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War Thunder takes flight on PS4 this holiday
Gaijin Entertainment – not to be confused with Bit.Trip series developer Gaijin Games – is preparing a PS4 version of War Thunder for launch this holiday season. War Thunder is Gaijin's free-to-play online WWII vehicular combat game, currently in open beta on the PC. "The power of PS4 will allow developers to include improved head-tracking system, easier socializing tools, smart and easy options to record, stream and share homemade gameplay videos and will have full support of PlayStation Cloud," the press release past the break confirms. Nothing is mentioned regarding whether this will also be free-to-play on PS4, so we've inquired with Gaijin Entertainment for further details. War Thunder has over 1.5 million players on the PC and Gaijin Entertainment is currently working on a version for mobile devices.
War Thunder coming to the Playstation 4 this year
The military MMO formerly known as World of Planes (not to be confused with World of Warplanes) has announced a console connection today. War Thunder, currently in open beta, is coming to the PlayStation 4 in time for the 2013 holiday season. Gaijin Entertainment's creative director Kirill Yudintsev commented on the announcement: "Partnering with Sony Computer Entertainment is the most natural progression for the War Thunder brand, from our hugely successful beginnings on PC with more than 1.5 million players, to our recent announcement that War Thunder is under development for mobile devices. We are excited to bring War Thunder to the leading next-generation platform, the PS4." Be sure to check out the brief War Thunder Ground Forces teaser trailer just after the jump. [Source: Gaijin Entertainment press release]
War Thunder opens US beta server, starts development on mobile version
War Thunder, formerly World of Planes, has been soaring through open beta for several months now. Gaijin Entertainment decided that it's time to make a few flight adjustments, however, and announced that it has opened up a separate US gaming cluster to improve latency times for North American players. The developer also let slip that it has begun development on a mobile version of the game for both iOS and Android platforms. Gaijin said that War Thunder has attracted 1.5 million active users who have flown a total of 224 million missions since the start of beta. The developer recently put out version 1.29 for the flight sim; the patch makes a number of significant improvements such as four new aircraft, improved damage models, and a new economy. [Source: Gaijin Entertainment press release]
War Thunder enters open beta, new trailer released
Gaijin Entertainment has announced that its War Thunder World War II-based online flight sim has officially entered open beta. The title, formerly known as World of Planes, has been in development for over four years. The open beta comes almost a year to the day after Gaijin's announcement that the game had evolved "beyond pure aerial combat." Gaijin previously developed Birds of Prey, a console-based entry in the long-running Sturmovik series. The company has released an open beta teaser trailer that you can view after the cut. You can also join the beta test via the game's official website.
Move-supported Dance Magic boogies onto PSN January 8
Dance Magic is bringing its Move-supported jives to North America's PlayStation Network on January 8. From Planets Under Attack developer Targem Games, Dance Magic sees you employ the PS3 peripheral in a quasi-fighting style dance offs, all as part of a quest to save the world from "a rising evil," by using "biological energy that can only be realized by dancing." If you ask us, biological energy on the dance floor sounds like the kind of funk that has us reaching for air freshener, but maybe that's just when we dance.Publisher Gaijin Entertainment says the game features seven dance styles, 20 music tracks, and co-operative shimmying for online strutters. %Gallery-174608%
The Firing Line: 16th century fragging edition
What do War Thunder, World of Warplanes, Leonardo da Vinci, and Tribes: Ascend have in common? Not a whole lot aside from their respective appearances in this week's edition of The Firing Line. Won't you join me after the cut for a rundown on some recent and notable online shooter news? If you're feeling particularly ornery, you can point and laugh at the fact that I'm still not in the War Thunder beta.
The Firing Line: Newsplosion edition
Holy carp there was a lot going on in shooter circles this week! Between the news blurbs, videos, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. memories (yes, I said S.T.A.L.K.E.R, and damn that takes a long time to type), there was nearly enough information for two editions of The Firing Line. Luckily for you (and for my overworked editor), I managed to keep the word count down. Let's not kid ourselves, though; there's plenty of interesting stuff after the cut. Join me for the latest on dueling World War II aviation MMOs, a new free-to-play shooter from Crytek, the requisite PlanetSide 2 lovefest, and some official dev answers to last week's Taikodom question.
World of Planes renamed, evolves 'beyond pure aerial combat'
Gaijin has renamed its forthcoming aviation-centric World War II action MMO. The title was formerly called World of Planes (not to be confused with World of Warplanes), but will henceforth be known as War Thunder: World of Planes. The official website has been redesigned to reflect the change, and most interestingly, Gaijin states that aviation is no longer the title's sole focus. "This name change is significant because the online multiplayer universe Gaijin is developing has evolved beyond pure aerial combat. The massive historical battles featured in War Thunder cannot be fought with aviation alone -- World of Planes is only the beginning," the site says. What this means is anyone's guess, since Gaijin has not offered any details regarding ground- or sea-based combat as of yet. The company has released a new screenshot gallery, though, and you'll find that and more at the new official site.
The Firing Line: An early look at World of Planes
Today I'd like to expand on the World War II flight shooter theme introduced in last week's episode of The Firing Line. We've talked a bit about Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes, but there's another MMO in the works that features intense aerial battles, sexy 1940s-era aircraft, and a "World of" title.
World of Planes updates include screenshots, fan video, and interviews
Timing is everything, a wise man once said, and Gaijin's PR department surely knows this. That's why we've finally got some new info on World of Planes after weeks of silence. Yes, we said World of Planes, not World of Warplanes, and we're sure it's a big ol' coincidence that Gaijin has chosen to open the floodgates just after Wargaming.net released its first tech tree earlier this week. At any rate, there is some cool stuff to see if you're into World War II-era aviation. First up is a fan-made (and developer-endorsed) video that we've embedded for after the break. Then there is the new screenshot gallery on the official WoP website. Lastly there are a couple of noteworthy forum threads including a beginner's guide and the second interview in a series focusing on alpha testers who are real-world pilots. [Source: Gaijin press release]
New World of Planes video shows off air combat, ground strafing, and more
Gaijin Entertainment has released another heart-pounding video from its upcoming World of Planes MMO, and the scene has shifted from the Pacific theater showcased last month to what looks to be the Kuban region of southern Russia. A gaggle of great-looking World War II fighters are on display, as are a few stomach-churning cockpit perspectives and some spiffy smoke, fire, and damage effects. There's a lot of air combat, of course, but there's also a brief glimpse of some target strafing and quite a lot of detail when it comes to terrain textures, buildings, and other ground objects. Flight sim fans will be happy to know that Gaijin was responsible for 2009's IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey, a console-based air combat title that followed in the footsteps of the venerable Sturmovik series on the PC. Gaijin also developed a PC version called Wings of Prey and looks to be using that expertise for its new free-to-play World of Planes MMO. Kick the tires and light the fires by checking out the new trailer after the cut.
Gaijin releases World of Planes screenshots and trailer
World of Warplanes isn't the only free-to-play World War II aviation title spooling up on the flight line, as Gaijin has just released a new trailer and a bevy of screenshots for World of Planes (yes, that's the actual name). If the new assets are anything to go by, World of Planes will be pretty stiff competition. Despite an intertitle that says the in-game footage is from an alpha build and not representative of the final product, the clip is pretty impressive. We're treated to a bird's eye view of a squadron of Dauntless divebombers making their way towards a Japanese ship convoy, and there are a couple of obscure aircraft on display (including the Brewster Buffalo and a Rufe, which is basically an amphibious version of the more famous Mitsubishi Zero). Gaijin seems to have an eye for detail as well (note the operating dive brakes on the Dauntless and the exposed wing rib on an Me 109 above, and in the screenshot gallery below). You can learn more at the game's official website, and don't forget to check out the four-minute trailer after the cut. %Gallery-126603%
Gaijin announces World of Planes MMO
Is the World War II aviation-based MMO market big enough to support multiple titles? We'll soon find out, as Gaijin Entertainment has just announced its upcoming World of Planes MMO (not to be confused with Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes title, which took a bow earlier this month). Gaijin's press release calls World of Planes a "flying simulation game," and the company will be drawing on its previous genre experience thanks to titles like Wings of Prey and Wings of Luftwaffe. According to the new World of Planes website, the game will feature "hundreds of historically accurate planes" and "flying skills that can be honed and improved with each mission." The site also hints at ground- and sea-based combat along with co-op missions, solo play, and a realistic damage model. The game will operate under a free-to-play business model, and you'll want to check out our screenshot gallery below before heading to the official World of Planes website to sign up for beta. %Gallery-126603%
Konami announces Birds of Steel, a new WWII dogfighter from IL-2 dev
Gaijin Entertainment, the Russia-based developer behind IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey, is returning to the skies with the suspiciously titled Birds of Steel. While notably not a part of the long-running IL-2 Sturmovik series, Birds of Steel does share its aerial combat and its WWII setting. The usual stuff is all here: historical and fictitious missions, lots of real planes, all spread across both single- and multiplayer campaigns. That multiplayer component includes co-op missions as well as your traditional all-out aerial dogfighting. If a historically accurate WWII aerial combat game doesn't sound entirely thrilling to you, we'll give you another, admittedly biased, point of view from Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH's Martin Schneider: "For far too long, first-person shooter fans have been tied to the foot soldier point of view, but we aim to bring the seat-of-their-pants skill and daring of dogfighting and aerial combat to a wider audience." That wider audience includes Xbox 360 and PS3 owners, though Konami is notably shy about sharing a release window. %Gallery-124427%
Apache: Air Assault launches on Xbox 360, PS3 this fall
Activision has declared war on the calm, blue and oh-so-smug skies with the announcement of Apache: Air Assault, a game where you don't fly a cool airplane because you're too busy piloting a freakin' sweet helichopter. Russian developer Gaijin Entertainment (IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey) promises several variations of Apache birds, each outfitted with sick military weaponry, "highly-detailed damage modeling" and the ability to destroy tanks who are too stupid to fly into the air and fight back. Due this fall on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Apache: Air Assault will offer an "Arcade" mode for those who want to blow things up right away, as well as a "Realistic" mode for players who to blow things up the right way. You can also expect competitive online multiplayer and a local co-op mode that has two people sitting in the same helichopter, going let's go left no let's go right oh it doesn't matter because we can fire like sixteen missiles into that guy's face this is awesome hahaha. %Gallery-97579%
ESRB: Death Track: Resurrection to get new life on PS3
Gaijin Entertainment Corporation plans to publish 1C's PC combat racing game Death Track: Resurrection, on PS3. At least, the publisher secured an ESRB rating for a PS3 version, which it probably wouldn't do if it didn't plan to release the game. Death Track: Resurrection, released last year, is about a violent racing competition set far in the future, in which cars have weapons and stuff. As a rookie driver, the player must make their way up the tournament ranks by driving well and not exploding. Resurrection is the sequel to a PC game, Deathtrack, created by Red Baron/Tribes developer Dynamix and originally released in 1989. That actually goes a long way toward explaining how you can have "Death Track" and "Resurrection" in the same title. It's the death track that was resurrected.
X-Blades demo now on X-Box Live
Major Nelson has announced that an X-Blades demo is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. If X-Blades managed to slip under your radar, we wouldn't blame you. All you really need to know is that the game features a scantily clad lady slicing and dicing bad guys with swords. Oh, the lady is attractive too. That's important. You can add the demo to your 360 download queue right here.
1C publishes new WWII flight sim
Between this morning's details on Call of Duty 5 and the announcement of this new flight sim, it would seem that World War II enthusiasts will be happy with the ever present abundance of era-based games. Eastern European publisher, 1C Company, is set to bring IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey to the PS3 (developed by Gaijin Entertainment) and to the PSP (Dynamicsystems).The game lets players become a pilot fighting in five major historical aerial battles: Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, Berlin, Sicily and Korsun. An exact release date was not stated, but the game is currently slated for a 2008-2009 release window.[Via press release]
