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Gaming legend Sid Meier auctions his SNES kit for charity (update: not him)
Want a rare piece of video gaming history? We hope you're a quick-draw bidder. Legendary game developer Sid Meier is holding a charity auction for a Super NES developer kit (which is hard to find by itself) used during his MicroProse days. Yes, there's a real chance that you could be using a system that helped build an early console version of Civilization. Don't think that you can just take on some credit card debt to get that nostalgia kick, though. Meier is only selling the kit to trustworthy eBay users with verified PayPal accounts, and bidding starts at $5,999 -- it's worthwhile if you want to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, but you're paying for a lot more than someone's second-hand console. Update 5/7: 2K tells us that it's not Meier selling this system. That doesn't mean this is bogus gear, but it certainly loses some of its luster.
'Retroism' heralds return of gaming classics from MicroProse, Accolade and others
Do you like video games? Have you been playing them for, like, 30 years? Well good news: that gum you like is going to come back in style! Okay, okay, we're just really excited that Twin Peaks is getting a third season. But also, classic games from the likes of MicroProse, Accolade and Infogrames are being brought back to life care of Tommo and Night Dive Studios under the name "Retroism." Starting today, Retroism is bringing back games from that trio of studios and "other iconic publishers," and the initiative kicks off with Sid Meier's Colonization, Pirates! Gold Plus and Covert Action.
Girl Fight hits XBLA this month
Girl Fight will finally fill the void of games featuring scantily-clad women beating each other up when it comes to Xbox Live Arcade on September 25. Majesco first announced the 3D fighter with a to-the-point press release back in February 2012. Developed by Kung Fu Factory, Girl Fight features local and online multiplayer for two combatants, and online leaderboards, too. It's also coming to PSN sometime this fall.
Special Forces: Team X getting price drop after going on sale on Steam
Special Forces: Team X, the third-person shooter from Blacklight: Retribution developer Zombie Studios, is taking its price down to $5 on Steam from May 6 at 10 a.m. PT, through May 13. After the sale, Special Forces: Team X will get a permanent price drop to $10, forever and ever, or until Zombie Studios, publishers Atari and/or Microprose decide to change that number again. Before 10 a.m. PT today, Special Forces: Team X costs $15. Special Forces: Team X is a cel-shaded, cover-based shooter with more than 100 possible map combinations and five multiplayer modes. When it first hit Steam in February, the game had a bug that could randomly reset character XP, but that issue has been resolved via a series of patches, Microprose says in a press release. A Title Update for the XBLA version is in testing now. "We are hoping that this price drop will bring players into the game that may have been scared away by the initial launch problems," the press release reads.
X-COM could've had bunny monsters, Chryssalid was a happy accident
X-COM's cast of alien characters could have looked vastly different. During a postmortem at GDC, X-COM creator Julian Gollop showed some of the alien design mock-ups that were created by one of the game's artists, John Reitze. "This is the visual piece de la resistance of my entire presentation, because it is the only surviving concept work from the whole game," said Gollop. Many of the aliens are variations on the familiar X-COM enemies we all know today. There are different takes on Sectoids and Ethereals, for example. And then there's the giant bunny monster, which you can see in the first row of the image above. Probably for the best that one didn't make the cut. Another interesting tidbit is that Chryssalids, one of the toughest enemies in X-COM, was something of an accident. "You'll notice that the Chrysallid is right next to the zombie character," said Gollop (third row, far left). "John didn't really imagine them to be connected in any way, but I very quickly had this idea that a Chryssalid would infect your soldiers, and this would turn them into zombies, which would then sprout new Chryssalids, and probably created the most annoying monster in the entire game." We're not sure "annoying" is really the right word – we'd probably go with "terrifying." During the same panel, Gollop also revealed that X-COM was briefly canceled in 1993, when publisher Microprose was acquired by Spectrum Holobyte. See a larger version of the menagerie in the gallery below.%Gallery-184409%
Special Forces: Team X is next game from Blacklight dev
Blacklight: Retribution developer Zombie Studios is bringing players back to war this fall with Special Forces: Team X. Currently only confirmed for PC, the downloadable game features a cel-shaded art style akin to Ubisoft's XIII, along with a "dynamic tile map system," allowing for battlefields to be generated in "over 100" combinations based on player votes.Though the reveal trailer for the game hides some of the more gruesome action with censor bars, the game itself won't shield fragile stomachs from such unrelenting action.As well as standard gametypes like team deathmatch, capture point, and capture the flag, Special Forces: Team X will include high value target and hot zone modes. Other hot-button requests for any new shooter seem to be included as well, including dedicated servers, detailed player customization, and authentic weaponry. Also, blood. Zombie tells Joystiq that PAX attendees will get a chance to see Special Forces: Team X at next week's event, though it won't be playable.%Gallery-162946%
Original X-COM games bundled for $5 on Steam today
Finding yourself with an undeniable pang of nostalgia now that Firaxis is working on a new XCOM strategy title? Maybe you've never heard of X-COM before and want to see what all the fuss is about? Perhaps you're confused because the original games were called "X-COM" and the new ones are called "XCOM"? Steam has you covered on the first two fronts, at least. Today only, the download service is offering all five of the original X-COM titles for a paltry $5.09. Alternately, if you're really trying to forget X-COM: Enforcer, you can pick up individual titles at $1.69 a pop.
GOG updates site, gives away 1994's Dragonsphere
GOG.com has delivered two much-awaited site updates to their online game store. First, the team has developed a special downloader app, now available for Windows, that will optionally take care of your various GOG.com games downloads, running things like error checks easily and automatically. And there's also a new messaging system on the site, allowing users to chat and message each other about games and other topics. Both new features are optional, but GOG says they're meant to fill out the online experience. And to celebrate the big update, GOG (a.k.a. Good Old Games) is also giving away a title for free, MicroProse's point-and-click graphical adventure Dragonsphere, from all the way back in 1994. The game hasn't aged all that well (you young whippersnappers probably won't remember a time when all we had were 256 colors and fewer pixels than an iPhone), but if you're in the mood for a trip to retroland, the price is right.
Freedom Force and X-COM bundles $2 on Steam this weekend
Throughout the weekend, Steam is offering two special packages that include all games in the Freedom Force and X-COM franchises for the insanely low price of $2 for each bundle. That's right, kids! For a two-spot you could pick up a bundle with Freedom Force and Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich or an X-COM collection which includes Apocalypse, Enforcer, Interceptor, Terror from the Deep, and UFO Defense. That's a lot of game for some pocket change, so get on it. Shortcut - Freedom Force Steam bundle Shortcut - X-COM: Complete Steam bundle
Massively interviews Wild Bill Stealey on his military MMO project
You may have heard the recent news concerning MicroProse co-founder J.W. "Wild Bill" Stealey diving into the MMO business. You may have heard that he plans to get together with some of his old crew, like Fred Schmidt and Jim Bull, to make an action-based military MMO. Yet, did you know that this is simply the tip of the iceberg when to comes to what Wild Bill and his team have in store for us?To find out more information on this newly announced project, we jumped at the chance to sit down with Wild Bill and get some more intel on his classified operation. If you were ever a big fan of the MicroProse age of military simulation games, or you're just tired of the same old fantasy MMOs, this interview may get your excitement levels up. Wild Bill Stealey has a passion for what he knows best, and it's evident in this interview. Could a massive, persistent, military PvP world be exactly what you've been waiting for? Follow along below for more on what the folks at Thriller New Media have in store for the MMO world.
Ex-MicroProse founder creates military-focused MMO studio
As more companies develop for the non-fantasy MMO genre, Thriller Publishing of Austin, TX recently announced the formation of Thriller New Media, which will focus on the creation and operation of MMOs, books, movies and other popular entertainment media. Not only do they plan to launch services within the next year or so, but they also plan to create their own social networking platform for all Thriller content. It is said that this content will focus on "military and espionage-themed topics".What makes this company so special though is the fact that it is created by such big names as J.W. "Wild Bill" Stealey, of MicroProse fame. In addition, the company's President and CEO is Fred Schmidt, who you may recognize from MicroProse, Origin and NCsoft. "We have a number of great game products under evaluation, some already under option agreements, and are looking for more," says Schmidt. "At the same time, we are developing our own social networking platform through which all Thriller content, and much more, will be presented. Look for specific announcements to be made later this year."
Microprose returns to show Commodore how to really tarnish a brand
As if seeing the Commodore logo slapped on a whole slew of thoroughly unremarkable devices wasn't enough to make folks of a certain age feel a little wistful for their early computing days, legendary game developer Microprose is now getting in on the action as well, and seemingly outdoing Commodore to boot. As the Classic Gaming website reports, Microprose, once known as the name behind Civilization, Railroad Tycoon and other classic games, is now set to release a bundle of new products that likely wouldn't garner a second glance if not for the brand. Those include the MPI-500 digital TV receiver and MPI-100 HDMI switch pictured above, as well as a series of REDLINE cabling products aimed at gamers, a battery pack/stand for the PSP, and the Microprose Arcade Professional PC joystick (pictured after the break), which at least brings a little old school flavor with it (including a trackball). No word on a price for any of 'em just, but at least the joystick will apparently be available in May.[Via Classic Gaming, thanks Curt]
Godspeed, X-Com DS
We usually wait until a homebrew project has had time to mature past its alpha builds before calling the game to your attention, but we take exception with any and all plans for a portable X-Com: UFO Defense. Our love affair with the turn-based, tactical title has been a romance with few equals, inviting comparisons with Shakespeare's tragic coupling of Romeo and Juliet. Should society ever try to separate us, you'll find that we've already taken measures to leave this miserable world, our lifeless arms entwined with X-Com's diskettes even in death. Blue_knight has posted screenshots of the progress he's made so far with adapting the game's data for the DS. The handheld clone already features tileset loading/creation, four height views, and touchscreen support for scrolling around the battlescape. Though there's still a lot left to implement, like fog of war and a map overview on the second screen, that hasn't stopped us from scouting countries for potential bases and trading tips on how to best attack Chryssalid terror sites.%Gallery-4133%[Via DCEmu]
Shelley on the history of Civilization
Ensemble Studios' Bruce Campbell Shelley has been a force in strategy gaming for over 20 years (PC Gamer proclaimed him a "Game God" in 1999). Anyone who's ever played Civilization I and II, the original Railroad Tycoon, or the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology titles should be familiar with his work. What you may be less familiar with is the iterative design process he and former MicroProse colleague Sid Meier used to craft the very first Civilization game. In a recent interview, Shelley offered a little history lesson on the "design by playing" methodology -- a process he and his design teams still use at Ensemble today. The strategy pioneer fondly recalls being the second person ever to play the first Civilization prototype on a 5 ¼" floppy disc, and also describes how working with Sid Meier is like going to a game design university. In discussing the influence of Civilization on AoE, Shelley had this to say: "There is certainly some Civilization in the Age of Empires series. The vision for the original Age of Empires game was something like the historical and economic aspects of Civilization merged with the gameplay of Warcraft and Command & Conquer."See also: Metareview - Age of Empires III vs. Civilization IV
