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October 10, 2011

Opinion: Controlling information

Clint Hocking asks, is there a way of protecting developers' creativity while allowing the free exchange of ideas that fosters it?

There are two schools of thought that pertain to the flow of information.

The dominant school of thought is that information flow should be strictly controlled. That copyright, trademark and the ownership of knowledge and information drives competition, incentivises innovation and leads to growth of the industry.

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October 08, 2011

News round-up October 3-7

The week in which we gained a new iPhone, but lost Steve Jobs.

Monday

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October 07, 2011

Minecraft appears to be getting dragons

Notch releases screenshots of a white dragon flying the pixel-clouded skies.

Notch has released screenshots via Twitter of a white dragon flying the pixel-clouded skies. "Texturing this dragon is going to be.. interesting.. I'll keep working on this way into this weekend, probably," he said earlier today. Given the whole Mojang vs Bethesda Scrolls spat, it's funny how Skyrim's got dragons, too, hey? 

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Battlefield 3 campaign gallery

With the multiplayer beta ending this weekend - though not before PC players are granted access to the 64-player Caspian Border map - attention naturally turns to Battlefield 3's singleplayer. A logical time, then, for EA to release the below screenshots showing the campaign ahead of the game's release on October 25.

With the multiplayer beta ending this weekend - though not before PC players are granted access to the 64-player Caspian Border map - attention naturally turns to Battlefield 3's singleplayer. A logical time, then, for EA to release the below screenshots showing the campaign ahead of the game's release on October 25.

 


The Binding Of Isaac review

Religious satire meets Robotron: 2084 in Ed McMillen’s savagely witty Rogue-like.

Given that its thematic preoccupations include religious mania, mental illness and child abuse, The Binding Of Isaac is a disconcertingly comfortable kind of game to actually play. Descending into its smartly randomised dungeons may bring you face to face with buzzing blood-gorged flies, weeping tumors and tottering homunculi, but these subterranean chambers are also filled with tantalising loot, chattering slot machines, and glinting piles of gold.

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Fez wins Best In Show at IndieCade 2011

Upcoming Xbox Live Arcade platformer Fez was last night named Best In Show at the IndieCade 2011 festival in California. Polytron's game also won the award for story/world design, Joystiq reports. PlayStation Move music title Johann Sebastian Joust also took home two gongs, for best technology and impact on the community.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/07/fez-johann-sebastian-joust-win-at-the-indiecade-2011-awards/
Joystiq

Upcoming Xbox Live Arcade platformer Fez was last night named Best In Show at the IndieCade 2011 festival in California.

Polytron's game, due early next year, also won the award for story/world design, Joystiq reports. PlayStation Move music title Johann Sebastian Joust also took home two gongs, for best technology and impact on the community.

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Wizorb review

Breakout gets a fantasy twist in Tribute’s Xbox Live Indie Games pixel art block-breaker.

Wizorb is the latest in a relatively long line of titles that have chosen to reclaim arcade gaming’s past by turning the classics into something that looks a little like an RPG. This time it’s Breakout getting the fantasy treatment – and it’s a template that handles the imposition extremely well.

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VVVVVV announced for 3DS

Indie Flash platformer VVVVVV is headed to the 3DS eShop, publisher Nicalis has announced. The puzzle-platformer, developed by Terry Cavanagh, will sport 3D visuals, six new levels, and a map on the bottom screen.

Indie darling VVVVVV is headed to the 3DS eShop, publisher Nicalis has announced.

The puzzle-platformer, developed by Terry Cavanagh, will sport 3D visuals, six new levels, and a map on the bottom screen.

"I'm VVVVVVery excited about it," Cavanagh said. "This is the first time anything I've made has been on a console."

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The Friday Game: Mega Mash

Nitrome’s latest brings ninjas, bunny rabbits and even Tetronimos together for a true 8bit master class.

Over the last few years, the London-based designers at Nitrome have built a reputation for themselves as a team that works quickly and cleverly. With little fuss, the studio’s created a stream of pretty Flash games, all of which hinge on smart mechanics and elegant implementation. Mega Mash, the developer’s latest offering, is one of its most ingenious to date – not that you’ll notice the effort, of course.

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Green Man Gaming pulls EA titles

Download service Green Man Gaming has removed Electronic Arts games from sale in all regions except for the UK. In a blog post, GMG's community manager explains: "Bad news folks, we very unfortunately have to pull down EA products from sale in all regions except for the UK. "We're currently in talks with EA to see if this can be changed, however I can't give any kind of guarantees aside from saying as soon as I know something I will let you know too."
http://blog.greenmangaming.com/2011/10/ea-games-cornered-to-uk/
Green Man Gaming

Download service Green Man Gaming has removed Electronic Arts games from sale in all regions except for the UK.

In a blog post, GMG's community manager explains: "Bad news folks, we very unfortunately have to pull down EA products from sale in all regions except for the UK.

"We're currently in talks with EA to see if this can be changed, however I can't give any kind of guarantees aside from saying as soon as I know something I will let you know too."

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DICE adds new map to PC Battlefield 3 beta

DICE, Swedish developer of the upcoming Battlefield 3, has confirmed that PC players of the eagerly-awaited shooter's multiplayer beta will be able to play on a second map, Caspian Border, this weekend.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-10-07-battlefield-3-beta-unlocks-caspian-border
Eurogamer

DICE, Swedish developer of the upcoming Battlefield 3, has confirmed that PC players of the eagerly-awaited shooter's multiplayer beta will be able to play on a second map, Caspian Border, this weekend.

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Unity not worried by Unreal's Flash support

"I don't think either company is worried too much about the other competing in the same space," says CEO David Helgason.

Unity Technologies says that it is not concerned that Epic Games has followed its lead by supporting Adobe Flash in its Unreal Engine.

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Out There: Don't argue with Steve Jobs

Ron Gilbert remembers the Apple CEO.

"My advice to God: Don't argue with Steve Jobs." Monkey Island maker Ron Gilbert remembers meeting Steve Jobs at Pixar and arguing over whether games can tell stories.

Its design might harken straight back to Id's days of yore, but you knew that Rage would pile in the Doom Easter eggs. Sure enough, as well as the Doom marine bobbleheads, there's this, too.

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BAFTA expands game awards

The British Academy Of Film And Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced that it is to expand its annual videogame awards this year with the creation of four new categories. This year's British Academy Videogame Awards will, for the first time, include awards for Debut Game, Online Browser Game, Online Multiplayer Game, and Performer.
http://ygd.bafta.org/
BAFTA

The British Academy Of Film And Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced that it is to expand its annual videogame awards this year with the creation of four new categories.

This year's British Academy Videogame Awards will, for the first time, include awards for Debut Game, Online Browser Game, Online Multiplayer Game, and Performer.

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Team Bondi owed $1 million to staff

Documents show LA Noire developer owed individuals as much as $100,000, including those who had publicly defended it and studio head Brendan McNamara.

Team Bondi owed over a million Australian dollars to its own staff, we can reveal, with unpaid wages or bonuses accounting for over 75 per cent of the debt that ultimately brought the LA Noire developer to its knees.

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Sony near buying Ericsson out of joint venture - WSJ‎

PlayStation maker reportedly in talks to acquire its partner’s stake in their mobile phone business for over $1 billion.

Sony is nearing a deal to wrest full control over Sony Ericsson, the 50-50 joint venture created a decade ago, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The PlayStation maker hopes to integrate its smartphone business with its gaming, tablet and PC units to cut costs and better synchronise its product development strategy, sources supposedly familiar with the matter told the paper.

According to analyst estimates, a buyout of Sony Ericsson, which is the world's sixth-largest mobile phone manufacturer, could cost between $1.3 and $1.7 billion.

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October 06, 2011

FIFA 12 tops Nordic chart

FIFA 12 is the new number one in the Nordic chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The sight of EA's latest football title at the summit is no surprise after FIFA 11 occupied top spot for seven weeks out of ten over the summer. Last week's number one, Gears Of War 3, falls to number two.

FIFA 12 is the new number one in the Nordic chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

The sight of EA's latest football title at the summit is no surprise after FIFA 11 occupied top spot for seven weeks out of ten over the summer. Last week's number one, Gears Of War 3, falls to number two.

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Five perspectives on OnLive

Usability expert Graham McAllister reviews the cloud gaming service that offers an entirely new way to experience videogames.

OnLive was recently released in the UK. Its key feature is the ability to stream gameplay from a central server to players in realtime, offering an entirely new way to experience videogames. But what experiences, precisely, does OnLive offer?

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Square Enix confirms Army Corps Of Hell for Europe

Square Enix has confirmed a European release for Vita launch title Army Corps Of Hell. Players are cast as the King Of Hell, tasked with reclaiming his throne by controlling a hundred-strong army of goblins with assorted classes and abilities. It sounds like Pikmin, and with good reason: the developer is Entersphere, the company formed by Motoi Okamoto, writer of the Gamecube classic.

Square Enix has confirmed a European release for Vita launch title Army Corps Of Hell.

The game casts players as the King Of Hell, tasked with reclaiming his throne by controlling a hundred-strong army of goblins with assorted classes and abilities. It sounds like Pikmin, and with good reason: the developer is Entersphere, the company formed by Motoi Okamoto, writer of the Gamecube classic.

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CCP CEO: "I was wrong and I admit it"

Hilmar Pétersson issues heartfelt apology to Eve Online players and focuses on "restoring trust and moving forward."

Hilmar Pétursson, CEO of Eve Online developer CCP, has shouldered the blame for the most turbulent few months in the game's history.

In a heartfelt post on the Eve Insider blog, a contrite Pétursson accepts responsibility, admits ignoring the concerns of players and staff alike, insists he has learned his lesson, and promises a brighter future for CCP, Eve Online, and its players.

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Ice White 3DS revealed

Nintendo has unveiled the Ice White 3DS, the fifth colour model of its glasses-free 3D handheld. The new model, pictured below, goes on sale in Japan on November 3.
http://andriasang.com/comyh4/
Andriasang

Nintendo has unveiled the Ice White 3DS, the fifth colour model of its glasses-free 3D handheld.

The new model, pictured below, goes on sale in Japan on November 3. The Misty Pink model, announced last month, will be on shelves on October 20. There's no news on a European release, but the Metallic Red model launched last Friday.


Magnetic Billiards review

Cue balls and puzzle mechanics combine on iOS to eccentrically marvellous effect.

Four years is an uncommonly lengthy development for an iOS game. Fittingly, Magnetic Billiards, the App Store debut from the Pickford Brothers, developer of SNES platformer Plok and PC turn-based strategy Naked War, prizes slow, methodical play. The object is to clear a series of tables by firing like-coloured balls into each other to form clusters, but shot efficiency is frowned upon: the fewer turns you take, the lower your score and associated rank is likely to be.

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Crytek "investigating" Flash support in CryEngine

Says Unreal Engine's Flash support is "an interesting approach" and teases a "truly cross-platform solution" of its own.

Crytek has confirmed to us that it has been looking into supporting Flash in its development platform CryEngine, saying it will announce a "truly cross-platform solution" in the near future.

Earlier this week Epic Games announced that its Unreal Engine 3 now supports Adobe's Flash, with CTO Tim Sweeney showing Unreal Tournament III running in a Flash-based environment during his keynote at Adobe Max 11 in Los Angeles.

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Xbox TV: Kinect control and some channels to be Gold-only

Not all of the 40 TV and entertainment providers who are bringing their content to Xbox 360 later this year will do so for free, and it appears that voice and gesture control using Kinect will also be restricted to Xbox Live Gold members.

Not all of the 40 TV and entertainment providers who are bringing their content to Xbox 360 later this year will do so for free, and it appears that voice and gesture control using Kinect will also be restricted to Xbox Live Gold members.

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Microsoft unveils TV for Xbox

Live and on-demand TV and video from BBC, Channel 4, HBO and more bound for Xbox 360 this year.

Microsoft has announced partnerships with almost 40 companies who will bring live and on-demand TV and video content to Xbox 360, controlled by Kinect, later this year.

The news means UK Xbox 360 owners will be able to view content from the likes of BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, Blinkbox and movie streaming service Lovefilm. Those in the US, meanwhile, get HBO Go, Bravo, Comcast's Xfinity, Crackle, Epix, Syfy, TMZ, The Today Show, UFC, and Verizon FiOS.

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