The PC Centric Extravaganza 4.08.08
Posted by Chris Evans on 04.08.2008
Dawn of War 2, Possible 4-quel and much more besides!
The PC Centric Extravaganza 8th April 2008
Not much to report this week, I still have a whole bunch of University work to be getting on with as well as work for the Tiberian Dawn mod, and much more besides. Anyway this week has seen the unveiling of Dawn of War 2 and a rumour emerging about a much loved series. Read on!
Dawn of War 2
THQ has confirmed that Dawn of War 2 is in the works.
The press blurb promises that DoW2 will run on the Essence Engine 2.0 and will involve a non-linear single-player campaign and a co-operative multiplayer mode. The title is being developed exclusively for the PC (a rarity these days) and is set for a Spring 2009 release.
The press release also mentions that owners of the latest Dawn of War expansion, Soulstorm will have the chance to take part in an invitation only multiplayer beta. There is no timescale for when this will start up.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, the highly anticipated sequel from one of the industry's premiere Real-Time Strategy developers, Relic Entertainment, is set to bring the 41st Millennium's savage warfare to life like never before in spring 2009. Powered by an enhanced version of Relic's proprietary Essence Engine 2.0, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will take players to the brutal frontlines of war where they'll experience intense action and visceral combat through a non-linear single player experience and a fully co-operative multiplayer campaign.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is set in the grim, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe a dark, futuristic, science-fiction setting where armies of technologically advanced warriors, fighting machines and hordes of implacable aliens wage constant war. Dawn of War II ushers in a new chapter in the acclaimed RTS series, as ancient races including the dauntless Space Marines and savage Orks - clash with ferocious melee and ranged combat across fully destructible environments in what will be the most visually-stunning Warhammer 40,000 setting ever created.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is being developed exclusively for Windows PC, and THQ is pleased to announce that owners of the recently released Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Soulstorm will be able to participate in an invitation-only multiplayer beta program for Dawn of War II, set to take place at a future date.
And now for the media!
Well...uh wow! That is a damn sexy trailer for Dawn of War 2 and it comes (via GameTrailers) from the new Dawn of War 2 website.
Thief 4 Rumour
It seems that Eidos Montreal are planning to bring back another franchise to go along with Deus Ex 3.
AAA games, with high quality licenses that offer exciting challenges - e.g., the first two games we develop will revive successful franchises
Eidos-Montréal is proud to announce the recruitment for our 2nd "AAA" project.
A hint! The title begins with the letter " T "
Very intriguing, Tomb Raider has already been brought back from the dead so it seems to fit that it would be a new Thief game. Of course we all know full well the danger of looking too deeply into things like this, but the possibilities are certainly exciting!
Racing Games!
GTR Evolution
The Nordschleife, quite probably the greatest racing track in the world, and one of the most dangerous tracks in all the world. Dubbed 'The Green Hell' by F1 legend Jackie Stewart the Nordschleife is set to feature in SimBin's latest game, GTR Evolution.
According to CVG GTR Evolution with be released as either a standalone product or as an expansion to SimBin's Race 2007.
The game is set to feature 22 GT car models accross three different categories as well as production and WTCC Cars and it will be released later this year.
GRID
I'll let everyone into a little secret of mine, I love racing games. I really really do. I grew up playing games such as Screamer, Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 2 and Network Q RAC Rally Championship all from back in the mid 1990s.
These were all classics of the racing genre (in my mind at any rate) and from there my racing experience travelled through the Colin McRae games (RIP Colin) and the Gran Turismo games. My love of the racing game returned last year with Colin McRae DiRT, a superb game from Codemasters.
Now it seems that Race Driver GRID is going to continue grabbing my attention and enticing me to fall in love with it. Just watch the following Developer Video Diary (thanks to GameTrailers)
If that doesn't get you wanting this game, then I don't know what will. I want this thing, and by god I want it now!
Ubisoft, British Papers and EA Sports all filled with HATE!
Ubisoft hates Rest of the World'
It is official, Ubisoft as an entire company hates Europe! (and anywhere not in North America)
The French mega-publisher/developer has just joined the Steam Collective bringing with it such games as Far Cry, IL-2 Sturmovik and the Tom Clancy games, Assassins Creed will follow soon.
However following in the footsteps of Atari these games are only available to people from the United States and Canada. So if you don't like in North America then you are going to be losing out from a massive range of titles on Steam.
According to Rock, Paper, Shotgun this has nothing to do with Valve. Gabe Newell said this;
"It's their call. We offer worldwide coverage, and we're happy to offer the products to as many customers as the publisher/developer desires."
My opinion of Ubisoft is very up and down, this just makes me even more disappointed with them. I am not angry, just disappointed.
EA Sports hates PC!
In a worrying sign for fans of the Madden NFL sports games from EA, and in fact fans of any EA Sports games the latest version of Madden has not been scheduled for a PC release.
What does EA Sports head honcho have to say about this, well according to his blog, Peter Moore says that the PC presents serious business challenges.
the PC presents some very serious business challenges to us in the sports category, particularly because so many of you all are playing your favorite sports games on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. We are committed to shipping a limited number of our games on the PC this year, but we've also had to cut a few of our games from the platform. We do have ideas for how to revitalize the PC for sports games and the types of games that are best suited to the platform, and we'll continue to explore those.
This is a worrying move for all of you fans of the same shit each year yearly updates of EA Sports titles on the PC. It seems that due to the massive numbers of console owners EA Sports have deemed it a waste of money to bring all of their titles to the PC...as well the Wii, PS3, 360, DS and PSP.
While Madden has rejected the PC we shall have to wait and see what other titles turn their backs on the PC. I have a prediction that it will only be the FIFA games that continue to be sold on PC, alas I doubt the likes of NASCAR 2009 will be making the yearly transition to the PC.
However Moore does promise to revitalise the PC as a viable platform for EA Sports, if this means games like Facebreaker make it to the PC then I will be one happy chappy, other than that I don't see what they might do to revitalise the platform in terms of EA Sports games.
British Press Hates Games!
Two leading newspapers in the UK have today published editorials that are damning to video games. The Times and The Telegraph have published editorials by Giles Whitell and Jenny McCartney respectively.
The Times article is entitled 'Video games: I'll never buy one' and The Telegraph runs with the lead ' There is a majority against vile video games, and it is moral.' Both of these article are signs of a growing trend in the British media to portray video games as bad, evil and sociopath creating tools.
I will not quote the two papers, that has been done by plenty of other sites already and you can easily read the articles at the links above. Rather I just want to take a moment to wonder, wonder when and why these leading British paper became so conservative and so willing to jump on the bandwagon of anti-gaming writing.
First off, The Times. It should be no surprise to see The Times publishing such editorial comments and news articles as we have seen over the past few months for one simple reason. Rupert Murdoch. The Times is owned by Murdoch, and so is that pinpoint of journalistic integrity, Fox News. If Fox News is able to get away with pushing their sensationalist crap, then it really should be no surprise that The Times is also being used to push Murdoch's message against video games.
Secondly we have The Telegraph, a paper in which, according to a MORI Poll 60% of its readers vote for the Conservative Party. Again we should not be surprised to see articles such as the one today appearing. This is the kind of article their conservative readers will love to read.
My conclusions? Well from the evidence that is readily available regarding these two papers it is clear they have an agenda to push forward, an agenda that is targeted predominantly towards the conservative middle class in the UK and an agenda sanctioned by Rupert Murdoch.
As such us gaming commentators should not be expressing such outrage and shock at reading such articles in these papers, instead we should start to treat these articles as we treat the Fox News features on video games. With contempt.
DICE like PC!
The Senior Producer behind Battlefield Heroes the upcoming Play 4 Free game from DICE and EA has weighed in with his thoughts on the recent debate surrounding the PC and the grave. Ben Cousins has some strong feelings on this issue and he is adamant that the PC is not dying, in fact he is of the school of thought that thinks the PC is leading a new major stage of growth for video gaming.
"If you look at the amount of PCs that are out there, we're talking hundreds and hundreds of millions; if you look at the amount of PS3s and 360s, we're talking tens of millions, barely. So, absolutely, people think that the PC is dying, but that's a crazy idea...
it really feels like, to me, that we're on the cusp of another expansive period of growth, between the DS and the Wii audiences, and there's also an opportunity on the PC now.
PCs are everywhere -- there are hundreds of thousands of internet cafes in India, and this is a poor country that soon will have a completely global, online connected world, for which games will be completely different."
Read his extremely detailed interview with Gamasutra right here.
Tally ho!
And with that I am off! As I said I have a lot to do this week before I head back to University, wish me luck!
