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New Jim Brown interview talks Stargate Worlds
Fan website SaveStargate.org has posted the second part of its two-part interview with Jim Brown, one of the principle figures in the development of the troubled Stargate Worlds MMORPG. Alongside colleagues Todd Ellering and Daryl Wofford, Brown pitched the original idea for the sci-fi MMO to MGM way back in 2002, and went on to serve as the creative director at Dark Comet Games. The first part of the interview lays out the working relationship between the original team and controversial fundraiser Gary Whiting, as well as a bit of background on Cheyenne Mountain's troubles and the formation of Dark Comet. Part two touches on Brown's views regarding the current licensing situation, how close Stargate Worlds came to actually releasing, and what fans can do to make their voices heard for the future of the Stargate gaming franchise. "Let them [MGM] know you want Stargate games. That's the biggest thing. If CME can manage to succeed with SGW and SGR, that's great, and that means not only will you have those games to play, but there will be more that follow from other studios," Brown says.
Gears of War 3 multiplayer preview: In the Trenches
While you will have to wait an extra five months to get the full version of Gears of War 3 at retail, Epic Games is offering up a concession in the form of a free multiplayer public beta. You'll be able to check out the new multiplayer well before the game ships, although Epic has not released the exact date yet. And the extra development time will allow the developer to take full advantage of feedback from players and implement that information into the final version of the game. "A big part of what we're trying to do is embrace the different play styles that people have, so this public beta is going to be a very big chance for us to throw it out in the wild and see how well we've met the needs of what players want in order to use different tactics," said Lee Perry, senior gameplay designer, Epic Games. Epic held an open house, showing off its newly expanded digs in Cary, North Carolina and offering a first taste and hands-on gameplay with a trio of multiplayer maps – Checkout, Trenches and Overpass. Each map showcases a different aspect of gameplay strategy: Checkout is set inside a large market; Trenches is a map focused on trench warfare that has a large hill at its central point that leads to a very powerful sniper position; Overpass is a section of street with buildings on one side and a bus stop on the other with a large overpass dividing the two sides of the road. %Gallery-104482%
NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown appeals dismissed lawsuit against EA
Jim Brown, nine-season running back for the Cleveland Browns and NFL Hall of Fame inductee, filed a lawsuit against Electronic Arts in 2008 for using his likeness in Madden '09 without first obtaining his permission. Last September, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper (who passed away in January from lymphoma) ruled that EA was protected by First Amendment rights -- a decision which Brown is now attempting to overturn in a San Francisco appellate court. Brown requested the review earlier this week at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. According to the Associated Press, EA representative Jeff Brown emailed the New York Times, saying the industry juggernaut is "confident" the ruling won't change. So, for those of you keeping score: EA's Jeff Brown says Jim Brown from the Browns won't win.
Jim Brown sues Sony, EA over Madden likeness
You'd think most football players would be overjoyed to be named to the Madden's "All Browns Team." Not hall-of-fame running back Jim Brown, though. Bloomberg reports that Brown filed suit against Electronic Arts and Sony yesterday in a New York court, alleging that he "never signed away any rights that would allow his likeness to be used.'' What makes Brown different from the hundreds of other current players represented in the game? According to the lawsuit, Brown alleges that when he played in the '50s and '60s, "the NFL had league wide policy that players shall have no lawyers or agents when negotiating compensation." Even if he had had a lawyer, Brown argues, "video games were not invented yet and no union to obtain rights from [them] existed.'It's a decent argument, but we'd like to think that some forward-looking '60s lawyer could have foreseen the invention of video games and included them in his contract negotiations. After all, today's sports contracts routinely contain clauses for holosim royalties (No, not really).[Via GameDaily]
