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E3 2010: Interview with Warhammer 40K's Mark Downie
Let's face it: At E3, every studio, game and gadget struggles to be the talk of the show, but there's just so much going on that most exhibits and demos get lost in the noise. Therefore, when buzz erupts to eclipse the noise, it behooves the gamer to sit up and take notice. Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online is buzzing strong right now, like thousands of armored, heretic-hunting space bees, especially after revealing the trailer earlier this week. With the previously secretive MMO out in the open, fans are hungry for any and all details about this entry in the beloved 40k franchise. Fortunately, Massively made fast friends with Vigil's Mark Downie, who was more than happy to spill the space beans about the look of the game, faithfulness to the IP and Warhammer 40k's release window. Buckle up, engage thrusters and hit the jump for the full conversation.
Trailer revealed for Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online
THQ and Vigil Games promised to "fully reveal" the Warhammer 40k MMO at E3, and they're standing by that promise. Our first peek at this revelation comes in the form of a brand new trailer, as well as the game's title. var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Trailer_revealed_for_Warhammer_40k_Dark_Millennium_Online'; The trailer for Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online gives us the backstory: demons, aliens and heretics versus man. We get our first look at gameplay as well as the trailer pans through several different battlegrounds. The trailer comes at the same time as a site redesign for Vigil Games, which brings a heavy focus on this highly anticipated game. Follow along after the jump to see the trailer, and keep an eye out for Massively's exclusive interview with THQ and hands-on demo of Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online.
Darksiders dev David Adams gushes about THQ
Unlike the less than wonderful relations some developers are currently having with their publishing partners, Vigil Games' general manager David Adams says things between his studio and THQ couldn't have been better during the development of Darksiders. "We were pretty lucky, just because our publisher had this weird, insane faith in us that I don't necessarily think any other publisher would have had ... our take was that if we just did really cool stuff, people would see that -- they'd want to jump on the bandwagon and support us, and THQ did," Adams tells GamesIndustry.biz in a recent interview. Adams adds that his studio is constantly "trying to be more efficient, do stuff quicker, using less money," so that certainly can't hurt how THQ feels about Vigil, especially given the last year of "restructuring" the publisher underwent to become financially solvent once again. "THQ went through a lot of pain and restructuring -- they took a lot of bullets so we could continue to make our game, and that's a good indication of their faith in us, and their drive to make great-quality products." We'd like to point out that, in this situation, we're all winners because THQ has seemingly become a competitive publisher again, due to producing quality products that we get to play -- and hey, tons of people don't lose their jobs.
Swag Saturday: Darksiders for the PS3 + loot galore! [update]
Update: We've closed the comments and will contact a winner this week. Check the email tied to your commenter name!Do you like action figures, t-shirts, and books? Good, then we've got just the thing for you. Darksiders has been keeping us occupied ever since its somewhat bizarre release date of January 5, so we'd like to pass this newfound addiction straight on to you, the reader. You can outfit yourself with a War action figure (complete with his lovely, flowing, white locks and his megasword Chaoseater), a sweet Darksiders t-shirt (size large), and a hardbound Darksiders art book that'll tell you everything you need to know about the game. Wait, what's this? You want the game, too? A toy, a garment, and some reading material won't do it for you? Fine. We'll also toss in a PS3 copy of the game, free from all of the glitchified bugs tearing up the Xbox 360 version. To enter, just tell us what you'd name your own ginormous, soul-devouring sword Leave a comment telling us what moniker you'd apply to your own giant sword. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, because of something Clint Hocking said -- at least that's what we heard). Limit 1 entry per person per day This entry period ends at 11:31AM ET on Sunday, January 10. At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Darksiders for PS3 ($59.99 ARV), one Darksiders t-shirt, size large ($10 ARV), one Darksiders art book ($14.99 ARV), and one action figure featuring War from Darksiders ($19.99 ARV). For a list of complete rules, click here What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. For more info on our policy, click here.
Report: Darksiders to never see the light in the UAE, kept 'under the table'
With little explanation offered (alright, so, basically no explanation whatsoever), the United Arab Emirate states have reportedly banned the distribution and sale of THQ and Vigil's Darksiders: Wrath of War. According to UAE-based GamesLatest, the game was deemed to "contradict with the UAE's customs and traditions" -- a standard phrase used to near-universally describe banned games in the Middle Eastern states. Unfortunately, that task of enforcing such a ban can be a mighty difficult one. Many retailers in the UAE simply order from wholesalers, bypassing importing laws altogether, and sell their games under the table (and untaxed, might we add). And then, of course, there's always the internet -- we hear you can buy stuff through it. %Gallery-19839% [Via GamePolitics]
Report: Hollywood interested in doing a Darksiders movie
Apparently Hollywood wouldn't mind tossing Darksiders up on the silver screen, as Vigil's Joe Madureira confirmed to VG247 that THQ's already been contacted for projects outside of the video game realm. "We've gotten some interest from Hollywood, we've talked about doing a comic series," said Madureira. Obviously, a comic wouldn't be much of a stretch for the creative director, given his past experience with the medium. "It's really a THQ thing, but I know they are definitely talking to people and I would be surprised if some of that stuff didn't happen," he added. While we can't really say whether the prospect of either is a good thing at this point -- we're still playing Darksiders for review -- we'll be sure to let you all know either way.
Darksiders slides release date to Jan. 5, 2010
THQ's Darksiders has shifted its North American release date from New Year's Day to Tuesday, January 5, 2010. The game will ride into Europe and Asia on January 7 and 8, respectively.In preparation for the launch on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Darksiders has revealed a new website. Expect to hear more about the game after the Modern Warfare 2 fallout dissipates a little. We also feel the need to remind you of the key words Darksiders usually evokes: God of War; Legend of Zelda; Evil Horsies.
Darksiders CG trailer has demons, flaming horse
You should know this: The Darksiders CG trailer embedded above is awesome. "But it's a CG trailer," you say, "it should in no way be used to judge actual gameplay." And you're absolutely right, of course. Then again, we already know the gameplay is pretty solid. But forget all of that right now.All you really need to know is that this trailer features War – one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – killing the hell out of a bunch of demons. Oh, and he rides a badass flaming horse. That's it. That's all you need to know.
THQ moving Vigil studios to new office
Along with working on two major current-gen games in Darksiders: Wrath of War and a Warhammer: 40K MMO, THQ-owned Vigil Games is packing up its stuff and moving to a brand new 33,000-square foot studio in another part of Austin, TX. Unsurprisingly, in confirming the move to Kotaku, THQ reiterates its desire to attract new employees as development ramps up on the aforementioned titles.Though the move was likely decided well before UFC 2009 Undisputed hit store shelves -- and quickly went flying right off those same shelves -- the 1.01 million unit sales of the game couldn't hurt the moving situation. Plusher couches at the new offices, perhaps? If it happens, remember: you heard it here first!%Gallery-19839%
Joystiq hands-on: Darksiders: Wrath of War
One of the biggest things we missed at E3 this year was the upcoming Vigil Games / THQ title, Darksiders: Wrath of War. How we managed to miss this one is still unclear -- we can only assume that it was in our blind spot the entire time. So, during our recent jaunt down to Austin for the Game Developer's Conference, we made time to stop by Vigil and take an in-depth look at the the team's debut title and two-year labor. Luckily, they weren't holding any grudges against our non-existent E3 coverage and were nice enough to give us a huge chunk of time with the game and the designers.Concept artist and Vigil founder Joe Madureira and lead designer Hadyn Dalton sat down with us for two hours, taking us through the game and showing us levels that haven't been released to the public just yet. We got to take control of protagonist War and do battle with enemies, solve puzzles, and even take his massive warhorse Ruin for a spin. Check out the full writeup after the break, and be sure to check out the gallery, full of exclusive images from the game, just below. If you've been itching for a Joe Madureira Battle Chasers fix, this might be about as close as you can get.%Gallery-33091%
Video: Darksiders developer diary
An open world action-adventure game with some very nice looking graphics? How did we not see this before? Joystiq even wrote a preview, and yet somehow we missed it. Anywho, a new developer diary for DarkSiders has been released and the game is looking pretty nice. As stated above, it's an action adventure game with open areas, slick looking combat, puzzle solving and, of course, character upgrades. In short, it looks hot. The beginning of the video notes that the footage is taken from an E3 demo, so hopefully we'll be getting our hands on it when the show starts later this month.
Joystiq impressions: Darksiders: Wrath of War (360/PS3)
Darksiders: Wrath of War won me over at a recent THQ game-preview event. I hadn't heard of the game before, but maybe I just forgot because of its premise."Wouldn't it be cool if we had a game where you ride around as one of the four horseman of the apocalypse, just beating the crap out of anything you encounter?" One gaming exec might say to another. The second might reply, "Sounds great. Let's make it an open world, kind of a GTA-meets-Left Behind-meets-Spawn. Also, let's give ourselves raises."Darksiders looks like it'll pull off this eye-rolling premise with impressive style and genuine action. I wasn't given a chance to play, but after watching two live demos, I'm anticipating this early-2009 game.%Gallery-19839%
Indie horror adventure Vigil: Blood Bitterness now on Steam
Just released on Steam: gothic sci-fi horror title from French developer Freegamer, Vigil: Blood Bitterness. The "gruesome, episodic 3D adventure game" has a unique visual style that makes heavy use of solid colors, especially black and white, to craft a haunting atmosphere to match its chilling plot. You plunge into the psyche of a dark character to uncover ancient secrets about an "uncanny Evil that annihilates all in its path". Vigil follows a traditional point and click adventure style with dozens of locations to explore and puzzles to solve. The first episode of Vigil is available on Steam for $9.95, but if you grab it by July 6 you'll get an additional 20% off. It's also available as a standalone download from Garage Games where you can also try the free demo.
