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Daylight developer closes, passes Blacklight IP to new studio
Seattle-based developer Zombie Studios is closing its doors after over twenty years of operation. The developer announced the news on its website, noting that the studio's owners are retiring. As a result, former Zombie Studios employees started a new company, Builder Box, and "acquired some of the work Zombie is parting with." That includes all rights to Blacklight: Retribution (seen above), Zombie Studios' 2012 cyberpunk first-person shooter. Builder Box was formed by Andy Kipling and Russell Nelson, Zombie Studios' director of production and technical director, respectively. In a PlayStation Forums post last week, Kipling assured Blacklight: Retribution fans that "the people behind the scenes who have been constantly contributing to the Blacklight universe for the last four years remains intact," and that players "can look forward to more updates and exciting changes in the coming year." Zombie Studios formed in 1994, launching its first game the following year, a spaceship simulator known as Ice and Fire. The developer is known for creating the Spec Ops line of tactical shooters, starting with Spec Ops: Rangers Lead the Way in 1998 for PC. Among the final games developed at Zombie Studios is the Atlus-published survival horror game Daylight, which arrived on PC and PS4 last year. [Image: Zombie Studios]
Latest Medal of Honor: Warfighter trailer covers special operations
Medal of Honor: Warfighter's ongoing trailer series reaches its eighth installment with this episode, in which the rumbling, computer-disguised voices of former soldiers involved in Tier 1 Operations. The veterans expound upon how technological advancements, such as wide-field night-vision goggles, have changed the battlefield.
Modern Warfare 3's final two DLC packs fully reconnoitered
The year of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 post-launch content is coming to a close, but it's going out with a bang (gun pun fully intended). The Chaos Pack – previously half-detailed – brings three Face Off maps and four Spec-Ops missions, as well as a new mode, dubbed "Special Ops Chaos Mode." It's a wave-based survival mode, albeit with a Spec-Ops twist. The whole shebang launches for Xbox 360 on August 9, with PS3 and PC versions launching later on.In September, MW3 players on 360 get the "Final Assault" pack, which adds five multiplayer maps ("Gulch," "Offshore," "Boardwalk," "Decommission," and "Parish"), two of which are already available on 360. Again, this content arrives on PS3 and PC at a later (unknown) date. As Activision community blog One of Swords points out, Call of Duty's Elite season ends with more content than it originally promised, which seems pretty boss if you ask us. But don't go getting your precedents miscalibrated, as this may not be the case in future years.
Lockheed Martin Stalker drone stays airborne 48 hours using laser power, all-seeing eye gets literal (video)
Aerial drone designers have been pushing hard to get devices that can stay airborne for days. After all, what's the point of having an observer that routinely lets its guard down? Lockheed Martin must have this question forever etched in its collective mind, as it just completed tests of a modified Stalker drone that was continually charged by laser power beamed from a ground-based source. The LaserMotive-built test was admittedly conducted in a wind tunnel, not a wind-swept battlefield, but it kept the drone aloft for more than 48 hours and was so efficient that it might even have gone indefinitely, if it weren't for staff intentionally bringing the trial to a halt. The true test is coming next, when Lockheed Martin and LaserMotive fly the drone on laser power outdoors. Should the Stalker sail the friendly skies for long enough, it could help usher in an era of UAVs that can spot intruders at all hours -- a little too close to the aircraft's name for comfort, perhaps, but potentially vital for Special Operations troops that might not have to put themselves in danger. You can check the underpinnings of both the laser power system and the Stalker in videos after the break.
Modern Warfare 3's July content for Elite PS3 and Xbox 360 subscribers
Call of Duty Elite members on Xbox 360 will get a new content drop in Modern Warfare 3 on Tuesday, July 17: three new multiplayer maps and a Spec Ops mission.The multiplayer maps include a graveyard of derelict ocean liners called Decommission, an oil rig built for sniping called Offshore, and the remake of Modern Warfare 2's Terminal map, available to Elite members on Tuesday and free for the rest of Modern Warfare 3's Xbox 360 players the following day. In the Spec Ops mission, Vertigo, players must take down enemy troops and helicopters while perched atop the Oasis hotel.On Thursday, July 19, Call of Duty Elite subscribers on PS3 get to tussle with three new Face-Off maps and a Spec Ops mission, content released on Xbox 360 back in June. Multiplayer maps include a tornado-rocked town called Vortex, a dilapidated middle-eastern highway in U-Turn, an urban NYC-based map called Intersection, and the Spec Ops mission, Arctic Recon, which tasks players with assaulting a Russian warship.%Gallery-160351%
Modern Warfare 3 Elite Premium getting Spec Ops mission, three Faceoff maps tomorrow on 360 [update]
Modern Warfare 3 "Elite" premium subscribers on 360 are getting a brand new Spec Ops mission and three new Faceoff missions tomorrow. That's according to the Twitter account of Infinity Ward Executive Producer Mark Rubin, who named the three maps "Vortex," U-Turn," and "Intersection," and the mission "Arctic Recon."Activision's official content calendar isn't updated to reflect Rubin's tweet just yet, but we expect it'll show up not too far from now. Despite the calendar showing three pieces of content – dubbed "map," "mission," and "classified" – don't panic. Rubin said "those guys need to update the categories to be more accurate," which translates to "I swear this is really the truth, regardless of what that silly old calendar says."As always, the content will show up a bit later for MW3 players on PlayStation 3 and PC, per Microsoft's long-standing exclusivity agreement with Acti. We reached out to the publisher for more information, screens and video, and will update this post when we know more.Update: The Infinity Ward Twitter account just dropped the image above of Spec Ops mission "Arctic Recon," and said that only two of the three Faceoff maps Rubin spoke of – "U-Turn" and "Vortext" – will go live tomorrow. The same account posted earlier that three Faceoff maps are included. We're trying to clarify the situation with Activision.Update 2: The tweet was deleted and updated to reflect all three maps. Okay then, to be clear: three Faceoff maps ("Vortex," "U-Turn," and "Intersection") and one Spec Ops map ("Arctic Recon").
Negotiation with extreme prejudice in Modern Warfare 3 Spec Ops DLC
Striking that balance of emotional impact and tension in video games is no easy task. For one, video games aren't real, so I generally don't concern myself much when I run over a virtual pedestrian or cut off an AI driver in the final lap. I don't care if I'm a jerk in a video game.But there's something about watching some thug shoot an innocent virtual person in the face, directly in front of me, that really ticks me off. As Sledgehammer Games community manager Guy Beahm and I ran through the Spec Ops DLC coming to Modern Warfare 3 Elite subscribers tomorrow, and as part of Content Collection #1, I genuinely felt lousy when I was seconds from saving a hostage. I really wanted to save these people.%Gallery-149099%
Here's eight rounds of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Spec Ops Survival mode
Video of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Spec Ops Survival mode (first played way back at E3) has appeared on the Interwebs, and you can watch it in action above. This segment is on the Paris map, and as you can see, players are tasked with killing incoming waves of terrorists, attack dogs and even Juggernauts, while being rewarded with funds used for extra ammo, weapons, and accessories. In other words, it's Horde mode, done Call of Duty style. Part 2 of the video shows more of the same, including a helicopter wave, and some missile-from-above action. Spec Ops is of course all part of the game, along with singleplayer and multiplayer, when it comes out on November 8.
Modern Warfare 3 Spec Ops preview: Walk slowly and carry a big gun
At first, I felt odd when I walked away from a hands-on co-op session of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 earlier today at Gamescom. My colleague Alexander and I had just spent the past 20 minutes carefully defusing IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices, for those of you who don't watch US broadcast news) and murdering potential assailants in a Berlin Spec Ops map, part of a mission named "Invisible Threat." Between laughs, furious button presses, and the occasional expletive, I realized we were having a lot of fun -- far more fun than two grizzled Battlefield vets expected to have with a Call of Duty title, anyway. And soon after our play session, I understood why. That feeling I couldn't place was nostalgia, subtly reminding me that, yes, at one point I used to really enjoy Infinity Ward-developed shooters. As I carefully sniped oncoming baddies, Alex -- dressed in a "Juggernaut" bomb suit, a first for the series -- slowly lumbered around, dodging bullets/missiles/helicopters/tanks (seriously) while I assisted from above. Moreover, his ability to locate the remaining IEDs was based on me tossing up a UAV and spotting them from above, all the while dodging bullets/rockets myself. Of course, that meant I got to regularly drop missiles from said UAV onto the aforementioned waves of antagonists. Points! Somewhere in there, it all clicked. I was back in college, shouting at my roommate to cover my back before we got clipped, frantically popping enemy after enemy, hoping to hold off the never-ending wave for just another few moments so we could complete the mission.
Video: Modern Warfare 3's new Spec Ops 'Survival' mode
Curious to get a look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's newest cooperative multiplayer Spec Ops mode, dubbed "Survival"? Well, good, because we have a video of it. If you're playing catch up, start with our preview of the Horde slash Firefight slash waves-of-enemies mode from E3. If you don't feel like reading all that, then we'll do the hard work and explain it to you like this: Kill all the dudes you see, except your buds, survive as long as you can, earn digi-bucks! The video shows two players tag-teaming some "heavily armored ground forces," which is the kind of cooperative teamwork we like to see. It's not just about killing dudes. It's about killing dudes together.
Infinity Ward on the 'natural progression' of Call of Duty franchise development
"I can only speak on behalf of Infinity Ward, but I think it's a natural progression of how things have been going in general," Infinity Ward Creative Strategist Robert Bowling explained. We spoke last week during a Modern Warfare 3 preview event in Manhattan, in a hotel about 60 blocks north of the Wall Street setting in the game's campaign. I'd asked Bowling about the upcoming Call of Duty XP extravaganza, the variety of devs working on Modern Warfare 3, and if those things are an indication of a more unified franchise development structure -- a structure perhaps forged out of necessity, given the staff losses IW has seen over the past year. "We're at a state now in the Call of Duty franchise, where you have several teams working on CoD that have their own very distinct styles on what type of gameplay they deliver," he continued, in reference to Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Beachhead all working on various Call of Duty projects. "And I think that's a great thing for Call of Duty in general, especially if you're having games come out every year. To have very distinct flavors and to have very distinct styles, it allows us to innovate in different ways and not feel forced to innovate in the same ways and build on the same interactions in the other games." Infinity Ward was showing off the newly added Spec-Ops Survival mode at the event as well, where I was handily carried on Bowling's back through eight waves of enemies before a juggernaut murdered us both. Much like Gears of War's Horde and Halo's Firefight modes, Spec-Ops Survival is, by Bowling's own description, an "infinite wave-based mode." A lot like the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty "Zombies" mode that has thus far missed inclusion in any Modern Warfare release. While Bowling won't deny the allure of adding a Zombies mode to the Modern Warfare titles ("It's a stellar game mode!"), he believes that his branch of the franchise wouldn't be the right fit for it. "I think it comes down to design philosophies. Each game has its own personality and voice. Ours typically stick to the authentic/fun aspects, where there's goes in a different directions that's still fun, but unique to Treyarch's voice and their design sensibilities," he explained. He wouldn't outright say whether or not Spec-Ops is exclusive to IW/Sledgehammer, or if Zombies mode is exclusive to Treyarch, but it seems to be heavily encouraged that it stays as such. But then, he's only able to speak on behalf of Infinity Ward.
Queue up for Spec-Ops: The Line's beta
Ready for 2K's Dubai-based reboot of Spec-Ops, but can't wait until the game releases sometime next year? You'll be glad to hear, then, that the game's beta signups have already begun! It seems that, at the moment, the beta is just for Xbox 360 owners, but we've asked 2K for more info about if and when it'll be heading to PS3 and PC. Signing up, however, doesn't necessarily guarantee entry to the beta this minute. 2K's signup page notes, "If you are selected to participate in the Beta, we will contact you via the email address you provided with next-step instructions on how to redeem a download token." That said, it seems that anyone who manages to sign up before 2K draws a line in the sand will get in. Hooray!
Impressions: Spec Ops: The Line
click to enlarge Having seen the game debuted during the 2009 VGA broadcast, we sat down for a live demo of 2K's Spec Ops: The Line last week at the company's Northern California headquarters. Behind the controls was Cory Davis, lead designer at Yager (developer of -- you guessed it -- Yager), who led us through a roughly 15 minute slice of the game designed to convey the uniqueness of the setting and some pleasantly surprising play mechanics that tie into its backstory. Set about 18 months after a massive sandstorm has ravaged Dubai, the game sees players entering this "no man's land" as part of an elite team sent to locate the origin of a transmission from an earlier mission that had been presumed dead, swallowed up by the sand. The demo began mid-firefight, with the player character (voiced by a decidedly all-business Nolan North) and two AI squad mates seeking cover behind remnants of an office, as unknown gunmen fired at them from a half-collapsed building nearby. What happened next was, well ... unexpected and very cool. %Gallery-82339%
Do some recon on Spec Ops: The Line with these screens
Click image to embiggen 2K Games sent over some new screens from upcoming Spec Ops: The Line and, as one can imagine, the shots feature a lot of the same stuff we saw in the VGA trailer last month: sand; dilapidated buildings; and lots of bang-bang shoot-shoot. While producer (and ex-GameSpot EIC) Greg Kasavin played up the appeal of setting a game in a veritable wonderland of architecture (see: neat buildings to shoot dudes in) during a recent interview, we have to wonder if staring at all of these bieges, browns and mustards will become annoying after a while. We guess everyone will find out when the game releases later this year. In the meanwhile, feel free to head into our gallery below to check out the new screens, which even include a shot that would probably give Bill O'Reilly a heart attack. %Gallery-82339%
Spec Ops: The Line may face censorship; Dubai taking the 'wait and see' approach
"It takes place after an unimaginable natural disaster has struck the region," says former GameSpot editor-in-chief and current video game producer Greg Kasavin, discussing 2K Games' recently revealed shooter, Spec Ops: The Line. The unimaginable natural disaster he's referring to is a catastrophic sandstorm and the region is the financially precarious Dubai. With the one-time booming city-state finding itself in something of a bust, following the global economic downturn, scenes of Dubai's world-famous skyscrapers buried in sand surely struck a nerve. "We will have to review the game first before issuing any decision on whether to ban it or allow it," Mohammed al Mutawa, a video games censor at the United Arab Emirate's National Media Council, told The National. Juma Obaid Alleem, the director of media content at the NMC, told the newspaper that 'before a video game is released in the UAE, the NMC assesses whether it conforms with local laws and notifies authorities if it does not.' From there, we see references to "international matter" and "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" and we figure it best to take the 'wait and see' approach Mr. al Mutawa referred to. For his part, Kasavin is playing up the setting as a "fantastic location from an architectural standpoint" but is quick to point out that "the game uses the location purely as a location." He explained to The National that 'the enemies ... in the fictional Dubai would not have any clear religious or political beliefs associated with them' and that 'none of the shoot-outs took place in mosques.' With myriad games having angered religious or national groups before – everything from Resistance and the Church of England to LittleBigPlanet and the Qur'an – the Spec Ops team has plenty to learn from. We'll know more closer to the game's expected 2011 release. [Thanks, mister_jOBe; via LA Times]
Spec Ops: The Line not dusting up until Nov. 2010 at earliest
Though the Bjork-filled trailer for Spec Ops: The Line may have left you eager to start shooting up a sandy Dubai, we have to recommend that you save at least some anticipation for late next year. According to publisher Take-Two, the Yager-developed shooter isn't due until the 2011 fiscal year, which kicks off on Nov. 1 of 2010. Yes, it's a long way off, but don't get depressed! Your friends at Joystiq have a wonderful way of filling your quota for desert-based e-murder in the interim: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. With Game of the Year list time just around the corner, has there ever been a better moment to revisit the most points-laden diamond skull hunt of the year? We think not.
Spec Ops: The Line VGA trailer is serious business
We're just not sure if we can get behind the aesthetic of the Yager-developed, 2K-published shooter Spec Ops: The Line which was officially revealed during last night's Spike Video Game Awards. It just looks way too gritty for us. Now that we've gotten that pun we've been wanting to make since we first saw the game last night out of the way, we can tell you that the debut trailer is posted after the jump. Despite our irreverent panning during last night's festivities, it doesn't look half bad. According to the last screen of the trailer, it's coming to 360, PS3 and PC. Check out the video if you're a fan of sandy environments, ruined landscapes, female vocalists and egregious violations of the Geneva convention. Update: We've added a hi-res version of the trailer above.
Mystery VGA teaser revealed as Spec Ops
It appears as though yesterday's mystery teaser for the upcoming Spike TV Video Game Awards, featuring a CGI scene of a war in Dubai, is actually not the newest teaser in the world. Revealed back in August, the clip is said to be from upcoming 2K Games franchise reboot Spec Ops. Originally, the title was claimed by EGM rumor mill "Quartermann" to be in development in the shuttered magazine's July 2008 issue. 1UP claims the title to be confirmed by the 90-second teaser trailer that we've dropped after the break. We'd suggest checking it out simply for the fact that it contains more footage than the teaser from yesterday, but the fact that Björk is involved makes us all the more inclined to recommend a viewing. For those of you thirsting for more, your next chance to see the game will be at 2009's world exclusive-filled VGAs. We've contacted 2K Games for comment and will update this post if we hear more.
PSN release of Final Fantasy VII downloaded over 100,000 times
No wonder Square Enix loves to make spin-offs of Final Fantasy VII -- you people can't stop buying it! The PSN re-release of Final Fantasy VII has been downloaded over 100,000 times in two weeks, making it the fastest-selling PS1 download on the PSN so far (and likely, for all time). If a simple digital re-release can garner these kinds of sales figures, imagine what a proper remake could do.While touting the "power and interoperability built into the PlayStation brand," Sony also officially announced additional PS1 games for release later this summer: Wild Arms 2, Mobile Light Force and Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol. It's unlikely any of these games will even come close to what Final Fantasy VII was able to achieve.Bonus! Original PS3 Final Fantasy VII "tech demo" after the break.Super Bonus! Random and miscellaneous PSN stats after the break as well.
Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil latest in ESRB update of PSone games
We've been hearing it over and over again: there's more PS1 games coming -- Sony swears! The latest update to the ESRB database shows a number of PSone games coming down the pipeline, with R-Type Delta and Metal Gear Solid standing out as the most exciting of the bunch. Metal Gear Solid Resident Evil: Director's Cut Spec Ops: Covert Assault Spec Ops: Ranger Elite Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six King of Fighters '99 Medal of Honor Underground [Via Kotaku; Thanks, tmacairjordan87!]
