Monday, February 18, 2013

News::Weekly CryEngine 3 Gallery [February 10th - 16th]

DSOGaming writes: "CryEngine 3 modders have outdone themselves this week. The highlight of this week is the space shots from modder Tiesto, as well as the nature screenshots from chicken and walid-payne"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175405/weekly-cryengine-3-gallery-february-10th-16th

News::Tomb Raider hands-on preview [BeefJack]

Tomb Raider seems to be a story of one person hardened by a harrowing experience, yet all the rat-tat-tat of gunfire keeps screaming over it. Perhaps it will lean on the extremes a little too far at times, but there are also moments where Crystal Dynamics latest vision of Lara has captured fear, torment and a small dash of hope to chilling effect.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175889/tomb-raider-hands-on-preview-beefjack

News::1UP - Routine Delves into the Horrifying Nature of Space

1UP - An upcoming take on sci-fi horror inspired by all of my favorite things.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175973/1up-routine-delves-into-the-horrifying-nature-of-space

News::An interview with Dead Space 3 composer James Hannigan

James Hannigan has worked on a number of projects, including Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 3. He chats to BeefJack about moving onto Dead Space 3, and writng music for games in general.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175883/an-interview-with-dead-space-3-composer-james-hannigan

News::Weekly UDK Gallery [February 10th - 16th]

DSOGaming writes: "As you may have noticed, last week we did not post any UDK gallery and the reason was simple; contrary to CryEngine 3s modders, the artists that are experimenting with Epics engine are not updating constantly their projects. And since we did not have enough shots to share, we decided to keep them for this weeks gallery. Therefore, today we bring you new shots from the works of 3D artists Amatobahn, Lyaksandr, Ryswick, David-J, theonewhoknocks, KartoonHead, danpaz3d, penE, AkiRa and J0NNYquid. Enjoy!"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175388/weekly-udk-gallery-february-10th-16th

News::NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan With GK110 GPU Unleashed Decimates All Single Chip GPUs

NVIDIA today finally unleashes after a long wait their GeForce GTX Titan which is based on the highly efficient and powerful GeForce Kepler architecture. The GeForce GTX Titan with its GK110 core delivers amazing GPU performance and a massive 6 GB memory for users to run higher resolution 3D Stereoscopic and 3D Vision setups.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175874/nvidia-geforce-gtx-titan-with-gk110-gpu-unleashed-decimates-all-single-chip-gpus

News::Antichamber Review | Telegraph

Telegraph: "Antichamber is a unique and rewarding puzzle adventure."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175965/antichamber-review-telegraph

News::Crysis 3 Review | GameReactor Danmark

Crytek puts all the stops with the third Crysis game that blends the best elements of its predecessor with success.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175955/crysis-3-review-gamereactor-danmark

News::Aliens: Colonial Marines Review | GIZORAMA

GIZORAMA - Its no secret that most licensed games live in a world somewhere between mediocre and terrible, and much of that can be attributed to rushed development times, C-list developers, and shallow source material. But take a revered film series with a rich and ever-growing fiction, fan-favorite developer hot off the delivery of a well-received game, and a lengthy development cycle, and you might just have the ingredients for a great game. Aliens: Colonial Marines has all of those elements, but none of that matters if it cant live up to its hype.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175961/aliens-colonial-marines-review-gizorama

News::Capcom's Remember Me - Hands-On With Cyberpunk's Arkham Asylum | OXM

Edwin Evans-Thirlwell: ''Amnesiac leads are as plentiful as hydrogen atoms in videogames, but it's rare we bump into one who's still in the process of losing her marbles. When the curtain goes up on Remember Me star Nilin - a strapping, nimble lass with exciting polychrome hair - she's rolling around on the floor of a whitewashed post-modern Bastille, screaming in agony as her very identity gushes out of a holographic valve at the back of her head in a swirl of butchered jpegs.''



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175964/capcoms-remember-me-hands-on-with-cyberpunks-arkham-asylum-oxm

News::UK Charts - Aliens: Colonial Marines Enters in First Place

GodisaGeek: "Thats right: 1st! Bet you didnt see that one coming. EA continue to enjoy the seemingly permanent spot inside the top 10 with FIFA 13, Dead Space 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Ubisoft arent doing too badly either, as Far Cry 3 seems to still be selling enough to stay reasonably high up in the charts."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175683/uk-charts-aliens-colonial-marines-enters-in-first-place

News::Aliens: Colonial Marines Review [Gamer Euphoria]

Gamer Euphoria staff member Sean writes: ''Aliens: Colonial Marines is an odd beast. Its a game that tries so hard to mimic the look and feel of the 1986 classic film, but at the same time it seems to go out of its way to disregard it. Sold as a sequel (apparently Fox approved) Aliens: Colonial Marines picks up directly after the events which occurred during Aliens. Players take up the role of a marine named Christopher Winter who is part of a team tasked with responding to a distress call sent out by Corporal Hicks.''



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175866/aliens-colonial-marines-review-gamer-euphoria

News::Can Video Games Affect Children Negatively?

Games have changed dramatically from where they were more than two decades ago. What were once small, 8-bit characters on our SNES or Genesis have now become a façade of real flesh on our screens. Its an incredible triumph for the industry, but with all this realism, how safe is it for children to play violent video games? Is it credible to say that children may be slightly affected by what they see in video games? Could they be influenced by what they see in this media form to act violently upon others? Watch the video above and let me know!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175869/can-video-games-affect-children-negatively

News::Day Z Standalone - New Screenshots

Dean "Rocket" Hall and the rest of the crew at Bohemia Interactive decided to share a few screenshots showing off the face models and the different ethnicities in DayZ and some images of the new map.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175914/day-z-standalone-new-screenshots

News::The Cave Review [Just Press Start]

Ian of Just Press Start writes: "Having repeatedly plundered the depths of Ron Gilberts The Cave I have come to accept its message that desire can be a dangerous thing. Not through the actions and fates of its seven protagonists though their tales certainly present this theme in darker, more interesting ways than one initially expects but from how my excitement eroded into disappointment with each (damn near mandatory) additional playthrough."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175896/the-cave-review-just-press-start

News::Destiny concept art: everything in one place

News::BioShock Infinite preview: Hooked in the floating city of Columbia - Ninemsn

Ninemsn: After playing the first four hours of BioShock Infinite last week, I want to roam around a 1912 American fair. The vibrant setting and upbeat soundtrack took me back to a time in which I'd never been, and yet, emitted a nostalgic vibe. Of course, it wasn't long before all hell broke loose and everyone starting shooting at me with murderous rage, but the tranquillity was nice while it lasted.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175599/bioshock-infinite-preview-hooked-in-the-floating-city-of-columbia-ninemsn

News::Aliens: Colonial Marines Review | Splitkick.com

Splitkick: Dont buy Aliens: Colonial Marines. Its bad and boring. Perhaps a victim of licensing or maybe problems between the four different developers that touched it, Aliens: Colonial Marines isnt a game worth your money or time. Its junk, through and through.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175819/aliens-colonial-marines-review-splitkick-com

News::Cross-gen: why the industry must bridge the next generation gap


Destiny will arrive on 360, PS3 and “future console platforms”, we learned yesterday. Bungie’s next blockbuster is a cross-generation game, then. And it certainly won’t be last.


Combined, PS3 and 360 represent a user base of over 140 million. For thirdparties like Destiny publisher Activision, drawing a line under that colossal marketplace and starting again simply doesn’t make business sense. Sony and Microsoft’s next boxes will inevitably attract millions of early adopters, but they will represent a fraction of the current-gen player base for years to come. Unless developers and publishers are heavily incentivised by platform holders to make their titles exclusive to next-gen, it seems unlikely they’ll do so. Instead, we’ll see the next era of blockbuster videogames span the generations.


“I would not expect any launch titles to be exclusive to the new platforms,” says senior analyst at 
Brean Capital Todd Mitchell. “Developers have had dev-kits for the new consoles for over a year now. Usually they run a parallel development process to current-gen. I would expect the next-gen consoles to enable certain multiplayer, community or connected features not available on current-gen.”


One option open to developers making cross-gen games is to build a cutting-edge next-gen title and scaling it down for release on current-gen tech. It’s something Crytek has been doing for years, says the studio’s senior field applications engineer Sean Tracy.



Crytek says that its game engine allows developers to create high-end next-gen games and then scale them back for a current-gen release.



“We at Crytek strive to push the boundaries of visuals and gameplay on all platforms we develop our games for,” he tells us. “Leveraging the power of the CryEngine allows us at Crytek to develop a game with the highest fidelity and then export the game and its content to other, more hardware restricted, platforms.”


“Our ultimate goal is to have a single interface where we only need to build the game once and not recreate it for individual platforms. This is one of many things that makes CryEngine so attractive to developers as it saves them time and increases the overall quality of their games. I can’t speak of course for all our developers but this is what we encourage, as working on the highest spec and then creatively solving how to achieve these high-end effects on less powerful hardware is what the CryEngine, simply put, is best at.“


As Epic Games also noted recently, this kind of flexibility will be increasingly important for studios as we transition to next-gen. As well as potentially releasing two versions of the same game – one cutting edge, one current-gen – always-on game services will help studios claw back revenue from its investment in new platforms. Next-gen exclusive DLC and other platform-specific features will take advantage of the new technology in a way that current-gen can’t – they’ll also increasingly tempt game players into upgrading to the more powerful box.


Continue >>


The post Cross-gen: why the industry must bridge the next generation gap appeared first on Edge Online.






via Edge Online http://www.edge-online.com/features/cross-gen-why-the-industry-must-bridge-the-next-generation-gap/

News::GameReverb: 2/15 Shame On Gearbox With The Release of Aliens Colonial Marine

In this weeks episode of GameReverb we jump head fist into the recently released Aliens: Colonial Marines from Gearbox. After spending hours of what seemed like endless torture and a huge disappointment, weve come together in this latest episode to discuss the many shortcomings of this unfairly priced shooter Developer Gearbox receives some serious verbal bodyshots from our team of gaming gurus.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175553/gamereverb-2-15-shame-on-gearbox-with-the-release-of-aliens-colonial-marine

News::Pixelated Radio #49: Dead Space 3, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Fire Emblem Awakening, and more

In this week's episode, the guys talk about Dead Space 3, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Fire Emblem Awakening, Poker Knight, Crysis, Dragon's Dogma, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Little Acorns Deluxe, Super Santa Slayer, some news, and plenty more.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175535/pixelated-radio-49-dead-space-3-aliens-colonial-marines-fire-emblem-awakening-and-more

News::Project C.A.R.S Weekly Collection Of The Best Screenshots

Another week, another collection of high quality Project C.A.R.S community screenshots. All shots show purely in-game footage.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175715/project-c-a-r-s-weekly-collection-of-the-best-screenshots

News::Weekly Top 10 PC Charts; UK PC Retail and Steam Digital Charts [February 10th - 16th]

DSOGaming writes: "The latest Top 10 PC charts have been revealed and as we can see, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Dragonborn and Aliens: Colonial Marines are the best selling titles on Steams digital and UKs retail PC charts."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175807/weekly-top-10-pc-charts-uk-pc-retail-and-steam-digital-charts-february-10th-16th

News::N4G Radio 2/18/2013

A week of revelations and anticipations the way only the N4G Radio boys can deliver. Hosts:Ken McKown Jason Gambrel Drew Leachman Dave Payerle Games Covered:Aliens: Colonial Marines Antichamber Hitman HD Collection Omerta: City of Gangsters Generation of Chaos Alien Breed Trilogy And more



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175838/n4g-radio-2-18-2013

News::Details To Come On An Unannounced Eidos Montreal Project?

It looks like Eidos Montreal have an unnamed project hiding in the works. The LinkedIn profiles of two developers



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175686/details-to-come-on-an-unannounced-eidos-montreal-project

News::Gearbox hands out Aliens: Colonial Marines codes for free in-game emblems

Gearbox Software has released codes for their recent title, Aliens: Colonial Marines that player may enter in the games main menu to redeem for an in-game Gearbox Software-themed character emblem to use inside the game. Aliens: Colonial Marines will use codes such as this from time to time in the exact same manner that Gearbox Software creates codes for use in their other recent release, Borderlands 2. Each system that Aliens: Colonial Marines was released on has its own unique code to enter. From the front menu of the game, players need only to enter the appropriate code below for their respective system into the game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175571/gearbox-hands-out-aliens-colonial-marines-codes-for-free-in-game-emblems

News::'Sly Cooper', 'Black Ops II', Xbox LIVE Gold discounts matched by Amazon

XMNR: Various Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 titles such as "Call of Duty: Black Ops II", "Halo 4" and "Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time", the 12-month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription and more went out on sale Sunday at retailers like Best Buy and Target. Amazon quickly matched those prices with discounts of its own.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175532/sly-cooper-black-ops-ii-xbox-live-gold-discounts-matched-by-amazon

News::Amazon Winter Video Game Deals Update: More Games, Accessory Deals Added

Gamerdeals.net: "This morning, Amazon updated their Winter Deals selections! The sale is featuring video game deals on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS Vita, PC, DS, and 3DS. Sale categories include deal on Xbox 360 accessories including the Xbox 360 wireless controller and Kinect Sensor. Deals on Skylanders Giants and the Spyro's Adventure Starter packs can be found as well..."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175395/amazon-winter-video-game-deals-update-more-games-accessory-deals-added

News::Steam Games Dungeons And Two Worlds II In Cheap Be Mine Bundle

Gamesta.com gets yet more indie deals. As always, Groupees has dirtcheap games of great quality with their Be Mine anniversary. Steam keys for games like Two Worlds II and Dungeons: The Dark Lord are just some of the deals for as little as $5.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175367/steam-games-dungeons-and-two-worlds-ii-in-cheap-be-mine-bundle

News::Metal Gear Rising: Revegeance Raidens Sword Flash Drive Now Available

The parade of merchandise designed to support the upcoming launch of Metal Gear Rising: Revegeance has begun, with the arrival of the Metal Gear Rising: Revegeance Raidens Sword Flash Drive. Available to purchase from today, the Metal Gear Rising: Revegeance Raidens Sword Flash Drive is certain to become a highly sought after collectable.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175696/metal-gear-rising-revegeance-raidens-sword-flash-drive-now-available

News::'Aliens: Colonial Marines' has biggest launch of 2013 in UK

Sega and Gearbox Software's Aliens: Colonial Marines landed at the number one spot of the UK all formats chart in its debut week, beating out major players like Dead Space 3 and FIFA 13.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175762/aliens-colonial-marines-has-biggest-launch-of-2013-in-uk

News::Assassin's Creed III Review | Splitkick.com

Splitkick: I didnt see this coming, but I should have known it was inevitable. You always stood apart from the crowd, Assassin. You tried to blend in with the other triple A releases, but your golden shimmer showed through a sea of iron-sight shooters. You offered a different experience. Some say you were repetitive, and doubted your ability to perform once a year, but the annual release of a new Assassins Creed was a happy holiday for me. But now I lay here, broken, at your feet. Youve stabbed me in the back, Assassins Creed 3. Youve killed me, but you cannot silence the truth. Ill lecture you one last time.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175777/assassins-creed-iii-review-splitkick-com

News::Vault Play: Binary Domain

Splitkick: Binary Domain is easy to write off, but its story makes a playthrough worthwhile and changes in standard cover-based combat combined with huge boss battles certainly keep it from being stale. It wont make you question violent video games like Spec Ops: The Line, but Binary Domain isnt the slouch that it appears to be. If you find it on sale, give it a shot.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175778/vault-play-binary-domain

News::Visceral's unannounced title is studio's 'fastest greenlit' and 'most desired' project

An unannounced title currently in the works at Visceral Games is the studio's "fastest greenlit" and "most desirable" project, according to comments made by an EA director.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175766/viscerals-unannounced-title-is-studios-fastest-greenlit-and-most-desired-project

News::Interview with Artizens Designer, Charles Amis

GDiNews:"Not too long ago, I posted up an article about a game called Artizens currently up on Kickstarter; a platforming game project with a huge emphasis on personalizing your characters through a powerful customization system. I was impressed, and in my efforts to find out more, I was fortunate enough to land an interview with Charles Amis, co-founder and game designer for Artizens, Inc. Heres what he had to say about the game, the team, and what we have to look forward to from Artizens"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175431/interview-with-artizens-designer-charles-amis

News::Aliens: Colonial Marines Review | HAL

Ross Hartley: "Aliens: Colonial Marines is a bad first-person shooter, no doubt about it. It's unsatisfying combat, the lack of variety and overall ugliness adds up to make a game that most people would be better of avoiding like the plague. Some Aliens fans will enjoy certain aspects about the game though, whether it's the Pulse Rifle or the environments and they might feel compelled to give the game a shot at some point. Even though they might have moments of entertainment, they will still be bitterly disappointed when all is said and done."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175477/aliens-colonial-marines-review-hal

News::Gamersaurs - The Independence Movement Crosses The Bridge from Reality to Awesome

Check out this pre-release article from Gamersaurs writer D.I Jolly on The Bridge.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175377/gamersaurs-the-independence-movement-crosses-the-bridge-from-reality-to-awesome

News::Gertlushgaming Presents Our Cognition Episode Two Review

When someone close to Erica is kidnapped by the Wise Monkey, a serial killer fixated on the gruesome mutilation of her victims, Erica is in a race against time to save his life. With the Wise Monkey case in her hands and the FBIs resources already stretched thin, shes on her own to find the killer before its too late again.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175375/gertlushgaming-presents-our-cognition-episode-two-review

News::The Dirtsheet PlayStation 4 Controller, Aliens: Colonial Marines

GodisaGeek: "In an episode that focuses on cold hard facts, a few images of a prototype PlayStation 4 controller popped up online, and Aliens: Colonial Marines released to very little fanfare very, very little fanfare."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175344/the-dirtsheet-playstation-4-controller-aliens-colonial-marines

News::10 Dead Space 3 Things You Most Likely Missed

So you finished Dead Space 3, however, I am willing to bet, (cold-hard-not-my-own-cash), that you miss out on some cool details that developer Visceral Games scattered throughout the horrific adventure.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175317/10-dead-space-3-things-you-most-likely-missed

News::Grid 2 hands-on preview videos - Team VVV

VVV: "Last week, Team VVV were invited to Codemasters HQ to give the latest build of Grid 2 a spin around the three newly-announced tracks. As always, Alan was on-hand to film his findings and divulge his impressions. Here's a handy round-up of our Grid 2 hands-on preview coverage for your viewing pleasure where we test a variety of cars on each new track and talk to the developers to find out more."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175266/grid-2-hands-on-preview-videos-team-vvv

News::Obsidian On Project Eternity, Kickstarters Future

RPS:Kickstarter has been quite kind to Obsidian. Once upon a time, Lets make a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, but with no recognizable license and a truckload of old-school trappings wouldve only gotten them as far as the giant-red-button activated trap door I imagine every major publisher secretly has in their meeting room. But now the band of Black Isle castaways is back on the map after some nasty post-Fallout layoffs and sailing quite smoothly. In recent times, however, Kickstarters started to get a bit cranky. High-profile washouts are piling up Wildman the most visible among them and the gold in them thar hills seems to be losing its sheen. So then, is it time to book it back to publishers? For his part, Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart thinks its all about balance. These are enjoyable games to make, he told RPS. I think it would be great to keep on making them. It helps us build a brand. So thats where its transformative. Its going to change our busi...



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175205/obsidian-on-project-eternity-kickstarters-future

News::Aliens: Colonial Marines - Someone At Gearbox Has A Donut Fetish

PGN - Besides looking around for iconic Alien's moments from the film, if you looked closely you'll notice that there are tons of donuts lying around in random parts of the game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175493/aliens-colonial-marines-someone-at-gearbox-has-a-donut-fetish

News::My List of Standout Video Game Music

GXC: "Music is an art form that anyone can relate to. It is accessible from nearly any facet of media; from radio to movies, to television shows, and now even video games. Since gaming back on the Sega Genesis I have heard some of the most magnificent video game music over the years. Here's a list of my favorite songs from video games."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175574/my-list-of-standout-video-game-music

News::Aliens Colonial Marines "2.0": Better graphics with Shadermod, SweetFX, SGSSAA and Ambient Occlusion

The pc version of Aliens Colonial Marines doesn't look too good. This is especially weird as previous footage of the game looked a lot better. You can restore at least some of the eye candy by using a shader mod, SweetFX, super sample anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175710/aliens-colonial-marines-2-0-better-graphics-with-shadermod-sweetfx-sgssaa-and-ambient-occlusion

News::Construct 2 | Geekenstein Review

"To be honest, Construct 2 isnt a bad game-making tool. Its just too simple and restricted for anyone other than a 12-year-old trying to impress their playground friends with a game he threw together in a matter of minutes. If you're looking for a truly simple game maker with all the bells and whistles of the big boys, just stick to GameMaker." - Dustin Triplett of Geekenstein.com



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175621/construct-2-geekenstein-review

News::Reasons I'm glad the Mayans were wrong

For some reason, the doomsday theory of late last year really had a lot of people on edge. I am sure there were people out there that didn't even get holiday presents, bastards, because they thought the Mayans circular calendar predicted the end of the world. Well looking at the games we have to be excited for in 2013; I for one am glad the end wasn't upon us. Heres a couple titles scheduled for 2013 that you should keep an eye out for!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175713/reasons-im-glad-the-mayans-were-wrong

News::El33tonline Feature: Worldwide game releases for week of February 18th

El33tonline: "Maximum excitement Weve got a double bill of triple-A excitement this week as two games of enormous quality and potential break out into the world over the next few days, flanked by a very interesting slate of digital releases with downloadable add-on content, at least one demo and new platform for Capcom nostalgia make their way online. What new games and content can we look forward to releasing this week, and in the near future? Lets discover excitement together."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1175687/el33tonline-feature-worldwide-game-releases-for-week-of-february-18th

News::EA and Zynga settle The Ville legal dispute out of court


Electronic Arts and Zynga have settled their dispute over The Sims Social and The Ville out of court, the terms of the settlement undisclosed.


EA filed a suit against the social games giant last August, citing the similarities between Zynga’s The Ville and its own The Sims Social and calling the game an “unmistakeable copy”. Zynga fought back in September, calling EA’s argument a “baseless sham”


Today, both companies issued a joint statement: “EA and Zynga have resolved their respective claims and have reached a settlement of their litigation in the Northern District of California”.


It’s a disappointing conclusion to what was touted as a principled case against Zynga’s business practices, widely viewed by the industry as unethical.


“Maxis isn’t the first studio to claim that Zynga copied its creative product,” wrote a righteous Lucy Bradshaw, Maxis’ general manager, on EA’s The Beat blog at the time. “But we are the studio that has the financial and corporate resources to stand up and do something about it.


“By calling Zynga out on this illegal practice, we hope to have a secondary effect of protecting the rights of other creative studios who don’t have the resources to protect themselves… Today, we hope to be taking a stand that helps the industry protect the value of original creative works and those that work tirelessly to create them.”


By settling out of court, EA has discarded this crusade and abandoned the independent developers it claimed it sought to protect by launching the legal action. Clearly, the value of that victory was outweighed by the compensation it was offered.


We’ve contacted Maxis and EA for comment.


The post EA and Zynga settle The Ville legal dispute out of court appeared first on Edge Online.






via Edge Online http://www.edge-online.com/news/ea-and-zynga-settle-the-ville-legal-dispute-out-of-court/

News::Japan price cut for PlayStation Vita, Europe and US to follow?


Sony will cut the price of Vita on February 28 in Japan, the company has announced. The under-performing handheld will drop from ¥24,980 (£174 / $269) to ¥19,980 (£139 / $215).


Earlier this month, Sony revised its sales forecast for the console from 16 million units – which it predicted last May – to seven million units by March 31 this year.


A new colour, Ice Silver, will become available on the same day as the price cut, and will come bundled with Phantasy Star Online 2.


Sony won’t be drawn on whether price cuts will spread to other regions, but with the console’s relatively poor sales it seems inevitable. A price cut alone won’t be enough to make the hardware attractive, however, and Sony will have to ensure more games make it to market – especially as it gears up to announce the next generation PlayStation this week.


The post Japan price cut for PlayStation Vita, Europe and US to follow? appeared first on Edge Online.






via Edge Online http://www.edge-online.com/news/japan-price-cut-for-playstation-vita-europe-and-us-to-follow/