Aug 1, 2009

L4D update

From Steam News:

Updates to Left 4 Dead have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Left 4 Dead

  • Fixed problem with add-on installer failing to install add-ons properly on some versions of Windows
  • Transition screen now shows campaign and map names for add-on campaigns
  • Bug fixes and enhancements for Novint Falcon controller

Jul 31, 2009

Rash of unexplained WoW account suspensions

From Michael Thompson at ArsTechnica:

The World of Warcraft forums are buzzing with complaints from players claiming that their accounts have been suspended because of chargebacks filed against them by a company that they have no connection with. The problem, though, is that the company behind the charges is unresponsive to complaints, and many players don't know what to do in order to get their accounts re-authorized unless they pay these bills.

...

Posts in the forum thread show that Blizzard is willing to discuss the unauthorized charges, but there haven't been any definite results from pursuing this course of action yet. Even stranger, though, is multiple posts stating that users have contacted their phone companies/broadband providers and are told that they have no chargebacks on their account. A quick Google search shows this isn't the first time that allegations of fraud and unexpected charges have been leveled against the company.

The full article is available here.

Jul 30, 2009

Ignominious

Via Gamasutra, GameCrazy's top-ten most traded-in games:
1. UFC 2009 Undisputed
2. Call of Duty: World at War
3. Prototype
4. Fallout 3
5. Resident Evil 5
6. Fight Night Round 4
7. Infamous
8. Killzone 2
9. Red Faction 3: Guerilla
10. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Jul 28, 2009

RPS hands-on with Borderlands

I want every game developer - present and future - to read this post over on Rock, Paper, Shotgun. No one has made this game yet, and although some have come tantalizingly close (that's you, Far Cry 2), even Borderlands remains a mere promise of finally being "that game."

"That Game" is the game I want to play. I want something that's a shooter to its core, interspersed with just enough rock-solid RPG elements to give the game some depth. And I want to play it with other people. And I want to get hooked the way I got hooked on Call of Duty: United Offensive.

Borderlands might be that game, and it might not. If it isn't, I hope it gets enough play that some other developer takes note, and finally delivers on its promise.

Jul 27, 2009

MW2 will be USD 60 on all platforms

That's the standard edition, and yes, it includes the PC version (which will not get the "hardened" or "prestige" editions). Destructoid says people are pissed:
Hot off the heels of Left 4 Dead 2, it seems as if another boycott is looming on the horizon, and unlike the last one, this is a bit more justified. Following evil Activision's decision to raise the price of Modern Warfare 2 to £54.99 in the UK, angered British gamers are venting spleen and sharing one common sentiment -- that they will not bend over and let Bobby Kotick's gold-plated cock shaft them with the fury of a thousand Suns.
It won't make a bit of difference. What concerns me more than extra ten bucks: the utter dominance of the Xbox 360 in all "official" communications between IW and the media.

Modern War-Fear

The field of competitors for Modern Warfare 2 just got smaller.

Ubisoft announced today that they're pushing four games into 2010: Splinter Cell: Conviction, Red Steel 2, Ghost Recon, and I am Alive. That leaves Assassin's Creed 2 as Ubisoft's only high-profile holiday season release, and increases the overall tally of delayed games to 10. Sega's Dead to Rights: Retribution and Bayonetta have also been delayed, making the count 12.

The release lists for October, November, and December 2009 are still bloated as hell, but there aren't many AAA titles left. The MW2 feedback loop theory is holding, and other mainstream gaming sites and news outlets are picking up the story (see these articles at PushSquare, Destructoid, MTV, Softpedia, and CNBC, for examples). The recession is certainly a factor, as are games like Left 4 Dead 2, Halo 3: ODST and Guitar Hero 5, but make no mistake: the 800-pound gorilla is MW2: