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Alan Wake PC – Standard, Collector’s Edition and Digital Versions Detailed

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:30:42 +0000

Alan Wake is coming to the PC and creator Nordic Games have released details on all three PC versions.

First of all the PC version will be superior to the Xbox 360 version in several ways. It will have a visual upgrade (refined and enhanced), stereoscopic 3D and multi-screen support.

Below is what you can expect from the different editions.

Boxed Standard Edition:

Premium packaging:
Disc 1: Main game plus both DLCs – “The Signal” and “The Writer”.
Disc 2: OST of the game including 13 Tracks (Audio-CD).
6 Post cards with different pictures/scenes from the game.
Manual.
1 poster (printed on both sides).
7 stickers with different pictures/scenes/characters from the game.

Collector’s Edition:

Premium packaging.
Disc 1: Main game plus both DLCs “The Signal” and “The Writer”; Additionally, the main game of the LCE contains audio commentary and background information by Remedy, which can be switched on in addition to the game.
Disc 2: OST of the game including 13 Tracks (Audio-CD).
Disc 3: Bonus Disc: History of Remedy, Making of “Alan Wake”, Making of a thriller, music videos by the “Old gods of Asgard”, several trailers to the game, Storyboard (witch concept art) as a movie clip.
The “Alan Wake Files”; 144 pages with evidence on the mysterious incidents around Alan Wake and Bright Falls, compiled by the fictitious author Clay Steward (same print format as the game manual).
6 Post cards with different pictures/scenes from the game.
Manual.
1 poster (printed on both sides).
7 stickers with different pictures/scenes/characters from the game.

Digital:

Main game plus both DLCs “The Signal” and “The Writer”

Alan Wake hits retail on the PC March 2nd. The digital version will be available on Steam February 16th and other digital channels “shortly afterwards”

Farewell Adam Adamowicz, The Artist Behind Fallout 3

Murray Hibble — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:00:06 +0000

One of Bethesda Games most important concept artists, the mind behind Fallout 3 and a major contributor to Skyrim and other Bethesda titles Adam Adamowicz has passed away today.

In a passionate posting at awesome-robo, the impact this one man had on the Worlds we inhabit daily can be felt and seen. While his contribution to gaming may not be well known (I’d never heard of Adam until today) I keenly feel the loss of his vision and will work now to understand the gifts his talent has given to me across the hundreds of hours I’ve put into Bethesda’s titles.

The RipTen team offers their condolences to the friends and family of Adam and assure you that he left a mark on us all.

Take On Helicopters Hind DLC Announced – New Details and Screens

Murray Hibble — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:30:48 +0000

Everybody’s (and by everybody’s I mean my) favourite developers Bohemia Interactive are releasing new DLC for their 2011 title Take On Helicopters in the form of the motherf&*#ing HIND GUNSHIP.

Take On Helicopters: Hinds includes the Mil Mi-24 V, Mi-24 P and Mi-35 Super Hind helicopter gunships (with over 25 different liveries), a brand new set of singleplayer challenges, 5 time trials and new competitive multiplayer scenario.

I can’t help but feel that Take On is somewhat cheapened by this folding in of combat assets that are more akin to the ArmAverse, however I’m stupidly excited by the chance to fly this Cold War behemoth across lower Takistan. The sudden change to a licensed helicopter is also quite surprising given the non-branded nature of the vanilla game.

Take On Helicopters: Hinds can already be pre-ordered for € 12.99 at Store.bistudio.com. New pilots can save € 6.99 by ordering the special pre-order bundle – consisting of Take On Helicopters and Take On Helicopters: Hinds – for a total price of € 46.99 (normally € 52.99).

Stay tuned for a RipTen Review on the Hind DLC.

Blizzard Announces Diablo III Has Been Delayed … Again

Catherine Cai — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:30:37 +0000

Diablo III‘s starting to feel more like a pipe dream than anything. Maybe it’s because my patience is wearing thin after having my emotions jerked around from the constant announcements that Diablo III is going to be released. It’s been 11 years since Diablo II. I think my frustrations are a little bit justified at this point.

Blizzard announced that they expected Diablo III to hit sometime early 2012, but apparently now they’re not expecting the game to hit until Q2 2012.

According to Blizzard president and co-founder Michael Morhaime, the reason for the delay was that,

“We’ve implemented changes to the game that we believe will greatly increase the game experience.”

Now, Blizzard, I love your dedication to quality in games. It’s part of the reason why I aspire to work for you guys some day, but playing with my emotions hurts. Please, please make this last delay final.

[Via Giantbomb]

Got Name? Real Life Gordan Freeman Gets Valve Swag Pack in the Mail

Ben Nanke — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:30:27 +0000

What’s in a name? Well, if your name is Gordon Freeman, it’s a mailbox full of Half-Life swag. Mr. Gordon Freeman, currently living in Australia, received an exciting envelope from game developer Valve a few days ago, in the form of a copy of the Orange Box signed by Gabe Newell and a Half-Life 3 t-shirt. NICE! His tweet about the special delivery was full of unbridled Gordon Freeman-ness.

Yeah.

The real life Gordon Freeman is taking his namesake seriously. Like, seriously. Look at his twitter. The man has a crowbar collection. Good on you, Mr. Freeman. Good on you.

Now, I wonder what Bungie would send you if your name were Master Chief?

World of Warcraft Subscriber Numbers Still Dropping – Another 100,000 Lost

Jensen Walker — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:24 +0000

Today’s Activision-Blizzard investor’s call revealed some interesting statistics about World of Warcraft’s player base, with the MMO dropping another 100,000 subscribers since November 2011, to a total of 10.2 million.

While this is hardly the harbinger of impending doom, it does show a continuing downward trend in subscriber numbers since the launch of Cataclysm in December 2010.

Blizzard also confirmed the launch of at least two further titles later this year, one of which is Diablo III. The safe bet is that Mists of Pandaria will be the other. MoP will naturally offer a substantial subscriber boost, but what will be interesting to see is how MoP fares in regards to player retention.

More financial information can be found here and here.

Via: Joystiq

David Jaffe + Sweet Tooth’s Truck + 100,000 Full Metal Jacket Bullets + You = Twisted Fun

Michael Futter — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:00:51 +0000

A few days ago, we reported that David Jaffe would be leaving Utah developer Eat Sleep Play, of which he is a co-founder.

True to form, though, the madman behind the clown with the flaming head is not going quietly into that good night. No, not at all. Instead, in celebration of the launch of Twisted Metal, he’s out in the middle of the desert with Sweet Tooth’s truck, ready to blow the crap out of that thing with a big ol’ machine gun.

The best part? You can enter for a chance to join in the fun. Jaffe and friends are hooking up the sweet piece of weaponry to a camera and remote trigger so fans can fire at the hunk of metal from the comfort of their own computers. Think it sounds cool? Just watch the video to confirm your suspicions.

All you need to do is head over to the Shoot My Truck website and sign up before the game launches. If you’re one of the lucky winners, you’ll find out on the morning of Valentine’s Day. Nothing says love like a bullet-riddled carcass of a demonic ice cream truck.

If you were considering acquiring Twisted Metal through less scrupulous means, you might want to rethink your strategy. Jaffe’s got a gun.

Final Fantasy XIV to Merge Servers in March

Jensen Walker — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:49 +0000

Having spent a year as a free-to-play MMO due to a less than auspicious launch, then finally adopting a traditional subscription model in January, Square Enix have announced that Final Fantasy XIV will be undertaking server merges at the end of March.

Servers will be condensed from 18 to 10, with mandatory transfers required for characters on affected worlds. The world merge is intended to improve players’ experience in the lead up to the launch of FFXIV Version 2.0. The company also notes that servers may be added in the future once players numbers increase.

The server merge will take place on March 27th, 2012.

For full details on the merge process, head over the the official site.

The Last of Us: New Story Details and Art

Todd Schlickbernd — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:30:06 +0000

Naughty Dog recently revealed they wanted to do more Jak & Daxter but instead endeavored to make a new IP, and that IP is The Last of Us. Or, the last of them? The last of … some people? I’m still alive, for the record.

Naughty Dog’s creative director Neil Druckmann and director on the actual game Bruce Straley went in depth about The Last of Us‘ two main characters and the world they’ll inhabit (Earth, for the record). APOCALYPSE TIME! Yay, more humans dying in massive amounts at once! Interestingly enough, The Last of Us takes the death-by-science path which results in-in a rather predictable turn of events- zombies. This time, the world’s been nearly cleansed by a lethal fungus epidemic leaving the remnants of humanity under harshly ruled military-controlled quarantine zones. World ended? Time to get tough!

The two main characters are the magic here. 40-ish year old Joel and 14-year-old Ellie have a very strange relationship in that Joel was contracted to smuggle her out of her quarantine zone only to get her trapped with him in the fungus-infested, zombie-infested badlands of the world. Luckily, Joel’s background as a black-market badass will come into play here. After whatever disaster occurred and killed all the other peoples of the world, Joel ended up sad and stuff, so now he just doesn’t give a fuck.

However! He’s not about to leave this 14-year-old girl in the middle of zombie-death-town, so he endeavors to whisk her (and presumably himself) off to a secret land of milk and honey, otherwise known as a safe zone where the zombies, and the military, have no reach.

Man I’m tired of apocalypse stuff. I’m also tired of every protagonist having short brown hair and a big ass forehead. Who has time to cut their hair after the apocalypse? They don’t shave, but they cut their hair? Joel was like “Man I used to love video games before the apocalypse. In honor of that, I’ll look exactly like Nathan Drake! Yeah. Fresh.” Anyways, Naughty Dog’s amazing so this will probably be awesome, look forward to it.

Source: Game Informer

Is Mega Man X Coming to Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3? Sorta…

Michael Futter — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:13 +0000

It’s been a tough year for Mega Man fans. First, Capcom canceled Mega Man Legends 3 and blamed the fans for it. Then, Mega Man was left out of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 despite fans going wild for the Blue Bomber. Oh, then there was that “Boxart Mega Man” thing happening with Street Fighter x Tekken.

Now, Capcom is taunting fans again with a Mega Man X Skin for Zero in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. It’s bad enough that they are still peddling these skin packs, but to toss Mega Man in there as a tease? It’s just mean.

If you want to delude yourself, though, you can grab the Weapon Master Skin Pack, which also includes alternate looks for Trish, Hawkeye, Taskmaster. It’s priced at 320msp on Xbox Live and $3.99 on the Playstation Network.

Firefall Releases New Dev Diary: Players will Interactively Expand Game World

Jensen Walker — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:30:09 +0000

Red 5 Studios, developers of upcoming team-based shooter MMO Firefall have today unveiled the latest dev diary for the game, in which CEO Mark Kern discusses exactly what Firefall is, the beta testing process, and how content expansion will be player driven.

Firefall thrusts players into a gigantic open world filled to the brim with PvE content, while also offering an e-sport element where players can compete against each other in ranked matches. Firefall’s maps and world will also evolve according to player enterprise and co-operation. Via building new technology, they will be able to craft MRU units. By working together across servers to place these units in strategic locations, players will reveal more of the world to explore.

The mechanic certainly seems like an interesting one, encouraging players to work together towards a common goal. Kern also promises Firefall will continue to grow and expand so long as players remain devoted to the game.

You can sign up for Firefall’s rolling beta at the official site, and view entire dev diary below.

Tecmo’s Dead or Alive 5 Kicks High, Crumbles Beautifully (Hands-On)

Michael Futter — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:00:59 +0000

Ninja Gaiden wasn’t the only thing that Tecmo Koei was showing off this week. As you may know, gamers are poised to get their hands on Dead or Alive 5 for the first time with pre-orders of Ryu Hayabusa’s third adventure, or in the Ninja Gaiden 3′s Collectors’ Edition.

The DoA 5 Alpha features two stages and four different fighters, and for fans of the series, it’s going to serve as confirmation that the fifth time is the charm. In the latest iteration, fighters move faster and battles aren’t over until one fighter is down. There are no foregone conclusions, with luck turning on a dime. A well-timed counter or whiffed punch could mean the difference between a comeback from near-death and an embarrassing defeat.

I’ve always had a hard time getting into the Dead or Alive series. It always moved to slow for me, weighted too heavily toward the technical. My experience with this iteration, though, was a pleasant surprise. I had the opportunity to use Hayabusa and Ayane, both sporting graceful animations and brutally powerful strikes. Each fighter continues to have his/her own fighting style and learning not only your own strengths, but that of your opponent, is key.

I was extremely impressed by the visual fidelity, especially when it came to Dead or Alive’s “third combatant,” the stages. Wall hits and dynamic stages return bringing the same level of strategy and jockeying that past entries featured. A single well-placed wall hit can turn the tide, blasting an opponent over your head, slamming them face-first into the ground. Instead of the fighters moving in front of a moving background, though, the stages bleed all the way to the front of the arena. You won’t be fighting in front of a crumbling building, you’re on top of it, contributing to it’s utter destruction. The world explodes around the action, creating gorgeous scenes as the two human fighters engage in their deadly dance, hurtling toward the ground only to dust themselves off and continue.

When I had finished playing five or six fights and put the controller down, only one question lingered, “How long do I need to wait for my next match?”

Why you should care about Dead or Alive 5:
- Stunning visuals with the most dynamic stages in series history
- Your favorite characters return with moves both new and old
- Quick matches that can turn on a dime require you to play like you’re at the end of your lifebar

Alan Wake 2: So You’re Saying There’s a Chance?

Todd Schlickbernd — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:30:47 +0000

Remedy has noted that Alan Wake’s: American Nightmare, launching on XBLA on February 22, is not a sequel to Alan Wake but there might be hopes for one still. Yes! Flashlights!

Matias Myllyrinne, CEO of Remedy, told Game Informer some pretty awesome things regarding their approach to Alan Wake as a developer and their options as well. Remedy still owns the rights to Alan Wake, so if they want to make him into a kart racing game, that’s still on the table! Alan Wake: Flashlight Karts- sounds great right? Here’s what Matias actually had to say about the matter:

“Hopefully, we’ll have one or two surprises. I don’t know, I’m loving the digital [distribution] side and we’ll see how that evolves, but just being able to give people quick access to bite-size chunks of gaming is maybe more fun than working for years and years — taking the phone offline and closing the shutters– at least, this way, you’re able to react much more quickly to people’s desires and wishes… We’ll certainly continue with Wake. Right now we’re focusing on getting the PC out next week, then getting American Nightmare out. And it’s too early to talk about what our next move is, but we’ve obviously put things into motion.”

Ghosts and flashlights and thermoses full of coffee! I’ve never played an Alan Wake game but I’ve been told that’s the formula there, and those are all good things. Hopefully Remedy will do something sequel related in the future, but from the sounds of it they’re more interested in perhaps getting a little episodic up in here.

Ghost Recon Online Closed Beta Begins March

Sam Naylor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:00:27 +0000

The closed beta for Ghost Recon Online will begin this March, and signups are already open.

You can apply for the closed beta of Ubisoft‘s new free-to-play Ghost Recon here, and it is due to start on the 5th of March this year.

Ubisoft have released a new trailer showing off the class system in the game:

I must admit I do find it kind of funny to see such an ugly-looking game being advertised in this way. It’s like being back in the PS2 days. I realise the browser-based nature of the game limits it but it still makes me laugh.

Double Fine’s New Adventure Game Breaks Kickstarter Record, Exceeds Fundraising Goal First Day

Michael Futter — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:30:45 +0000

If you happened to go to sleep early last night, you may have missed a little story about Tim Schafer’s DoubleFine Productions (Costume Quest, Brutal Legend and assorted other awesomeness) starting a Kickstarter project to fund a new game and documentary. The project, called DoubleFine Adventure Game, had an ambitious goal of $400,000 with a deadline of 34 days. In a matter of 8 hours, the project was fully funded with over 10,000 donors chipping in to make the project a reality. As of publishing, the project has nearly raised double its goal as nearly 17,000 gifts have come in. According to a tweet from Kickstarter, this is kind of a big deal:

Double Fine Adventure has broken Kickstarter records for most funds raised in 24 hrs & highest number of backers! kck.st/A9k3jH

— Kickstarter (@kickstarter) February 9, 2012

If you are unfamiliar with Kickstarter, the website was founded to help individuals and small teams find funding for creative projects. The charitable giving system in the United States is complex, requiring federal and state approval in order to collect charitable contributions and provide tax incentive for individual donors. Additionally, foundations typically do not award grants to those that don’t have a 501(c)(3) determination letter from the federal government. This means that the bulk of funding available in the country isn’t accessible by individuals or small-groups. As a society, we’ve lost the patronage model. There are few wealthy benefactors left that fund solo artists for the sake of new visual and performing works.

Enter: Kickstarter.

Kickstarter has turned the fundraising community on its ear by operating counter to contemporary fundraising practice. Instead of requiring the enormous infrastructure that comes with being a charitable organization, the site provides a vehicle for projects to receive crowd-sourced patronage. Instead of a single wealthy donor, Kickstarter encourages people to find a project they are interested in and make a gift in any amount. Whereas some fundraisers pay lip service to the, “no gift is too small” mentality, Kickstarter lives by it. The beauty of it all is that, once the project is funded, the creator retains complete autonomy in the execution.

There are no donors attempting to impose their will and no corporate entity focused on balancing the budget. Kickstarter ensures the integrity of the projects on the site by requiring an all-or-nothing agreement. Creators must indicate how much is necessary to complete the project as detailed. If the goal is not met, funds are returned to donors. This has bred creative promotion techniques, which, in turn, led to enhanced utilization of the site.

Double Fine decided to take advantage of the service for a number of reasons. First, they wanted to demystify the game development process. According to the Kickstarter page, Schafer and company believe that the larger a studio is, the less light shines through. One major component of Double Fine Adventure Game (the official name of the project) is to create documentary following the creation of this new game. Second, they want artistic freedom.

In the videogame industry, developers often require publishers in order to begin work. Retail games can cost well over $10 million to create, and smaller titles like those that appear on Xbox Live and Playstation Network aren’t exactly cheap, running up bills in the millions. Publishers want to see a return on that funding. It’s an investment. Using this Kickstarter project, though, gives Double Fine a great deal of creative freedom.

The project will take six-to-eight months and result in a classic point-and-click game and multi-part video documentary. Backers at the $15 level or greater will be part of a behind-the-scenes community, receive the game (via Steam when completed, gain access to the beta along the way and have the video series available as it rolls out. From there, the benefits for investment only get sweeter (all reward tiers include all lower-level benefits):

$30: HD download of the documentary, game soundtrack
$100: DoubleFine Adventure poster (suitable for framing), thanks in the game credits
$250: DoubleFine Adventure poster signed by Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert and the design team
$1,000: Mini-portrait of the donor painted by the game’s artist
$5,000: Larger, original painting used in the final game
$10,000 (only one available and you’re too late): Lunch with Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert, tour of the Double Fine offices

So, why is this such a big deal? While a number of independent studios have found success with Kickstarter projects, Double Fine is the largest and best known to ever pursue this avenue of funding. Given their success, we are very likely to see other mid-sized studios jump on the idea. It won’t become the exclusive way games are funded, but with so many interesting games dying on the vine due to lack of publisher interest, we could see a new injection of creativity.

Gamers tired of military shooters and cookie-cutter sequels are going to get their fix from a new drug. Finally, it serves as a reminder of how important reputation is. Every single one of those 17,000 donors is a pre-sale for the game. On Day 1, Double Fine Adventure Game turned a 100% profit provided Tim and team stick to the $400,000 budget.

Power to the people.

Amazing Spider-Man The Game Goes Beta, Teases ‘Something Big’ for Next Week

Drake Hess — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:00:38 +0000

The Official Facebook page for The Amazing Spider-Man The Game issued an update about 20 minutes ago, asking fans if their “spider-sense was tingling” in anticipation of a “big” announcement.

“Is your Spider sense tingling? Something BIG is coming next week…What could it be?”

My guess is that this is finally some sort of in-depth gameplay footage. The timing would be perfect considering the statement that preceeded this yesterday.

“We’re delivering our Beta this week! The team has been working hard to deliver the best spidey game ever. Let’s cheer them on!”

There seemed to be some confusion on various message boards as to what the “BETA” statement was referring to, so we reached out to Activision PR for clarification. As suspected, Beenox is referring to an internal BETA status and not some sort of external release version of the game. Sit tight for more information on The Amazing Spider-Man The Game as it becomes available.

Twisted Metal University: Weapons Training Trailer

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:00:10 +0000

Sony and Eat Sleep Play have released a new trailer for Twisted Metal, which presents weapons training with key tactics.

I would have to say, it’s pretty badass. Check out the trailer below.

Twisted Metal races to retial for the PS3 on February 14.

Howard’s D.I.C.E. 2012 Keynote Hints At Skyrim’s Future

Chris Gravelle — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:22 +0000

D.I.C.E. 2012 is happening. While we don’t always hear news that gets the drool flowing but Skyrim fans should be on the edge of their seats. Todd Howard gave the opening keynote speech at this years summit and among the slides shown were a few videos of Skyrim. Howard explained that after a development cycle, the team spends a week creating anything they want in the game. The week is dubbed Game Jam.

In the video he shared, minor things that never made it into the game were seen. New weapons, favorite menus for followers, seasonal weather and a few other graphics upgrades that make the game look even better. Then there was the crazy stuff. All of this is shown on a video: dragon mounts, flaming horse mounts, the ability to build your own house (complete with a skeletal butler), the ability to become a vampire lord, a werewolf perk tree, Microsoft Kinect voice shouts and a few other surprises worth watching for. Howard has stated that any of this can come to the game in the future through downloadable content or free updates.

[Source GamesBeat]

New SSX Trailer Shows the Awesome of the Himalayas

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:30:14 +0000

EA is going big with SSX. How big? Himalayas big.

Check out the awesomeness of the Himalayas in the new SSX trailer below.

SSX arrives on PS3 3 and Xbox 360 on February 28th.

Play Gears of War 3 with Cliff Bleszinski and His Fiancé This Valentine’s Day

Drake Hess — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:00:52 +0000

Nothing says I love you like a bayonet lancer to the heart. So, if you and your significant other share a passion for gore and gaming, why not ‘Game with Fame‘ by joining Epic Games Gears of War Design Director, Cliff Bleszinski, and his pro gamer fiancee, Lauren Berggren, for a special “couples themed” Gears of War 3 Wingman game session on Valentine’s Day?

To get in on Cliff and Lauren’s Valentine’s Day Massacre, you’ll need to to be snuggled up on the couch thirty minutes before the event kicks off, have all the latest map packs installed (via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace or the Gears of War 3 Season Pass), and have your friend/invitation request to “CliffyBVday” and “LaurenBVday” successfully yield you an invite.

The love of gaming brought Cliff and Lauren together, and they’d like nothing more than to share that gift with you. So if you’re still considering your options for this Valentine’s Day, just remember, every “kill” also begins with K.