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Russia's free, PC multiplayer Halo game has been cancelled
Remember that Halo game you heard about that wasn't launching in North America? Well, now it's not launching anywhere. Halo Online was originally intended to be a free, multiplayer game designed exclusively for the Russian market. Despite launching a closed beta in its target market, the project's staff has announced that Halo Online is no more. The game has been cancelled.
'Halo Online' is a free PC game launching only in Russia
Halo is making a triumphant, if border-blocked, return to PC with Halo Online, a free multiplayer-only game set to launch in Russia this spring. The Russian launch is a closed beta, as Microsoft figures out the best way "to welcome new fans to the Halo universe," according to a post on Halo Waypoint. Halo Online is built on a modified version of the Halo 3 engine, and it should run smoothly on lower-end PCs, Microsoft says. Halo Online comes from Halo: The Master Chief Collection collaborator Saber Interactive and software developer Innova Systems, who have partnered with Halo 4 and 5 studio 343 Industries and, of course, Microsoft.
TimeShift dev taps Havok for 'several' upcoming games
Developer Saber Interactive has been keeping to itself since its time-bending shooter, TimeShift, first bored critics in 2007. Employees have been spending their hours competing in weekly dance-offs doing the Time Warp, a heated competition that'll likely be put on hold now that the company has a new game to work on. Make that games -- plural -- as middleware firm Havok announced that its Havok Destruction tech is now in the hands of the company for use in "several" upcoming games.While no games have been announced, Saber Interactive teases that Havok Destruction will help bring "a new scale and complexity to the fully destructible city" in its next title, including the ability to punch holes through walls. In addition, the developer notes that the software allowed it to realize "large-scale destruction sequences" and reduce costs, with the outfit's budget for interactive assets dropping by 40 percent or more as a result of the Havok license. Exploding barrels, is there anything you can't do?
TimeShift multiplayer demo now on XBLM
If you weren't sold by the previous demo of TimeShift, you may want to check out the new demo available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The new demo includes the same single player section from the previous demo, but the real meat is the addition of multiplayer. Several game modes are available, though we were unable to find a game when we tried earlier today. If you've got the hardware, system link is available, too. If you haven't tried TimeShift, you may want to give it a go, as the time control elements are also a part of its multiplayer. Then again, maybe you're too busy playing Assassin's Creed.
Video: TimeShift commercial is super violent
Violence and games tend to be uttered in the same breath all the time, and gamers like us tend to shake it off. That being said, this commercial for TimeShift is a little disturbing. The commercial depicts a convenience store robbery that is eventually thwarted by the time suit wearing hero of TimeShift. Maybe it's just because it seems entirely out of context compared to what we've seen of the game, or because it's live action, but the commercial is strangely unsettling. Of course, the idea is to show off the possibilities of time powers, but using them to kill some two-bit thugs seems a little excessive. Still, that's beside the point we suppose, as we're sure the premise will intrigue many viewers, even if the commercial uses hardly any actual game footage at all (bonus points if you can spot it).TimeShift, in all its 4th-dimension-bending, hyper-violent glory, hits the Xbox 360 next month.[Via Joystiq]
TimeShift demo sneaks onto XBLM
Oh, that wacky Xbox Live Marketplace. So unpredictable. A TimeShift demo mysteriously sneaked its way onto XBLM last night, unbeknownst to unsuspecting gamers. TimeShift, if you don't know, is an FPS that makes novel use of time control powers. Developed by Saber Interactive and published by Sierra, we were fairly impressed with what we played at E3 last month. Give it a go and see what its shifty gameplay does for you. If you like it, you can pick up the full game on October 30th.[Via Joystiq]
TimeShift to stop time this October on 360
Sierra has announced that Saber Interactive's time-bending shooter, TimeShift will be hitting retailers this October. Specifically, the Xbox 360 and PC versions will be available on October 30th. The PS3 version will be debuting this December. A special pre-order campaign for the game will begin this week. Should you desire to slap down the cash for a pre-order, you will be treated to an exclusive playable character in the TimeShift's multiplayer mode. We recently had a chance to try out TimeShift at E3 and came away impressed. Here's hoping the final product (especially the multiplayer) lives up to its potential.%Gallery-5003%
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Joystiq hands-on: TimeShift
TimeShift, the time-bending first person shooter from Saber Interactive has had something of a bumpy development history. Originally destined to be an original Xbox title -- Official Xbox Magazine even had a demo of it at one point -- the game has since switched publishers (from Atari to Vivendi) and moved to the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. We had a chance to play the game at E3, and it looks like the extra development time was worth the wait.%Gallery-5002%
X3F hands-on: TimeShift
TimeShift, the time-bending first person shooter from Saber Interactive has had something of a bumpy development history. Originally destined to be an original Xbox title -- Official Xbox Magazine even had a demo of it at one point -- the game has since switched publishers (from Atari to Vivendi) and moved to the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. We had a chance to play the game at E3, and it looks like the extra development time was worth the wait.%Gallery-5003%
New shifty TimeShift multiplayer deets
IGN recently took a moment to talk to Kyle Peschel, lead producer of TimeShift, the upcoming time-bending shooter from Saber Interactive and Vivendi. The focus of multiplayer, according to Peschel, is customization. Players will be able to create and name their own special game modes, which they can save for later use. Several aspects of the game, from damage ratios to gravity to run speed, will all be adjustable by players. As Peschel put it, players can design a gametype just to "instantly offset their buddy who comes over who is nothing but a spawn camping whore." Sounds good to us. On time manipulation in multiplayer, Peschel doesn't go into details, but notes that time powers won't work exactly as they do in single player, as it's hardly fair for one player to freeze and entire field of players and wreak havoc. Hopefully we'll hear some more specifics on multiplayer time control soon.
TimeShift multiplayer: name your own mode
Shooting stuff in slow motion isn't as original as it was way back in Max Payne days. That's why TimeShift is making that now "meh" function the focus of its gameplay, promising to breathe new life into time altering mechanics. We gave you a pretty comprehensive look at the game a while back, but we skipped over the multiplayer details. Now we have them, so we'll give them to you. Customization: you can create and name your own play modes, so if you want a no-gravity knife match, you can call it "Space Shiv" or something. The customization also presents ways to level the playing field. Sorry, "spawn camping whores," but you won't get kills that way in this game. Implementing time mechanics is still shaky, but it'll play like some kind of rock-paper-scissors. Using "slow" should trump "reverse" while reverse trumps "stop" ... full circle, "stop" trumps "slow." So it's Reverse -> Stop -> Slow -> Reverse. At this point in time, at least. It's not much detail yet, but from the excitement the dev team over at Saber Interactive, they believe in it strongly. It might be the most customizable multiplayer shooter ever. We'll see!
Everything you want to know about TimeShift
If you're unfamiliar with TimeShift's development life, you should know it was originally slated as an Xbox and PC title. Original, fatty black n' green Xbox, we mean. It got stuck in development hell for reasons only the developers truly knew, but we now realize what was wrong. Saber Interactive was waiting. Waiting for the next-gen consoles, because what they wanted to do wasn't possible on old hardware. Forget about the full visual makeover it received, we're going to tell you some more detailed information about the game itself.The old story, recorded dialogue with Dennis Quaid and Michael Ironside included, has been scrapped. Gone is the tragic war veteran who lost his daughter and replacing him is you, the player. Taking on a classic RPG style of unnamed protagonist, you're just a player in the war game, so to speak. If you were a silent protagonist, that'd be awesome, but unlikely. Regardless, you travel to an alternate timeline and take on an army of warriors protecting the man who changed the flow of time to make himself leader of all things gritty, dark, and somber.A new time-control scheme lies in your suit, dubbed S.S.A.M. and given a female persona. One button controls the ability to stop, slow, or rewind time, depending on which would be most beneficial in a given situation. Using these in the levels would be nice, but the first four completed levels were completely scrapped, replaced by gigantic new ones, each with a specific purpose to advance the story. There's plenty more to discuss, like the enhanced AI, puzzle-solving opportunities and other gameplay gimmicks, but we'll stop here and let you check the rest out on your own. Shooters have to try harder to differentiate themselves from one another and this game is trying harder than most.
TimeShift trailer bends time on XBLM
The recently released trailer for TimeShift, the time-bending shooter from Sierra, has now landed on Xbox Live Marketplace. For those of you with unsuitable streaming capabilities, you can finally watch the trailer in all its high definition glory. In case you need a recap, TimeShift allows players to manipulate time in myriad ways. For example, you can stop time in order to evade oncoming bullets (and fire a few return bullets as well). Granted, time manipulation isn't exactly a new concept, but TimeShift looks to at least make it interesting. Go download the trailer and enjoy. Of course, if you're not picky about resolution, you could always just watch the streaming trailer right now.TimeShift is set to arrive this fall.
TimeShift video bends reality in a good way
Shortly after a handful of new screens, a new trailer of TimeShift has assaulted the internets with both time-altering guns blazing. The main character used time powers to thwart a squad of baddies and a tank. The trailer is pre-rendered, but the concepts within it are pretty tantalizing. Watching the character stop time, disarm a soldier and wipe out all the rest of them is pretty nifty. And taking out the tank ... well, we don't want to spoil it, but it's pretty cool. Now, if the actual game can live up to the excitement generated by this trailer, we may just be on to something special.
New Timeshift screens abound
Xboxyde got a hold of some very pretty screens of Timeshift, the FPS from developer Saber Interactive and publisher Vivendi. The water effects from the rain and the textures on the side of the building are a sight to behold, showing the power the developer's Saber 3D engine. Other screens show some sexy smoke effects and minor explosions. While details are a little scarce on the game, other than some of the cool time manipulation effects, are you intrigued by how its playing out?
New screens of TimeShift, trailer soon
Fresh new screens of TimeShift have been unearthed. The good news: they look pretty nice. Even better, they look markedly improved over the screenshots that were released last July. For those that don't know, TimeShift began as an Xbox 1 project which then migrated to the Xbox 360. It was originally being owned by Atari and subsequently picked up by Sierra. The game is being developed by Saber Interactive and centers around time bending powers such as slowing and stopping time. The game also features online multiplayer for up to 16 players across 14 different maps. The official website has a countdown to a new trailer, which is just over ten days away at the time of this writing. TimeShift is due this fall. Hit the "read" link for more screens (you can also visit Xboxygen for even more high resolution screens).
Xbox 360 impressions: TimeShift
TimeShift has nailed balance. Our biggest fear about this game was that the ability to control time (slow down, pause, and rewind it) would make it too easy. This is not the case, even on normal difficulty. We got laid out on our first attempt when we decided to rush a seemingly innocent pair of enemies.At first glance, TimeShift appears to be a run n' gun shooter, but it calls for strategy. Of course, this often boils down to attacking (and draining your time controls powers), retreating, recharging, and repeating. Thankfully, the AI is moderately intelligent and will seek you out if aware of your presence.We were disappointed with the visuals, which certainly don't live up to second wave (Xbox 360) expectations. This can likely be attributed to a painful development cycle that has seen two different publishers and abandoned an Xbox version. Still, the time control concept adds an interesting twist to an otherwise mediocre FPS, as it looks to offer a stimulating mix of attack strategies and environmental puzzles.[Note: TimeShift will also feature multiplayer modes. Details were not available at the Vivendi booth.]
