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Video: Part two of Disney Epic Mickey's opening cinematic
During his keynote speech at PAX yesterday, Warren Spector revealed the second half of Disney Epic Mickey's opening cinematic, which you can find and watch right after the break. The first half, you'll remember, set Mickey up as a mischievous type who'd played around with a magical paintbrush and eventually fallen into a spinning vortex of darkness. In this half, Mickey is dropped into a mad scientist's castle in the Wasteland, where we get to meet Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the Phantom Blot and a cast of other characters who will undoubtedly appear elsewhere in the game. And just like the first half, this one is presumably full of old school Disney animation references and in-jokes, none of which we actually get (although Google helped us out with this one). Any Disney scholars want to call out Spector for showing off?
PAX 2010: CCP unveils EVE Online's latest expansion
Tweet var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/story/r/pax_2010_ccp_unveils_eve_online_s_latest_expansion_massively'; At PAX Prime, we caught up with CCP's lead game designer Noah Ward, who paused helpfully between the roaring crowds on all sides of the booth to fill us in on the "secret sauce" to EVE Online's continued growth and success. Ward said it was simple: CCP's steadfast commitment to the game for the long haul. The dev team strongly believes in the growth of EVE and works hard to expand it both inward and upward. Part of that growth includes continued expansions to the title, and Ward was excited to reveal the next one on deck. While it doesn't yet have a name -- at least, nothing CCP could put in print -- the team is hyped up about its latest expansion to the EVE Online franchise. Set to debut later this winter, the expansion looks to build on many of the key foundations that Tyrannis began. Hit the jump to hear about the four new features that EVE fans will find themselves crowing about by the time Santa comes a-callin'!
WRUP: Schrodinger's hurricane edition
With most of our writers off at the two major conventions over the holiday, this weekend poses an interesting conundrum. Either Hurricane Earl will pass by one of our few non-convention-going writers with nothing more than some wind and a little rain... or it will smash directly into the coast and kill him and his cat alike. But at the time this is written, either could happen. That shan't trouble the other writers of Massively, however, so click past the break to find out where everyone is and what we'll be up to... and what those of us left behind would love to be playing if we got to be at PAX right now! Be sure to let us know what you'll be playing over the weekend in the comments!
Retro City Rampage preview: A Hodgepodge of Homages
There are all of those inside jokes, those gaming and pop culture references that we slip into conversation now and again, eliciting a chuckle from those "in the know." Now imagine you had enough knowledge to make a game and decided, "Hey, what the heck? I'll go ahead and put in a nod toward this classic in my game." That's kinda what Brian Provinciano did. He came up with Retro City Rampage, a self-professed "open world action parody" that started out as Grand Theftendo, an attempt to create Grand Theft Auto 3 on the NES. It kinda snowballed from there and eventually ended up being Retro City Rampage, a retro sandbox game with plenty of moxie. %Gallery-97765%
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 preview: Force Majeure
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is little over a month from launch and during my time playing it here at PAX, it was pretty obvious how far along the game has come. LucasArts has shown the same area of the game both at E3 and Comic-Con, but now it's been fleshed out and, more importantly, we were finally able to play it. %Gallery-95704%
Nintendo opens the floodgates on Fluidity media
Fluidity, the new WiiWare game Nintendo is showing off at PAX, looks a lot more interesting than you'd expect from a game about tilting containers to let water flow. For one thing, the containers in question are whole rooms set inside a comic book, filled with puzzles that require you to squirt, freeze, melt or otherwise manipulate water to complete them. For another, the water animation is mesmerizingly pretty. PAX attendees have the opportunity to swish around in Fluidity for themselves, but the rest of us will have to be content with the trailer after the break and the screens in our gallery.%Gallery-101332%
Swarm gameplay trailer plays follow the leader
While the first trailer for Hothead's Swarm didn't feature any gameplay, it did show off the many, many ways to kill the game's main characters -- those little blue ... things. We're feeling that Lemmings vibe again in this new PAX trailer, which introduces the first gameplay footage. All those gruesome deaths? Just as comically effective in game. Head past the break to see for yourself.%Gallery-101328%
Portal 2 multiplayer screens from PAX will win your heart
We still haven't been told the names of the two robots cooperatively making their way through an Aperture Science facility in Portal 2, but that doesn't matter -- we'll name them Red and Blue. In the screenshots below, released today by Valve, you can see our dashing nonhuman heroes hitting switches, diving into portals and just plain oozing personality. In fact, even without seeing them move, we can already tell all sorts of things about how they act together. Red seems a little more timid and reserved, while Blue appears to be a go-getter who gets things done. Then again, look at that swan dive Red's pulling off. That's a thing of beauty right there. Curse you, Valve! You've already made us care about them so much!%Gallery-101341%
PAX 2010: ArenaNet announces Guild Wars 2 app for smartphones and iPad
The latest news on Guild Wars 2 comes from a direction that most of us were not considering. Part of Guild Wars 2's development is being done by the Extended Experience Team, a group working on game experience that's not strictly limited to your computer. Today the Guild Wars 2 developers unveiled that team's current project: Guild Wars 2 for smartphones and the iPad. The project isn't completed, but it's already very extensive. Players will have the ability to check their friends lists, follow their friends on the map, message their friends, and move around the world on their characters. Game Designer Colin Johanson says that the Extended Experience Team doesn't plan to stop with that, however. The team is planning to take the application much further before release, so expect to see even more in the way of Guild Wars 2-on-the-go.
Pitchford explains the Duke shirt that predates Duke Nukem Forever
Come get some background on Randy Pitchford's back-in-fashion Duke Nukem shirt, seen above: "I moved to Texas and became a professional game maker to join Allen Blum, he created Duke Nukem 3D," the Gearbox co-founder told an audience at PAX. "He and Todd Replogle in Southern California, freaking invented this whole damned thing. And I moved out to Texas to join him and George Broussard and Scott Miller, and all the guys on the team, so that I could be part of Duke Nukem 3D. Because I wanted to add to that. I thought it was awesome; it was really fun and I wanted to be part of that team. "This t-shirt I'm wearing, George gave me this t-shirt in 1996," Pitchford continued, now speaking as part of the team that now hopes to complete Duke Nukem Forever. "And we've been waiting for this game ever since. Guys like Alan didn't want to let the Duke dream die. They've worked their butts off all this time making great stuff." [Image credit: Mikey Neumann, Gearbox creative director; via Twitter]
Duke Nukem Forever preview: Yeah, it's actually playable. No, really.
After what is arguably the longest, most troubled development in the history of video games, Duke Nukem Forever is finally, really, truly here. It's not being shown secretly, behind-closed-doors at some industry event. Instead, it's at PAX, an event that is, more than any other in this industry, consumer facing, and that tangibility is a big part of Gearbox's reveal. Wait, who? Gearbox Software, the Texas-based dev who's helping to bring 3D Realms' pre-Google (think about it!) labor of love to consoles, is behind this revival along with publisher 2K Games. "This is a game you can't make promises about," Gearbox prez Randy Pitchford told an audience of incredulous gamers this morning. "Haven't we not been teased enough? We don't want to tease. We just thought we'd bring it to PAX." And Gearbox didn't just bring a trailer – although it did bring one of those – but more importantly, there's about 15 minutes of playable game. Let that sink in for a while. While we weren't able to grab video of the trailer – you'll have to settle for my account – Pitchford did say that people could take pics. Actually, he said, "You've got cameras. You've got cellphones with cameras on them. Take all the pictures you want [...] We'll even take the pictures for you." You know, when Duke Nukem Forever was first announced, I didn't have a cellphone yet ... and the idea of a cellphone with a camera on it? Madness. %Gallery-101315%
PAX 2010: DDO Update 7 bringing half-elves, half-orcs, more [Updated]
DDO's Update 7 is coming sometime in October, and we spent some time at PAX this morning chatting with members of the Turbine crew. They had some extremely exciting things to tell about Update 7 and sprung more than a few surprises on us. First up were the new races. Yes, that was plural. Half-orcs, the resident tough guys of Stormreach, are the coming race that players have been looking forward to, but Update 7 will also bring half-elves. Half-elves will be a very versatile race, with some special feats that make them ideal for solo builds. Update 7 is bringing much more in addition to the two new races. There will be a 12-man raid at level 6, the first large raid suitable for players below level 10. It will be added to the Devil Assault Adventure Pack, so if you already own that one, you'll find it within that arc. Devil Assault will also gain epic mode with this update. The raid isn't the end of new content, of course. There's a new adventure pack coming, and this one's free! This level 12 quest arc will send you to solve the long-running mystery of Nat Gann's fate, and it may or may not involve time travel. There are some updates coming to the UI and basic game that players will definitely enjoy. You'll find a slight change to the UI color, but that's not the best part. The inventory UI has an upgrade that will allow you to sort your items by type, making it much easier to keep things organized. You'll find tabs for each gear type, ingredients, potions, and more. And finally, the auction house got an update that should have DDO fans jumping for joy: search. That's right, Update 7 will bring string search to the auction house. You'll be able to search across categories, choose exact phrases, or be a little more general. Engine upgrades to enable DX11 graphics, reactive water, hireling AI upgrades, bug fixes, and a few more special surprises round out this exciting update. Want to know more? Keep your eye on Massively -- we'll be taking an in-depth tour of Update 7 later this month! [Update: To clarify, both of the new races will be available for purchase in the DDO Store.]
Red 5 Studios reveal Firefall, coming to PC 'near the end of 2011'
Perhaps it isn't enough for you to know that Firefall -- Red 5 Studios' first release -- is full of guns and jetpacks? Would it help if you knew that the lead designer was also headed up Tribes? Ahhh, good! Firefall is a "team-based action shooter" featuring "hundreds of players" completing objectives and battling to the death in a "dynamic open world." And, frankly, it looks great. The title is free-to-play and relies on an in-game marketplace for profit. We might normally balk at such a monetization system, but we were thoroughly impressed by the game's debut gameplay trailer, not to mention the pedigree behind Firefall. If you're as enticed as we are, you'll be glad to know that Red 5 is accepting applications for the game's beta starting right now.%Gallery-101312%
Gearbox Software promises to finish Duke Nukem Forever, for real
The game, the myth, the curse -- Duke Nukem Forever has brought companies to their knees and dashed the hopes of a generation of gamers, but it's refused to go away for well over a decade; we just couldn't let it. Now a new company has stepped up to the challenge -- Gearbox Software (of Borderlands fame) has announced that it plans to finish the game, and that 2K Games will release it sometime next year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Will it actually happen? We can't say we'd bet on it, but we want to believe. Update: If you still need a bit more convincing, there's an actual press release after the break.
Duke Nukem Forever coming '2011' on Xbox 360, PS3 & PC, courtesy of Gearbox
It's finally, really, actually ... maybe going to happen at this point. The rumors are true: Gearbox Software and 2K Games have taken on the Herculean task of completing and releasing 3D Realms' unfinished Duke Nukem Forever. The project was officially unveiled today at PAX during a livestreamed presentation at the 2K Games booth and announced for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. "It's coming out in 2011," Gearbox president Randy Pitchford said during the presentation. (Of course, we're skeptical about any release date associated with this particular title.) Gearbox began finishing Duke Nukem Forever in late 2009, according to The Wall Street Journal. "Clearly the game hadn't been finished at 3D Realms but a lot of content had been created," Pitchford told WSJ. "We're in the polishing phase now. This is a game where we can not make a promise we can not fulfill," Pitchford added. "We need to get past the shock and awe, and then we can go to all the retailers and first parties and work out a launch plan." Duke Nukem Forever is a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D and will feature both a single-player campaign and multiplayer. "Aliens come and say they're going to be our friends, and Duke knows this isn't going to work out," Pitchford revealed of the plot. "Duke once again is in the pivotal spot and it's up to him to save the world." [Image credit: Kurt Miller]
Duke Nukem Forever appearing at 2K's PAX booth [update: pictured!]
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/03/duke-nukem-forever-rumored-at-pax/'; "OMG, Duke Nukem is at PAX!" At least, according to an effusive tweet from Joystiq alum Dustin Burg. In addition, a source at the convention told Joystiq that images of Duke Nukem are visible at the 2K booth, which has yet to open to the public. The Gearbox logo can be seen, but the title of whatever Duke Nukem game is being promoted is currently covered. However, we might have a clue, thanks to reports coming in from CVG's "US dev sources," who tell the site that the game is actually Duke Nukem Forever, and will be given a "grand demo" at the show. Rumors have been flying recently about Gearbox signing on to complete the game. Also flying: pigs, in an image tweeted by 3D Realms' George Broussard (who joked with 1UP in a January 2006 interview that he expected DNF to be released "when pigs fly") . 2K did say it planned "something big" at its booth, and this would certainly qualify. Update: Gearbox creative director Mikey Neumann tweeted a picture of CEO Randy Pitchford wearing a Duke t-shirt. Seems portentous! Update 2: A partial image from 2KGames' Twitter account also shows the Duke "radioactive" logo. Update 3: Well, here's the most concrete evidence you could ever ask for. Pikimal [via Shacknews] posted several images, like the photo stand seen above, of Duke Nukem Forever signs at the 2K booth.
PAX 10 winner Puzzle Bots available for half price during expo
Erin Robinson's excellent Puzzle Bots was chosen as one of the PAX 10 winners for this weekend's Seattle convention, and as a result, Wadjet Eye games has it on sale all weekend long. By entering the code "PUZZLEPAX" at checkout, you can play the cheerful little strategy puzzle title for $4.99 instead of the usual $10. There's a free demo available if you want to try before you buy and the game will also be playable on the PAX show floor -- so if you have a friend in Seattle, ask them what they think. An excellent deal on an excellent indie title, even for those of us who aren't partying with Tycho and Gabe this weekend.
Bastion is Supergiant Games' first title, playable at PAX
When Supergiant Games opened its doors during GDC earlier this year, it revealed it was working on a digital title to be released in 2011. This week, Giant Bomb unveiled that title -- it's called Bastion and should be available for public consumption by next summer. Supergiant explains Bastion as an "action role-playing game set in a lush imaginative world, in which players must create and fight for civilization's last refuge as a mysterious narrator marks their every move." The "mysterious," somewhat lyrical narrator makes his first appearance in the game's trailer -- which we've dropped after the break. Considering Supergiant's pedigree (ex-EALA Command & Conquer devs) and how beautifully detailed this initial media is, we have high hopes for Bastion. The game will be playable at PAX Prime this weekend as part of the "PAX 10."%Gallery-101176%
Killzone 3 screenshots feature hoodies, pummeling
Before you and the many thousands of other yous gets a chance to go hands-on with Killzone 3 this weekend at PAX Prime, Famitsu has a smattering of new images to hungrily dig through for new information. One thing solidly confirmed by these shots? Dusters. Hooded dusters, no less! And hey, if you ask us, there's a severe underuse of dusters in the world of video games. Unfortunately for the gentleman above, he seems to have been socked in the face several moments before the image was taken, so his duster is fluttering through the air along with his torso. Hopefully you'll fare better this weekend at PAX!
2K Games to stream 'something big' from PAX tomorrow morning
Oh boy -- yes, this certainly seems like an announcement for an announcement, and you know how much we love those (not at all). But 2K Games' blog has posted that "something big is going to happen at the 2K Games booth" this weekend for PAX 2010, and it's got everyone riled up. If nothing else, just consider this a PSA that there will be a live stream starting tomorrow morning at 10AM PDT, in which we'll supposedly see "something big." An elephant? An Ubisoft Toronto game? Tom Hanks after a wish? If it helps (it doesn't), Duke Nukem co-creator George Broussard has tweeted a link to a picture of pigs flying, which some folks have taken to mean that Duke Nukem For.. -- oh, never mind, we can't even bring ourselves to say its name. Let's just all wait patiently until the live stream starts tomorrow, and then we won't be disappointed when 2K announces that it has convinced President Christoph Hartmann to attend PAX in a silly gorilla suit.
