2 controller include:

• Larger mousepad for a wider range of motion for mouse tracking and aiming
• Varied mouse button surface textures to distinguish between buttons and provide better grip and less slip
• Unique pressure sensitive Frag button that allows gamers to drastically increase their accuracy-perfect for long-range sniping.
• Macro mouse sensitivity control located on the FragChuck provides gamers with a truly unique control setup.
• Improved directional padRapid-fire can be mapped to a variety of mouse buttons and can be turned on and off on the fly from in-game.
• FragChuck has full range of adjustable 6-Axis motion control.
• Unique motion port feature that allows gamers to map 6-Axis motions-specific functions to a variety of buttons.

The FragFX V2 is now shipping in North America and is available from the following major retailers: www.gogamer.com, www.bestbuy.com, www.amazon.com, www.microcenter.com and www.newegg.com. The SplitFish FragFX2 V2 has an MSRP of $79.99.

New screenshots from Wheelman - Vin Diesel video game...

Combining spectacular Hollywood-style stunts with a gripping storyline, Wheelman provides an adrenaline-fueled, cinematic thrill ride.

Vin Diesel stars as an undercover agent and highly skilled driver who must infiltrate the Barcelona underworld to gather intelligence surrounding a covert heist.

Posing as a driver-for-hire, he ends up caught in a crossfire of corruption and chaos while trying to stay one step ahead of local law enforcement and rival gangs. 

Are Blizzard working on a new Project?

Blizzard appears to be working on a fifth title according to two new job postings.

The fifth brand-new unannounced game surfaced last week following previous hints that Blizzard was interested in working on a completely new IP.

Currently Blizzard is working on Starcraft II, Diablo III, a new World of Warcraft expansion, a next-gen MMO, and a new unannounced game that may be a new IP. Blizzard hinted at developing a game based on a new IP back in 2006 when Blizzard COO Paul Sams commented: "I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new franchise from us at some time in the future; there’s certainly a desire to do so."

Blizzard is recruiting again and have been looking for programmers on programming job site forums where two new positions have been advertised by Blizzard's 'Slouken' who has been working on World of Warcraft, specifically with the UI and interface community.

The positions have been advertised stating:

"Blizzard Entertainment is seeking an experienced gameplay engineer to focus on game rules systems for an unannounced title. This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of a dynamic and focused team working on a brand new project. Blizzard Entertainment offers a fun, creative, and technically challenging environment with excellent compensation and a full range of benefits."

Based on these two new job postings for software engineers, we can assume that a new IP from Blizzard is in the works.

Source: IncGamers

Grand Theft Auto IV v1.0.3.0 PC Patch improves multi player races

Rockstar Games has issued a new patch for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV (thanks: Attila). Check full article for changelog.

Download here... (54.63mb)

GRAPHICS:

* Interior Lights for ATI 1900 series cards:
o All light sources appear for users with 1900 series ATI cards. (ie. Pool Mini Game)
o ALT-TAB fixed
* Graphics Settings:
o Added menu option " OFF " for Reflection quality
o Added menu option " OFF " for Shadow quality

PERFORMANCE:

* Physics optimizations to improve situations with heavy physics calculations (ie. 32 player races)
* Graphical Performance Optimizations

MULTIPLAYER:

* NAT Type detection
o Detect if user has a " strict " NAT and displays message for user
* Voice chat is received even if your microphone is turned off

CONTROLS:

* Keyboard / Mouse
o Remapping restrictions removed
o Allow Enter, Backspace, and Arrow keys to be remapped by user
o Allow multiple mouse buttons to be mapped
* Enable/Disable DirectInput in Menu
o Users can now activate/deactivate Direct Input devices from "Controls" menu.
o If commandline "-usedirectinput" is active, it will override pause menu setting.
* Use 2 direct input devices simultaneously (ie. Wheel and Gamepad)
o Users can now use 2 different controllers at once, including 1 XInput and 1 Direct Input device.
* Added more Direct Input / XInput device support
o Saitek P380/P480/P580/P990
o Saitek PS1000/PS2700/P3200/P3600
o Gravis Eliminator Shock gamepad

SECURITY:

* Detect modified files and prevent users from entering multiplayer if found
o Game will prompt with a message after blocking user with modified data files from entering multiplayer
o Should prevent multiplayer access from cell phone and GFWL join in progress

VIDEO EDITOR:

* Scroll Bar improved response
o Tweaked to respond better to keyboard inputs
* Sped up load times for users with many clips

TITLE UPDATE 2 FIXES:

* Return of Hot Dog Stands and other props
o Missing hot dog vendors, fences, gates, pylons should be present throughout the world.
* Scrolling signboards
o Activate missing scrolling signboard text (ie. highway signs, Star Junction, Clock Tower Sign)
* ALT-TAB pauses game during cutscenes
o Cutscenes should now pause and resume correctly after an ALT-TAB task switch. Audio remains in sync.


GENERAL ADDITIONS / FIXES:

* Mismatched MODO/Perseus Clothing
o Fixed a bug when Niko mixes clothing from Perseus and Modo
* 360 Controller Texture
o Controller image should be visible in Controller Configuration screen

Microsoft lose $25 million with FREE Xbox Live Gold cards giveaways for Red Ring of Death (RRoD) compensation...

Nometet have done the maths - there are roughly 9.5 million Xbox Live Gold members. One third of them will have got the RROD, so 9,500,000 x 1/3 = 3.167 million. Thats 3.167 million people who have been given a month free on Xbox Live.

Times that by the eight dollars it costs to buy a one month Xbox Live Gold card and it comes to 25,333,333.

What that means is Microsoft given away at least 25.3 million dollars worth of Xbox Live Gold membership cards since 2005. The figure could well be two, three or four times more. With no Official figures it is hard to say.

Source: MaxConsole