Guild Wars: Factions Q&As
GamesIndustry.biz and Total Video Games both have new Q&As posted with ArenaNet's Jeff Strain, asking him about Guild Wars Factions and topics related to Guild Wars. Thanks Guild Wars Slovenija.
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Guild Wars: Factions Preview
There's a Guild Wars: Factions preview on Computer & Video Games, going hands-on with the standalone expansion pack for ArenaNet's online action RPG.
Read more »Guild Wars: Factions Movie
A trailer for Guilds Wars: Factions is now available from FileShack, showing the additions brought to ArenaNet's debut title through this stand-alone expansion pack.
Read more »Guild Wars Factions Beta Test Event Announced
NCSoft & ArenaNet issed this press release today, announcing a Guild Wars Factions beta test event. All current Guild Wars players can join the event, and they can each invite up to three friends to join. Beta access will also be available through the Guild Wars Factions pre-order package (in stores February 28), which will include a pre-order CD, a GWF beta access key, a 'friend' key allowing access to the beta event, and a 14-day, 10-hour trial key for the original game. The beta event will start March 24.
Read more »Guild Wars: Factions Shots
The official Guild Wars website has been updated with nine new screenshots from Guild Wars: Factions, the upcoming add-on for ArenaNet's online action RPG. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.
Read more »Guild Wars: Factions Preview
GameSpot has posted a preview of Guild Wars: Factions, the upcoming addon for ArenaNet's online role playing game. A Global Free-For-All PvP Weekend Event which includes a Factions preview is currently underway for the game, check GuildWars.com for more information.
Read more »Guild Wars: Factions Interview
GameSpy has an article format Guild Wars: Factions interview, offering an overview of the Guild Wars expansion while talking to ArenaNet's Jeff Strain about its features.
Read more »Guild Wars: Factions Interview
A new Gaming Steve podcast is up, this time offering an interview with Jeff Strain of ArenaNet. Strain talks about the Guild Wars: Factions expansion and other things related to MMO games.
Read more »Guild Wars: Factions, Preview Weekend Announced
NCSoft today officially announced Guild Wars: Factions, a new update to ArenaNet's online action RPG. Factions will add new regions, professions, skills, missions, and monsters to the game, while also offering enhanced guild features and new options for cooperative and PvP play. People will be able to preview Factions (due in the second quarter of this year) during the Global Free-for-All PvP Weekend, which will take place January 20 - 22.
The event will enable players to experience two new professions being introduced in the campaign, the Assassin and the Ritualist. Participants will also be able to try out a number of the skills added to Guild Wars: Factions, including some of the deadly skills of the Assassin and the arcane spells of the spiritual Ritualist. They will also be able to get familiar with the new PvP continent, Battle Isles. Battle Isles will introduce players to new PvP experiences, new and expanded arenas, new quests, and a new explorable area as well. Another feature available during the Guild Wars: Factions Global Free-for-All PvP Weekend is Observer Mode, where players who aren’t participating in a battle can view the proceedings and check out the strategies and tactics used by top-ranked guilds as they fight for supremacy.Read more »
Guild Wars Update
As noted on the Guild Wars website, a new update is now available for ArenaNet's online action RPG. The update offers the Observer Mode, which allows players to watch "top-ranked guilds battle it out in the Tombs and in rated guild matches". The upcoming Guild Wars Regional Playoffs and World Championship will be broadcast through the system as well. To prevent cheating, there is a 15 minute delay between what happens in the game and what you see in the observer mode.
Read more »Build a Better Hammer
Publisher NCsoft has announced a Design-a-Weapon Contest for ArenaNet's Guild Wars (PC). The company is soliciting concept art--printed on actual paper, not modeled in 3D--for inclusion in the next Guild Wars update. It is not clear how many winners will be selected. The contest rules don't seem to suggest that entrants have to actually own a copy of the game, so if you're not a Guild Wars player but you get a kick out of drawing wacky fantasy staves, give it a shot.
It's time for another Guild Wars contest! And with the Design-a-Weapon Contest, you have a chance to be immortalized forever in the second chapter of the Guild Wars story. We will be offering many new weapons and shields in the upcoming installment, and we'd love to include items based on your concepts. To enter the contest, simply send us a drawing, sketch, or printed image of a weapon or shield that you have designed.Categories include: axe, bow, focus item, hammer, one-handed sword, shield, staff, and wand. The announcement also notes that new weapon types will be added to the game in the next release, but for now you should stick to the ones listed. Read more »
Late Night Consoling
Well, like Steve said, it's the weekend!
- It's taken longer than promised, but Microsoft has finally delivered a list of 360-compatible Xbox games. There are some striking absences there, but the list will be expanded over time, eventually comprising the entire Xbox library according to Xbox VP Todd Holmdahl. As previously announced, backwards compatibility requires having the 360's optional hard drive. The compatibility code for each game must acquired independently, and currently there are three delivery mechanisms in place: players can download the code from Xbox Live, burn it onto a writable CD from Xbox.com, or have a CD shipped by mail through Xbox.com. One previously unannounced feature is that Xbox games played on a 360 will be upsampled to either 720p or 1080i and will receive the benefit of the Xbox 360's anti-aliasing. Bungie announced that Halo and Halo 2 would have these features when played on Xbox 360, but it appears now that it is simply standard practice. The only difference between the Halo games and the rest of the games on the list is that the compatibility code for Halo and Halo 2's single-player mode will be pre-loaded on the hard drive. Microsoft has frequently stated that the first batch of compatible games would be comprised of the system's bestselling titles. That said, if you're wondering why Yourself!Fitness and SeaWorld: Shamu Deep Sea Adventures made the cut while Psychonauts, Beyond Good & Evil, Indigo Prophecy, and more did not, it might be because for some bizarre reason those first two games shared technology with games that were bestsellers. Holmdahl explains, "As we focused on the top sellers, we discovered that many other games worked due to similarities in their technology. ...Games that share engines and technology...have made the launch lineup as a result." Of course, it's still a bit odd that games like the Splinter Cell titles, the Burnout titles, the Project Gotham Racing titles, and even Madden didn't make the first round. As more rounds of games are made compatible, they will be added to that list on Xbox.com.
360 Compatibility List Posted
[xbox360] - Epic's Mark Rein generated some press when he made some rather gleefully pointed comments regarding Nintendo's Revolution controller at a recent IGN event; he also, many said, grossly overstated the importance of improving graphics in games relative to other areas of improvement. The other day, Eurogamer asked Nintendo's Jim Merrick what he thought of Rein's comments, and Merrick responded that Rein was speaking about the Revolution from an uninformed perspective, and that Rein should get his hands on it before making judgments. Eurogamer has stepped in as a mediator once again, and talked a bit to Rein about his comments. Rein did a bit of clarifying and a bit of backpedaling, explaining that in regards to graphics, he was stating that "the most significant improvement we get" with new consoles is improved graphics. As far as the Revolution goes, Rein apparently called Merrick up after seeing the latter's comments, to find that Merrick didn't seem to be holding a grudge; Merrick still offered Rein a dev kit, and Rein accepted the offer. Rein said, "If the [Revolution] can run [Unreal Engine 3], it'd be fantastic to have it on there," though of course his comments do not indicate any kind of formal support. Rein briefly touched on actual Epic-related news, saying that work on Gears of War (X360) is progressing fine, and that no PC port is currently being planned; decisions such as that are up to publisher Microsoft. He also said, "We're going to be doing a game for PlayStation 3, we just haven't come out and announced it yet. I think it's pretty clear people know we're going to be doing Unreal Tournament." Finally, Epic is also doing preliminary research for the next-next-gen Unreal Engine 4.
Rein's Revolution Response
[nintendo] [xbox360] - In an interview with Xbox Evolved today, BioWare joint CEOs Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk revealed that BioWare plans to create a sequel to Jade Empire (Xbox). When queried about whether the title might show up on PlayStation 3, Muzyka responded, "Microsoft has been a great supporter of BioWare in the past...We've also said in the past that we're working on not just one, but two Xbox360 titles. Enough said. ;)" BioWare's other 360 title is the previously-announced Mass Effect (X360), the first in a planned trilogy. Zeschuk commented in the interview that the overall story arc for the trilogy has already been planned and BioWare plans to release all three titles for 360 within this upcoming console generation.
BioWare to Expand the Jade Empire
[xbox360] - Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Tack Jim Kim of MMO publisher NCsoft revealed that his company has already begun development on games for next-generation consoles. However, it appears that the Xbox 360 is not included in that development, suggesting that the company is working with Sony's PS3 or the Nintendo Revolution. Kim also noted that the Korean company, which currently has offices and development studios in South Korea, California, and Texas, will be opening a European base of operations as well. As far as whether the in-progress console work will be on existing titles or new franchises, Kim did not comment. The company current operates Lineage and Lineage II, Cryptic Studios' City of Heroes and City of Villains, and ArenaNet's Guild Wars, all currently exclusively for PC.
NCsoft on Consoles (Not 360)
- Here's your daily dose of unconfirmed Xbox 360 news! Claims are floating around such places as the official Bizarre Creations forums that Bizarre's Project Gotham Racing 3 (X360) does not run natively at 720p but rather at 1024x600 upscaled to 1280x720, in order to ensure that the game runs smoothly at 30 frames per second. People with access to Xbox 360 debug units and review builds of the game have taken screenshots (an example .bmp mirrored here) using the game's screenshot utility--which are claimed not to have been edited, resized, or otherwise tampered with in any way--that turned out to be 1024x600. Even if it's true, it shouldn't be particularly noticeable; the person making the claim states he didn't notice until taking the screenshots. The main complaint that has been voiced is more that such a technique would violate Microsoft's promised 720p minimum native resolution for all 360 games.
PGR3 Not 720p?
[xbox360] - Well, maybe not forever, but game publisher Activision and comic publisher Marvel have renewed their X-Men and Spider-Man license contract. The extended deal gives Activision the right to develop and publish games based on the two popular licenses until 2017. Most recently, Activision published Ultimate Spider-Man (PS2, Xbox, GCN, DS, GBA, PC) and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PSP, PC).
Activision and Marvel, Together Forever
[ps2] [xbox] [gamecube] - Official Xbox Magazine UK has an interview with Rare's Chris Tilston and Dale Murchie, the lead designer and story writer respectively on Perfect Dark Zero (X360).
Misc. Q&As/Features
Misc. Media/Previews
PS2
Impressions of the upcoming demo of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII (PS2) come to us from GameSpot, IGN, 1UP, Game Informer, and GameSpy. Screenshots: Tourist Trophy (PS2).Xbox
1UP checks out Visual Concepts' NHL 2K6 (X360, also PS2, Xbox). Screenshots: Ridge Racer 6 (X360). Movies: Kameo: Elements of Power (X360). Amped 3 (X360). Test Drive Unlimited (X360). Project Gotham Racing 3 (X360).Portable
GameSpot checks out Tecmo's Tokobot (PSP). Eurogamer previews Nintendo's Mario Kart DS (DS). Screenshots: Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble (DS). Championship Manager (PSP). Tringo (GBA). Movies: Sonic Rush (DS). Mario Kart DS (DS).Multi
Screenshots: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 4 (??? - listed as PS3 on IGN but actual platform is unknown).Console Game Of The Evening [Submit Yours!]
Power Blade for the NES. "Playing as NOVA, keeper of the Power Blade (a suped up boomerang), I spent many days plowing through this action/platformer. You can also turn into a robot and upgrade your Power Blade, which added to the depth of the game." (submitted by anthonybean)Guild Wars Q&A
GameSpot has a new Guild Wars Q&A posted tonight. ArenaNet's Gaile Gray talks about the upcoming second chapter update for the game.
Read more »Guild Wars Tops A Million
NCSoft sends along a press release announcing that ArenaNet's Guild Wars has sold over one million copies since the game launched late April in North America and Europe. NCSoft is launching the online action RPG in Japan and Taiwan soon.
Read more »Guild Wars Multiplayer Weekend Q&A
Guild Wars Multiplayer Weekend Interview is an IGN chat with Isaiah Cartwright, who is the "Skill Balance Game Designer" at ArenaNet. Questions are about the upcoming Chapter 2 update.
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