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| Pardo parses the new Battle.net
August 21, 2009 at 11:56 pm
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| BlizzCon 2009: Blizzard VP of game design reveals persistent profiles, premium Starcraft II maps, more for Blizzard's online service. 
Who Was There: Blizzard executive vice president of game design Rob Pardo led the Starcraft II Battle.net panel, with Battle.net project director Rob Canessa also lending insight. What They Talked About: Battle.net has the dubious distinction of taking the fall for Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty's delay into the first half of 2010. That's quite a burden to carry, considering those estimated 6 million eager gamers waiting to wade into Blizzard's interstellar real-time strategy warfare game. So is the revamp to Blizzard's online networking service going to be worth the wait? According to Rob Pardo, the answer is in the affirmative, and the gaming executive delineated just why during a Starcraft II Battle.net panel today in Anaheim at BlizzCon 2009. Pardo began by emphasizing the importance of Battle.net, saying that with its 12 million users, the service outranks even World of Warcraft in terms of popularity. However, Battle.net hasn't seen a significant update since 2003, and the changes in store are substantial. Breaking the revamp down into three core segments, Pardo began by emphasizing the "always connected experience." After noting that Battle.net has been seamlessly combined with Starcraft II, Pardo said that the service will feature persistent character profiles, which won't be deleted if a users account is dormant for an extended period of time. Pardo then showed the intro screen to Starcraft II, noting that players will be prompted to sign in as soon as they load the game. The launcher looks much like that of World of Warcraft, with players able to either jump into the single-player campaign or check out news and other announcements. Pardo then hit the single-player button, and players were offered the choice of going directly into the campaign or testing their skills in a skirmish or challenge mode. Even in the single-player game, players would still be connected to their friends list, and other features such as achievements, stats, and match history were also available. Pardo then showed off a few interesting features included in Starcraft II, including the ability to watch game replays as well as rewind said replays. Achievements will also be available in this mode, with these awards being the way players unlock player avatars and decals that can be placed on in-game units. Pardo then shifted to the second core Battle.net tenet, what he called "the competitive arena for everyone." One of the detriments of the old Battle.net was that matchmaking often pitted veteran gamers against those just learning to play. To alleviate this issue, Pardo introduced a new ranking structure that divided the player base into leagues. After between 10 and 12 games, players will be fitted into a league, where they are ranked against competitors of equal skill. Because of the new persistent profiles, players will also be prevented from gaming the system, he said. The final core value of Battle.net is to connect the entire Blizzard community, joining WOW, Starcraft, and Diablo players under one roof, much like BlizzCon. The primary way this will be done is through the Battle.net Real ID, which lets players talk to their friends across games and across realms in WOW. The achievement system will also span all Blizzard games, and players will be able to toggle how names appear in their friends lists. Pardo noted that privacy options and parental controls will all be incorporated into the Real ID feature, and players will have to opt-in for friend invites. Players will also have control on how much information they share with others. The Blizzard executive then moved onto the custom map community. According to Pardo, the Starcraft II map editor will be more powerful than that which was available in Warcraft III. Map publishing will also be easier, he said, as players can now publish their work on Battle.net, where other players can browse it. Beyond the launch of Battle.net, Pardo said premium maps will be available, where players have the option to charge for their work. A portion of the revenues then go to the creator, with Blizzard also taking a cut. This option, in particular, has potential, according to Pardo, as it will attract the crème de la crème of amateur game designers to create content for Starcraft II. Quote: "If people have a budget, look at what they can create."--Rob Pardo, in justifying the forthcoming premium custom map options. Takeaway: While it may not be enough to justify Starcraft II's delay for the most hardcore of audiences, it appears as if Blizzard's improvements to the Battle.net service will have a lasting effect on how the company's games are played. Though slated to arrive after the launch of the service, premium custom maps have the potential to extend the life of Starcraft II. Gamers will undoubtedly be happy to know that they will be able to communicate with friends across games, as well. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Battle Net Panel Highlights
August 21, 2009 at 11:01 pm
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| | Check out some of the highlights from the panel discussion detailing the future of Battle Net from BlizzCon 2009. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Dragon Age: Origins Updated Hands-On - The Dwarf Commoner's Humble Beginnings
August 21, 2009 at 10:07 pm
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| We start a new story with the commoner background for dwarf characters in this upcoming role-playing epic from BioWare. 
We've already covered much of the basics of starting a new game in BioWare's upcoming role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins...because we've played through them. If you haven't already, take a look at our previous story covering the origins of the human mage, which also covers the basics of character creation and interface elements--we won't be repeating those here. Instead, we'll jump into the origin story for dwarves who begin their careers as lowly commoners in the streets of Orzammar, the subterranean metropolis. As a dwarf commoner, you can choose to play either as a rogue or as a warrior--there's virtually no difference whatsoever in the experience or gameplay, except that each class has its own skills, and that certain fights seem tougher if you play a rogue who didn't specialize in combat skills. On that note, please be advised that this story contains minor spoilers. Even though the tall, stony architecture of Orzammar looks impressive in some places, the life of a dwarf commoner isn't pretty. According to the introductory cinematic sequence for this origin, the dwarves have a rigid caste system that forbids dwarves of lower classes to mingle with highfalutin nobles--and your character is at the very bottom of the barrel, a "casteless" character marked with a brand on his or her face that tells the world that you're the most common of commoners. You begin your adventure being harangued by the local dwarf slumlord Beraht, who has recruited you to do his dirty work while he "encourages" your kindhearted sister Rica to catch the eye of a dwarf noble. Beraht's potentially not-family-friendly scheme is to marry her off into a noble family to give birth to an heir, elevating her, you, and "Uncle" Beraht to noble status. (Interestingly, while mages speak with the prim and proper BioWare British Accent made famous in Knights of the Old Republic, dwarves all speak American/Canadian English--no evidence of a British accent or Scottish brogue in sight.) Beraht then storms off, reminding you that you have more dirty work to do before the day is done. Before you go, you can chat with your sister to get more insight about your situation and the world of the dwarves--how most of your people remain below ground rather than deal with repugnant, smelly surface dwellers like humans and elves, and how the darkspawn, the game's villainous monsters, have risen from the depths of the earth to claim the lives of most members of the noble and warrior castes, which leaves the nobles desperate for heirs. It also seems that Rica has caught the eye of a potential suitor, but with no promises made on either side, you're better off heading out to Orzammar for some more shady dealings, at least for the time being. You leave your sister, and immediately meet Leske, a dwarf thief and cohort who also works for Beraht, and who also has the hots for your sister. (In fact, if you create a female dwarf character, he'll actually make a pass at you as well.) After reminding him that his attentions are unwanted, you get the details of your next mission--locating, shaking down, and ultimately killing a smuggler who works for Beraht, but has been skimming lyrium ore (the enchanted metal used to power magic spells and forge enchanted weapons) to sell to illicit parties on the surface. The common areas in the dwarf city, much like the halls of the mage tower, are full of ambient characters that go on about their business and occasionally have independent conversations that touch on bits of the world's lore, such as the political tension between the current dwarven king and an ambitious dwarven prince. And if you happen to be a rogue, you can also use the profession's free skill point in the stealing skill to relieve some commoners and guards of their coins and healing poultices--the latter of which will prove to be a godsend later on. When you find the smuggler at the local tavern, you and Leske seat yourself at his table, and can re-enact a classic BioWare conversation quest path of either killing the marked man outright, or letting him go and lying to your boss about doing the job anyway--a quest we've seen in some form in both Baldur's Gate II and also Knights of the Old Republic. We decided to keep things civilized and instead blackmail the smuggler for all the ore he was carrying before cutting him loose, figuring that we'd pocket the proceeds without any questions asked, just as we had in previous BioWare games (and we were wrong, as we'd find out soon enough). By using "intimidate"-based conversation skills (bolstered by our character's "cunning" statistic, which we boosted when creating our character), we were able to convince the poor sap to part with his ore and skedaddle, and we also convinced a terrified Leske to go along for the ride with a generous 50-50 arrangement. Leske came around and pointed us to a nearby merchant who took the ore off our hands at a reduced price, pointing out that demand for it is poor below ground (dwarves are inherently resistant to magic and cannot be mages, and so have little use for the stuff in its raw form), and moving it to the surface would be difficult. We pocketed the few coins we were able to get and reported in to our crime boss. Said crime boss and his number one gal, Jarvia (an angry female dwarf who can't seem to say anything without phrasing it as a threat) were waiting at a nearby merchant shop. When we lied about killing off the escaped smuggler, the slumlord didn't exactly buy what we were selling--apparently, one of his cousins was also at the tavern at the time and watched the smuggler get up and walk away. Fortunately, Leske was quick-witted enough to come up with a lie of his own about how we later bumped off traitorous cheat in a back alley, preferring not to make a scene in the tavern. And fortunately, Beraht actually took the bait, and dispatched us to our next task--rigging the "proving ground" arena battles being held for visiting grey warden Duncan, who was rumored to be in town in search of new recruits to battle the darkspawn (hint, hint). To rig the match, we were instructed to drug the water of one of the arena champions to ensure the victory of a different competitor offering longshot betting odds (on whom Beraht had a pile of coin), and were handed a phony pass to get into the arena area. Upon entering arena hall, we encountered Duncan himself, whom we greeted on a dare from Leske, and exchanged pleasantries with before the grey warden took his leave. We then paid a visit to our longshot gladiator to check on him, only to find that the mighty warrior was dead drunk. After a brief, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" conversation with Leske, we decided to don the warrior's armor and his maces and swords (which fit just fine, even though we were playing a rogue) and masquerade as him, though we also made the decision to not drug the rival gladiator, instead entering the fight as a true test of skill. We pilfered the plastered pugilist's possessions, equipped them, and headed out to the face our first match in another familiar BioWare setup--an arena battle with consecutive one-on-one battles. Unfortunately, since we were playing a sneaky thief who specialized in speed and trickery, we didn't have a character with a very high strength score, so we were unable to equip the drunken warrior's better weapons. So, we readied a light battle axe and shield for our battles, which began with a tougher-than-expected scrape that we survived only by using some of our purloined healing poultices. The same could be said for our second and third matches, both against determined dwarves looking to prove themselves. By the end of the third match, we were out of healing poultices and ready to beg for mercy, but that was cut short as the inebriated gladiator we were impersonating staggered into the arena, accusing us of being an impostor. Knowing we were caught dead to rights, we removed our helmet, revealing our character's branded face (the mark of a lowly casteless dwarf) to much consternation from the arena crowds and the dwarven arena master--though Duncan, the guest of honor at the proving match, seemed impressed by our performance. One blackout later, we awoke in a strange cell--apparently, the match results had been renounced and we had been trounced, first by arena guards, and then, by Beraht's men, who had us taken back to the crime boss's lair. Jarvia returned one last time to taunt us before leaving us in the capable hands of a single guard. Fortunately, our rogue character gained an experience level here, which let us take a glimpse at the advanced character classes he'll one day be able to select (assassin, bard, ranger, or duelist). He also had a basic knowledge of the "deft hands" skill and was able to pick the lock on his cell and make a break for his confiscated belongings, equipping himself with his original leather armor and an axe, and making short work of the guard before freeing Leske and sallying forth. Luckily, since we were playing a rogue character, we were able to spot and disarm some of the hidden traps lining the floors. So began the dungeon hacking portion of the dwarf commoner's origin story. Our party of two made their way through Beraht's cellars, looting any open chests and barrels for a handful of trinkets and fighting small contingents of guards. Rogues begin with a basic skill known as "dirty fighting," which deals no damage, but briefly stuns their target. They can also specialize in dual-weapon talents or archery talents, but must first learn the combat training skill. When creating our character, we preferred to make more of a stealthy burglar character, and weren't as prepared for head-on battles, but we did make liberal use of the rogue's backstab ability, which deals extra damage and is triggered automatically when you properly place a rogue character directly behind your target. By periodically using both our character's, and Leske's, dirty fighting skill to stun other targets, we were able to focus in on our enemies, one by one, keeping the thugs' focus on one party member while the other snuck in as many backstab attacks as possible. (As it happens, we later played through the dwarf commoner origin again as a fighter, and found the battles much easier, especially since we specialized in two-handed weapons, which have powerful and quick-to-recover attacks that can deal unusually large amounts of damage or just send your foes sprawling.) Finally, we made our way to the boss, who was in the process of putting a price on our heads to two more of his greasy thugs, and saying some less-than-polite things about our sister. We went right into battle but had to retry this fight a few times, since Beraht himself was a tough fellow who seemed immune to being backstabbed, and since we had hardly any health poultices (and since again, we created a relatively wimpy rogue character). With determination and carefully timed applications of the dirty fighting skill to control the other thugs and focus on picking off our enemies one by one, we finally brought the brute down. And we emerged from his hideout victorious...to find the furious dwarf arena master waiting for us with a group of guards, and with Duncan, and with...our sister? Even more curiously, there was no sign of Beraht's second-in-command, the sharp-tongued Jarvia. Hmm. It was at this point that Duncan made the offer to join him as a grey warden, saving us (just like with the mage origin) from capital punishment for a grave offense. We spoke with Leske (who insisted we take the opportunity) and Rica (who, as it turned out, had begun a storybook romance with her suitor), and received their blessings to join Duncan in his quest. We were on our way out of our origin story to see the rest of the realm of Ferelden. And you'll be able to hear more about origins, and Ferelden, by following GameSpot's ongoing coverage of Dragon Age: Origins. Come back next Friday when we explore more of the game. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Return to Mysterious Island 2 Review
August 21, 2009 at 9:20 pm
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| Slavish devotion to an old-fashioned adventure formula makes Return to Mysterious Island 2 hard to take. 
Score: 4.5 / poor Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Diablo III's new monk detailed
August 21, 2009 at 9:08 pm
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| BlizzCon 2009: Following reveal of fourth class, Blizzard Entertainment leads explain the flighty, powerful holy fighter. 
Who Was There: The Diablo III panel was lorded over by four of the lead developers on the game: lead world designer Leonard Boyarsky, technical game designer Wyatt Cheng, lead technical artist Julian Love, and lead designer Jay Wilson. What They Talked About: While the headline announcement to come out of Blizzard Entertainment's opening ceremony for BlizzCon 2009 this morning was the announcement of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the publisher didn't forget about its Diablo III fans. Having previously revealed the barbarian, witch doctor, and wizard, Blizzard today announced that the fourth playable class will be the monk. As part of a "Heroes and Monsters" panel session for the game, Diablo III leads Wilson, Love, Cheng, and Boyarsky went into greater depth on why the team settled upon the monk and what will differentiate him from the other classes in the game. According to Wilson, the monk was inspired by the traditional pen-and-paper role-playing archetype, with the goal of creating a fast, melee-oriented fighter that, in contrast to the barbarian, was also less physically durable. Interestingly, Wilson also noted that the monk was also inspired by arcade fighters, primarily by way of the combo system that the class will employ. Going into deeper detail on the combo system, Cheng first outlined three of the monk's skills. The first, Way of the Hundred Fists, has three components--a dash, a multiple strike, and an area of effect attack. Crippling Wave is a debuff ability, and it first slows an enemy's movements, then reduces the monster's damage, and finally refreshes both effects while extending the detrimental attacks to all nearby enemies. Exploding Palm, which Cheng described as the monk's signature skill, allows for two damage strikes and then a damage-over-time attack. As it is Diablo, these components are cycled through with three successive mouse clicks. Notably, players will be able to combine these abilities, such that the first click would be for Way of the Hundred Fists, the second click would activate the second component of Crippling Wave, and the third click would land the final component of Exploding Palm. Love then addressed the look of the monk, who the panel said will draw inspiration from both Asian cultures and Eastern Orthodox religious orders. As the monk is essentially a warrior of the church, the team felt it was important to give him what they called a "holy color palette," which incorporates a lot of coruscated silvers and golds. The monk's graphical effects also display his runic knowledge, with various holy symbols appearing as he attacks. Quote: "We're going to have to keep that one a secret until next year."--Jay Wilson, in response to a question regarding Diablo II's amazon class. Takeaway: The monk class should serve as an interesting counter to the barbarian, which emphasizes more brute strength over precision. Indeed, Blizzard noted that the monk class will be more challenging initially due to his relative weakness. However, in later levels, the class should pack a significant punch, as it were. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wolfenstein Review
August 21, 2009 at 8:51 pm
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| Nazis and necromancy mix once again in this flawed but fun sequel. 
Score: 7.5 / good Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Unreal Tournament 3 The Haunted Mod
August 21, 2009 at 8:41 pm
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| | Check out this third person shooter full conversion mod, where you must fight demons to survive. Read the readme for details. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wolfenstein - Sneaking Up on Germans at an Occult Dig Site Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 8:40 pm
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| | Wolfenstein. Looking for German occult findings. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wolfenstein - Covering a Bomb Planter with a Mounted Machine gun Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 8:40 pm
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| | Wolfenstein. Bomb screws up gravity. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wolfenstein - Using the Veil to Take Out Germans in the Dark Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 8:39 pm
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| | Wolfenstein. Nazis infest underground tunnels. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| GameSpot's Live Photo Stream: BlizzCon 2009
August 21, 2009 at 8:11 pm
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| | BlizzCon is getting started, and it's looking to be downright insane. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Screens
August 21, 2009 at 7:48 pm
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| | 14 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Diablo III: Updated Hands-On -- The Monk
August 21, 2009 at 6:42 pm
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| We get our kung-fu grip on the new monk class announced at this yearès BlizzCon.
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2009 BlizzCon opening ceremonies, we had a chance to hop onto a computer and dive right into the monk class for Diablo III that had been announced a few minutes prior. What we immediately noticed about the monk is that its female incarnation is still not available, but there is a silhouette that suggests she exists. We then jumped into the proper game where we saw the monk standing inside of some gates, on a path that leads to the open desert. Here, a non-player character tells you that you must go to the town of Alcarnus and also alerts you to the fact that the desert is now overrun with evil creatures. But before setting out on the quest, we checked out a few of the details, including the monkès skill tree, which has three columns: a, b, and c. In this demo, the monk already has a couple of skills unlocked, as well as a few others that unlock after you level once. Thereès also a nice mixture of active abilities. Of those, the two that seem to be most useful for the monk at this point are the exploding palm and the seven-sided strike. The exploding palm, which can be used in concert with the monkès default attack (so it doesnèt drain mana), is almost like a touch-of-death skill--whenever the monk lands a third successive strike on a single enemy, a heart icon appears over the enemyès head. This means that the enemy has only a few seconds (depending on how strong he is) before he explodes in a cloud of blood and takes a few surrounding creatures out with him. The seven-sided strike is more like a ranged attack for the monk. It lets him zip into a gang of enemies and perform several quick strikes before reverting back to his normal state. As you can imagine, this attack is especially useful for engaging groups of enemies, but it's also interesting that you can almost use it in tandem with the exploding palm. Just zip into a group of enemies to get to the strongest one and use the exploding palm. Then zip back out and let that enemy explode. Another useful active skill for the monk is radiant visage, which blinds enemies in a certain radius, allowing you to move in quickly and take them out before they can attack. But perhaps our most favorite skill is the impenetrable defense. This is the skill that lets the monk reflect projectile attacks back at enemies for a few seconds. It's incredibly useful when you're surrounded by enemies casting any variety of spells in your general direction. And thankfully, it doesn't seem like you always need to be facing in the direction of the projectile to use it. In terms of other skills, there's also inner sanctuary, way of a hundred fists, and force without thought. Inner sanctuary is pretty straightforward. It creates a small ring around the monk that enemies can't cross, so it's especially useful when you're surrounded by a large group of enemies that would otherwise be difficult to fight through. Way of a hundred fists is a fast series of strikes, while force without thought is a counterattack skill. A few of the other details we checked out before heading out to the desert are the character screen, the quest log, and the available skills option. The character screen gives you the basic rundown for your character and features typical stats like strength, dexterity, vitality, and willpower. The quest log shows your main quest as well as any side quests that come about as a result of exploring. Finally, the available skills option lets you quickly and easily drag and drop skills to hotkey areas in the Diablo III interface. We then started our monk adventure, heading out onto the Sundered Pass. The first few enemies we encountered were lowly wasps, most of which were easily vanquished in a click or two, but only a few minutes in, we encountered much stronger enemies called fallen, which have appeared in previous games. These are little demonlike creatures that like to crowd, and they come in two flavors, regular and magic-powered. Using the exploding palm on the magic-imbued enemies and then running to let them explode and take out their own cohorts seems to be an effective strategy. But one of the stronger enemies we encountered (at least in terms of the amount of damage it hands out) is the dune dervish--a squidlike creature that spins its extremities while floating in the air, making it impossible to just walk up and hit it. That is, until it stops spinning. As we continued battling through throngs of enemies, we came across our first wanted poster, which asks you to find an outlaw camp and kill its leader. Sounds pretty straightforward and shouldn't take much time, but since this desert area is absolutely massive, we got a little lost before finally stumbling upon the camp. Once there, we found the leader and executed him, which caused his head to fall to the ground. We were then told to bring his head to the Enclave Khamsin. But before heading there, we did a little more exploring, and it wasn't too long before our monk stumbled on a camp of cultists--whose members were apparently in the middle of worshipping. But after charging in and slaughtering almost everyone in the camp, we saw that one cultist lived (automatically). He told us about a cache of their equipment and that it's hidden in a certain location. Well, upon exploring even more, we came across another cult camp and, yet again, killed everyone in it, but it appeared that there was a survivor of some kind of attempted sacrifice. We let her go, and she threw up. Yes, this NPC barfs as she tells you that a group of girls were taken to the cultists by someone named Zakarwa and that he drugged them. With that, she led us on the path that eventually took us to the enclave where we collected our bounty for killing the outlaw and spoke to the uncle of the barfing girl to let him know that his niece was dead. A few conversations later, we ventured out of the enclave and discovered what seemed like the last of the cult camps, and Zakarwa happened to be there. Naturally, our monk killed everyone in the camp, including Zakarwa, but it seems that you actually have the option to not kill him, if you're so inclined. We returned to the enclave and told everyone that Zakarwa was dead, and then we left to do some more exploring. We eventually came upon a series of necromancer totems and a necromancer who said that he needed help to activate some ruins to contain some sort of evil spirits. So, we ventured out and came across a portal to a dungeon. This dungeon was slightly different from another located on the other side of the desert in that this one had a time limit as well as rocks and boulders crumbling because the dungeon itself was crumbling. While trying to find where we needed to go, the time limit ran out and our monk died, forcing him out of the dungeon and back to the surface. With that our playtime ended. The monk is definitely an interesting class that seems to offer a bit more strategic options than a typical melee-focused character, like the barbarian. And you definitely have to be more careful with the monk because while his attacks may be strong, his defenses are not. Getting caught in a massive group of enemies can often mean death if you're not careful. We'll be interested to see some of the other abilities of the monk class and how they balance things out. Look for more coverage of Diablo III in the future. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Diablo III - Latest from Blizzcon, Heroes Battle Dark Forces Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 6:06 pm
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| | Diablo III. Dark dungeon. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Diablo III - Latest from Blizzcon, Heroes Storm a Bridge Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 5:59 pm
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| | Diablo III. Waves of monsters can't stop this party. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Diablo III - Latest from Blizzcon, Heroes Make Monsters into Bloody Meat Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 5:57 pm
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| | Diablo III. Party of heroes battle hordes of monsters. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Diablo III - Latest from Blizzcon, Montage of Hero Splattering Desert Baddies Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 5:56 pm
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| | Diablo III. Hero explodes monsters. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Guild Wars 2 Official Trailer
August 21, 2009 at 5:13 pm
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| | Latest trailer for Guild Wars 2! Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Screens
August 21, 2009 at 5:12 pm
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| | 13 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wonderland Online Screens
August 21, 2009 at 4:54 pm
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| | 4 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Final Fantasy XIV Online Screens
August 21, 2009 at 4:54 pm
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| | 27 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Screens
August 21, 2009 at 4:48 pm
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| | 11 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Screens
August 21, 2009 at 4:48 pm
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| | 30 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm Old Rivals Trailer
August 21, 2009 at 4:43 pm
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| | Hot new look at StarCraft II, coming to you from BlizzCon 09! Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Blizzcon Announce Trailer
August 21, 2009 at 4:17 pm
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| | Straight from BlizzCon 09, we bring you the latest in the WoW franchise! Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Diablo III Screens
August 21, 2009 at 4:06 pm
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| | 19 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Screens
August 21, 2009 at 3:54 pm
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| | 50 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Wallpaper Pack
August 21, 2009 at 3:50 pm
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| | This wallpaper pack contains four wallpapers in eight sizes each. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Angels Online Screens
August 21, 2009 at 3:36 pm
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| | 4 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Cataclysm expansion expanded upon at WOW panel
August 21, 2009 at 3:26 pm
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| BlizzCon 2009: Third add-on to massively popularly massively multiplayer RPG explained in detail, with Blizzard developers outlining new zones, Worgen and Goblin races, and more; apparently coming next year.
ANAHEIM, California--Diablo and Starcraft have their place, but the real cherry in Blizzard Entertainment's pie is its flagship massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft. With its 11.5 million subscribers worldwide, as of the company's last official accounting, the game brings in some $100 million a month for Blizzard. That, and people seem to think it's pretty fun to play, too, with critics lauding praise upon the original and its two expansions, The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. With Blizzard's opening ceremonies for BlizzCon 2009 just concluded, the publisher immediately convened a panel detailing the future of its MMORPG. Specifically, that topic was the just announced new expansion, Cataclysm. As had been speculated, the expansion will include the addition of two new races--Goblins and Worgen--as well as raise WOW's level cap to 85. Blizzard also said during the opening ceremony that the expansion signals the return of Deathwing, an ancient evil dragon bent on destroying Azeroth. With the expansion named, Blizzard now holds forth to delve into deeper detail on what gamers can expect from the latest WOW add-on. [12:31] With Cataclysm just announced, a panel of Blizzard develops prepare to take the stage. [12:31] The sound crew is checking the mics, with about three minutes left before the panel is expected to begin. [12:31] The crowd hasn't thinned at all from the opening ceremony, as Alliance and Horde devout are atwitter to hear more about the new races coming to their respective factions, Worgen and Goblins. [12:31] The AV guys are still doing their thing. It looks like there are four mics set up, though no word on which WOW devs will be running through the expansion. [12:33] And here we go, the announcer comes on: Chris Metzen, Tom Chilton, Lynn Sparks, Corey Stockton. [12:35] Tom Chilton is game director of WOW, Chris Metzen is VP of creative development, and Corey Stockton and Lynn Sparks are lead world designers. [12:36] With Wrath of the Lich King, it felt good to have the expansion focused on a primary villain. [12:36] He says that with Burning Crusade, the primary antagonist wasn't in the player's face enough. [12:36] He's not talking about Deathwing, who debuted in Warcraft II expansion, Beyond the Dark portal. [12:37] Deathwing is one of five dragon aspects that was supposed to protect the world. However, about 5,000 years ago, he heard whispers of The Old Gods deep within the world, and they drove him mad. [12:37] The fiery, earthen power that he possessed began to rip him apart so that iron plates had to be affixed to his body to hold him together. [12:38] His sole purpose has been to subject Azeroth to usher in a Day of the Dragon, where dragons rule. [12:38] According to Metzen, he's a nutcase. [12:38] The Old Gods have grown in power and provoke Deathwing. [12:38] In Deep Home, his lair, Deathwing has erupted into the world, and his arrival into the physical plane of Azeroth has sparked the massive cataclysm. [12:39] He is ever-present, and the great enemy that must be dealt with. [12:40] Sparks is talking now and says that elemental planes will be the primary new zones. [12:41] There are four planes that the titans created many years ago to contain the elementals. [12:41] Metzen says that these elementals were not been keen on being locked away and are ready to wreak destruction now that they've been freed by Deathwing's arrival. [12:41] Concept art is shown, with a city rising from an ocean, as well as lava oozing rocks rising from the sea. [12:42] Metzen is now talking about the Worgen, who are essentially werewolves. [12:43] The Alliance needed a monstrous race, Metzen says. [12:44] Metzen then regales the crowd with granular detail about the Worgen's roots. Apparently, the Worgen curse was afflicted upon the people of Gilneas and was created by a sorcerer who was attempting to ward off the invading Scourge. [12:44] Attendees will be able to play the Worgen and Goblin start areas today. [12:45] Sparks says that these areas top the Death Knight introduction "by a mile." [12:47] Apparently, there are surprises coming to level one through five, so players will be able to play today at level six. [12:48] Metzen is now talking about the new Horde race, the Goblins. [12:49] Goblins reside on the island of Kazaan or somewhere thereabouts. They are a mercantile, technologically advanced race. Think medieval Ferengi. [12:49] The specific group you play as is from this island. [12:49] The cataclysm hit the island of Kazaan very hard, and the goblins became shipwrecked on The Lost Isles. [12:49] A lot of Wrath Gate cinematics will be incorporated into Worgen and Goblin starting areas, Sparks says. [12:49] Goblins don't start off as a Horde race, he says, but as a neutral race and are forced to join the Horde. [12:49] Metzen says that the Goblins should provide some comic relief to the Horde and shows concept art of a goblin driving a hot rod. "That's their mount, by the way," Sparks says. [12:51] Metzen is now talking about the Upheavel, where certain zones have been transformed by tidal waves, storms, and the like. [12:51] There's a lot of new stress between the Alliance and the Horde, he says. Can't we all just get along? [12:53] "While the Lich King will get what's coming to him, we left a bit of ourselves up there in the snow." Metzen is apparently talking about PTSD? [12:53] As such, the expansion, he hopes, will ramp up the drama in WOW. [12:53] Sparks says that while the game began as very much an Alliance versus Horde experience, some of this conflict was lost in later developments. It's important that this conflict is revived in a big way. [12:57] Chilton is now talking about new features. [12:57] Big happenings: The level cap has increased to 85. [12:57] The level cap was a key decision for Cataclysm, as they wanted to make sure that they focused their time and energy in the right places, he says. [12:58] Wanted to spend enough time on revamping old zones and making sure there is plenty of new content for max-level players. [12:58] Chilton shows an in-game screen of the Worgen, who look like wolves in armor, wielding a cutlass. The crowd seems pleased. [12:58] Goblins apparently have a rocket belt? [12:58] The belt is used to propel them forward, as well as let loose some rockets that do damage to targets. [12:58] A screenshot of a Goblin rogue is shown, wearing black armor and looking actually kind of cute. [12:58] "Lots of players are going to hate him on the battlegrounds. I'm sure we'll hear all about that by next BlizzCon." Looks like we have a time frame for release. [12:58] Uldum will be in the game in the south, with Mount Hyjal in the north. The Lost Isles and Sunken City of VAshj'ir will be in the middle of the water. Apparently, the Sunken City will be an underwater zone. [12:58] Deepholm, Twilight Highlands, Deepholm, and Gilneas in the east. [1:01] Every zone will feature new quests, art, and items, Chilton says. [1:01] Chilton is now talking about the Guild Advancement System, which is completely new. [1:01] Everything players do will contribute to the advancement of the guild, with guilds able to level up to level 20. [1:02] As guilds level up, players gain access to new perks, such as a guild talent tree. [1:02] Cheaper repairs, less durability loss, and so on. Mass resurrection is another perk. [1:04] New race/class combos are also in the cards, and he shows a Tauren Paladin. [1:04] Gnome Priest is also shown. [1:04] Dwarf Shaman is now onscreen. [1:04] Chilton is now talking about phased terrain, which was first introduced in the Lich King expansion. [1:05] The world will be able to change as players progress through quest lines, Chilton says. [1:05] He shows an in-game progression of a coastline being eroded. [1:05] He's now talking about archaeology, which is a new secondary profession. [1:05] Players will be able to explore ruins and gain access to archaeology nodes, which integrates with the new Path of the Titans. [1:06] As for the new Path of the Titans, Chilton says it is a new way to customize a player's character. There are still 51 talents in the talent trees, but the Path of Titans will be a new type of alternate advancement. [1:06] These abilities will not be class-specific and include abilities and passive bonuses. Chilton says it is designed to add more customization to a player's character. [1:07] The Mastery System is also new and is designed to prune the talent system. [1:08] Stockton is now talking about the new zones, as well as some of the changes coming to the classic zones. [1:08] He says the cataclysm has affected every zone; some more, some less. [1:08] There are five new zones, which he calls level up zones, for level 75 to 85. [1:08] Stockton says that players can now fly everywhere; there are no restrictions. [1:10] He says that the level flow has changed, with some zones that were once for low-level players revamped for higher level content. [1:12] Stockton shows a complex leveling chart, which is designed to illustrate how players will progress. Alliance apparently lost South Shore. [1:12] One of the most heavily affected zones is The Barrens. The zone was split in half, right down the middle, with a flow of lava separating the two sides. [1:12] Desolace is another zone that has been significantly affected. This zone, which was once barren, has been flooded with water and is now quite fertile. [1:13] Darkshore has also seen significant changes, with certain camps moving and expanding. [1:15] Stonetalon Mountain is another changed zone and has been heavily burned with lava flows. [1:15] Stockton is now talking about the five new zones. [1:18] Beginning with the Sunken City of Vashj'ir; it is designed for 78 to 82 players. Along with Mount Hyjel, this zone flows directly to Deephom, Deathwing's lair. [1:18] Entrance into the Abyssal Maw Vortex is in the center of this dungeon, which is the elemental water plane. [1:19] When players are on the sea floor, combat will function normally. However, they can also swim upward to fight while floating. [1:20] Stockton says that underwater mounts will be introduced and will be normal, flying speed. [1:20] He's now talking about Deepholm, which is located in the elemental plane of Earth. [1:20] It is designed for players level 82 to 84. [1:21] Deepholm will be a large, subterranean environment, though players will still be able to fly in it. Stockton says that the zone will be massive. [1:21] Because it is a central hub, players will be able to enter portals to head to the other new zones. [1:24] Uldum is next on Stockton's list. Two dungeons will be available in this zone. [1:25] It is designed for levels 83 to 84 and features a layout that Stockton compares to Egypt, with its river delta and pyramids. [1:25] Stockton says that Uldum is rumored to contain a superweapon, though he doesn't go into detail. [1:25] The zone will also debut a new race, the Tol'vir. [1:25] And now he's talking about Mount Hyjal. The zone is under siege by Ragnaros; woh rules over the elemental plane of fire. [1:26] Malfurion Stormrage is apparently back, as well. [1:27] Stockton says that terrain phasing will be used heavily in the Mount Hyjal area as fire consumes the landscape. [1:27] Lastly, there is Twilight Highlands, which is just east of Wetlands. [1:28] The zone is also near Grim Batol, and this is where Deathwing is, his base of operations. [1:29] Red dragons will be in abundance here, as well. [1:30] There will be a lot of new content in this zone, especially as it pertains to dungeons and raids. [1:30] Correction: There will be a lot of new content in general. [1:32] He runs through a number of new areas, including The Firelands, Uldum, Blackrock Caverns (which is located in Blackrock Spire), Grim Batol, Skywal. [1:32] He then says that WOW will have a couple of new heroic dungeons: Deadmines and Shadowfang keep. [1:32] Lastly, Chilton is back to talk about new player-versus-player content. [1:34] Tol Barad, which is an island, will be a new PVP zone. There is a prison on the island, and both Horde and Alliance want control of it. [1:35] Battle for Gilneas Battleground is the second, and Chilton says that three total battlegrounds are scheduled to be with the expansion. [1:35] New arena maps and rated battlegrounds will also be introduced. [1:36] And that's it from the WOW preview panel! The team will be on hand to go into more detail on each of the subjects discussed as BlizzCon progresses. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Zu Online Screens
August 21, 2009 at 3:24 pm
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| | 4 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Dragon Age: Origins Screens
August 21, 2009 at 3:12 pm
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| | 6 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| BlizzCon 2009 kicks off with Cataclysm
August 21, 2009 at 2:24 pm
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| [UPDATE] BlizzCon 2009: World of Warcraft expansion announced at Blizzard's annual expo; Goblins, Worgen werewolf race to be playable, level cap raised to 85; Diablo III monk class announced; first trailer inside. 
ANAHEIM, California--Three numbers: eight, 20,000, 125. Their significance? In just eight minutes, 20,000 people handed over $125 to buy out every last ticket to attend Blizzard Entertainment's annual gaming event, BlizzCon. That, despite the fact that Blizzard expanded its presence at the Anaheim Convention Center this year, securing four exhibition halls to make room for an additional 5,000 attendees. Anyone who even remotely follows the goings-on of Blizzard probably has a good idea about what all the fuss is about. Since its merger with Activision last year, the company has gone into overdrive with its product portfolio. First, the company announced the long-awaited Diablo III at the 2008 Blizzard Invitational in Paris last year. Four months later, Blizzard trifurcated its sci-fi real-time strategy game Starcraft II, the first installment of which was delayed to the first half of 2010 earlier this month. More than that, though, the publisher has its 800-pound-gorilla of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft still going strong. With some 11 million subscribers across the globe clamoring for new content, Blizzard is due to make good on its target of annual expansions. In late June, Blizzard filed to trademark the name "Cataclysm" with the US Patent and Trademark Office, a name many believe to be the title for WOW's next major add-on. BlizzCon 2009 will feature a variety of activities catering to the tastes of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo fans. Those in attendance will be able to play prereleased builds of Blizzard's upcoming games, including Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty and Diablo III. The show will also include a variety of panels from Blizzard developers, casual and competitive tournaments, contests, a silent auction, and a merchandise store. Oh, and the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne, will apparently be here as well. And as is customary, Blizzard will set the tone for its gala with opening remarks from CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime. What secrets does this game master play gatekeeper to? Those answers will come in the next few minutes... [11:26] With five minutes to go before Blizzard is scheduled to take the stage, BlizzCon attendees have packed the cavernous Anaheim Convention Hall seemingly to capacity. [11:27] WOW's login screen currently states that Blizzard will be collecting non-personal system specifications data in the very near future...a sign of things to come? [11:27] A thick white smoke pervades the massive main hall. An overworked dry ice machine, or the condensing fumes from the horde of WOW aficionados? [11:30] Blizzard's hallmark tunes ring from gigantic speakers suspended from the ceiling. The music is at once lighthearted in the vein of WOW's wholesome villages and then discordant to fit Diablo's mood. [11:30] From a vantage point in front of the hall, the smoke and the crowd seem to extend to eternity, with no end of people in sight. Now would be a very, very bad time for someone to pull the fire alarm. [11:31] Here we go, the lights dim, and the announcer welcomes the crowd. The crowd cheers back. [11:31] No health-care debate town hall riots here. [11:31] Not yet, anyway. [11:32] Blizzard's Gary Platner takes the stage. [11:32] Platner asks the crowd how they're doing. Apparently, they are doing well. [11:32] Platner, who is one of the lead artists on WOW, says that Blizzard listens to its players. [11:33] He regales the crowd with a post complaining about pet peeves expected at BlizzCon. Apparently, someone doesn't like real people speaking in l33t sp3ak. "L-O-L," he jokes. [11:33] Apparently people want to fight you in real life just for not being horde. No pandering is occurring here, that's for sure. [11:35] There are over 1,700 PCs here today. Would you like to know more? [11:35] Platner is running through some administrative announcements: Please, only one collector's program per attendee. Thanks. [11:35] "Ladies and gentleman, Terran, Protoss, and Zerg, members of the horde and the alliance, welcome to BlizzCon 2009." [11:36] Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime takes the stage to thunderous applause. [11:36] Apparently, Starcraft II was just named best game at GamesCom. No word on who awarded the honor. [11:37] BlizzCon is the only place where attendees are waiting for something "Cataclysmic" to happen, he says. [11:37] Yeah, that's not portending anything... [11:38] Morhaime then welcomes Chinese players back online. The crowd doesn't know how to react, but someone shouts a token "YAY!" Not exactly a hostile audience. [11:38] Morhaime is talking about the passion of the world's greatest gaming community. If you didn't get into the queue to buy a BlizzCon ticket within 30 seconds, you didn't get a ticket. [11:38] It took 45 minutes to process all the orders, but essentially 20,000 tickets sold out in less than one minute. [11:41] Morhaime then talks about the sales success of Wrath of the Lich King, which sold 2.8 million units in 24 hours. Um, yeah. We got the press release in November, thanks. [11:41] Morhaime then queues a trailer highlighting BlizzCon 2008 moments, as well as in-game moments from Wrath of the Lich King. Reruns? Awesome. [11:42] The reel shows footage of BlizzCon attendees doin' how they do, playing Starcraft, Diablo, and WOW, as well as a number of other tabletop games. Cosplayers are featured prominently. Unfortunately, not all are female. [11:43] The trailer is still rolling, showing the massive crowds around the world who lined up to purchase Wrath of the Lich King in November. US, Mexico, France, just to name a few. This just in: WOW is popular. [11:43] The old, the young, the beautiful, the socially awkward--they're all represented. [11:44] Note: Those categories are not mutually exclusive. [11:44] Morhaime is back, and he's talking about the many enhancements made to WOW in the past few months. [11:45] The Blizzard exec is talking about iPhone integration with the mobile armory. [11:45] He's now talking about the big plans in store for 2010. They will be revamping Inyxia in November to celebrate the five-year anniversary. [11:46] Next year, we will be shipping Starcraft II, along with the new Battle.net platform. [11:47] Morhaime then asks whether the name Sam Raimi means anything to the crowd. [11:47] The Spider-Man will direct the Warcraft movie. Apparently, they first met Raimi while he attended last year's BlizzCon. [11:47] Apparently, Bruce Campbell will not be playing Leeeeeeeeroy Jenkins, so the crowd boos. [11:48] Raimi expressed interest in the movie, and discussions progressed from there. [11:48] Morhaime then talks up the tournaments, which, for those who are wondering, are in Hall B. Just in case anyone was wondering. [11:50] Some of the top pro-gamers are in attendance, and total prizes from Blizzard games hit $340,000 this year. That's chump change to a company that has over $100 million a month in earnings. [11:50] Morhaime then talks about the Noobs figurines. One of the ones handed out as part of the schwag bag given to attendees is one of a kind. Check your local eBay listing for more. [11:51] MC Frontalot and Jay Mohr are here to perform. One out of two ain't bad. [11:52] Morhaime gives a shout out to Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain will be playing. [11:52] Oh, and some guy named Ozzy Osbourne will be here too. Apparently he was in a band, had a reality show, and is a fan of bats. [11:53] Morhaime then turns the stage over to VP of creative development Chris Metzen. [11:54] Metzen says the company prides itself on not putting games out until they're done. Thanks for the news flash. [11:54] He seems contrite and apologizes that Blizzard doesn't put out more games. He seems earnest. [11:56] He thanks the crowd, and with that said, "I'm pretty sure you guys are curious about what we've been cooking up for the past year." [11:56] We've got a couple trailers to show you, we've got a couple of things to announce. [11:56] "Where's the Alliance at?" The crowd erupts. "Where's the Horde at?" Again, eruption. "Can I get a WOW what what?" [11:57] "Where are the Diablo players in the house?" is said with earnestness. Metzen says he'd like to talk to these folks for a bit. [11:58] "Diablo III is really taking shape, it's kicking ass, it's a lot of fun." He says that over the past few months they've been unveiling a number of classes. [11:59] All thus far have been pulled from classic archetypes, he says. [11:59] "The class we're going to be unveiling today has its roots in the same tradition." [11:59] "Without further ado, I'm very proud to introduce the monk." [11:59] A trailer rolls, showing the monk walking through a sandstorm in a barren wasteland. [11:59] A man fully cloaked asks the monk if he is heading to a city and asks the hero to help. [12:00] A zoomed-out shot of the city, which looks much like the sand level in Diablo II. [12:00] The monk has a gigantic staff with which he slays his foes, and in Diablo tradition, they are numerous. [12:00] "You, you're alive. But that's not possible!" [12:01] An infernal being then launches a fireball and throws a bolt of blue/orange flame. [12:01] The monk prays and seems to disappear. [12:01] He suddenly reappears, having lost his staff, and drops all kinds of hand-to-hand hurt on the demon [12:01] The fight culminates in the monk putting a firey fist through the demon's chest. Monk 1, Demon 0. [12:01] Metzen then rolls a trailer for in-game footage of the monk. [12:03] He seems to be very speedy, with close-range melee attacks, with his staff, fists, and feet. [12:03] Lots of gold particle effects, along with runes during his special attacks. [12:03] Mmmmm, runes. [12:03] Metzen says to check out the panel at 2:00 p.m. today to find out more. [12:04] And we're back to WOW. "Alliance and Horde, you've all been very patient." Here it comes... [12:04] "BlizzCon, the wait is over." [12:06] In just a second here, we're going to roll the first gameplay trailer of the new World of Warcraft expansion. [12:07] "Without further ado, I'm very geeked up to debut an expansion set that will be nothing less than earth-shattering." [12:07] "Ladies and gentleman, I give you World of Warcraft: Cataclysm." [12:07] A trailer rolls, with a voice-over saying that as the terrible war between the Lich King continues, there can be no peace when the world itself is devoured. [12:08] An ancient evil has risen. [12:08] Kalindor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been transformed. [12:08] Ancient lands have been torn asunder, unleashing widespread destruction. [12:08] Many islanders of the great sea have been driven from their homes. Goblins run across the screen. [12:09] Goblins will be a Horde playable race. [12:09] Humans, turned werewolf, called Worgen, join the alliance. [12:09] The elves bring them into the fold, apparently. [12:09] New race and class combinations are on the way. [12:09] New monsters, dungeons, and raids, of course, are also on the docket. [12:12] Level cap is raised to 85. [12:13] Archeology added as secondary skill. [12:13] Deathwing has returned. [12:13] "Welcome to BlizzCon!" bellows the announcer. [12:13] And the lights come up. Not a bad way to end as a litteral bang rocks the auditorium. [12:13] And that's it. For more information, check out GameSpot's continuing coverage of BlizzCon 2009. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Section 8 Dynamic Combat Missions Behind-the-Scenes
August 21, 2009 at 10:17 am
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| | Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Dynamic Combat Missions in Section 8. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| The Whispered World Impressions
August 21, 2009 at 7:16 am
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| Old-fashioned point-and-click adventuring and gorgeous visuals are the hallmarks of this German title.
These days, point-and-click adventure games have become about as common as a sad clown. But point-and-click adventure games about sad clowns? Well, those are among the rarest of them all--yet that’s precisely what The Whispered World is all about. This adventure title from German developer Daedalic Entertainment stars a depressed clown named Sadwick who’s been tormented by mysterious nightmares. Here at GamesCom in Cologne, we just had the chance to see this strangely charming game courtesy of Daedalic.  The Whispered World is an old-fashioned adventure game through and through. It features hand-drawn 2D visuals and a simple control scheme where the player simply points at an object and chooses to look at it, interact with it, or pick it up and keep it depending on the situation. The 2D visuals are especially notable because they’re nothing short of gorgeous. All the backgrounds are vibrant, colorful hand-drawn artwork that spans everything from dank caves to bright autumn forests. Cutscenes are fully animated cartoon sequences that fill in the gaps of the story, and there are a lot of them, too--something on the order of 50 minutes worth of animation throughout the course of the entire game. Sadwick belongs to a family of clowns living in a caravan in the forest. His brother is a bit of a jerk, but his grandfather is a kind old man who has gone a bit senile and started cooking all their meals with disgusting ingredients. But that’s not what’s getting at Sadwick; it’s the fact that he’s having terrible nightmares every night. Eventually, he meets with an oracle who tells him what those dreams mean: Sadwick will be the very person responsible for the end of the world, which is going to be happening very soon. Naturally, Sadwick doesn’t want that sort of notoriety weighing on his shoulders, so he sets off on a quest to the kingdom at the center of the world to find out how to stop himself from becoming a walking, chronically depressed apocalypse. That journey is aided by Sidewick’s pet blob, Spot. This little guy is an amorphous green ball of happy-go-lucky goo that can shape-shift into various forms in order to help Sidewick solve puzzles throughout the game. He can fill himself with water to become a heavy orb, flatten himself out like a sheet of paper, turn into flaming torch, and so on. The rest of the gameplay appears to be typical adventure fare, requiring players to examine every suspicious object they find in the game to see if it has some hidden function, reacts to an object in their inventory, or just provides the protagonist with the opportunity to drop a witty remark. For example, when Sadwick examines the bear rug in his room, it gives him the opportunity to remind himself that no matter how bad life gets, it could be worse--you could always end up as a decoration on the floor of a sad clown’s bedroom.  The Whispered World is due to be released very soon in Daedalic’s home country of Germany. The demo we saw was entirely in German but with English subtitles accompanying all the dialogue--which was quite witty and cleverly written. Right now, the team is working on translating the entire game and getting English voice acting in there as well. It should be out in English-speaking markets on the PC sometime next year. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Rig 'n' Roll Hands-On Impressions
August 21, 2009 at 7:09 am
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| It's time to hit the open road and live out the American dream in this trucking simulator.
Let’s face it, everyone has dreamed about becoming a professional trucker at some point in their lives. Hitting the open road for days on end, driving the world’s most exciting stretches of arrow-straight freeways, and sleeping on an inflatable mattress in the back of a cab littered with empty Red Bull cans is the stuff you dreamt about as a child. Even though real life may have caught up with you, now you’ll be able to live out those childhood fantasies in a new game called Rig 'n' Roll from Russian publisher 1C. We recently traveled all the way to GamesCom in Cologne to see what this trucking simulator has to offer.  In Rig 'n' Roll, the year is 2024 and you’ve got a simple mission: Drive from Point A to Point B to deliver the goods in the back of your truck. A lot. All over the state of California. This futuristic version of California isn’t some sci-fi wasteland, though. It looks very much like the California of today. In fact, the game features a scaled map of California (and some parts of Nevada) containing 42 towns from San Diego to Eureka way up north. Connecting these locales is a 12,000-mile collection of rolling highways and byways that can be as dense as those in Los Angeles or as painfully lonely as those outside Bakersfield. The game offers the ability to play over the course of a campaign or jump straight into a timed delivery route via the instant order mode. The campaign doesn’t have any sort of dramatic storyline of going from trucking rags to trucking riches--you’re simply out to do your best and get the job done as consistently as possible. Each job you take on gives you a specified delivery point on the map and a set number of times to get there. The route you take to get there is up to you. But unlike a traditional racing game, here you’ll have to obey not only the posted speed limit, but also basic traffic laws, such as passing on the left and making sure not to commit illegal turns. If you violate these rules, you’ll have the cops come after you in a way 1C compared to the Need for Speed series.  The driving and sense of speed aren’t exactly Need for Speed, though. The trucks lumber along with the stiffness and delayed acceleration of any giant rig carrying multiple tons of cargo, and the feeling of movement--at least in the early build we played--was hampered quite a bit by a chunky frame rate. Still, the graphics are solid if a little unremarkable, which seems fine considering how much real estate the game’s map of California offers. No release date has been announced for Rig 'n' Roll, but it’s most likely due to arrive early next year. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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