World / Recreation & Entertainment
U.S. bomb expert says "Hurt Locker" stole his story
03.03.2010 22:01
reuters.com
SOUTHFIELD, Mich (Reuters) - A U.S. Army sergeant who is suing the makers of Oscar-nominated film "The Hurt Locker" said on Wednesday he felt betrayed because they stole his story.
World
Recreation & Entertainment
Heavy Rain Review
03.03.2010 20:11
shacknews.com
Heavy Rain appears to fall as far to the storytelling end of the game-design spectrum as possible. Its unique mechanic of using the sticks and buttons on the controller to mimic actions taken by the characters on screen gives an effect similar to directing the action in a movie. Game director David Gage calls it "interactive fiction" and in Heavy Rain he uses it to tell a complex, serial-killer mystery as seen through the intertwined lives of four characters. At this point it would be easy to wonder, "Well, why don't I just watch this as a movie?" Actually, it probably wouldn't be half bad edited do...
World
Computer Games
Evening Reading: A World Where Macs Play Games?
03.03.2010 18:13
shacknews.com
So, it looks like Valve is getting ready to announce Steam for OS X and Mac, which probably fulfills some prophecy about games on Macs and the end of days. I don't even know what I would do with real games on my MacBook without having to Boot Camp into Windows. In a perfect world, Steam on OS X will include some super, high-tech Windows emulation written by Valve and Shakespeare that renders every game released on Steam playable, day one, on a Mac... at 60 frames-per-second... in 1080p. While I'm sure that won't happen, it looks like Valve's own catalogue might be getting the port-treatment with hints pointing to The Orange Box and Left 4 Dead references in the artwork circulating the net today. We should...
World
Computer Games
Ninja Gaiden Designer Itagaki's New Studio: Valhalla Game Studios
03.03.2010 18:13
shacknews.com
Tomonobu Itagaki, creator of the Dead or Alive fighting game series and designer of the 3D-era Ninja Gaiden titles, left Tecmo and Team NINJA amidst controversy and legal complications. Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has details on Itagaki's new studio, which was translated by andriasang. The studio is Valhalla Game Studios. Itagaki will serve as the studio's CTO and oversee the game division. Fellow ex-Tecmo employee Satoru Kanematsu owns the studio. Details on his first project at Valhalla are light, but Itagaki does mention being interested in PC development in addition to consoles. On the game itself, in typical Itag...
World
Computer Games
PSN Puzzle-Shooter Shatter Coming to Steam
03.03.2010 16:14
shacknews.com
New Zealand-based developer Sidhe will be bringing its award-winning puzzle-shooter Shatter to the PC via Valve's Steam digital distribution platform this month. The move to PC--a PlayStation 3 version hit in July 2009--will also bring new game modes (Endless Mode, Endless Co-op Multiplayer, Time Attack Mode and Time Attack Co-op Multiplayer) along with Steam achievements and leaderboards. No official date has been announced, but it should be available in the "coming weeks".
World
Computer Games
Red Steel 2 Goes Gold; On Target For March 23rd
03.03.2010 16:14
shacknews.com
Ubisoft's first-person combat game Red Steel 2 has gone gold, according to a tweet by community developer Aymeric Evennou, signifying that the game is off to manufacturing to be burned to countless DVD's and packaged for a March 23rd retail release. This sequel to Red Steel, which launched with the Wii, requires Wii MotionPlus for added control and looks to be closer to the original design goals of the original. The title will be sold bundled with MotionPlus for $59.99 or as a standalone game f...
World
Computer Games
Portal Mystery Deepens with Second Update
03.03.2010 16:14
shacknews.com
Steel yourself for another round of ...whatever it is that Valve's doing with Portal PC, as a second mystery update for the game just arrived via Steam. The only clue note: Added valuable asset retrieval The first mystery update, released Monday, added various radio transmissions to the 2007 game--leading to Morse code, hidden images and even a secret Apeture Science BBS--all the while prompting speculation that a Portal 2 and/or Half-Life 2: Episode Three announcement is imminent. Update: Gamers are reporting that the ending to the game has been changed. A video has been uploaded, whic...
World
Computer Games
Total Annihilation and Expansion Available on Impulse
03.03.2010 16:14
shacknews.com
Stardock has re-released Cavedog and Chris Taylor's classic real-time strategy game Total Annihilation on its Impulse digital distribution platform for $9.99. The download includes the game's first expansion, "Core Contingency". Exclusive to Impulse, this marks the first time Total Annihilation is available via digital download. Supreme Commander 2--the latest from Taylor's Gas Powered Games--is exclusive to Steam. Its previous release, Demigod, was exclusive to Impulse. "Being huge ...
World
Computer Games
NHL 2K11 Only on Wii This Year, Series Returning to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011
03.03.2010 14:20
shacknews.com
Traditionally released on a variety of platforms, 2K Sports' annual hockey franchise NHL 2K will be (mostly) taking this year off, with only a Wii edition of 2K11 planned. NHL 2K10 The franchise will be returning to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, owner Take-Two affirmed in a conference call today, explaining that it had decided to skip 2010 so that the development team can focus on making NHL 2K12 the best it can be.
World
Computer Games
Mafia 2 Delayed
03.03.2010 14:20
shacknews.com
2K Czech's old-timey gangster game sequel Mafia 2 won't be hitting its projected release window either, as publisher Take-Two today revealed that the game--once expected by July-- is now slated to arrive between August 1 and October 31, 2010. That period correlates to the fourth quarter of Take Two's current fiscal year--the same time that L.A. Noire, Max Payne 3 and Civilization V...
World
Computer Games
Exclusive: League of Legends Champion Reveal and Giveaway
03.03.2010 12:17
shacknews.com
Shacknews is happy to exclusively reveal a new champion for Riot Games' free-to-play hero arena game League of Legends. Ezreal, the Prodigal Explorer, is a fighter type champion and based entirely upon skill-shots and will require some clever micromanagement to utilize at full-potential. Additionally, Shacknews and Riot Games will provide five lucky commentors, chosen by Shacknews, with special skins and Runes to be used in League of Legends. To enter, comment in this story on how you would use Ezreal in the game (game account required). For more info, be sure to keep reading for a f...
World
Computer Games
Black and White Puzzler LIMBO Coming to XBLA
03.03.2010 12:17
shacknews.com
Independent Games Festival nominee LIMBO is finally leaving the realm of the hypothetical. Today, developer PlayDead confirmed that the stylish puzzle-platformer will be released as a Xbox 360 download via Xbox Live Arcade this summer. This is PlayDead's first project, a black-and-white side-scroller sees players assume the role of a boy "uncertain of his sister's fate," thus causing him to enter LIMBO.
World
Computer Games
Natural Selection 2 Pre-Orders Transferable to Steam
03.03.2010 12:17
shacknews.com
Those who pre-order Natural Selection 2 will be able to activate a Steam copy of the indie PC sci-fi FPS-RTS hybrid with their key, developer Unknown Worlds has confirmed with Valve. The news is celebrated with a single fresh screenshot showing a gaggle of lerks in flight. While a Steam version of NS2 was always planned, UW had previously been unable to confirm that pre-order keys would be transferable. Valve's Steamworks suite will be used for "voice support, friends lists and server browser," founder Charlie Cleveland told Shacknews in an interview, and "we'll probably use their anti-cheat as well." UW also reveals that it has "over 10,000" pre-orders so ...
World
Computer Games
EA Lays Off Boom Blox Staff
03.03.2010 12:17
shacknews.com
Electronic Arts has laid off members of the development team responsible for Steven Spielberg's block-knocker series Boom Blox, though it appears that the team's last project--a Project Natal title--may live on at Harry Potter developer EA Bright Light. "The Boom Blox team was laid off today," now-former Electronic Arts Los Angeles senior software engineer Jeff Dixon wrote on LinkedIn, as noted by Blue's News. When reached for details, Dixon told the site that a total of fourteen employees had been cut.
World
Computer Games
Many nominees, new stars feed Oscar fashion frenzy
03.03.2010 12:01
reuters.com
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The unusually high number of Oscar contenders this year has set off a frenzy in style circles as old and new designers clamor to outfit stars for the red carpet -- the fashion runway of all fashion runways.
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Recreation & Entertainment
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