Shacknews Recent Articles http://www.shacknews.com/rss?recent_articles=1 en-us Chatty: Diablo III, Dragon's Dogma http://www.shacknews.com/article/73988/chatty-diablo-iii-dragons-dogma http://www.shacknews.com/article/73988/chatty-diablo-iii-dragons-dogma You've run out of new stories to read, listened to the latest episode of Weekend Confirmed, and still want more Shacknews? While these threads have expired, you can join thousands of other gamers as we discuss everything from videogame industry news to politics in the Chatty. Make sure you log-in and check your filters if you can't see the following:

Of course, everyone in Chatty is still playing Diablo III this Memorial Day weekend. Resident troll Haxim reviews this game and has all of his stuff stolen. Coveteous Shen was later seen prancing off with a bag full of yellow rare equipment, giggling about the end of days.

GloriousCow wants to know the funniest moments you have personally experienced in a video game. What are your funniest moments? Psychonauts and Portal 2 are the only two games that have made me laugh out loud, so obviously these are the only two answers that matter.

Mecha Tofu Pirate and Chatty discuss Retro Game Challenge and other fun obscure games. Lots of classic games and mods make an appearance, and it would do you well to play through some of them once your backlog dies down slightly. Need two to start with? Tron 2.0 and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West would be good places to start.

valcan_s dives face-first into Dragon's Dogma with a magical tale of roleplaying and fantasy, and even provides a spot of background music to set the tone. What did you think of the game? Do you agree with our review?

The Internet is a tad uncertain of Dante's new look for DmC: Devil May Cry. warcrow sits down with an Associate Producer for the game and has a rather interesting discussion on the direction of the studio. It's a long read, but well worth it!

The Warp Zone

Welcome to The Warp Zone, where the posts are crazy and the lols don't matter.

arcane_ had an imaginary friend growing up, and wants to know if this is normal. No.

Did you know Facebook is cited in 33% of divorce filings? 45% mention 'that black website.'

What seems to be the deal with Americans wearing white t-shirts under their outfits? I have no idea, but Juno has a theory.

kill9 wants to share a story with you from the depths of the DayZ mod.

]]> Sat, 26 May 2012 12:00:00 PDT Tyler J. Smith 38 Studios, Harry Potter Kinect - Shacknews Daily: May 25, 2012 http://www.shacknews.com/article/73987/38-studios-harry-potter-kinect-shacknews-daily-may-25-2012 http://www.shacknews.com/article/73987/38-studios-harry-potter-kinect-shacknews-daily-may-25-2012 We start our recap with some sad news. 38 Studios, developer of Kingdoms of Amalur, has let go all of its staff after its ongoing financial troubles finally surfaced. Then, wannabe-wizards will want a Kinect, as Warner Bros has announced a new Harry Potter game for Xbox 360's magic camera. Finally, Jet Set Radio's HD update finds a new platform: Vita.

Check out today's episode of Shacknews Daily. We'll be back on Tuesday, May 29th.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube. And, don't forget to subscribe to get the latest episodes as they go up.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 14:45:00 PDT Garnett Lee Minecraft for Xbox 360 dev working on 'Adventure' update http://www.shacknews.com/article/73986/minecraft-xblas-adventure-update-the-most-difficult http://www.shacknews.com/article/73986/minecraft-xblas-adventure-update-the-most-difficult The Xbox 360 version of Minecraft has been a hit, in spite of lacking some of the features of its PC brethren. Developer 4J Studios has promised steady updates to add new features, but one of the biggest and most significant patches will also be the most difficult. After a smaller patch, 4J will be moving into adding the Adventure update.

"[The Adventure update] is going to be the most difficult update due to the sheer amount of changes, and also the underlying architecture changes that come with it," 4J's Paddy Burns told OXM. "We're looking forward to the challenge!"

The Adventure update, known as Minecraft 1.8, added a host of new features and even an end-game to the PC Minecraft. It revised Survival Mode to include a stamina gauge, NPC villages, Endermen, and underground strongholds, among other more technical tweaks. It also added a Creative Mode with infinite resources to build to your heart's content. These features have been present in the PC version for quite a while, but 4J predicts a technical hurdle to get them into the 360.

"We're implementing the features from the Beta 1.7.3 version at the moment, and it's nowhere near as tricky as the 1.8.2 changes will be," Burns said. "There are no big architecture changes with the move to 1.7.3, so it's been quite straightforward. The move to 1.8.2 is much more challenging."

The 1.7.3 update is smaller in scope. Its main purpose is to add pistons to the game, plus a fix to clay generation, a new shears tool, and a few other minor adjustments.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 14:15:00 PDT Steve Watts Daily Filter: Planetside 2, Deadlight http://www.shacknews.com/article/73985/daily-filter-planetside-2-deadlight http://www.shacknews.com/article/73985/daily-filter-planetside-2-deadlight Shacknews receives a slew of new screenshots and trailers for upcoming games everyday. The most anticipated titles receive their own post, because we know you're eager to see that content. For the rest, we have the Daily Filter, a place to feature all of the media we add to our enormous database on a daily basis.

Today's Filter features an air combat trailer for Planetside 2, a plot trailer for Deadlight, and much more!

Planetside 2

Deadlight

We also have a behind the scenes video for Hitman: Absolution, a behind the scenes trailer for LittleBigPlanet Vita, a developer diary for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition, and new screenshots for 007 Legends, Of Orcs and Men, Persona 4 Arena, and Max Payne 3. Be sure to check out additional trailers and screenshots on each game page!

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:00 PDT Tyler J. Smith FileShack: Unity of Command, Skyjacker http://www.shacknews.com/article/73984/fileshack-unity-of-command-skyjacker http://www.shacknews.com/article/73984/fileshack-unity-of-command-skyjacker Are you bored this weekend? Need something to pass the time? Tune in each week to FileShack, where we round up the very best video game demos, patches, mods, and tools from our files database.

FileShack for the week of May 26, 2012 features a Unity of Command demo, a Skyjacker concept demo, and more!

Unity of Command demo

Experience the full Stalingrad Campaign on the Eastern Front of World War II in 1942 from both the Allied and Axis perspectives in Unity of Command, featuring 17 single-player missions, a 'what if'' scenario mode, a realistic weather system, and aggressive artificial intelligence. The weather plays an integral part of your inevitable strategy, so manage your supply-lines with a steady hand. Try out the demo for Windows or for Mac.

Skyjacker concept demo

Coming from developer Digitulus, this Skyjacker concept demo is a space combat simulator with advanced customization and realistic physics. This "immersive space saga weaves compelling storyline, next-gen graphics, and epic sound score reminiscent of 'Lord of the Rings,' following the player in his space adventures," is being funded by a Kickstarter project, with five days left! Did you enjoy the concept demo? Consider tossing a few spare dollars towards the goal.

Tiny Token Empires demo

Play as one of five major empires in Rome, Greece, Egypt, Persia, or Carthage in this "casual strategy game" By Headup Games. Expand your domination over the world through city-building and war in this "crazy comical universe with goofball gods, super cute mythological monsters, clown legionnaries, and much more." Take the Windows demo or the Mac demo for a spin.

Star Prospector demo

Search the stars to find scattered resources and technology as a "one-person mining, salvage, and construction unit" as you take on missions across the galaxy in this single-player strategy game. The Star Prospector demo includes missions from the first two star systems, two levels of Tower Defender, and brand new features from the first game update!

Hack, Slash, and Loot demo

Plunder the vast reaches of Hack, Slash, and Loot in a journey of supreme justice in this "single-player turn-based dungeon crawler" filled with evil monsters and death. Try out the demo for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Want a file mirrored with Shacknews? Submit a news tip here!

]]> Sat, 26 May 2012 09:00:00 PDT Tyler J. Smith Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection coming in June http://www.shacknews.com/article/73983/resident-evil-chronicles-hd-collection-coming-in-june http://www.shacknews.com/article/73983/resident-evil-chronicles-hd-collection-coming-in-june Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection, a spiffed-up compilation of the Wii light-gun games Umbrella Chronicles and Darkside Chronicles, is coming to the PlayStation Store on June 26. Both games in the collection will sport updated HD visuals and PlayStation Move support to match the Wii controls.

The compilation will cost you $26.99, according to the announcement on the Capcom Unity blog. But if you'd rather just get one game or the other, they'll be available individually on July 17. It's cheaper to get the bundle if you want both, though, since they'll cost $14.99 separately.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 13:00:00 PDT Steve Watts Sony patent would interrupt gameplay to display ad http://www.shacknews.com/article/73982/sony-patent-would-interrupt-gameplay-to-display-ad http://www.shacknews.com/article/73982/sony-patent-would-interrupt-gameplay-to-display-ad Sony has filed a patent that would introduce in-game ads in a whole new way. First discovered by an eagle-eyed NeoGAF member, the application was posted last year. The patent describes an ad delivery service that would actually interrupt gameplay to display an advertisement. The process would show a warning message indicating that gameplay would be suspended. Once the game is paused, it would show an advertisement. Once finished, the game would rewind "at least a portion of the interactive content," so that you can undo that horrible gaming blunder caused by the abrupt interruption of your gameplay session.

The publisher has been experimenting with a number of unique in-game advertising partnerships. Most recently, it offered MotorStorm RC as a free download to Vita owners, thanks to a partnership with Scion. However, its most criticized ad campaign involved Wipeout HD, where game loads were purposefully delayed to show video ads for State Farm.

As with any patent, there's no guarantee that Sony will ever implement this idea in a real world product. Given the potential fan backlash, it doesn't seem like a worthwhile endeavor to pursue. "The day Sony puts ads up while Im in game is the day ill never buy a Sony console again," one commenter noted on Eurogamer. However, there certainly is an appeal to a completely ad-supported free-to-play game...

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 12:30:00 PDT Andrew Yoon Weekend Confirmed 114 - Diablo 3, Max Payne 3, Lost Planet 3 http://www.shacknews.com/article/73981/weekend-confirmed-114-diablo-3-max-payne-3-lost-planet http://www.shacknews.com/article/73981/weekend-confirmed-114-diablo-3-max-payne-3-lost-planet Diablo 3 has strengthened its hold on Jeff Cannata who really only wants to talk about his barbarian, but there's so much more to cover. Garnett returns to the driver's seat after spending last week getting a sneak peek at some of the big games ready to vie for the spotlight at E3. "Indie" Jeff and Andrea Rene complete the adventuring party that gets down to business discussing their varying degree of anticipation for E3, the demise of 38 Studios, and the plight of subscription model MMOs, whether Max Payne 3 actually improves the gunplay over previous Rockstar open world games, and a handful of other games including Lost Planet 3 and Rock Band Blitz. Put a bird on it with Finishing Moves and you've got one massive show to take along on the Memorial Day weekend.

Weekend Confirmed Ep. 114: 05/25/2012

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Original music in the show by Del Rio. Get his latest Album, The Wait is Over on iTunes. Check out more, including the Super Mega Worm mix and other mash-ups on his ReverbNation page or Facebook page, and follow him on twitter @delriomusic.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 12:00:00 PDT Garnett Lee Demon's Souls servers extended again http://www.shacknews.com/article/73980/demons-souls-servers-extended-again http://www.shacknews.com/article/73980/demons-souls-servers-extended-again Its servers were scheduled to shut down at the end of this month, but Demon's Souls has gotten a reprieve. Publisher Atlus has announced that the servers for the PS3 action game will continue to operate "indefinitely."

"We're incredibly excited to be able to announce that the Demon's Souls online experience will persist for a while longer," Tim Pivnicny, marketing and sales VP at Atlus, said in a release. "While it originally seemed as though it would be unfeasible for us to continue to sustain the servers, a number of developments have made it possible for us to continue to invest in and support our fans as they have continued to invest in and support us and Demon's Souls."

The company did not rule out future extensions if the interest remains high in the game. The servers were originally supposed to shut down in October 2011.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 13:30:00 PDT John Keefer New Zone of the Enders project underway http://www.shacknews.com/article/73979/new-zone-of-the-enders-project-underway http://www.shacknews.com/article/73979/new-zone-of-the-enders-project-underway The Zone of the Enders HD Collection is due this fall, but Kojima Productions is setting its sights on the next big thing: a new Zone of the Enders project. It's currently simply called "Enders Project," and it's in an early prototyping phase so far. But hey, new Enders!

Famitsu (via Andriasang) saw the game announcement at a Zone of the Enders HD preview event in Japan. Producer Ryosuke Toriyama and the team are conducting tests with the Fox Engine, and currently working on making real models to convert them into assets.

It's unknown if this is the project Kojima said would confront "delicate issues," but it seems unlikely that it's the so-called Project Ogre. That game has been in development for a while, and seems further along.

[Image courtesy of Famitsu.]

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 11:30:00 PDT Steve Watts Weekend PC digital deals: strategy-o-rama http://www.shacknews.com/article/73978/weekend-pc-digital-deals-strategy-o-rama http://www.shacknews.com/article/73978/weekend-pc-digital-deals-strategy-o-rama Do you like strategy games? Then you'll love this weekend's sales at digital distributors, covering series including Anno, Men of War, Company of Heroes, and Civilization. Don't like strategy games? Then enjoy the millions of lovely indie games on sale. There's other stuff too, of course.

Here's our selection of this weekend's PC deals:

GameFly

Mount & Blade: Warband

Amazon

Payday: The Heist

Because We May

A bunch of fine indies are holding a sale to celebrate platforms which allow them to change prices as they please. I've listed the bulk of these sales under Steam, but here are a few gems only available as direct downloads. There are Mac, iOS and Android games on sale too.

Swift*Stitch

Bundle in a Box

Pay what you want, above a minimum price, for a bundle of adventure games 1893: A World's Fair Mystery, Ben There, Dan That!, Gemini Rue, The Sea Will Claim Everything and Time Gentlemen, Please!

Gemini Rue

GamersGate

Company of Heroes

Get Games

Anno 2070

GOG

Constructor

Green Man Gaming

Be aware that the voucher code can only be used once.

The Secret World

Impulse

Battlefield 3

Origin

Origin's offering 50% off everything. No, not just the small sample listed there, all of the things, on all of the platforms.

Mass Effect 3

Steam

As well as being on sale, both Red Orchestra 2's multiplayer and Civ V are free to play on Steam this weekend.

Red Orchestra 2

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 15:15:00 PDT Alice O'Connor Harry Potter for Kinect announced http://www.shacknews.com/article/73977/harry-potter-for-kinect-announced http://www.shacknews.com/article/73977/harry-potter-for-kinect-announced The boy who lived is getting yet another video game adaptation. This time, players will be thrown into the shoes of a Hogwarts student through the magic of Kinect. Appropriately titled Harry Potter for Kinect, the game is being developed by Eurocom and is due out this fall. Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment is publishing, naturally.

The game encompasses all eight Harry Potter films, but you won't be playing as any of the core gang of characters. Instead, the Kinect will scan your face to make your own witch or wizard and weave within the characters and scenarios presented in the films. You'll visit Ollivander's wand shop, be placed into a house, and battle Voldemort. Apparently they're playing a little fast and loose with canon. Kinect commands will let you cast spells with physical maneuvers and spell names.

"Harry Potter for Kinect will engage Harry Potter fans old and new by bringing them into the wizarding world as truly active participants," said WBIE senior VP of production and development Samantha Ryan, in the announcement. "Kids and parents will enjoy recreating their favorite Harry Potter adventures, from flying a broomstick in a Quidditch match, to battling pixies and dueling other wizards."

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 10:30:00 PDT Steve Watts Mad Riders trailer goes heavy on the meta http://www.shacknews.com/article/73976/mad-riders-trailer-goes-heavy-on-the-meta http://www.shacknews.com/article/73976/mad-riders-trailer-goes-heavy-on-the-meta Off-road racing game Mad Riders has a release date of May 29, and studio Techland has found a clever way to get its trailer noticed. Rather than release a video showing off the features as normal, it's released a cheeky commentary on game trailers as a whole.

The trailer pokes fun at trailer cliches like teaser-teasers and artsy slow-motion. The game is coming next week to PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 for $9.99 (800 MSP).

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 10:00:00 PDT Steve Watts Jet Set Radio making its way to Vita http://www.shacknews.com/article/73975/jet-set-radio-making-its-way-to-vita http://www.shacknews.com/article/73975/jet-set-radio-making-its-way-to-vita We've known that the popular Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio was getting an HD remaster for Xbox 360 and PS3, but now Sega has revealed the game will be coming to Sony's handheld as well.

The cel-shaded experience on Vita should be the same as with the upcoming console and PC versions, Sega said in a release, but the Vita's touch screen should make it a bit more interesting to spray graffiti throughout Tokyo-to. The game is scheduled to be shown at E3 and released this summer.

Speaking to Shacknews, a Sega representative told us that there may be cross-platform functionality between the Vita and PS3 versions. "SEGA is looking into potential cross-play opportunities between the PSN and Vita versions of Jet Set Radio, and will be making an official announcement about the extent of this functionality soon."

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 09:00:00 PDT John Keefer Anarchy Reigns finished, delayed by Sega anyway http://www.shacknews.com/article/73974/anarchy-reigns-finished-delayed-by-sega-anyway http://www.shacknews.com/article/73974/anarchy-reigns-finished-delayed-by-sega-anyway Anarchy Reigns is said to be finished and ready to roll out, but publisher Sega has decided to hold off on the game in North America and Europe. It will still roll out in Japan on July 5 as planned, and no reason was given for the delay in western territories.

Some eager fans noticed that the date had been changed to "TBC" (To Be Confirmed) on the Sega of America site. The latest episode of Platinum Games "PG Break" confirms the change. The studio says its work on the game is "finished, localized, and ready to go," but Sega is holding back the release strategically.

"We really wanted everyone around the world to play at the same time, but unfortunately that's not going to happen," said Platinum's Jean Pierre Kellams in the video. "It is still coming out the first week of July in Japan, but in the west Sega is looking for the best time to put it out."

Shacknews has contacted Sega regarding the delay, and will update as more information becomes available.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 09:30:00 PDT Steve Watts Diablo 3 patch coming next week http://www.shacknews.com/article/73973/diablo-3-patch-coming-next-week http://www.shacknews.com/article/73973/diablo-3-patch-coming-next-week Much like the massive monsters in its games, Blizzard has created a monster of its own with the flawed release of Diablo III. From server issues to reports of account hacking to unannounced hotfixes, the company has been in scramble mode to get everything fixed.

Now, Blizzard plans a patch next week to fix client issues and additional bugs. In a post on the official forums, community manager Nethaera said additional server maintenance is also planned to ensure long term game stability. No patch details were given. The loss of achievements by certain players soon after launch is still being investigated, the post said.

Because of the problems, the already delayed launch of the real-money auction house has been put off indefinitely.

Aside from the initial access issues, I've had little trouble with the game and continue to play through Nightmare level, just now entering Act III. Check out our Diablo III review, as well as the escapades of my Monk through the normal game.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 08:15:00 PDT John Keefer Elder Scrolls Online plans to sort out bugs with long beta http://www.shacknews.com/article/73972/elder-scrolls-online-plans-to-sort-out-bugs-with-long http://www.shacknews.com/article/73972/elder-scrolls-online-plans-to-sort-out-bugs-with-long The Elder Scrolls Online has some fans reasonably concerned about game stability. Bethesda has gained somewhat of a reputation for buggy single-player games in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, and adding the complications of a full-fledged MMO seems like it will only complicate things. TESO game director Matt Firor concedes that it will be hard, but promises a long beta test to sort out potential problems.

Firor told Edge that aside from general bugs, the studio also has to plan for servers, latency, and account creation. "The critical difference with MMOGs, though, is that you have a long beta test where you build up to thousands and thousands of players, and you tackle those problems as you run into them there." He also points out that this will be a separate engine from the one used for Skyrim.

Of course, even if the game can dodge bugs, MMOs have had trouble retaining users. Asked how to tackle that particular problem, Firor said, "You give people lots of different types of things to do. You make it replayable so that it's fun to play a different character - not even in a different alliance, in the same alliance, for example. You can go through our content in a different order, make different choices, power-level or stop and smell the roses - we support both those types of gameplay and that's a big part of keeping people around."

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 07:30:00 PDT Steve Watts Carmageddon ploughing into GOG http://www.shacknews.com/article/73971/carmageddon-ploughing-into-gog http://www.shacknews.com/article/73971/carmageddon-ploughing-into-gog Automotive murder simulator Carmageddon has been out of reach for many years, but soon we'll again be able to hop behind the wheel of our killing machines and fry pedestrians with the game's "electro-bastard ray." As developer Stainless seeks Kickstarter funding for Carmageddon: Reincarnation, it's also announced that the original will be racing towards GOG "in the coming months."

Coming complete with the Splat Pack expansion, Carmageddon will cost $9.99 on GOG. Or, you'll get it for free if you pledge at least $25 to the Carmageddon: Reincarnation Kickstarter. You also get a copy of the new game, as with all pledges above $15.

With 12 days left to run, the Reincarnation Kickstarter has a touch over $350,000 towards its $400,000 goal. The more it beats this by, the more content the game will have, and the more platforms Stainless can make it for. Right now, only PC is properly confirmed, but Mac and Linux are planned, with lofty dreams of hitting all sorts of other gizmos and gadgets too.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 11:00:00 PDT Alice O'Connor Super Monday Night Combat launches Turbocross mode http://www.shacknews.com/article/73970/super-monday-night-combat-launches-turbocross-mode http://www.shacknews.com/article/73970/super-monday-night-combat-launches-turbocross-mode Super Monday Night Combat takes a more ponderous pace than the original Monday Night Combat, but a new mode captures a little of that olde time-y feeling. 'Turbocross' mode arrived yesterday in a new patch for the free-to-play shooter, tailored for players who want to straight-up murder dudes.

Turbocross mode gives players faster movement and more deadly damage, and the ability to rebuild turrets, but no passive improvements from levelling up. Like MNC, see. It's "for all you who want to try much faster, less strategic gameplay," Uber said.

The patch also added a flair slot for moustaches, so your characters can look truly stylish, along with more bug fixes, improvements, and the like.

Super Monday Night Combat is available for free through Steam.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 06:45:00 PDT Alice O'Connor The Secret World delayed until July 3 http://www.shacknews.com/article/73969/the-secret-world-delayed-until-july-3 http://www.shacknews.com/article/73969/the-secret-world-delayed-until-july-3 As The Secret World has already been kept hidden from our eyes for thousands of years, not to mention delayed several times, another fortnight of not knowing about the Lovecraftian horrors clawing at reality's walls shouldn't hurt. Funcom announced this morning that its real-world-y MMORPG has been delayed to July 3, also revealing the beta event schedule to soften the blow.

Funcom explains that the new date places TSW "in a more positive launch window which will benefit the launch of the game." A June 19 launch would place it in a crowded month for new releases, but July is a little lighter. Besides, every MMORPG under the sun could've benefited from another two weeks of development before launch.

The next beta event will run from June 15 to 17, opening up the Illuminati and Dragon faction starter experiences plus the Savage Coast region of the world. You're guaranteed beta access if you pre-order, or you can chance your luck and sign up on the official site. The final beta weekend is June 22 to 24, introducing PvP warzones.

Early access for pre-orderers will begin on June 29.

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 06:00:00 PDT Alice O'Connor Kingdoms of Amalur needed 3 million sales 'to break even,' RI governor says http://www.shacknews.com/article/73968/kingdoms-of-amalur-needed-3-million-sales-to-break-even http://www.shacknews.com/article/73968/kingdoms-of-amalur-needed-3-million-sales-to-break-even One of the last tweets from Curt Schilling before his game studios, Big Huge Games and 38 Studios, collapsed talked up sales of their first title, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. "Reckoning, 38 Studios first game, has outperformed EA's projections by selling 1.2mm copies in its first 90 days," he said.

While those are impressive figures, they were not enough to keep the studio afloat. At a press conference, Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee said that the game was a failure and that it would need to sell over 3 million copies "just to break even."

"The game failed, the game failed," Chafee said according to a report by Joystiq.

So, what will happen to the money owed by Schilling's company? Bankruptcy seems inevitable, given Chafee's admittance that keeping the studio afloat would be "very, very expensive," requiring an additional "tens of millions of dollars."

]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 18:15:00 PDT Andrew Yoon Former Modern Warfare devs wanted to give Call of Duty series a 'rest' http://www.shacknews.com/article/73967/former-modern-warfare-devs-wanted-to-give-call-of-duty http://www.shacknews.com/article/73967/former-modern-warfare-devs-wanted-to-give-call-of-duty While interest in the Call of Duty franchise remains high, many of the developers that worked on the original games have since left Activision. Many former members of Infinity Ward, the studio that worked on the incredibly successful Modern Warfare games, are heading to court over unpaid bonuses for the two games.

Activision has already paid $42 million to former members of Infinity Ward, but there's a lot more at stake. Ultimately, what caused the huge rift between Infinity Ward execs Jason West and Vince Zampella and Activision? The two say that the team's desire to work on a game other than Modern Warfare 3 made an already tense relationship even worse.

Speaking to Game Informer, Jason West discussed a contract that would have given Infinity Ward free reign to work on any game after the release of Modern Warfare 2. "That contract gave us the right to make whatever game we wanted after Modern Warfare 2. Apparently, they didn't want to live up to that."

West and Zampella believe Activision promised independence after Modern Warfare 2 so that the game would be made one way or another. "I think they just wanted the game, and were like, 'Tell these guys whatever you need to,'" West said. The pair's representing attorney Robert Schwartz added: "I don't think Bobby [Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard] ever intended to honor that until he had to honor it. They were in breach of it the day they signed the contract."

When the trial goes to court, West and Zampella will try to convince a jury that Activision wrongfully terminated the two in order to back out of paying them their originally promised bonuses. Leaked emails show a panicked Activision preparing for the fallout from firing the two, with contingency plans laid out for retaining other Infinity Ward employees.

Activision claims that West and Zampella conspired against the company by speaking with rival company Electronic Arts. (West and Zampella's new studio, Respawn, currently has a publishing deal with EA.) However, West believes that's an absurd claim. "They said, 'He orchestrated his own ­firing,'" he told the magazine. "I said, 'Don't give me 100 million ­dollars - fire me! That would be awesome,'" he added sarcastically.

Infinity Ward ultimately lost a significant talent pool to West and Zampella's new studio, and it took the efforts of another developer, Sledgehammer Games, to finish Modern Warfare 3. West and Zampella never had the opportunity to work on the game, or develop the new IP they wanted to create for Activision. "Maybe we would have done a new IP, maybe we would have done Modern Warfare 3, or maybe we would have done a new IP and then Modern Warfare 3," Zampella said.

Ultimately, Zampella thought that taking a break from Call of Duty would have been good. "Resting a brand isn't a bad thing," he said. "We saw it as protecting it. And it's like, we're always working, it's not like we're going to sit around and do nothing for a while. So it's like let's do something else that will be good for Activision, and then go back to ­that."

]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 17:15:00 PDT Andrew Yoon Daily Filter: Sleeping Dogs, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron http://www.shacknews.com/article/73966/daily-filter-sleeping-dogs-transformers-fall-of-cybertron http://www.shacknews.com/article/73966/daily-filter-sleeping-dogs-transformers-fall-of-cybertron Shacknews receives a slew of new screenshots and trailers for upcoming games everyday. The most anticipated titles receive their own post, because we know you're eager to see that content. For the rest, we have the Daily Filter, a place to feature all of the media we add to our enormous database on a daily basis.

Today's Filter features a combat trailer for Sleeping Dogs, a Dinbots developer diary for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and much more!

Sleeping Dogs

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

We also have a developer diary for Batman: Arkham City, a teaser trailer for DARK, a Nod introduction trailer for Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances, a Conquest mode trailer for Rift, a lighting showcase for Arma 3, a launch trailer for Dirt Showdown, a gameplay trailer for Magic: The Gathering Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013, an environments trailer for Ridge Racer Unbounded, a Sarajevo Urban Combat trailer for Sniper Ghost Warrior 2, and a cover trailer for NASCAR The Game: Inside Line. Be sure to check out additional trailers and screenshots on each game page!

]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 19:00:00 PDT Tyler J. Smith Steel Battalion, Sleeping Dogs - Shacknews Daily: May 24, 2012 http://www.shacknews.com/article/73965/steel-battalion-sleeping-dogs-shacknews-daily-may-24-2012 http://www.shacknews.com/article/73965/steel-battalion-sleeping-dogs-shacknews-daily-may-24-2012 Mass Effect 3 is getting yet another dose of DLC. But sorry, single player adventurers. This is an expansion pack for the game's multiplayer mode. At least it's free. Then, Capcom releases a demo for Steel Battalion on Xbox Live. The successor to the Xbox cult classic won't require a giant hundred-button controller, but it will need Kinect. Finally, we get a look at Sleeping Dogs, a new open-world action game set in Hong Kong.

Check out today's episode of Shacknews Daily.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube. And, don't forget to subscribe to get the latest episodes as they go up.

]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 14:45:00 PDT Garnett Lee Skyrim 1.6 adds mounted combat http://www.shacknews.com/article/73964/skyrim-16-adds-mounted-combat http://www.shacknews.com/article/73964/skyrim-16-adds-mounted-combat Bethesda has announced details for their next Skyrim update. Patch 1.6 will add one of the fans' most-requested features: mounted combat. With the update, players will be able to do melee and ranged combat while riding a horse, as seen in the screenshot above.

In addition, the 1.6 patch will add a flurry of bug fixes, including general stability and memory optimizations, AI pathfinding optimizations, and crash fixes for data leaks. The update will be available on all three platforms, but there's no date yet.

Bug fixes in the 1.6 Update (all platforms unless specified):

  • General stability and memory optimizations

  • General AI pathfinding optimizations and bug fixes

  • Optimizations and crash fixes for data leaks

  • Fixed rare crash with lighting

  • Fixed crashes related to loading and saving games

  • Fixed crash with summoned creatures/NPCs

  • Fixed rare issue where saves would be corrupted

  • Improved logic for when ranged kill cams are played

  • Fixed issue with ranged kill cams while killing a dragon

  • Fixed rare issue with certain ranged kill cams not playing properly

  • Fixed issue with nirnroot lighting not properly cleaning up

  • Fixed issue where bow damage was being calculated incorrectly

  • Fixed rare problem with werewolf kill moves would not finish animating properly

  • In "The Break of Dawn" fixed rare issue where Meridia's Beacon would disappear from player's inventory

  • Fixed occasional issue where followers would disappear after player pays off a bounty after committing a crime

  • Fixed issue where certain creatures and NPCs would fail to respawn properly

  • Fixed rare issue with dialogue subtitles not displaying properly

  • Fixed issue with water appearing blurry when loading a saved game after creating a save underwater

  • Fixed issue where map cursor would occasionally disappear after closing a message box with Kinect enabled (Xbox 360)

  • Fixed rare issue with shouts only performing the first level and not other unlocked levels with Kinect enabled (Xbox 360)

  • Fixed issue where the shout buttons would stop working properly if users mashed LB and RB during cooldown with Kinect enabled (Xbox 360)

And in typical Bethesda fashion, the company has no new details on Dawnguard, the upcoming DLC for Skyrim.

]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 14:15:00 PDT Andrew Yoon