What do StarCraft 2 and 2010 Have in Common?
By Steve Burke
Blizzard gives gamers the cold shoulder again as it pushes StarCraft 2 to 2010. Defending that Battle.net is not properly implemented, Blizzard states, "we'll also continue to polish and refine StarCraft II, and we look forward to delivering a real-time strategy gaming experience worth of the series' legacy in the first half of 2010." Many people agree with this policy of pushing games back to perfect them, however I think something is up their sleeve. Other companies simply do not announce their game as early as Blizzard, so they don't need a pretend release date and policy. Blizzard hypes up the release as much as possible, building anticipation, until at the last second, *flip*, the light goes out.
Read the official PR press release below:
Move over Mario, there's a new kid on the block.
EA Promises Stronger Release for Brütal Legend
By Steve Burke
EA Games CEO John Riccitello fights back säd memöries of the poor release of both Mirror's Edge and Dead Space last year, stating that they didn't do as well as they should have because EA "put these games right on top of some very strong competitive launches." QQ, EA, yes, other people make games, too. EA went further, "they just didn't meet the expectations we had in fiscal '09." Electronic Arts is "less than pleased" with marketing methods used to promote the games, saying the it is not something they plan to repeat this year. They plan to promote Brütal Legend (that is annoying to type) by asking fans to pose in acts of lust with Jack Black.
Contributor Tiberius has donated another great review to GN! He took an in-depth look at Aion Online, NC Soft's new MMORPG, and told us about his experience. Interested in hearing more about Aion? Click here. 
Soul theft, although a common side effect of playing MMOs, was not enough to deter me from trying out Aion Online. So many ads, so much hype - but is Aion really what it is amped up to be? At first glance, Aion seems like an advanced version of Ragnarok Online, well, before they started making everyone pay to play. The game is built around two stereotypical races vying for control of the land.
The races are not unknown to us though, and the battle bears striking resemblance to a classic Angels versus Demons match off, fighting over what would be earth. The Angels, otherwise known as the Eylos, and the Demons, or the Asmodians, each have the same four classes with female and male counterparts.
Nolan Bushnell, famed father of electronic games, has announced his glorious return into an industry that desperately needs a new idea, and who better to bring one? Bushnell invented the arcade token-system as we know it through his Chuck E Cheese business, founded the gaming industry through his hit Pong, and now looks to leave us dumbfounded once again with an FPS/RTS combo game, available for free this year.
Battleswarm: Field of Honor, a "mashup between StarCraft and Starship Troopers," hopes to bring the industry a new genre entirely. Players will be able to switch between FPS and RTS mode, either commanding units from birds-eye, or taking control of a unit to blast away the scummy aliens. While in FPS mode, you play as a "human soldier out to destroy alien bugs," and while in RTS, the player will "control [their] bugs, such as swarming, move them around on the terrain to take on humans."
Asteroids, galactic destroys of intergalactic peace, have once again returned. Just like in Asteroids (the game), Nicholas Cage, Megan Fox, Sean Connery, and Megan Fox have been called forth to man an A-shaped ship into the orbits. What will be left of earth if they fail? Better yet, how did they manage to do donuts in that ship? You'll see what I mean. Credit to the team at Bad Joystick.
Oh, and sorry about the first 30 seconds or so - it gets better, promise.
Someone please teach me how to do donuts in an A?!
GN Original Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Breakdown
By Steve BurkeAfter seeing the multiplayer teaser for Modern Warfare 2, GN took a closer look at all of the elements in the trailer, then analyzed them for your drooling! So get pumped for the new factions, weapons, and achievements that we have unveiled!
You can read some of our notes from the video below, just in case that wasn't enough:
Core Elements
"Be the gunner of an AC130" - Players are able to actually aim their kill streak bonus
Unlock the AC130 by achieving an 11 kill streak
Play as the rangers, marines (?), opposing forces, or... the soviets?!
At 0:25, there is a chopper in the background that is undamaged. Is it possible to fly these?
At 0:35, the mini-map/radar is fuzzed out. Possibly a new radar jammer?
At 0:36, it is apparent that some new guns have functional radars attached.
An AT4 rocket lawn chair has been added, with the ability to lock-on to vehicles (0:39)
Immediately after this, the Helicopter/Gun Ship releases flares to negate the missile.
At 0:47, it is obvious that a player in the server is in a helicopter or plane
-this vehicle has thermal vision and two different weapons.
Semtex plastic explosives added (1:17)
UI upgrades
A compass has been added to the bottom right corner
In the bottom right, next to the radar, you can see which kill streak items you have - UAVs, Air Strikes, etc.
Achievements unlocked while in the game now have a description of what that achievement was for while in game.
The bottom left now cycles through winning/losing and game mode
Achievements
Buzzkill has been added. "Stopped enemy short of a killstreak. (+100)"
As seen with our buddy FOURZEROTWO (the IW blogger), Stuck "You stuck an enemy with Semtex!"
Payback! "You've taken revenge (+200)"
Infinity Ward teased eagerly awaiting fans a few days ago with the first Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer preview. Take a look into the new Kill Streak Loadout screen. Don't forget to watch the entire video, the last few seconds jest with sticky grenades.
More...
We moderate comments on a ~24~48 hour cycle. There will be some delay after submitting a comment.
Advertisement:
