MW2 mod tools on the horizon?

Robert "FourZeroTwo" Blowing dropped a little bomb on the IW forums today:

Yes, we currently plan to release some mod tools for Modern Warfare 2 for PC in the future. No eta or date has been set on when you can expect them however. Other than that, there hasn't been much movement on them. If this progresses, I'll let you know.

A poster by the name of "brokenangel" asked this question:

and how the F*ck do you plan on distributing the content fool?

402 responded:

There would definitely need to be a patch for the inclusion of mod tools and for the use / testing of them. I'm sure once the release date of the tools is closer, then I'll have those details for you.

Right now though, I'd consider the Mod Tools as something that we'd like to add. Not something that is guaranteed to be added as I know game updates, patches, and DLC are currently the priority of the team.

There's just no effing way.

In theory, IW could set up a system similar to what L4D uses to allow players to run custom maps, but I  guarantee that won't happen. Does anyone really think that IW is going to unlock the dev console so people can test their maps? At most, you'll get a custom rule set maker for private matches, and that will be it.

And that's if you get anything at all. Don't count on it.

PlayStation 3 finally hacked?

Maybe so:

I have read/write access to the entire system memory, and HV level access to the processor. In other words, I have hacked the PS3. The rest is just software. And reversing. I have a lot of reversing ahead of me, as I now have dumps of LV0 and LV1. I've also dumped the NAND without removing it or a modchip.

3 years, 2 months, 11 days...thats a pretty secure system[.]

This is apparently the same guy that unlocked the iPhone, so the claim seems credible.

UPDATE: the BBC has picked up the story.

A Tale of Two Engines

Matthew Pruitt, an "Assistant Producer & Community Manager" from EA-LA, has dished some news on Medal of Honor via Twitter. MoH's single-player end will use a version of the Unreal 3 Engine, while the multiplayer end (being developed separately by DICE) will use the Frostbite Engine.

So the footage you've seen of MoH is probably not representative of how the game will look when played online. In fact - and oddly enough - it's quite possible that the game will look better in multiplayer, and have more in the way of destructible stuff.

Keep in mind that the EA-LA is reportedly* using a "highly modified" version of Unreal 3, so the campaign's visuals and physics might come close to what you'll get with the MP. Based on the videos we've seen of both MoH and Bad Company 2 (which uses Frostbite), however, there's no reason to think that will be the case. It could also mean a full-on redundancy of assets between the SP and the MP, which would make the installation huge compared to similar games.

* Note that the source cited above is Johan Andersson, a graphics "Rendering Architect" at DICE.

I really hate that news like this is disseminated through Twitter. It's a suboptimal medium to say the least.

The day's compendium of ME2 news

Mass Effect 2 hits the street tomorrow in the US, while the EU release falls on January 29. The Australian market is expected to have the game by the 28th, but that date has yet to be confirmed.

Those gaming media outlets that were important enough to receive pre-release review copies of the game have been gushing over it. Neither the PC nor the Xbox versions have received a meta-modified review score of less than 90 among the handful of available reviews that Metacritic tracks. The console metascore - a weighted average of six reviews - stands at a whopping 96 ("universal acclaim"). Thus far, it seems BioWare's efforts to "critic-proof" its baby have paid-off.

The news isn't entirely positive, however. BraveNewGamer has a list of 5 Things That Suck About Mass Effect 2, which amounts to one man's index of minor annoyances. Fear not: there are no deal-breakers here.

Finally, if you don't have those saves you were instructed to keep from the first ME, don't worry about that either. Penny Arcade contacted a Community Coordinator or some such person at BioWare, who advised "that they had fully accounted for this. When creating a new character, you can go down a list of key decisions and set them manually." Nice.

I'm pre-loading the game right now, but don't expect a "first impressions" review until the end of next week.

L4D2 tourney results

I T ( ) E - U N I T E D - N A T I O N

January 24, 2010                                                                    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TEAM PLUCKY VICTORIOUS!

With a final record of three wins and zero losses, TEAM PLUCKY dominated the competition to emerge as the undisputed winner of the IUN Left 4 Dead 2 tournament.

Attention shoppers: your ass is kicked.

As IT( )E's inaugural L4D2 tournament came to a close, all participants were still reeling from the uncharacteristic competence of Team Plucky's captain, the Pasty Prince of Pain. While he usually spends most of any given round on his back, covered in puke and goo, the Pluckster finally rose to the occasion, turning in three MVP performances to lead his team to victory.

Team Plucky had sobriety on its side, beginning its triumphant march by blowing the doors off Team Imperfect on Hard Rain. Plucky set the tone early, spawning as a smoker inside the Burger Tank. He picked up two guitars, and used them to fight off three survivors while he choked the fourth to death with his tongue.

After an impressive win over Team Sack in round one, Team Thong looked to be the dark horse of the tournament. But in round two, they folded against Triple-P's one man murder machine in Dead Center. Despite solid infected play from the Potent Panties, they withered as the survivors, falling victim to the Pluckinator's jockeys. Sitting on face after face, none could withstand the onslaught of his mini-manhood. Team Thong conceded the finale honorably, exchanging shotgun blasts to the face in the safe room.

Finally, Team Plucky met Team Sack in the consolation round. Team Sack was cradled, massaged, and finally molested, earning Team Plucky its third and ultimate victory.

The epic play of the tourney, however, belonged to a non-IT( )E member. Team Thong's Maugchief was unavailable for the first round due to injury (sprained fallopian tube), so the squad picked up "Jesus on t" from the pub circuit at the last minute.  The Son of God descended to smite the enemies of the Thong, charging both Stinky Sack and Lonewolf off the top of the sugar mill - to their immediate deaths - in a single life. All who witnessed the event were in awe, and Karnage openly wept.

All hail the victors.

TEAM PLUCKY                             
 IT( )E Plucky                              
 IT( )E Frisky Wabbit                    
 IT( )E Bizzy Bone                       
 IT( )E Moto'freak

TEAM THONG
 IT( )E Miss Wabbit
 IT( )E Mr. Smiles
 IT( )E Maugchief
 IT( )E Messiah Complex
 Jesus on t

TEAM SACK
 IT( )E Stinky Sack
 IT( )E Karnage
 IT( )E Slam
 IT( )E Lonewolf

TEAM IMPERFECT
 IT( )E Imperfect
 IT( )E AndyBal5
 IT( )E Cybermage
 IT( )E Blake Ice