Star Wars Galaxies: Shutting Down on Dec. 15th

The upcoming shutdown, taking place on December 15, 2011, will put an end to both the MMO and Trading Card Game, which was an aspect of the game released as a part of an update in 2008. The official site describes it as a "very difficult decision, but SOE and LucasArts have mutually agreed that the end of 2011 is the appropriate time to end the game."

"We are extremely grateful to all of the SWG fans. We have had the rare opportunity to host one of the most dedicated and passionate online gaming communities and we truly appreciate the support we've received from each and every one of you over the course of the past eight years."

This used to be the greatest sandbox MMO ever created until it was ruined by the New Game Experience (Enhancement) (NGE) - after which a LOT of player quit due to the extreme casualization of the game and simplification of all mechanics to cater to the, at that time, new competition - WoW.

This is also a sign that SWTOR is coming on the way! So get excited!

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Posted in: swg

TEAM FORTRESS 2, FREE TO PLAY?

So there's been some speculation on Valve making a FTP game these days, specially with the support they're giving to some FTP games.

But some user at NeoGAF just posted this, leaving people in awe:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=28696648&postcount=18291

For people who can't see it, it basically shows Valve's Registry "TestApp" with values such as: "TestApp440" Which is Team Fortress 2. And it has in "Payment method" "No cost".

Is Valve doing a good move on a game that is already (and has been selling) really well for a lot of time? Time will tell.

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Posted in: GABEN,Valve

RUMOR: Mass Effect 3 may actually have Multiplayer. Fans weep tears of blood.

Picture taken from Gamebrood.com

A friend of mine just linked me to this. It overrides the last thing Casey Hudson told us before about ME3 having no Multiplayer.

To be honest, I don't want Mass Effect 3 with multiplayer. it serves no purpose on a Single Player, Story-driven game. No purpose at all. Then again...it might prove itself as a good thing. Or not.

Quoting from GalaxyNextDoor.com:

Ray Muzyka has officially changed BioWare’s stance on Mass Effect 3 having multiplayer to “we’re not saying, but stay tuned.”

For months we’ve heard rumors that Mass Effect 3 was going to get the multiplayer treatment and it looks like it really is happening.

There's also a list of possible features the ME3 Multiplayer would have:

The game will feature a Horde style multiplayer mode with “crap loads” of maps.

It will also have the regular modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.

The Horde mode will have objectives like Capture The Flag, King of the Hill, and simple shoot-to-kill ‘waves’ as well.

Up to four players can play cooperatively in the Horde mode. Maps are “fairly small” but well designed.

Players can choose from 6 different classes, or use a prebuilt one’s.

There will be a level cap of 60. Some of the enemies were confirmed as well: Geth, Marauders, Husks, and a new enemy type called Brutes.

The game will also feature a ‘multiplayer store’. The store will carry upgrades for weapons, etc. and other items.

Players will be able to buy said upgrades and items by earning in-game money based on their performance in the multiplayer.

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Posted in: Mass Effect 3,WHY

EA Pulls Crysis 2 off Steam and gives it "Exclusive on Origin" - Start of new war?

At this year's E3, EA announced its seriousness with the new digital distribution service Origin, aiming to rival Steam - another digital distribution service operated by Valve, currently holding a huge market share.

Yesterday (June 13th/14th) - EA officially pulled Crysis 2 off steam and put it up on the Origin service, as an exclusive download. In addition to that, the latest Alice game is also strictly available on the Origin service. Some people say - "about time steam gets some competition" and "this is better for the industry". However, is it competition when a product in simply denied to be on another service leaving choice up to customer?

There is another point of view - valve isn't selling its game on any other platform (D2D, impulse drive, GOG, etc.), so why are we blaming EA for doing something to attract people to their service?

A lot of people are worried that BF3, ME3 will be Origin exclusive as well - forcing people to use 2 programs on their PC, manage 2 passwords, 2 friends lists, 2 settings, 2 of everything. Do we really want that?

I am planning to give it some time and see how this turns out - I really hope EA does not screw it up.

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Posted in: origin steam

Saints Row: The Third shows us how to make a sandbox game.

This is one ugly logo.

Won't say a lot more, since the video is pretty self-explanatory.

But I WILL say that there's a guy punching people in the balls, who then brings out a massive flexi-dildo and starts hitting more people with it. That is all.

Additional Note from ReDDoT - By the way, for those wondering, this game's PC version is fully developed and supported, it is NOT a console port! This was confirmed by developers on E3, as well as the players trying out the demos. 

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Posted in: Saints Row

The ultimate E3 trailer - 3-minute long video game orgasm

So someone had a great idea - what if we take all E3 trailers and mash them into one? The result was extremely interesting, you must check it out! By the way, the music is by Justice - Genesis, in case you're wondering :P

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Posted in: e3

Duke Nukem Forever - In-game References to other video games.

We got quite a few videos coming out, showing the full and uncensored content of the game.

I came across some pretty interesting videos showing some interesting references to popular video games:

Here's a halo reference:


Here's World of Warcraft reference:


Inception reference:

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Posted in: duke nukem forever

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Tatooine Developer Walkthrough - E3

E3 and BioWare bring us another great update on this massive game - Tatooine walkthrough.

As we already know, Tatooine is a level 20-25 area (approximately) and is the time people are going to get some vehicles (speederbikes) to move around.

Here's a direct quote from BioWare's official SWTOR site.

"Deep under the blistering sands of Tatooine lies a research facility that was abandoned by the Czerka Corporation centuries ago under mysterious circumstances. The Empire believes the facility may hold the key to crushing the Republic once and for all. Watch Imperial players attempt to uncover these ancient secrets and the dangers that guard them."


This looks and sounds extremely interesting, go ahead and check out the full walkthrough in all of its HD-glory. (YouTube HD link will come updated very soon!)

What do you guys think about this?

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Posted in: e3 swtor

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Operation: Eternity Vault (E3 2011)

And we got another big day for Star Wars fans! BioWare just released the brand new trailer for the end-game/raiding component of the upcoming MMO - Star Wars The Old Republic. BioWare also gives us a bit of a taste of the raid's background:

"A terrible threat has been uncovered on the ice world of Belsavis; a danger so grave that it could make the conflict between the Republic and the Empire irrelevant. Groups of heroes must band together to venture into the ancient and deadly Eternity Vault—where an enemy older than both the Republic and the Empire has been contained… until now.""

Here's the trailer itself, check it out, and don't forget to hit that HD button to see the trailer in all of its glory.

What do you guys think?

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Posted in: SWTOR E3

Nintendo Wii U - Brand New Console from Nintendo (E3)

As predicted by many of us, Nintendo did release some delicious new hardware titled the "Wii U". While our writers did not have a chance to actually attend the press conference, our colleagues over on Kotaku posted a great hands-on video, highly recommend watching it.

Today, Nintendo's Katsuya Eguchi, confirmed that the system's proprietary disc format will hold 25 Gigabytes of data. That is definitely an impressive size for, essentially, a handheld device. 


Overall, here are the technical specifications of the new Wii U console. 

• High definition display,  1080p resolution ( HDMI output )
• Internal flash-based media storage, upgradeable via USB and SD cards
• Games ship on proprietary iDensity discs of unspecified, but "large capacity" (25GB confirmed)
• 6.2" touchscreen on New Controller,  non-HD resolution
• Games available as DLC
• Compatible with Wii
• Release date around April 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012.

So what do you guys think? Will you get this console? Will you hold off for some reviews? Did this meet/exceed your expectations? Let us know in the comments below.

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Posted in: e3 nintendo wii u

Star Wars:The Old Republic - Return, new cinematic trailer from E3

Today on E3, during the EA conference, BioWare released the final and third cinematic trailer that gives us a bit of a taste of the background of SWTOR lore and the ongoing conflict that players will be dipped in.

Go ahead hit up the play button and don't forget to hit the HD button as well, it is worth it. We will post more updates about this game as more information becomes revealed and confirmed. We're really hoping for a beta or release date announcement or at least a hint. Keep the fingers crossed!

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Posted in: e3 swtor

Battlefield 3 - E3 Trailers - Fresh upload!

We got a lot of updates lined up from the E3 as the events of the day are unfolding in front of us. We definitely would like to share the Battlefield 3 trailers that were released today. Check out the videos:

Full-length tank assault video:

Frostbite engine trailer:

Multiplayer trailer:

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Posted in: e3 bd3

E3 Schedule - Live streams

Here is the schedule for the big-scale pre-E3 and during-E3 events.

June 6th Update - Check out the official E3 insider - live crowd activity tracker and many other things. http://www.e3insider.com/

Live Microsoft E3 stream, about to start - http://e3.gamespot.com/press-conference/microsoft-e3/

Live Gametrailers TV stream - http://www.gametrailers.com/netstorage/e3/e3-live.html

SpikeTV -  online stream for outside USA/Canada - http://www.watchfomny.com/Video/USA/01/spike/spike.htm

Official E3 Insider Twitter - http://twitter.com/e3insider

June 6th

Microsoft 10AM-11AM PT, 1PM ET

EA 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM PT, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM ET

Ubisoft 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM PT, 4:00 PM - 6:30PM ET

Sony 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM PT, 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM ET

June 7th

Nintendo 7:15AM PT - 10:15AM PT, 10:15AM ET - 1:15PM ET 

Show floor opens @ 12:00PM PT, 3:00PM ET

Nintendo roundtable, number one @ 5:30PM PT - 7:30PM PT, 8:30PM ET - 10:30PM ET

June 8th

Nintendo roundtable, number two @ 5:30PM PT - 7:30PM PT, 8:30PM ET - 10:30PM ET

Sonic Party 6:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT, 9:00PM ET - 1:00AM ET

June 9th

Round up of the events.

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Posted in: e3

Battlefield 3: Multiplayer Trailer Coming June 6th!

We got a great week coming right up for all gamers. E3 is going to bring lots of great news and it looks like the week of surprises will start right on Monday (E3 starts on Tuesday, the 7th). Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Trailer will be released on June 6th, as officially announced in one of the E3 ads on the Gamespot sites.

I am extremely excited to see the trailer as the multiplayer component of Battlefield games has always been the main point of attraction for me and I sincerely hope that DICE will deliver as usual, improving the gameplay and keeping it fun! 

Stay tuned for the trailer, it will be posted on our blog as soon as it goes live!

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Posted in: e3 battlefield 3

Gears of War 3 pre-orders beat MW3 and BF3

You cannot deny that Gears of War 3 is a highly anticipated title. The closed beta gave this game even more popularity as more and more people got their hands on the new installment of the series. According to sales data this game has about 800,000 pre-orders in US only, meaning that it is easily over a million of other countries were to be counted.

We will see if it can beat the titan Halo Reach with the 2.5 million copies pre-ordered back in 2010, which is currently the world record for most pre-orders. Interesting stats indeed.

Edit** - apparently, the statistics above are ONLY for the XBox 360 platform, omitting the PS3/PC pre-orders of BF3/MW3.
[Source:gears3blog]

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Posted in: gow3 gears of war 3

Call of Duty: Elite - Premium Service

Call of Duty: Elite service has been announced. This comes as no surprise to people who have been following the greedy ways of Activision. Black Ops is going to have it, as well as the upcoming MW3.

Essentially, these guys are saying they are taking nothing away and only adding more. However, if a gamer wants to have stats, ranked matchmaking and other services that make this casual FPS at least somewhat challenging and fun - they are going to have to pay up.

As the authors say, these are the "3 pillars" of CoD: Elite:

1 - Conect. Find the players YOU want to play Call of Duty with. Connect with online friends, co-workers, classmates or meet new Call of Duty players

2 - Compete. Test your skills in tournaments and events designed for players of all skill levels.Compete for 

awesome virtual and real-world prizes!

3 - Improve. Get the tools to elevate your Call of Duty game. Access your personal stats, view nexclusive strategy videos and get detailed intel on maps, weapons, and more

Check out the full FAQ and other information at the following link: click here.

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Posted in: call of duty elite

Hello, world!

So Mr. ReDDoT asked to come and give my personal point of view about the ever-changing, self-deprecating, mad-inducing world of videogames. And who am I to refuse?

Rush here, pleasure to meet you all on this little internet space where we discuss (note: Flame) the current state of the world of digital entertainment.

What am I bringing into the blog...apart from even more partialized and subjective reviews?

Not much more, I mean, yes, much more of that, but in more topics.

The hipster side of videogaming, and no, I don't mean all the indie market boom of the last few years. I mean when videogaming was good.

(Told you it was going to be very hipster).

When videogame design wasn't about more explosions, more motion blur and retarded concepts for you to flame other people online.

back when every single enemy on a screen was in it's right place, were you actually needed skill to beat a game, and not just use the best weapon, plow your way through a straight line playing Generic War/Space Shooter nº26.

Game designers at work.

And don't get me wrong, I do play a lot of current gen games, both on consoles and PC, and as a gamer, and someone's who is trying to get into the developer's scene , I weep (not really) over the choices current game companies are making. Forgetting the fun and adding just more polygons and more resolution into the textures. Sure I like my games to look good, but is it looks beautiful and has the gameplay depth of a potato...well, screw that, I'm back to my NES. Yes, it's very very hispter, I realize that, leave me be.

Also, you got to fight Death itself. Eat shit, marines.

Also, to end the wall of text, I'll also try to put some info for those who, like myself, want to get into the marvelous world of "working for videogames!!one", commenting about how the scene moves.

And...well, hope you enjoy my articles, and let's get it on!

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Posted in: First post,Hue

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Official E3 Trailer (GameSpot)

Check out the new trailer for the upcoming BioWare/EA title - Star Wars: The Old Republic. Our authors are keeping a close eye on this game, so make sure to stick around for more updates as we are less than 2 days away from the E3!

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Posted in: Star Wars: The Old Republic SWTOR E3

Hellgate London: Closed Beta is now live!

Official word from Facebook just came in saying that the Closed Beta is now fully live! This marks the beginning of the "second coming" of the game under its new development.

We're currently downloading the few patches that are available and we will post a preview/review of the game once we get on the servers! Expect some videos/screenshots too!

*Live update - the servers are back up! Off we go!

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Posted in: hellgate london cbt beta

Duke Nukem Forever - Demo released, first impression.

The demo, as promised by Gearbox, was released on June 3rd. If you bought Borderlands or pre-ordered Duke Nukem - you will have an access code onto a special site that gives you the code for the demo download.

As much as I am expecting a steaming pile of consolized shit, I am still pretty excited to see myself proven wrong (really, really hope for that).

I will get back with a small review of the demo.

Update:  This is a disgrace for Duke Nukem. Aim assist? Really?

This whiteboard is too awesome.

Final verdict after playing the game for an hour. Too much blur, field of view is set to 60, regenerating hp makes the game way too easy. The jokes are duke-style, that's probably the only element of the game that sort-of stayed the same. Boss-fights are also very annoying, spam bullets/rockets/etc, then tap space bar until they die. Keep in mind, I played at the hardest level of difficulty and the game did not seem to throw more than 2-3 enemies at once. 

Overall verdict - a great game that was brought down. Will still play it just to hear more Duke though.

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Posted in: duke nukem forever

KONAMI ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL "PRE-E3 SHOW 2011"

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced the company's first-annual global Pre-E3 Show 2011. For the first time in company history, KONAMI will invigorate fans and gaming enthusiasts by releasing company news, game trailers and exclusive interviews via an internationally coordinated online screening event. That's apparently what we're going to see. Head on over to http://www.konami.com/e3/ to see the event live!


I will update this post with the announcements, this can be really good.


Update, watch the whole conference here:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-konami/714571

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Posted in: e3 konami

Duke Nukem Forever - Free Multiplayer Add-on pack announced

Here are the contents of an e-mail sent to all member's of the "first access club":

"Hello First Access Member,
As the launch date for Duke Nukem Forever approaches, we would like to offer a heartfelt thanks to you, the true believers who have already placed your bet on Duke with your pre-order, or Borderlands Game of the Year purchase. As a sign of our appreciation, Gearbox Software and 2K Games are thrilled to present every First Access Club member who has registered as of today the very first Duke Nukem Forever multiplayer downloadable add-on for free!* Surprise! Thank you again for all of your support. We're almost there.
Hail to the King, Baby!
Gearbox Software and 2K Games"


I wonder what is included in this pack?

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Duke Nukem Forever - Massive Disappointment?

A lot of people have been waiting for this game, a lot of people waited so long, that they gave up on the waiting and were shocked quite hard when Duke Nukem:Forever was announced for release, let alone went Gold.

However, as we are getting closer to the release of a game (June 14th) - we start seeing the true picture behind this game. Check out the list of the things that I found to be extremely wrong with the game:

• 2 weapons at a time (see below for why is that, from the developer)
• Regenerating health (confirmed)
• 8 player max in all gamemodes (confirmed)
• XP leveling system for in-game hats (confirmed)
• RMB for iron sighting (not officially confirmed, taken from an interview of a gamer that played at an event)

Now, check out what the developer, George Broussard, said about the whole 2 weapons at a time thing:

"Yeah, blame us for it if you want. It may change in the future and I don't know what will happen with it, but it was us. I stand by it too, as you cannot discount designing games for a modern world and part of that world is consoles where the bulk of the sales can be. And on those consoles you have a controller. We tried for a long time to support lots of guns but we simply could not find a nice way to map it to a controller, despite trying 4-5 designs. We gave it enough time and decided to stop swimming against the current and adopt what was basically the "standard."

I am seriously considering cancelling my collectors edition preorder now. Why couldn't they allow the PC version to have more than 2 weapons and give console users what they think is balanced?

Also, have they not played GoldenEye that has more than "2 weapons at a time"?

A pretty big disappointment.

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Posted in: duke nukem forever huge fail

Hellgate London is getting revived and going Free-to-Play.

Hellgate London, for the those unfamiliar with the game - is an action RPG that was released back in 2007, the game was developed by former Blizzard employees and promised to be fun and good. However the main developer had quite a few problems and eventually went bankrupt, halting any support for the game. The game was taken offline in 2009 but since 2010 Hanbitsoft has acquired the US/EU territory rights and will be re-releasing back to the US/EU territories with its sequel Hellgate London: Resurrection.


The game will be going into the closing beta stage on June 3rd, you may sign up at the following URL - click here. So we will finally be able to play the game that is actually supported and funded well, the official release date is not announced yet.

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Preview Build of Deus Ex Human Revolution is leaked!

That is a massive leak. Yes, it is not a final build and yes, it is not even a full game. But 12 hours of gameplay is still quite a lot for an RPG game (that's nearly 3 Crysis 2-length games). I do not promote illegal downloading of this product, but it would be extremely interesting to see what the crowds think about the game and read some feedback.

Apparently the game does not have the high-resolution textures as it is the alpha (or beta?) build, only 3.8GB in size. However, generally, people are reporting back in a very positive fashion about the game.

Who knows, maybe it was an intentional leak by the developers.

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Posted in: deus ex human revolution