Rock Band 2 Announced for September Release

Press release:
Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company in the world, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), are taking the groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games to the next level this September with the release of Rock Band 2. With the original providing millions of players a new way to interact with the music and artists they love, Rock Band 2 is the next evolution of the franchise that redefined the standard for music games.

Rock Band is the groundbreaking platform that allows music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before – challenging players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals.

Rock Band 2 builds upon its foundation as the first music game to introduce co-operative band gameplay, multiple instruments, a robust online multiplayer experience, an unrivaled offering of downloadable content and raises the bar by delivering an entirely new level of depth, connectivity, authenticity and features including:

• Backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable music content. All previously purchased tracks will immediately load into your Rock Band 2 song list. No need to re-purchase or re-download.
• The biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts, comprised entirely of master recordings.
• Major new and dynamic online modes that will connect the entire Rock Band community in more ways than ever before both locally and globally.
• More variety of instrument choices than ever before with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs – all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.
• And much more.

"As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we’ve now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans’ requests and to build upon that foundation," said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. "Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level."

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

“We expect Rock Band 2 to continue to drive an amazing social music experience on Xbox 360, said David Hufford, senior director, Xbox Product Management for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “We look forward to supporting Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360 as gamers continue to download hundreds of new music tracks from Xbox LIVE so they and their friends can perform the rock music they love most.

More details regarding features and music for Rock Band 2 will be revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit. Rock Band, the first installment in the franchise, garnered more than 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007.

In addition, Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that The Rock Band online music store recently surpassed 15 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007. With more than 200 tracks available to date via download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

Rock Band 2 Announced for September Release

Press release:
Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company in the world, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), are taking the groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games to the next level this September with the release of Rock Band 2. With the original providing millions of players a new way to interact with the music and artists they love, Rock Band 2 is the next evolution of the franchise that redefined the standard for music games.

Rock Band is the groundbreaking platform that allows music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before – challenging players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals.

Rock Band 2 builds upon its foundation as the first music game to introduce co-operative band gameplay, multiple instruments, a robust online multiplayer experience, an unrivaled offering of downloadable content and raises the bar by delivering an entirely new level of depth, connectivity, authenticity and features including:

• Backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable music content. All previously purchased tracks will immediately load into your Rock Band 2 song list. No need to re-purchase or re-download.
• The biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts, comprised entirely of master recordings.
• Major new and dynamic online modes that will connect the entire Rock Band community in more ways than ever before both locally and globally.
• More variety of instrument choices than ever before with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs – all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.
• And much more.

"As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we’ve now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans’ requests and to build upon that foundation," said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. "Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level."

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

“We expect Rock Band 2 to continue to drive an amazing social music experience on Xbox 360, said David Hufford, senior director, Xbox Product Management for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “We look forward to supporting Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360 as gamers continue to download hundreds of new music tracks from Xbox LIVE so they and their friends can perform the rock music they love most.

More details regarding features and music for Rock Band 2 will be revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit. Rock Band, the first installment in the franchise, garnered more than 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007.

In addition, Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that The Rock Band online music store recently surpassed 15 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007. With more than 200 tracks available to date via download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

Valve Hacker Caught by Dutch Police

A 20-year old hacker who had reportedly hacked into Valve file servers and stolen credit card numbers of Steam Cyber Cafe users has been apprehended by police in the Dutch town of Maastricht last Tuesday.

Known online by the moniker MaddoxX, the hacker had posted comments on non-steam forums saying, "We also don’t want money from VALVe, We want a simple message on their site.”

He then posted an archived file that included unverified credit card numbers, transaction amounts, Valve’s supposed bank balance, and data that reportedly allowed the creation of counterfeit cyber cafe certificates. Valve quickly responded to the breach of security, creating an email address titled “Catch_A_Thief@valvesoftware.com” to encourage citizens to help the authorities track down MaddoxX.

In addition to the Valve caper, MaddoxX is being charged with hacking his way into an Activision server and subsequently downloading an unfinished version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. MaddoxX also stole 50,000 credit card numbers from an English ticketing website, according to the ITExaminer.

Valve truly are turning to be the guardian angels of PC gaming and we suspect its going to be a long time behind bars and windowless rooms for this lad.

Online MP Games Account for over 60% of CashU Revenue

Press release:
Young online gamers without access to credit cards account for a majority of revenue on cashU, the largest Internet payment system in the Middle East and Africa. cashU’s prepaid cash card model enables users to make payments on the biggest names in online multiplayer gaming – World of Warcraft, Maplestory, and Runescape, which have a multi-million user base globally, and a loyal fan base in the Middle East.

Multiplayer games have a strong social aspect and are therefore regionally dominant, similar to social networking websites that are dominant in certain countries. With over 5 million users, Maplestory is one of the fastest growing MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) in the Middle East, and one of the biggest draws for cashU. Acknowledging this growing niche, a Middle East version of Maplestory is planned in Q4 this year.

Massively multiplayer games have explored many different distribution models, and many of them can be freely downloaded and experienced for a trial period. Typically the user only pays for a subscription fee, but there exists a third party market for virtual gold, which can be used to buy armor, weaponry, and spells. cashU has a vast offering of gaming merchants in this niche as well – Offgamers and Guy4game being one of the most reputed ones.

Browser based multiplayer games have a distinct advantage over traditional games as they do not require any software installation and target casual gamers.
With over 500,000 users, Travian – an online multiplayer strategy game is one of cashU’s top gaming merchants, as it supports Arabic.

“Game publishers and developers are realizing that they have increased interest from the Middle East, based on their website analytics. Adding cashU as a payment method has significantly increased their conversion rates over traditional payment methods.” says Martin Waldenstrom, General Manager, cashU.com. “Our prepaid card model offers provides merchants with competitive commission fees and a zero chargeback guarantee.” he added.

cashU addresses the need for an internet payment solution, in markets and demographics where credit cards are not very prevalent. cashU’s prepaid card system enables minors to access and purchase online products and services anywhere on the Internet safely and without worries.

Samsung to make Xbox 360 Integrated LCD TVs

The latest rumor has it that Microsoft may allow third part manufacturers to build Xbox 360 hardware and integrate it into their electronic products. Backing up this rumor is the insider source at Maxconsole.net which claims that Samsung is all set to roll out their new X-series LCD TV set (XS40R360A model to be exact) which will feature a built in Xbox 360, 4 USB ports, 512MB HDD space and power button right of light. The source also says that it will make a November 2008 release in the US and Europe.

It is strongly advised to take this as a rumor as there has been no confirmation from either Microsoft or Samsung. Also, don’t you think 512MB is a little less, unless they are going Arcade? And who makes 512MB HDDs anymore? Sounds a bit suspicious but nevertheless, if it turns out to be true, it will definitely be interesting.

Blizzard announces…Diablo 3!

At the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational event today, Blizzard finally unveiled the mystery game that they had been teasing gamers for the past of couple of days. And it is none other the next installment in the god-like franchise of Diablo.

Diablo III’s story picks up twenty years after the events of Diablo II. Diablo III will feature interactive and destructible environments, new quest system, random scripted events through the random level generator making the game more dynamic and offering tons of replayability. Diablo III will also feature “cooperative and competitive play”!

More information in the press release below (and tons of screenshots too!). You can also check out the official website for even more information about the game. Don’t forget to watch the teaser trailer (Download) and some gameplay footage video (Download)!

Press release:
“We’ve wanted to expand on the epic story and gameplay elements of the Diablo universe for some time now,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We know that players have also been long awaiting a return to the series, so we’re very excited to be sharing this announcement with Blizzard gamers here in Paris and around the world today.”

Diablo III will pick up the story twenty years after the events of Diablo II. Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal have been defeated, but the Worldstone, which once shielded the inhabitants of the world of Sanctuary from the forces of both the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, has been destroyed, and evil once again stirs in Tristram. Playing as a hero from one of five distinct character classes, players will acquire powerful items, spells, and abilities as they explore new and familiar areas of Sanctuary and battle hordes of demons to safeguard the world from the horrors that have arisen. The first two characters classes — the barbarian and the witch doctor — were shown as part of the announcement at the event today in Paris.

Diablo III will feature a custom 3D-graphics engine to render lush indoor and outdoor areas of Sanctuary with a high level of detail and vivid special effects. The game’s physics-enhanced environments will be interactive and destructible, offering traps and obstacles that create added danger for players and monsters alike. These elements, along with a new quest system and random scripted events, will be integrated into the game’s random-level generator, giving Diablo III the ultimate combination of dynamic gameplay and replayability. Cooperative and competitive play will be available online through an upgraded version of

Blizzard Entertainment’s renowned online gaming service, Battle.net®. Blizzard Entertainment is developing Diablo III for simultaneous release on the Windows® and Macintosh® PC platforms. Further information about the game, including details on the other character classes, major new features for the single-player and multiplayer components, system requirements, pricing, and availability, will be announced as development progresses.

Screenshots:

COD4 Patch v1.7 Released

Infinity Ward has released patch v1.7 for their top hit shooter of 2007. Apart from requiring to have v1.6 pre-installed, the critical update fixes a number of server and client side exploits.

-  Fixed an exploit that allowed players to access certain console dvars during multi-player matches.
-  Fixed a crash that could occur when a Chinatown Sabotage match would go into over-time.
-  Fixed a bug where the MP icons (Bomb, Defend, Capture, etc) were always showing up as English regardless of the install language.

Download the latest patch v1.7 from here.

Alan Wake to be Shown at E3

Alan Wake can be considered as the bastard child of Duke Nukem Forever and for good reason. The game has been in development far too long for us to even imagine and word is out that it will shown at this year’s E3 expo. Clearly, the game does exist.

Click here to see the entire list of games being showcased at this years E3.

Fun Fact: This is where you scream "ZOMGGGG!!!"

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel Announced for the PS3

PRESS RELEASE:

Hamburg, Germany – June 26 2008 – ASCARON ENTERTAINMENT GmbH, one of Europe’s leading game developers, today announced that the PLAYSTATION® 3 version of their upcoming action RPG, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel will hit retail shelves this fall.

"Role-playing game enthusiasts have always been strongly represented on the PLAYSTATION® platforms, and we are delighted to offer a version of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel for the PlayStation® 3," said Heiko tom Felde, Managing Director of ASCARON ENTERTAINMENT GmbH. "We’ve been working on this version for more than a year, and can now proudly reveal it and its new features, to an entirely new audience."

This version of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel will feature enhanced graphics, 5.1 Channel Dolby™ Surround Sound and support drop-in cooperative play, as well as other multiplayer gaming modes via the Internet. The game also features two-player shared-screen gaming on one console – players simply pick up a controller, press "Start" and join their friends. Players can save their characters and use them in all game modes – allowing the same character to be used both in single-player or multiplayer modes, accumulating experience and loot seamlessly. The controls and interface have been developed from scratch for the PLAYSTATION 3 to ensure fluid and intuitive game play optimized for the platform throughout.

Click here to view screenshots.

Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark is Atari’s first foray into next-gen systems with the decade old franchise and its last big budget, triple-A title before it begins to concentrate on small “start-middle-end” games. You would expect Atari to leave on a high note, especially with the regular tech demo trailers; salivating gamers at the thought of solving puzzles using ‘real world rules’. Locked door blocking your path? Bash it open with a heavy object. Maybe set it on fire with a burning chair till it crumbles into ashes. This sort of use-your-brain puzzle solving comes as a fresh breathe of air than solving puzzles the way the developers wants you to, like in Resident Evil. Yet, with all this awesome technology, a well-toned atmosphere, a fresh, innovative approach to puzzles, Atari manages to screw up in the most important department of all. Gameplay.

The story revolves around a paranormal investigator named Edward Carnby, who sets forth to unravel a dangerous mystery surrounding New York’s famous Central Park. Massive earthquakes have hit the great city, completely wrecking more than half of it and the Central Park along with it too. Weird, gothic creatures and monsters are having a field day in the park now. On his dangerous adventure around the Central Park, Edward meets a variety of characters; some friendly, some not-so friendly. He also tries to uncover details about himself (he has amnesia, you know) as some of the characters already seem to recognize him. The story isn’t strong, and its confusing most of the times, but it will manage to slightly hold onto your attention through all of the eight episodes the game features. For average skilled players, the campaign will easily last around 12-15 hours.

Alone in the Dark starts off promisingly. And irritatingly, you are time and again made to clear your vision by pressing the right stick, as it blurs and screws with your eyes. The first level has you escape a New York skyscraper as it is literally torn apart, piece by piece and floor by floor, by a strange creature that seems to move within the walls of the building. The set pieces look absolutely cinematic, with some gorgeous lighting and physic effects. It manages to set the tone of the whole game perfectly and bring in the perfect depth of spooky atmosphere that progressively increases through the levels. This may seem perfect…that is if you are watching someone play. Once you get the controller in your hands is when you realize that the game is almost unplayable.

I have mainly two gripes with Alone in the Dark. Firstly, the controls and camera are surprisingly difficult to come to grips with. You will find yourself fumbling with the controls in the initial stages, trying to guess the right button to press or what button does what. They are extremely clumsy, horribly awkward and has a high learning curve that will truly test the patience of any gamer. The left analogue stick controls the movement of Edward, while the right analogue stick controls the hands of the character. If you are holding an object, moving the right stick will make Edward tilt the object in the direction you are pointing. Moving the right stick from left to right quickly will make Edward swing the object with force. Up and down movements will make Edward make a little jab or slash if it’s an axe or a sword. The system is great on paper but fails due to its overly-complex execution and unresponsiveness of the controls.

The controls also suffer from utilizing a single button to do many important tasks. Using the A button, you can run, pick up items (which you most of the time cannot see because the camera doesn’t allow you to), investigate objects, flick switches and turn your flash light on and off. So imagine you have a switch to flick, an object lying below it and you want to turn on your flash light. Yea…you won’t know which is what and when is how. This results even the most basic tasks becoming a major chore. It’s homework. And I have had enough of school already!

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