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March 12, 2012

Crytek revealing "fantastic" new project next month

Crytek, German developer of the Crysis series, says it will unveil its "fantastic" new project next month. Speaking to CVG during GDC last week, GM of games Nick Button-Brown said the studio was preparing to announce "the best of that kind of project we've ever done."
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/339584/crytek-to-announce-spectacular-consolepc-project-in-april/
CVG

Crytek, German developer of the Crysis series, says it will unveil its "fantastic" new console and PC project next month.

Speaking to CVG during GDC last week, GM of games Nick Button-Brown said the studio was preparing to announce "the best of that kind of project we've ever done."

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The Untouchables: Half-Life 2

The first of a series of articles in which we, with the help of developers, dissect some of the most revered games of all time.

Some games are placed on such high pedestals that Internet sticks and stones can’t reach them. These are the games against which all others are measured, making it inconvenient when someone pipes up with, “Actually, I did have this one slight issue with it…” Which is what we’re about to do.

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EA "not weakened" by departing execs

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello insists the publisher has not been weakened by the recent departures of several senior executives. Speaking at the Wedbush Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference last week, as reported by Gamasutra, Riccitiello referred to "a couple of guys going to Zynga." Former COO John Schappert moved to the FarmVille developer last April; Barry Cottle, head of EA Interactive, followed in January.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/165329/Riccitiello_EA_not_weakened_by_Zynga_poachings.php
Gamasutra

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello insists the publisher has not been weakened by the recent departures of several senior executives.

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Mass Effect 3 tops UK chart

Mass Effect 3 is the new UK all-formats number one, the final part of BioWare's sci-fi trilogy beating the sales of the nation's four previous number ones combined. The EA-published game also enjoyed the most successful launch the series has seen, beating the combined sales of the first two games in the franchise despite Game Group, the UK's largest specialist retailer, not stocking the game due to a credit dispute.

Mass Effect 3 is the new UK all-formats number one, the final part of BioWare's sci-fi trilogy beating the sales of the nation's four previous number ones combined.

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Opinion: Devastating humanism

Gamification will not solve the world’s problems, but games themselves could help the process along.

Making coffee is really difficult. You have to grind the beans to the right coarseness, then tamp down the coffee, connect the tray to the machine, and so on; and all the while your customer’s patience gauge is rapidly emptying; and by the time the espresso is ready you’ve forgotten what she ordered so you put milk froth into what was supposed to be an Americano, and so you have to start all over again; on top of all of which you are stressed because there is a custody hearing with your ex-husband and your daughter in 30 minutes for which you absolutely cannot be late.

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Riccitiello: Game Group closure "all but a certainty"

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has told investors that the closure of embattled UK retailer Game Group, which over the weekend put itself up for sale in a last-ditch bid to avoid administration, is "all but a certainty."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/riccitiello-other-retailers-will-absorb-the-business-if-game-goes/
MCV

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has told investors that the closure of embattled UK retailer Game Group, which over the weekend put itself up for sale in a last-ditch bid to avoid administration, is "all but a certainty."

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Report: Game Group up for sale

Retailer struggling to meet rent bill due in a fortnight and admits efforts to save itself may fail; share price dips below a penny.

Troubled UK retailer Game Group has put itself up for sale in a bid to avoid administration, according to reports.

The Sunday Times (via Reuters) reports that the UK's largest specialist videogame retailer is seeking a buyer in a bid to raise cash to pay its quarterly rent bill, which is due in two weeks.

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Report: Game Group puts itself up for sale

Beleaguered retailer Game Group has put itself up for sale in a bid to stave of collapse, according to The Sunday Times.

Beleaguered retailer Game Group has put itself up for sale in a bid to stave of collapse, according to The Sunday Times.

The newspaper said the firm faces a struggle to raise cash to meet a quarterly rent bill due in a fortnight and that failure to pay may push it into administration, threatening 10,000 jobs and wiping out investors.

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March 11, 2012

Mojang and Bethesda settle Scrolls lawsuit

Mojang and Bethesda parent company Zenimax have settled a lawsuit over the use of the name Scrolls for the Minecraft developer’s upcoming card-based game.
http://www.mojang.com/2012/03/scrolls-will-be-scrolls/
Mojang

Mojang has settled its lawsuit with Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media over the use of the name Scrolls for the Minecraft developer’s upcoming card-based game.

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Judge dismisses fraud claim in West and Zampella lawsuit

A Los Angeles State Superior Court Judge has dismissed one of two fraud charges brought against Activision by former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vincent Zampella.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-05/activision-wins-dismissal-of-one-of-two-former-executives-fraud-claims.html
Bloomberg

A Los Angeles State Superior Court Judge has dismissed one of two fraud charges brought against Activision by former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vincent Zampella.

West and Zampella, ex-president and CEO of the Call Of Duty developer respectively, filed a lawsuit against Activision in 2010 citing breach of contract and wrongful dismissal after the pair’s positions were abruptly terminated.

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SSX tops Nordic chart

SSX has debuted at number one on the Nordic chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

SSX has debuted at number one on the Nordic chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

The snowboarding title charted ahead of fellow EA games Battlefield 3, which has taken the top spot for seven of the past nine weeks, and FIFA 12.

Call Of Duty; Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim rounded off the top five, while Mario Party 9 was a new entry at number 14.

01. SSX (EA)
02. Battlefield 3 (EA)
03. FIFA 12 (EA)

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March 09, 2012

The Edge Create Challenge 2012: Asset packs

Here's a list of useful tools and components available from the Unity Asset Store that should help eliminate that dreaded blank canvas syndrome.

Following on from the Unity tutorials we posted last week, here's a list of useful tools and components available from the Unity Asset Store that should help eliminate that dreaded blank canvas syndrome. There's a mixture of free and paid for downloads below, and there are many more specific tools available if you look around.

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Introducing Edge 239

Our March issue, featuring Borderlands 2, is out now.

Issue 239 of Edge, featuring Borderlands 2 on the cover, will hit UK newsagents on March 14 and should already be arriving at subscribers' doors. Our six-page preview of Gearbox's love letter to gun fetishists includes a design showcase and in-depth hands-on.

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Mass Effect 3 sells 890,000 in 24 hours

Mass Effect 3 sold an estimated 890,000 units in its first 24 hours on sale in North America, EA has confirmed. Speaking at the Wedbush Technology, Media and Telecommunications Summit in New York City, EA CEO John Riccitiello said he was feeling "awfully good" about the game, VentureBeat reports, adding: "We anticipated it doing well, so we're happy."
http://venturebeat.com/2012/03/08/electronic-arts-reveals-new-mass-effect-3-and-star-wars-mmo-numbers/
VentureBeat

Mass Effect 3 sold an estimated 890,000 units in its first 24 hours on sale in North America, EA has confirmed.

Speaking at the Wedbush Technology, Media and Telecommunications Summit in New York City, EA CEO John Riccitiello said he was feeling "awfully good" about the game, VentureBeat reports, adding: "We anticipated it doing well, so we're happy."

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Phantasy Star Online 2 announced for Vita

Sega's upcoming PC game Phantasy Star Online 2 is also headed to PlayStation Vita. The news comes from PS Vita Game Heaven, the web broadcast in which Sony revealed several new Japanese Vita games.
http://andriasang.com/con08f/pso2_vita/
Andriasang

Sega's upcoming PC game Phantasy Star Online 2 is also headed to PlayStation Vita.

The news comes from PS Vita Game Heaven, the web broadcast in which Sony revealed several new Japanese Vita games. Andriasang reports that series producer Sakai Satoshi said that both versions will run on the same servers, with players able to use the same character on both systems.

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Inafune working on Vita game

Ex-Capcom developer Keiji Inafune has confirmed he is working on a game for PS Vita. Andriasang reports that Inafune revealed the news in a brief video, shown as part of Sony's PS Vita Game Heaven web broadcast, which unveiled several new Japanese games for the system
http://andriasang.com/con08h/inafune_vita/
Andriasang

Ex-Capcom developer Keiji Inafune has confirmed he is working on a game for PS Vita.

Andriasang reports that Inafune revealed the news in a brief video, shown as part of Sony's PS Vita Game Heaven web broadcast, which unveiled several new Japanese games for the system.

While Inafune was tight-lipped on specifics, he said the project was "Inafune-like" and "amazing." It appears the game will be published by Sony Computer Entertainment.

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New Nintendo TV episode released

The third episode of Nintendo TV, Future Publishing's Mario pyjama-wearing video show, has been released, and can be watched at the source link below. The game of the month is Namco Bandai's 3DS fighter Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, and there's also a tour of Aardman Animation's offices to look at the making of the 15 Shaun The Sheep episodes that are headed to 3DS.
http://youtu.be/mQTDrOqCeUI
Nintendo TV

The third episode of Nintendo TV, Future Publishing's Mario pyjama-wearing video show, has been released.

The game of the month is Namco Bandai's 3DS fighter Tekken 3D Prime Edition, and there's also a tour of Aardman Animation's offices to look at the making of the 15 Shaun The Sheep episodes that are headed to 3DS.

The team also interviews Nicholas Cage, asking which of his films would make a good Nintendo game. Nintendo TV episode three is also available on the 3DS eShop.


NPD: US declines continue

The US videogame market brought in 20 per cent less revenue in February than it did last year, according to the NPD Group. Total physical videogame sales at US retail came to $1.06 billion (£671m), down from $1.33 billion in February 2011. There were declines in every sector, with hardware sales down 18 per cent, software down 23 per cent, and accessories down 16 per cent.

The US videogame market brought in 20 per cent less in February than it did last year, according to the NPD Group.

Total physical videogame sales at US retail came to $1.06 billion (£671m), down from $1.33 billion in February 2011. There were declines in every sector, with hardware sales down 18 per cent, software down 23 per cent, and accessories down 16 per cent.

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GDC 2012: Cave justifies smartphone pricing

Revered shooter developer Cave has defended the pricing of its smartphone games and advised developers of core-focused mobile titles to follow its lead, saying: "People will pay premium prices as long as it's a good product." Ever since Cave released its first two iPhone games - ports of EspGaluda II and DoDonPachi Resurrection - it has stuck defiantly to a premium pricing model despite the common consensus that games on the App Store are more likely to succeed if they are priced as cheaply as possible.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/165181/GDC_2012_Dont_underprice_your_mobile_product__Cave_COO.php
Gamasutra

Revered shooter developer Cave has defended the pricing of its smartphone games and advised developers of core-focused mobile titles to follow its lead, saying: "People will pay premium prices as long as it's a good product."

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The Friday Game: Dinosaur Zookeeper

Vlambeer swaps shotgun fishing for dino herding - and the results are just as deadly.

I have no idea how I missed this. Last June, Vlambeer, the genius creators of Radical Fishing and Super Crate Box, released an Adult Swim browser game named Dinosaur Zookeeper. I’ve only recently come across it on the micro-studio’s extremely yellow website, and I’ve just lost an entire morning to it.

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Konami, Rebellion sign up for Zynga.com

Japanese publisher Konami, and UK studios Rebellion and Playdemic, have signed up for Zynga's new social gaming portal, Zynga.com. Announced last week, the portal, dubbed Zynga Platform, not only reduces the company's hitherto reliance on Facebook by giving it somewhere to host its own games, but means it becomes a publisher of sorts, hosting thirdparty-developed social games. Mob Science, Row Sham Bow and Sava Transmedia are also on board.

Japanese publisher Konami, and UK studios Rebellion and Playdemic, have signed up for Zynga's new social gaming portal, Zynga.com.

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Street Fighter X Tekken review

Capcom's most newcomer-friendly fighter yet, despite a combat system of bewildering depth.

Street Fighter X Tekken starts with a tutorial, a first for a Capcom fighting game. It covers the basics, then walks you through an avalanche of systems. Coming before a single punch has been thrown in anger, it’s an overwhelming amount of information, and even old hands will have forgotten some of it when it’s over. 

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Rainbow 6 still on track despite departures

Ubisoft has insisted that development of Rainbow 6: Patriots has not suffered from the departure of its creative director and three other leads. Yesterday we reported that creative director David Sears, narrative director Richard Rouse III, lead designer Phillipe Therien and animation Brent George had all been taken off the project, Speaking to Game Informer, which broke the story, Ubisoft insisted the game's development remained on track despite the changes.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/03/08/ubisoft-says-rainbow-6-patriots-is-still-on-track.aspx
Game Informer

Ubisoft has insisted that development of Rainbow 6: Patriots has not suffered from the departure of its creative director and three other leads.

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GDC 2012: From Software to continue Souls series

From Software has confirmed that the Souls series is "not over yet." Speaking to Gametrailers at GDC, head of R&D Masanori Takeuchi confirmed that the series, which to date has spawned PS3 exclusive Demon's Souls and the multiplatform Dark Souls, is very much in the studio's future plans.
http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/2012/03/08/fromsoftware-looks-to-smart-phones-tablets-says-dark-souls-success-changed-its-approach-to-making-games/
Gametrailers

From Software has confirmed that the Souls series is "not over yet."

Speaking to Gametrailers at GDC, head of R&D Masanori Takeuchi confirmed that the series, which to date has spawned PS3 exclusive Demon's Souls and the multiplatform Dark Souls, is very much in the studio's future plans.

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GDC 2012: Deadly Premonition bound for PS3

The PS3 version of cult adventure Deadly Premonition is headed to the west, according to executive producer Yasuhiro Wada. Wada's session yesterday was mostly about the 16-year history of his Harvest Moon franchise, but he said work was being done on a western localisation of Deadly Premonition for PS3, which was only released for Xbox 360 in the west.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/165119/GDC_2012_Deadly_Premonition_sequel_enhanced_version_teased.php
Gamasutra

The PS3 version of cult adventure Deadly Premonition is headed to the west, according to executive producer Yasuhiro Wada.

Wada's GDC session yesterday was mostly about the 16-year history of his Harvest Moon franchise, but he said work was being done on a western localisation of Deadly Premonition for PS3, which was only released for Xbox 360 in the west.

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