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Fans spy Battlefield Hardline assets, revealing police-themed shooter
The next entry in EA's Battlefield franchise abandons the series' traditional military setting in favor of the urban battlegrounds patrolled by civilian police officers, according to a handful of assets leaked by the publisher alongside its latest Battlelog update. Unlike past entries in the series, Battlefield Hardline will not be developed by DICE, but is instead being crafted by Dead Space developer Visceral Games. Despite this, and the change of setting, the game includes at least four distinct character classes, a multiplayer map dubbed "Downtown" and game modes with such names as "Blood Money" and "Bomb Squad." The fan-favorite "Carrier Assault" mode was also listed among the Battlefield Hardline assets. The Battlefield Daily Twitter feed also found images representing the awards to be found in Battlefield Hardline. Each icon looks similar to those found in Battlefield 4, though in lieu of that game's military theme, these awards feature handcuffs, bags of cash (complete with cartoonish money symbols) and a grappling hook - implements you'd expect to see in a bank heist, but not in a Chinese warzone. There's currently no word on when Battlefield Hardline might debut, though it seems very likely that EA will share more on the game at the upcoming E3 conference. We've attempted to contact the publisher in the meantime, in the hopes that it might want to shed light on things a bit early, but have so far received no response. [Image: EA]
Jukebox Heroes: A civil chat with Dawngate's Jeff Broadbent
Massively: Today we have tea, crumpets, and the ever-so-delightful company of Composer Jeff Broadbent. Mr. Broadbent is here to talk about his work on the score for the upcoming MOBA Dawngate. So is working in the online video game world becoming a habit for you, going from PlanetSide 2 to Dawngate? Jeff Broadbent: It does seem the online video games are becoming the norm! I am actually working on a couple of new online games also at the moment. The interesting thing about the game market today is that there are many different platforms including mobile, downloadable, online, and console, so it's quite diversified. The Dawngate gig came about through audio director Caleb Epps. I was staying in touch with Caleb, and he let me know about a new project he was working on. He had me create a couple of demo tracks for the game, and based on that material, I was given the opportunity to score the game.
Star Wars game from Visceral, EA adds writer Todd Stashwick
Hollywood writer and actor Todd Stashwick is Amy Hennig's co-scribe on the Star Wars game coming from EA and Visceral Games. Hennig tweeted today, "Thrilled to announce that my friend @ToddStashwick will be joining me as co-writer on the Star Wars project for @VisceralGames @EA!" Stashwick has acted in Heroes, Justified, Supernatural, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and a host of television shows and movies. This appears to be his first foray into video games, though his biography reads, "He is an avid gamer and lover of comic books, sci-fi and horror." Stashwick tweeted about the news, saying he was "beyond humbled and excited" to work on Star Wars with Hennig. Visceral announced Hennig as creative director and writer of its Star Wars game earlier in April. [Image: Bjoern Kommerell]
The former lead for Uncharted is heading up a new Star Wars game
One of the talents that helped define the last generation of console games has a new home. Amy Hennig, the creative director and lead writer of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and its PS3 sequels recently joined the team at Visceral Games (best known for the Dead Space series), where she'll serve as creative director for its in-development Star Wars title. This comes after she abruptly ended her decade-long tenure at developer Naughty Dog early last month. At first, the idea of Visceral working on a game set in that galaxy far, far away almost suggested something in the vein of survival horror, given the studio's pedigree. Hennig's hiring throws a bit of a curve-ball to expectations, though, especially with her expertise in creating a believable group of rag-tag adventurers; her style is pretty much a perfect fit for Star Wars. We likely won't see this game for awhile yet (especially considering DICE's in-the-works Battlefront sequel was teased last year), but this news is almost enough to make us forget that the travesty of Dead Space 3 ever happened.
Amy Hennig joins Visceral Games as Star Wars creative director
Former Naughty Dog writer Amy Hennig is now at Visceral Games, under EA, as creative director on the studio's Star Wars project. "Over the last few weeks, Amy and I have spent a lot of time talking about what her first project would be," Visceral VP Steve Papoutsis writes. "There are a lot of different directions we could have gone, but I could sense that what really excited her about this opportunity (because let's face it, we weren't the only ones knocking at her door) was Star Wars. Amy's a huge fan. We happen to be making a Star Wars game. Just thinking about the possibilities made both of us even more excited about having her join the team." Hennig was the writer and creative director on three Uncharted games, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. She was believed to be working on the PS4 Uncharted game, but she left Naughty Dog early in March.
Dead Space is the first freebie in Origin's new On the House program
Origin is following the leads of PlayStation Plus and Games with Gold by offering selected free games across limited times - the difference is you don't pay to be an Origin member. It's unclear how often Origin's new On the House program is going to trot out its freebies, but for starters members can get dismembering with third-person survival horror Dead Space, which is free to download now. According to EA's FAQ, "once you've claimed your game, it's yours to keep." You've also got plenty of time to claim Dead Space, because it's staying free to download until May 8. [Image: EA]
Hands-on with MOBA Dawngate's closed beta
Dawngate. Another day, another MOBA, right? So why bother with this one? What does it do differently? What does it do better? Why play this over something else? I can't be the only gamer asking these questions, especially in such an oversaturated market, so I spent my weekend playing EA's Dawngate closed beta for that very reason. Here's how it all works. When entering a match, you'll choose your character and then your preferred role to help coordinate with your group. This isn't just an "I'm going to jungle" icon; it actually provides you certain benefits for playing your role correctly. For example, a "hunter" does bonus damage to jungle NPCs and is healed for a portion of their total health after you kill them.
gdgt's best deals for September 30th: Fujifilm FinePix JX650, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX80 cameras
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our friends at sister site gdgt track price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today's top deals include a pair of well-regarded cameras that help casual photographers get professional-looking pictures with ease. The Fujifilm FinePix JX650 is a bargain-basement option, while those looking to spend (and receive) a bit more can opt for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX80. Hoping to grab one or the other? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list -- every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Halo 4 lead designer joins Visceral
Halo 4's lead designer Scott Warner has joined Visceral Games. Warner announced the career change via Twitter, and will be a design director with Visceral. Visceral, a subsidiary of EA, is the developer of the Dead Space series. Visceral Games is currently working on a project outside the horror franchise, and a Star Wars game for next-gen consoles.
EA: Dead Space team working on something new, series not dead
Despite being "an important IP to EA," there is no new Dead Space game in development; instead, Visceral Games is working on something else right now. "Is that team working on a Dead Space game today? No they're not," EA executive vice president Patrick Soderlund told Eurogamer at E3 last week. "They're working on something else very exciting. You have to think of it from that perspective. Is it better to put them on the fourth version of a game they've done three previous versions of before? Or is it better to put them on something new that they want to build, that they have passion for?" This isn't the end for Dead Space, however, as Söderlund reiterates that it's "a brand that is close to Electronic Arts' heart." "I am of the utmost opinion that we have to put the best possible games in the hands of our fans," Söderlund added. "How you get to a great game, the first thing you need is a great development team that have a passion for building what they're building. That's a simple parameter. Everything else follows. Money, time, everything else follows. It's less relevant. That's ultimately how you get success. It's as simple as that." Dead Space 3, which launched earlier this year, failed to meet EA's sales expectations at launch and has had fewer sales than Dead Space 2.
EA to publish new Dawngate MOBA
"Dawngate is a new MOBA, built from the ground up to look and feel familiar while offering a whole new way to experience MOBA gameplay." These are the opening words of a new website for Dawngate, developed by Waystone Games and published by EA. Joystiq notes that the Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube links on the site are either inactive or private, leading us to believe that this game wasn't exactly meant to be public knowledge just yet. There is also speculation that Waystone Games is a dev studio reborn from the ashes of Dead Space 3's Visceral Games, which dissolved last year. You can register for the upcoming beta through your EA Origin account.
Dawngate site points to new EA MOBA
A website for a new fantasy MOBA called Dawngate launched this morning, listing EA and a company called Waystone Games as involved. As spotted by online sleuth superannuation, the site apparently launched early. Links to Twitch. Twitter, and YouTube lead to accounts either inactive or private. "Dawngate is a new MOBA," the page reads, "Built from the ground up to look and feel familiar while offering a whole new way to experience MOBA gameplay. Dawngate empowers you to forge the champions you love for the roles you want in a competitive arena, shaped by ever-evolving, community-driven content and story." Superannuation suggests Dawngate is the MOBA seemingly outed by Visceral Games job listings late last year, and that Visceral's free-to-play group has been renamed Waystone Games. Apart from the little that's on the site, there's no other info on the studio. Earlier this year, it was speculated Visceral had undergone massive restructuring following below-target sales of Dead Space 3, claims which EA strenuously denied. EA recently announced 900 layoffs across its total workforce as part of organizational restructuring. The Dawngate website has a page that allows users to register for a chance to take part in an upcoming beta. As far as we could see, signing up requires an Origin account. We've reached out to EA for comment.
Dead Space 3 sales below EA expectation, pace slower than sequel at retail
Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen stated during the company's year-end financial call yesterday that Dead Space 3 and Crysis 3 didn't meet sales expectations, but avoided providing any sales numbers. We do know EA planned on a strong showing at launch of Dead Space 3, since Dead Space 2's launch beat the original game two-to-one, according to the company. Data provided by NPD reveals DS3 didn't even perform as well as DS2 at retail. A straight comparison of Dead Space 3 versus Dead Space 2 'at the same life stage' would be difficult, since DS2 launched late in January of '11 and DS3 came out in early February this year. "Dead Space 3 units sales were only two percent lower than Dead Space 2," NPD told us, comparing the per day average. Although the latest sequel's retail performance didn't meet the publisher's forecast, EA emphatically denied in early March that production of Dead Space 4 had been cancelled.
Dead Space 3 Awakened DLC review: Event horizon
Note: This review concerns events that happen after the ending of Dead Space 3. As such, it discusses elements that may spoil the story for those who haven't finished it. You have been warned. Dead Space 3's "Awakened" DLC was pitched as a couple of different things. It was to serve as an epilogue to the game, presumably providing some clarity on the more nebulous plot points. It also promised to return players to the sort of horror that was more pronounced in the first two Dead Space games, a horror born of claustrophobia and psychosis.Awakened delivers on these two points to a certain extent, but much more so on the former.%Gallery-180986%
PSA: Dead Space 3 'Awakened' DLC, MGR: Revengeance 'VR Missions' out today
March may be stuffed with new releases, but that won't stop Dead Space 3 or Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance from chucking new content at your eyeballs today. The first to impact your irises is the story-continuing 'Awakened' DLC for Dead Space 3, and it's available now on XBLA for 800 MSP. It hits PSN and PC later today, priced $9.99.Also due on PSN later today are the 30 additional VR missions for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and they're completely free until April 3. In an odd twist, the DLC is exclusive to PS3 in the US and Canada for the time being, but outside those regions it's available now on XBLA for 240 MSP - a slice of curious console exclusivity to get the morning started.
Dead Space 3 'Awakened' DLC confirmed for March 12
EA reveals Dead Space 3 wakes up to its first DLC expansion on March 12, and it's coming to Xbox 360, PlayStaton 3, and PC for $10/800 MSP. As Visceral Games' Shereif Fattouh told us in our preview, 'Awakened' serves as a continuation of the game's story, providing "the real epilogue of some of the events that took place."
Dead Space 3's Awakened DLC trailer has a screw loose
Visceral Games' Shereif Fattouh says the 'Awakened' DLC provides "continuation" to Dead Space 3's story, and harkens back a bit more to the franchise's "claustrophobic, psychotic" themes. This trailer is less Armageddon and more Alien, that's for sure. Brace yourself and read our preview here.
Bringing horror out of stasis in Dead Space 3's 'Awakened' DLC
If there's any worry at Visceral Games over criticisms that Dead Space 3 strays too far from its horror roots, no one is talking about it. On the contrary, producer Shereif Fattouh seemed completely optimistic about the game's reception and its place within the Dead Space universe during a recent preview of the upcoming 'Awakened' add-on content."Whenever you release a title, you're gonna get the positives and negatives. We as a dev team are really proud of the game we made. We feel it was very true to the franchise and we're excited to put it out," Fattouh told Joystiq. "There are people that have criticisms, and that's everybody's right. For us, we put a lot of our heart and soul into the game and we feel it's enjoyable."Fattouh's description of Awakened paints the picture of a campaign add-on that hews closer to the spirit of previous entries in the series. The 'creep factor' was indeed high in our hands-on demo, which sends Isaac back to the CMS Terra Nova's Conning Tower, after it's been overrun by a Necromorph-worshipping cult of scarification practitioners. Strange symbols and unsettling altars that mash together human corpses with Necro parts line the walls."We had a vision for what we wanted to make with our DLC," Fattouh explained. "The nice thing about it is it kind of married into what some of the more hardcore community guys were asking for. They didn't feel that there was as much horror as they would have liked [in Dead Space 3]."%Gallery-180986%
Report: Dead Space 4 canceled after Dead Space 3 sells below targets [update 3]
EA is effectively bringing an end to the Dead Space series after canning Dead Space 4 in pre-production, VideoGamer reports. According to the site, who spoke to an anonymous source familiar with the unannounced project, the publisher terminated the development of Dead Space 4 in light of Dead Space 3 failing to achieve its sales targets.VideoGamer's source claims EA executives informed Visceral Montreal last month of the cancelation along with details of the company's restructuring plans. Two weeks ago, EA did announce layoffs at its studios in Los Angeles and Montreal. The source also claims Dead Space 3 "was almost canceled" mid-development, and that EA told Visceral to bring in a wider audience than previous series entries did by focusing more on action than horror.EA believed Dead Space 3 could comfortably outsell its predecessors, with company CEO John Riccitiello saying he could see the game selling 5 million units. EA announced Dead Space 3 pre-orders were "outpacing" those for Dead Space 2 in January's earnings call, although the publisher didn't disclose by what margin.We've reached out to EA for comment.Update: "While we have not announced sales for Dead Space 3, we are proud of the game and the franchise remains an important IP to EA," an Electronic Arts spokesperson informed Joystiq.Update 2: EA responded to IGN, stating the claims here are "flat-out not true" and that it's business as usual at Visceral Montreal right now.Update 3: To further clarify, EA sent us an additional statement. "These rumours are patently false. While we have not released sales data for Dead Space 3, we are proud of the game and it continues to be an important IP to EA. Appreciate your help bringing down this baseless rumour."
See Zeus, Isaac Clarke throw down in PlayStation All-Stars
Sony will release downloadable characters Zeus and Isaac Clarke for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale on March 19, along with a new stage that is a cross-over of MediEvil and The Unfinished Swan. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog from newly appointed Sony lead game designer Seth Killian, the stage will be free to play in online ranked matches, $1.99 to own.Both Zeus and Isaac are being offered gratis to those who purchase God of War: Ascension, available through an included voucher; or you can buy each combatant for $4.99 through PSN on March 19. Above, you can see Isaac battle back the madness – hop past the break if you want to see Zeus choke Sackboy.%Gallery-180147%
