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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”

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]

Spark is Working on a Sci-Fi Shooter – Could it be Star Wars Battlefront III?

Justin Carter — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:00:35 +0000

Long before forces were unleashed or Republics were old, the Star Wars video games found a good footing with the Battlefront series. The original and its sequel were developed by Pandemic way back in the PS2 era before EA bought them out and later closed them. Even though they said they weren’t working on it, rumors about the developer always shifted to the then open Free Radical Design. They’re now Crytek UK and working on Homefront 2. Now, it looks like Spark Unlimited, developer of Legendary and Call of Duty: Finest Hour is going to handle Battlefront III.

Playstation Lifestyle is reporting that Spark is hiring for:

“…a senior combat designer for a 3rd Person Action/Adventure sequel in a high-profile science fiction franchise currently greenlit for full production development for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC markets.”

That could be any sci-fi franchise, right? Wrong. A LinkedIn profile from a former Spark employee listed this under his time with the developer:

Unannounced third person sword fighting game (well known IP, Xbox 360, PS3)

What’s a famous and well known IP? Star Wars. And what’s their version of a sword called? A lightsaber. Very interesting, right? Is this Battlefront III, or just another dream?

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

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.

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.

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.

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]

Behold, Aliens: Colonial Marines’ Killer Box Art

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:21 +0000

As an “older” gamer (30′s mind you) I have great affinity for the Alien movie franchise. Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, is a classic and James Cameron‘s Aliens is one of the best reviewed movies of all time. Unfortunately, the Alien movie franchise went downhill shortly after.

So anyway, I hope Gearbox and Sega do the movies justice with Aliens: Colonial Marines. They claim, after all, that it will be a true sequel to Aliens. So, it’s kinda like the movie fans always wanted but never got.

So far, I was psyched by the gameplay trailer and I like the new box art. Check out the gallery below.

Skyrim Update 1.4 is Live on Xbox, PS3 Later Today – Full List of Changes

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:00:39 +0000

FUS RO DAH! The Skyrim1.4 update is live on Xbox Live and expected to hit the PS3 later on today. This is an anticipated update which should fix a few annoying bugs, most importantly the PS3 bug that makes it unplayable after a certain level.

Below is the full list of changes courtesy of the Bethblog.

Bethesda also claims to be putting the final touches on the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop and will let everyone know as soon as they’re up.

NEW FEATURES

Skyrim launcher support for Skyrim Workshop (PC)

BUG FIXES

General optimizations for memory and performance
Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequins in player’s house (PS3)
Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
Memory optimizations related to scripting
Fixed issue with dangling scripts not properly clearing from memory
Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
Fixed crash in “Haemar’s Shame” if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
Optimized bookshelf script in player-owned houses that would occasionally block other scripts from properly firing off
Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any upgrades
Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
Fixed memory crash with container menu
Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally fail
Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks
Fixed occasional audio issue that would play sound effects louder than intended
Fixed bug related to hitching between cell boundaries
Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions

QUEST FIXES

The Unusual Gem that was inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly
Fixed issue where progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests
In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpse unaccessible
In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
“The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
In “Revealing the Unseen”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
“Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
“Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
In “The Break of Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
“Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine would block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

Mass Effect 3 Info Blowout: Infiltrator and Datapad Functionality with iOS

Alex Co — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:30:18 +0000

If you’re a Mass Effect fan, you’re in luck as we have a lot of news for you today. First off, EA has revealed that Mass Effect Infiltrator will be coming to iOS devices. It will be a third-person cover-based shooter that has you playing Randall Enzo, a Cerberus soldier who specializes in doing covert ops for Cerberus but becomes disenchanted with the organization and needless to say, he helps Shepard in his mission.

What’s interesting here is that playing Infiltrator and collecting intel in the game will help get your Galactic Readiness Rating up – and in turn, help you get a better ending in Mass Effect 3. Do keep in mind that EA has confirmed that you do NOT need to get Mass Effect Infiltrator to get ME3′s best ending.

Next up is Mass Effect’s Datapad app integration with iOS devices. BioWare says that it’s their “love-letter” to their Mass Effect fans. What it does is it acts the same way as the Codex in ME1 and ME2, but to avoid spoilers, it will only show areas, species and other things that you already have encountered. The way it works is it ties in to your Origin account so it can track your in-game progress. Not bad, no?

Both Mass Effect Infiltrator and Mass Effect Datapad have not been given a release date yet; although we do know that the Datapad app will be free.

Last but not the least, a reader in Joystiq has sent a GameStop receipt showing that he was able to purchase a $10 worth DLC for Mass Effect 3 called FromDust. It’s not known whether if this is for single-player or for multiplayer; all we know now is that the game already has DLC even before it’s released.

Do keep in mind that EA has not commented on the DLC as of press time and we’ll update the situation as it develops.

Mass Effect 3 will be out for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 this coming March 12.

ArcheAge Debuts New Siege Warfare Video; RipTen Adds Helpful Commentary

Jensen Walker — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:30:23 +0000

While the western release date for ArcheAge still remains unknown, the official Youtube page has today been updated with a four minute video featuring the MMO’s siege warfare mechanics.

The catch is that the video is narrated in Korean, which means those of us who lack Korean comprehension skills have to create our own commentary to accompany the visuals.

Accordingly, I’ve made the following notations for the video below.

0:16 – Many letters dance on the screen, and a flower makes you feel happy.

0:23 – Everything is on fire. Hiding in a tower ends badly.

0:40 – Not to worry, some enterprising young architect has built many more towers!

0:53 – “We’re stuck in the mud, aren’t we? Again.”

1:26: – “Guys, really? I just built all these towers like 50 seconds ago.”

1:47 – “Seriously, you’re all vandals.”

2:05 – “Out of the mud now, sir!”

2:28 – Free paragliding lessons for all.

3:25 – “Everyone, follow that guy. He looks like he knows where he’s going.”

3:45 – The true definition of love is sacking someone’s city.

Enlightening! For more information about the game, you can check out the official website.

Psychonauts 2 May Happen – Notch and Schafer are Talking

Justin Carter — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:13 +0000

Remember a few days ago, when we reported that Markus “Notch” Persson wanted to fund Psychonauts 2? Well, Double Fine told Giant Bomb:

”Tim and Markus are talking. Who knows what might happen?”

Sounds great, right? It’s about to get better. Notch has been sending out a few tweets to explain what’s going on. He and Tim Schafer have been talking over e-mail, and it sounds like they’re planning to meet up at GDC. You know, see the sights, take a nice boat ride, and possibly discuss making Psychonauts 2. Normal stuff that happens. But even though our hopes are already touching the moon, Notch warns:

“Please don’t get your hopes too high yet. Everything is extremely vague!”

Sorry, Notch. Hopes are already high. You can’t stop what’s already in motion.

via Game Informer

Prepare to be Wed: Trion Releases RIFT Wedding Trailer

Jensen Walker — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:30:51 +0000

A few weeks back we reported on Trion’s attempt to secure a world record for the Most In-Game Marriages in a 24-Hour Period on February 14th.

Today, Trion released a trailer for RIFT’s new Ascended Weddings feature which showcases what players can expect in Update 1.7.

You can view the new video below, and be sure to click on the link above for more details on how to participate in the world record attempt.

Ridge Racer Unbounded – Behind the Game Trailer #1: Deal with it

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:30:44 +0000

Namco Bandai today released the first of a series of behind the scenes videos for Ridge Racer: Unbounded.

The video features words from a few of the members of the Unbounded team, some gameplay footage and real life drifting. Check it out below.

The first Making Of video for RIDGE RACER™ Unbounded focuses on the changes made in the new branch of the legendary franchise and includes never seen before footage of the game.

Ridge Racer: Unbounded launches this March on PS3, PC and 360.

True Crime: Hong Kong’s Successor is ‘Sleeping Dogs’ – Debut Trailer, Screens and More

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:00:48 +0000

Square-Enix today revealed Sleeping Dogs as the latest game in the True Crime series. Activision is out, Squeenix is in, and so is the new title. Dig it?

Sleeping Dogs puts players in the shoes of of undercover cop Wei Shen, tasked with taking down the criminal Triads from the inside out. It will take place on the island of Hong Kong and the story will deal with themes like loyalty and betrayal.

Much is being hyped about Sleeping Dog’s Imaginative combat system. Supposedly, combat will seem natural and players will easily be able to perform martial arts from an extensive list of moves and easily pull off other tasks such as shooting while driving.

Like previous games in the True Crimes series it will be an open world. According to Square, “every street corner, market stall, harbour dock or city skyscraper can become an opportunity for intense shoot-outs, adrenaline-fuelled street races and intense, brutal martial arts combat.”

Check out the live trailer and screens below. Tell me what you think, will UFG’s Sleeping Dogs have what it takes to keep up with similar games such as Saints Row: The Third and GTA 5?

Via [vg247]

Ubisoft’s PC DRM Leaves Anno 2070 and Driver: San Francisco Unplayable

Sam Naylor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:30:19 +0000

Ubisoft recently performed a server switch which led to some of its games being rendered unplayable (to paying customers only).

Two of the games which were left unplayable were Anno 2070 and Driver: San Francisco.

The company’s twitter account has apologised for the problems the server switch caused:

We apologize for the inconvenience, it seems some of you can’t connect to games announced as playable during migration.

Before the server switch Ubisoft had said that both Anno 2070 and Driver: San Francisco would not be affected. Of course, for pirates who do not experience DRM, they were right. Those players got better treatment than the paying ones.

Shank 2 Out Now to Slice You Up

Alex Co — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:30:31 +0000

Are you into side-scrolling beat-’em-ups? If so, then you’re in for a treat. EA and Klei Entertainment has just released the sequel to their highly-successful Shank; aptly titled Shank 2.

The game is a 2D action-brawler that’s reminiscent of the old-school beat-’em-up genre that was very popular in the ’90s – albeit, with a shinier coat of paint and “modernized” to deliver a deeper experience. The game drops players in the role of titular protagonist Shank. an ex-mob hitman who’s out for revenge after his village comes under attack.

Shank 2 also introduces an all-new multiplayer Survival mode wherein players can team up locally or online to tackle wave after wave of enemies to try and stay alive. Think Gears of War’s Horde mode but in beat-’em-up form.

The game is already out on PC and PS3 today and will cost you $10. Xbox 360 users, fret not, as the game will be available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace tomorrow and will cost 800 MS Points.

I admit, Shank was a game that surprised me upon release. Who would have thought that this sort of game can still excite and keep your attention now that we have realistic shooters with a bajillion polygons.

Who among you will be picking this up or is the game only attractive to old fogies like me?