Unprotected links on the InstantAction.com website, a browser-based gaming platform in development by GarageGames, have today lead to the discovery of several alpha-level videos showing off the company's upcoming team-based online shooter.

A source close to GarageGames stressed that the videos--depicting Tribes-like combat on an alien world--represent early work, and were meant for internal use only. The clips are viewable below, edited into a single silent movie. We have also isolated a batch of screenshots from the footage.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

GarageGames was founded in 2000 by four former employees of Dynamix, the developer responsible for the popular multiplayer shooter Starsiege: Tribes.

The identity of the new InstantAction project was uncovered in October, along with the news that GarageGames had ramped up its employee count in advance of development.

Announced earlier this year, InstantAction is set to launch sometime in... Read more

In the spirit of the holidays, Valve has added a new gift-giving option to its Steam online content service. When purchasing a title on Steam, any game can be given as a gift to others, regardless of whether they have a Steam account or not.

After checking the box next to, "Yes, it's a gift," when making a Steam purchase, generous gamers can send the gift to anyone with a valid e-mail address. If an intended recipient is a Steam member who already owns the title, the user will be filtered out on the list of valid recipients.

Aspyr Media sends along a Guitar Hero 3 patch, updating the PC release to v1.1. The patch adds a co-op Quickplay game mode, improves whammy bar sound effects and fixes several bugs.

Challenging the notion that web-based games must cater to a casual audience, Ubisoft today announced a massively multiplayer web-based game set in the Heroes of Might and Magic Universe. Titled Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms, the browser-based game will launch this coming spring.

"This is a new type of game for Ubisoft, one that allows you to jump into a rich and complex universe just with your Web browser," said Ubisoft's Serge Hascoët in the announcement.

A true web-based game, the title will require no download to play, with a user login allowing access to a free account from any computer. Beta keys have been bundled with the Heroes of Might and Magic Complete Edition (PC), which retailed today in Europe.

According to the game's new website, buying the Europe-only Heroes of Might and Magic Complete Edition is the only way to receive beta access. The beta will begin in early 2008 and last about three months before the title's launch in the spring, according to the game's website.

Nival Interactive's Heroes of Might and Magic V (PC) producer Fabrice Cambounet is apparently involved in the game's production.

Microsoft has announced the release of the latest version of its XNA Game Studio suite, which allows enthusiast-level developers to create Xbox 360 and Windows games using managed code and Microsoft Visual Studio.

Notably, XNA Game Studio 2.0 adds support for Xbox Live and its counterpart Games for Windows Live. Microsoft claims that many online features, such as matchmaking, can be seamlessly integrated into XNA games. The new version of the software also includes updates to graphics, math, connectivity, audio, and Xbox 360 Guide interface functionality, and Microsoft offers a utility to convert existing projects to the 2.0 format.

In addition to the version announcement, Microsoft said it will launch a new Dream-Build-Play development contest, open to creators of XNA-based games. Finalists will each receive a $3,000 stipend, present their games at San Francisco's Game Developers Conference 2008 in February, and potentially be interviewed for an internship at Microsoft's UK development studios Rare, Lionhead, and Microsoft Research Cambridge.

According to the announcement, signups begin this Friday, though the official contest site states they begin on December 20.

The announcement also indicates XNA Game Studio 2.0 is available from its official site, though the site does not yet appear to have been uploaded, currently offering only the original XNA Game Studio express and a note that the 2.0 Beta has ended.

What do you get when you combine Diablo and real-time strategy? Hopefully, you get this game. In addition to the standard single-player and online versus multiplayer components, developer Black Sea Games is adding cooperative dungeon-crawling missions to its upcoming sci-fi RTS. I met with publisher RTL Games earlier this week for an initial look. We've also got a screenshot gallery and a small concept art gallery.

Black Sea hopes players actually take advantage of the three allowed co-op slots--these missions aren't designed to be completed alone. "It's like an MMO where you have to know your tactics. We don't expect players to beat a dungeon the first time through," said Andreas Balfanz of German publisher RTL Games. "But one of our developers went through with two players and was still able to beat it with the right tactics."
Read more...

Once again, job listings looking for artists to work on a "Next-Gen MMO" at Blizzard caused speculation in the community forums to run rampant. But this time, a Blizzard staffer responded to the flurry of hypotheses from forum posters, confirming that the game is not a World of Warcraft expansion.

"No, it is an unannounced Next-Gen MMO," the Blizzard rep said in response to a post stating the additional employees could be used for the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. "And that doesn't mean an expansion for World of Warcraft either."

The posts began after additional "Top Secret" job listings were posted on Blizzard's official job site, requesting a lead 3D character artist and lead 3D environment artist.

Australian developer Auran's PVP-centric title Fury (PC) will become a free download following the title's Age of the Chosen content update December 14. The poorly received quasi-MMO is already free to play at a basic level, and the December expansion will add an enhanced "Chosen" status level with nearly all the features paying subscribers currently have access to, free or charge.

The game will still cost $9.95 a month for the top tier feature set available with "Immortal" status. Despite the good news for potential Fury players, developer Auran had some bad news--or news of bad news, rather--to relay to Kotaku Australia in conjunction with the announcement.

"We will then have some bad news to follow (unless a miracle occurs), but there will be a very positive end to the week," wrote Auran CEO Tony Hilliam. This ominous but ambiguous statement follows last week's confirmation that Auran laid off a significant portion of its staff due to the game's poor launch.

A new update for The Settlers: Rise Of An Empire is now available, updating the strategy game to v1.3. The patch offers game improvements and adds online ladder game support.

With this year's gaming harvest already played and beaten and filed away into memory like so many saves, it is time now to look on.

Past the bulbous shores of 2007, far off in the distant recesses of release schedules, lies the gone-golden bounty of untapped potential. And while many may slip their surly bonds and give flight to the year 2009, more still will cement their crusted plastic into delighted hands. Here we mark the prophecy of the PC legacy, a concrete, yet tumultuous hour of reckoning for this still-great platform. Observe the future here.

Over at the Internode Games Network you can find a Q&A with some NetDevil folks, asking them about the company's Jumpgate Evolution and Lego Universe projects.

A new Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 patch is now available, updating Konami's football sim to v1.20. The patch addresses some Windows Vista issues.

RPG Vault has been updated with the first Stargate Worlds development diary. This opening installment covers storytelling in MMOs.

Players of CD Projekt's hardcore Polish RPG The Witcher may not be hearing the whole story when it comes to the game's characters and quests. According to one of the game's writers, and a chorus of disappointed fans, The Witcher was heavily edited in its transition to the English language.

"Yes, it's true," said writer Sande Chen in response to the issue on the official Witcher forums. "My writing partner and I worked on the English adaptation of the script (based on the translation from the Polish script). It was edited down considerably, not because of censorship, though."

According to translations worked up by fans, the cuts range from minor alterations to drastic changes. One line in the English version reads, "Humans have always hated dwarves and elves," while the same line in the Polish release translates as, "Why do pricks go in cunts? It's the natural order of things. Humans have always disliked dwarves and elves. Not for me to know why."

Though that line may seem to be an obvious candidate for censorship, The Witcher is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB, and features plenty of equally-vulgar language throughout its existing English translation.

Chen elaborates on the situation via her blog, stressing that CD Projekt did the best they could--while not going so far as to blame publisher Atari for the... Read more

Fans of the groundbreaking Homeworld series of 3D space RTS games may yet have reason to hope for a new sequel.

Forum members of the fan site Relic News have today uncovered a US trademark document that appears to prove the rights to the Homeworld name have changed hands from Vivendi Universal to publisher THQ, the owner of original Homeworld developer Relic Entertainment.

Though only the trademark is mentioned, it would seem unlikely that THQ attained the name without also acquiring the license to use the intellectual property. The law firm now handling the trademark, Wolf Greenfield, specializes in IP transactions.

The document, which appoints a slew of new attorneys to represent Homeworld, is signed by THQ executive vice president of business and legal affairs James M. Kennedy. The transaction took place on August 14, 2007, with a similar transfer of the Homeworld: Cataclysm expansion trademark having been signed on the same day.

While the ties to THQ only appear on the most recent documents, Vivendi Universal lawyer Rod Rigole had transferred power of attorney to Douglas R. Wolf, ... Read more

Though several titles have been announced for GarageGames' web-based 3D gaming venture InstantAction.com, what could certainly be the most anticipated title has yet to be unveiled. A source close to GarageGames told Shacknews a team-based online shooter in the vein of Dynamix' Starsiege: Tribes will be coming to the gaming service soon from GarageGames' own developers.

GarageGames was of course founded by many ex-Dynamix employees, and the source said the company would most likely be making an official announcement for the game in December. Shacknews has separately learned GarageGames has increased its employee count severalfold throughout 2007, with the goal of moving more into full game development alongside its Torque middleware and engine products. Development of the Tribes-like title began two months ago, the source added, but the cycle should be relatively short compared to most projects.

Combined with the instant online distribution of InstantAction.com, a 2008 release would seem fairly probable. For more on InstantAction.com, check out the Shack's coverage of the venture and previews of a few already announced titles.

During a recent venture to the relatively far out west, this Indiana farm boy got a sneak peek at GarageGames' latest project, InstantAction.com. Meant to fill the void left by traditional casual gaming portals, InstantAction aims to provide hardcore gamers bite-sized nuggets of addictive, skill-based gameplay.

Backed by a variety of talented independent developers, including Wideload Games and Frozen Codebase, and featuring games such as Marble Blast Online, Cyclomite, and Screwjumper, it's looking like InstantAction has a good chance of meeting GarageGames' ambitious goals.

But as I came to find out, InstantAction is more than just a standard gaming portal. When it launches next year, the site will offer a variety of community features that rival those of Steam Community and Xbox Live....Better yet, this all occurs in a web browser, meaning it will be accessible from almost any location with a computer. That means no more waiting to get home from work to play a quick game with your friends, and no more fussing about as you all decide you want to play a different game and have to invite everyone all over again. Read more...

Over at FileShack you can find a demo for Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights, the racing game sequel also available on a variety of console platforms. The 1.63GB download includes two tracks, Solo Drift, Drift King and Circuit Race goals, and four cars: the Nissan 350Z, BMW M3, Holden Monaro and Saleen Mustang.

Valve has announced that Codemasters is the latest publisher to put part of its game library on Steam. Available right away is the Mercury Steam horror action game Clive Barker's Jericho, with the fantasy action adventure game Overlord from Triumph Studios and off-road racer DiRT following later this month.

Future games from Codemasters will be on Steam day and date with their retail release. The agreement only covers new and future games, older Codemasters titles will not find their way onto Steam for the time being.

"With major new content in the portfolio, Codemasters continues to expand its publishing and distribution reach," said Peter Chan, Director, Business Development, Codemasters. "As the industry's leading online platform for digital delivery of PC entertainment, Steam is a natural addition to the suite of leading platforms Codemasters is targeting with its leading new and recent releases."

The PC edition of Epic's grimy cover-based shooter Gears of War (PC, X360) has gone gold, Microsoft announced today. The title will hit retail stores November 6, almost one year exactly after its November 7 release last fall on Xbox 360.

In its PC form, Gears has several additional goodies for gamers: five new singleplayer chapters, a new Annex multiplayer game mode, three new multiplayer maps, and a game editor. You also get to throw down with the Brumak, that big scary thing you never actually got to fight in the 360 version.

The entirety of Xbox 360 downloadable content will be included on the disc as well, and the package will retail for $49.99. For more on the title, check out the Shack's own thorough preview.