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The Game Archaeologist: Six more MMOs that never made it to launch
It's always possible to be surprised with reveals of older MMOs, even after years of writing this column. For example, I had never heard that Valve was initially working on an MMO called Prospero in the late '90s before we posted on it a couple of weeks ago. It's crazy to me that parts of what could have been a groundbreaking online title were then repurposed for Half-Life and Portal. It's not necessarily bad how things turned out, mind you, but I do get lost wondering what might have been. From time to time here on The Game Archaeologist, I like to turn our attention to MMOs-that-never-were: titles that died before launch thanks to funding shortfalls, studio collapses, or corporate bungling. We've covered titles like Wish, Ultima X, and Middle-earth Online, but today I want to catch up on several titles that have been haunting my list for a while now. So strap in as you get a six-pack of MMOs that were never released!
DICE founder forms Antic Entertainment, unveils Junk: Battles
DICE founder Fredrik Liljegren has his sights set on free-to-play games, as he's revealed (via Gamasutra) his new studio, Antic Entertainment. He's joined by Digital Extremes alum Mark Mikulec and Jeff Evans at the London, Ontario-based studio, which features talent from a variety of titles such as Dark Sector, BioShock and DICE's Battlefield series. In fact, the team's already got a title underway called Junk: Battles (Seriously? You named your game Junk?), an RTS hybrid designed to work in most major web browsers, where users create a ship and battle other users, gaining stats and ship parts as they progress. While the game is in its earliest stages, feel free to battle through all of the junk (sorry!) at its site here.
Dark Sector half-priced on Steam, console versions also going for cheap
Having only been on the market for three months, the PC version of Dark Sector will already be going on sale for half price on Steam. The third-person shooter will stay at the slashed price of $9.99 throughout the week and up until next Monday, June 22.If you're strictly a PC gamer and looking to dive into Dark Sector, then this appears to be a good time to pick it up. Those with consoles should hit Amazon. The site lists the PS3 version at only $6, and the Xbox 360 version is going for an acceptable $1.49. The PC software of Dark Sector is a direct port of the original console game released last year, so the only difference you'll notice between versions is the price.
Dark Sector PC port coming to US
OK, we're going to drop something on you right now, and it may be a little hard for some of you stuffed-shirt critic types to hear: Dark Sector was rad. Not great, not perfect, rad. You were a half cyborg and you ran around throwing an electric murder plate at bad guys. If every video game, movie and American-made car had a slice of that kind of magic, our economy wouldn't be in the dumper, and you can take that to the bank.So, when we tell you that we're excited to learn that a PC port of the game is finally coming to the U.S. of A, you'll know why we're absolutely thrilled. Now, if we can just get Detroit to make glaives standard features on the 2010 models ...
Born for Wii: Dark Sector
Wait for it. Don't leave cover too soon. You're nearly surrounded. Bullets fly in from three directions, ricocheting off the paltry bit of cover protecting your crouched body. A grenade goes off nearby -- too close for comfort. And then it's time to strike back and slaughter another wave of enemy soldiers. You stand up, twist your body to the side, and throw, sending a spinning blade of death towards the hopelessly unprepared, screaming soldiers who soon find themselves lacking torso cohesion.Released in March of this year for the Xbox 360 and PS3, Dark Sector is a far cry from its original incarnation as the first game shown off for this generation of consoles. It evolved into a Gears of War-inspired, Space Marine-lacking action title with an unusual Soviet setting. While on the surface the gameplay is rather derivative -- you'll be taking cover, aiming, and moving around in a manner that's instantly familiar to anyone who's played a third-person shooter in the past two years -- one thing sets Dark Sector apart from other games of its ilk. That thing is the glaive, a vicious, bladed boomerang that dominates the game's combat and puzzles. And while the glaive is enough to make Dark Sector a solid, though overall unremarkable, action title, it represents an enormous potential: armed with a retooled control scheme and a Wiimote, Dark Sector is, without a doubt, Born for Wii. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-29441% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Viewtiful Joe, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Dark Sector demo hits Xbox Live
Talk about being fashionably late. Gamers looking to test drive Digital Extremes' third-person action title are in luck--a demo for Dark Sector has appeared on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo, which is available in all Xbox Live regions, may have missed the pre-release marketing blitz window by a few months but it may serve as a reminder to those who missed out on the action the first time. If you're looking for a Gears of War style action-shooter with and intricate Olympic discus tossing mechanic, a surprisingly under attempted combination in gaming, check out the Dark Sector demo today.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Dark Sector demo spins into Xbox Live
We know that this doesn't go for everyone, but we really adored Dark Sector when we played it back in March. Now, just a couple of months after its release, you can finally get a taste of the glaive-tossing action without laying down any cash, thanks to the demo now available on Xbox Live.The gameplay gets a touch stale toward the middle of the full game and it climaxes with the worst boss fight in recorded history, but we still think it's worth your time. Give the demo a spin (Get it? Like a glaive!) and let us know what you think.
Double Dose of Daily Deals: GRAW2 and Dark Sector
Today we're being ambitious enough to slam your face with two servings of awesome video game bargains. The first is GRAW2 -- located on Amazon for $30 new, or $20 used. People have said it's a great game, so if you think it's worth a measly $20, take the bet.The second deal is less of a deal but still something to consider if you're dying to play something new. Dark Sector has popped up on Circuit City's website for $40. Whichever deal you take is up to you, but either way you'll get a decent game. Heck, go ahead and take both deals for the price of a brand new PS3 game. It's almost like a two-for-one deal. Almost.
Metareview -- Dark Sector (360, PS3)
When the first next-gen game ever announced doesn't get released until a few years into that generation's life cycle, it's pretty much impossible for it to be "worth the wait." But Dark Sector seems to be doing a valiant job of at least being "worth the shelf space," as it's garnered restrained praise from several outlets. 1UP (75/100):"When it all comes together and you're ducking in and out of cover while shooting and throwing the Glaive at groups of enemies, it's a lot of fun, and the visual spark and A.I./pacing/combat polish make it worth playing. Don't head in expecting a game that overachieves or pushes too many boundaries, but don't lower your expectations too much either." Game Informer (75/100): "As negative as I have been, I still feel that Dark Sector is worth checking out. The glaive is something that every action nut has to wrap his or her hands around. Like the BFG or the cerebral bore, you'll remember this weapon forever. Sadly, you'll remember the weapon more than the game itself." IGN (77/100): "All of this -- the powers, the glaive and the guns -- combines to make you feel empowered in Dark Sector. Usually you start a game as a super-agent and chortle as you're easily killed or dealt with. In Dark Sector, the difficulty ramps up as you get your powers and learn the ropes. Right out of the gate, you feel like you're this kick ass operative." %Gallery-6390%
Shipping this week: Frisbee knife edition
Well kids, this is it. The first "next-gen" game evar is finally on its way to retail shelves. That's right, Dark Sector, the one time space stealth action game turned Eastern Europe stealth action game, will soon see the light of day. Is it any good? We'll have to wait and see. But wait! There's more! Not only are we getting Dark Sector this week, but also Universe at War: Earth Assault and Viking: Battle for Asgard. Viking is a hack and slash action game in the vein of God of War, while Universe at War: Earth Assault is a new entry in the RTS genre. Readers may recall that Universe at War is somewhat unique as it offers cross platform play between the PC and Xbox 360. Given the 360's lack of mouse and keyboard support -- and the fact that the PC version has been out for months -- we're anxious to see if console players will even stand a chance.[Via Joystiq]
Video: Super duper Dark Sector launch trailer
You may find it odd that nearly every Dark Sector post we do is some sort of video, but we have good reason. You see, Dark Sector kind of took us by surprise, most impressive thing being the game's intense visuals and over the top decapitations. With that in mind, how could we not want to blog about the game's video gameplay? Right? So, today we bring yet another Dark Sector video and this time it's the official launch trailer that gives a bit of the game's back story and a bunch of in-game gore. Sever heads, take off arms and toss that boomer-blade like you mean it.
Gruesomely enjoyable Dark Sector glitches
Posted over on their developer blog, the Dark Sector team decided to give everyone an insider's peek into some of the final bugs and glitches they discovered while nearing the end of the game's development cycle. But before you start to yawn and thoughts of missing textures or broken geometry glitches enter your mind, know that we aren't talking about those kind of bugs. We're talking about bugs and glitches where the AI goes crazy, the physics create spectacular sights and flaming bodies get launched through the air. Yes sir, over the top, hilariously gruesome glitches. Thankfully, the Dark Sector team captured video of a few of these glitches before they were removed and, well ... we'll let you watch the awesome for yourself. Personally, we would have kept the vending machine "bug" in the final build ... that is so many types of awesome.
Video: Dark Sector's boomer-blade in action
After getting a taste of the game's multiplayer, our Dark Sector itch has been getting stronger and stronger. We can't put our finger on it quite yet, but we're intrigued by D3Publisher's violent little game and we want more. So you could imagine how relieving it was to be treated to yet another Dark Sector trailer, one that scratched our itch while at the same time making us think. We're starting to think that this boomer-blade (that's our new name for Dark Sector's signature weapon) is a Swiss army knife of death. Just watch for yourself. It can be lit on fire, be electric, decapitate and aid in a wrestling style back-breaker moves. Yup, we enjoy the boomer-blade. Even if not used for killing, one could still open a can of chicken noodle soup with it.
This Week in Review: A Smashing Start
Welcome to This Week in Review (formerly This Week in DLC), where we round up all the hands-on impressions and game reviews (including Metareviews) from the Joystiq Network. This week's megaton title should come as no surprise whatsoever.Nintendo Wii First impressions: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Metareview: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wii Fanboy takes Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wi-Fi for a test drive VC Monday Madness: Super Turrican
Dark Sector multiplayer footage
Hot on the heels of our own video hands-on with Dark Sector comes brand new footage of the game's multiplayer mode. As we mentioned in our own video, Dark Sector's multiplayer is fairly unique among shooters. Those who have followed the game know that its protagonist, Hayden, has some very special supernatural powers, most notably his biological throwing blade. Rather than pitting a bunch of Haydens against one another, Dark Sector's multiplayer focus on pitting a group of normal soldiers against a single Hayden (or Hayden and another enhanced character in the case of team games). Hayden has the ability to create a shield or turn himself invisible, which gives him a much needed advantage against an entire squad of soldiers. Whoever takes Hayden down gets to play as him during the next round. We've played it and it works really well. Check out the new video after the break.
Dark Sector 'entitlements' revealed; plan your attack
Instead of making some sort of accomplishment system that can later be integrated into Home, Digital Extremes created a system of "entitlements" for the PS3 version of Dark Sector that amount to nothing more than in-game pats on the back. More or less what we have in Uncharted and Devil May Cry 4, really, except with no plans to bring them forward into Home. Still, if you can pull off the whole list of things to accomplish, it's something to be proud of. If you want to figure the entitlements out on your own, we've tucked the list away after the jump so as to not spoil it for you. Everyone else, enjoy the list after the jump.
Dark Sector achievements see light of day
As we've been on a bit of an achievement-junkie streak lately, we decided, hey, why stop? Those points don't collect themselves y'know! So we noticed that Dark Sector is seeing release on the twenty-fifth of this month, and it's achievements have only just been put online. They're pretty standard fair, but given what we've been seeing lately it's not bad at all. The variety is good and seems designed to encourage players to play things in specific ways (though hopefully nothing like the Turok team-killing one). With a total of 38 achievements, 5 of which are secret, 6 of which are Online Multiplayer, and 11 of which are tied to game-completion, Dark Sector appears to be one of those games that uses it's achievements to spread the love around, and it's obvious the devs took some time and care in the creation and choosing of their achievements.
X3F TV -- Dark Sector hands-on
In the latest episode of X3F TV, we take a hands-on look at Dark Sector. In the video, we discuss the game's interesting mechanics, the single player campaign and also touch on Dark Sector's unique multiplayer mode. Overall, Dark Sector is shaping up to be a decent and, perhaps more importantly, different third person shooter. Check out the video and share your feedback in the comments.[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in Zune Marketplace (MP3).[RSS] Add the Xbox 360 Fanboy Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[M4V] Download the M4v directly.
Target selling non-existent Dark Sector
Sometimes it's funny to poke fun at big-box retailers for missing small things, like release dates for example. From countless of broken street dates to outright insanity, the big guys have been known to make mistakes. This week, the Target flyer promoted Dark Sector as being teh new hotness -- unfortunately they didn't realize the game isn't scheduled to release until the end of the month.We'd like to imagine the game section manager of each Target had his staff clear off a special area for the upcoming third-person shooter and proceeded to give a touching speech about how shoving strategy guide sales down our throats would only benefit us before they realized their shipment was a few items short.[Thanks, Mike P.]
Dark Sector's multi-player modes are meager
Today, we've got some info on Dark Sector's two multi-player modes and we're not that impressed. The first mode is dubbed "infection" while the second takes on the equally viral-toned "epidemic." PS3 multi-player games can be played either on the PlayStation Network or by LAN. Unfortunately, unlike the Xbox 360 version that has all the following options, the PS3 version lacks Quick game, Custom game, and Ranked game options. Why? Beats us.As for individual mode details, infection is basically a game of survival where one player is the game's protagonist, Hayden, while the others are Lasrian soldiers hunting him down. When Hayden is taken out, the soldier who dealt the lethal blow takes Hayden's place as the "infected" target for the next round. Epidemic is the standard team vs. team war, but each team has a leader (represented by Hayden) that must be taken out to end rounds. In both modes, players who play as Hayden have access to all his Evolution Powers, Glaive, and elemental powers. Both modes are also playable on five maps and can support up to ten players. Friendly fire is not allowed in either mode. Now how about the prospect of future DLC? Nothing mentioned, but we'd expect there should be a lot because these modes really need more content in order to compete with other games and their offerings.
