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Home's Warhawk space: present and future
click to enlarge PlayStation Home's new Warhawk Game Space goes live today -- but is it really everything a dedicated fan of the game could ask for? The answer is, "No, not yet." Beyond its unique aesthetics, the space is functionally similar to those for Uncharted and Far Cry 2, with one notable exception: the Warkhawk Sand Table. This piece of interactive furniture is something we've seen in various stages of development and, on paper, is a pretty cool concept. It's a place to plan in-game strategies using "VR" set-pieces -- vehicles, maneuver icons, etc. -- which can be moved around on 2D versions of any of the game's maps (and their variants).The first person to access the table is in control. Here's where one of the problems arises: anyone can walk up and watch as you plan your "secret" strategy. Furthermore, there's no way to share or use the finished battle plan within the game. It's all up to each player's memory (or notepad). %Gallery-45906%
Warhawk update 1.5 live; adds Trophies, custom music support
As promised, Sony and Incognito have rolled the latest Warhawk update out of its hanger, prompting a mandatory install once you start the game. Major additions for version 1.5 of the game include much-anticipated PlayStation Trophies (57 of them, with a good mix of gold, silver, bronze, and "mystery offerings") and support for custom music via the in-game XMB. We've just installed the patch and are firing up a match with Hanson's "MMMBop" on full blast! Sure, the update's no new-map-and-rocket-packs gala like the upcoming Fallen Star booster pack – which hits tomorrow – but it's nevertheless another nice show of free support for a still very popular, ever-expanding game.
It's never too late: Warhawk demo may be in the works
The team at Incognito has been expanding the Warhawk universe in quite a number of ways, with three expansion packs, various free patches and tutorials for beginner players. While the Warhawk community seems rather healthy, it appears that Incognito is going to go another step further: it looks to be making a downloadable demo available in the future. An impromptu Q&A developed on the PlayStation.blog, with one reader asking Dylan Jobe about the possibilitiy of a demo. "What about a demo of sorts? A game like this won't ever see my purchase if I can't even try it out."To that, Jobe responds: "We're on it." Considering this is an online-only title, how would a Warhawk demo even work? Would there simply be a server dedicated to demo-only players? Or will, it be a time-limited offering? Guess we'll find out whenever Warhawk's better-late-than-never demo appears.[Thanks, Kyle!]
Warhawk Fallen Star expansion Aug. 28, $7.99
Following the Leipzig unveiling, Incognito has dated, priced and detailed, in painstaking, um, detail, the third Warhawk expansion pack, Operation: Fallen Star. An update on PlayStation.Blog has the exhaustive breakdown, but let's scroll down to the good part: "Operation: Fallen Star is being released on August 28th worldwide [this Thursday!] and is $7.99 in the PlayStation Store." In addition, a new "Booster Combo Pack" will combine all three Warhawk expansions into a tidy $15.99 download, making the complete Warhawk experience just $46 through the PS Store.And, in case you missed it, we've embedded an encore presentation of the Fallen Star trailer after the break. Did someone say, rocket packs? [Thanks, AlterEgo]%Gallery-30405%
GC 2008: PSN lineup reveals Warhawk expansion, Savage Moon
Sony packed a suitcase full of PSN titles for its trip to Leipzig, with at least one new face emerging from the bag: Savage Moon. Sony describes the game as "classic tower strategy" with a catch ... it's in space! Players are assigned to protect a planetary outpost that's being overrun by "gigantic, ravenous space bugs" (true story). You know the drill: plop towers in the most ideal positions to handle the infestation and convert kill points into better weapons. In addition, more details about the third Warhawk expansion have been released. Dubbed, Operation: Fallen Star, the premium add-on introduces a forested location, Tau Crater, where, sure enough, some "experimental technology" is recovered from a crashed Chernovan warship: Jetpacks! The booster pack also includes 10 new battlefields. (A coinciding free update will add two new game modes and Trophies). We've posted the debut trailer for Operation: Fallen Star along with the complete Games Convention 2008 PSN lineup after the break.%Gallery-30077%
Next Warhawk update is good news for newbs
What you're looking at in that there screen is something that addresses one of the chief complaints about Sony's ever-expanding online shooter, Warhawk: a training mode. After all, with no single-player campaign or bots to speak of, new purchasers basically get dropped into the fray with more skilled opponents, left to fend for themselves. For the forthcoming v1.5 patch, developer Incognito is introducing – among many other things – four tutorial missions, each focusing on a specific gameplay style.According to a PlayStation Blog update by Warhawk director Dylan Jobe, completing these scenarios will unlock Trophies – a whole slew of which are also being added in the update. Along with these will be custom soundtrack support (which, when playing your own tracks, automagically mutes the game's score – nice!), new ship paint schemes, more insignias, and a clearer designation for "rookie" servers. The dev team is also tossing in special "ceremonial blades" for Warhawk players who participated in the Global Gaming League team event, which wrapped on July 27.In concluding his address to the Warhawk nation, Jobe teases the next Booster Pack, dropping a hint: "With one of these equipped, a soldier can escape quickly ... even bail out if needed!" Jetpacks, anyone?
Jobe says Warhawk platinum trophy needs no purchased DLC
Dylan Jobe reiterated some points we touched on previously, but also had a very strong statement that is sure to please Warhawk fans: "To earn the Warhawk Platinum Trophy, all you have to do is unlock the base game's 44 Trophies...you do *NOT* have to buy any DLC to unlock the Platinum Warhawk Trophy. Forcing players to buy our DLC would be super-craptastic and completely unacceptable." That should calm all you hardcore Warhawk players.
Warhawk update v1.4 hits July 16
Warhawk update v1.4 will hit exactly at 10am GMT (3am PST) on July 16 with quite an amazing lineup of content, including two completely free gameplay modes: "Hero" and "Collection." In Hero mode, an "Epic Hero" is randomly chosen to lead their team to victory; teams gain points by either killing an enemy hero, or killing enemies as the hero. Collection is described by Dylan Jobe as "multi-flag CTF [note CTF = capture the flag]. There are four energy cores scattered around the map, generally positioned in the center or between the two team's main bases. Each team has a Reactor where Energy Cores are taken to score points."Other such additions include a Quick-join feature which scans for a perfect match based on your preferences, an updated mini-map, changes to Rank & Awards requirements, Minimum Rank server option, update on Home game launching, plus tons more. See the PlayStation.Blog for the full details.
Warhawk trophies and patches detailed, new booster hinted
Passed on to us by Sony's Harvard Bonin, we found out some interesting notes on Warhawk trophies from game director Dylan Jobe: "there has been some talk about Warhawk trophies super-auto-magically going LIVE late tonight when the firmware is released. This is not the case." This all means, in a nut shell, trophies for Warhawk won't be ready upon 2.40's release and, in fact, for quite awhile -- read on. As we've mentioned previously in our firmware 2.40 guide, games released prior to 2.40 (such as Warhawk) will have to be patched. So, the big question is: when will the Warhawk v1.4 patch hit? Now here is where things get a little funny; trophy support will not be found in v1.4 but, as Jobe states, will be found in the v1.5 patch. Neither v1.4 nor v1.5 have fixed released dates, but Jobe sounds very sure that both will be seen "very very very" soon. To give us something to look forward to, Jobe details that Warhawk will have 56 trophies set up in v1.5. Ten will be based off "current stats/rank/awards system" and can be retroactively attained. 34 trophies are entirely new and based off the core gameplay, which ultimately means happy hunting for you. The last 12 are set aside as booster pack-specific awards. With four per booster, and only two booster packs currently released (Omega Dawn and Broken Mirror), it sounds like to us that a third booster will be ready in time for v1.5.
Warhawk add-on bundle coming to Europe this month
SCEE has announced today that the two currently existing Warhawk booster packs, Operation: Omega Dawn and Operation: Broken Mirror will be combined into a low-cost bundle this month. There's nothing more specific than a "June" release date, but the two add-on packs together will cost you only £4.99 (Euro price unknown, though we estimate around €7.99). Currently these can both be bought separately for £3.99/€5.99, so if you wait it out (and why wouldn't you, if you haven't picked them up by now?) you'll be saving a few quid. Definitely worth the price, if you ask us.[Via Press Release]
European PSN update for April 17th
The second of this week's PSN Store updates is already up. While it's a little slimmer than the one earlier this week everything on the list below is worth grabbing. Especially as it's mostly all free. The only thing that isn't free is the Warhawk expansion, but we're sure you won't mind shelling out a few measly quid for that. Here's the full release list for today: Metal Gear Online public Beta (free) Warhawk: Operation Broken Mirror expansion pack (£3.99/€5.99) LAIR "Deadly Dragons" add-on (free) Grand Theft Auto 4 "Everyone's a rat" trailer (free) Don't forget that while the MGO Beta client is available now, the servers won't be open for business until April 21st. In the meantime you can sign up for a Konami ID and make sure you're ready to start playing as soon as possible. We know the next four days are going to be going pretty slowly for you, so why don't you try out Operation Broken Mirror to take your mind off it?
Unsurprising: Warhawk dev working on new game
All game developers move on to new things. So, when Dylan Jobe mentions on the PlayStation.blog that the Warhawk team is working on a brand new game, we can't get too surprised. When "RatchetFanatic" commented on the blog to "make a new game already," Dylan Jobe sharply commented that it's being done. We don't have any details on said new game, but comes to show you that magical things can happen if you wish hard enough (and leave a comment on a blog!).[Thanks, Plantano555!]
Warhawk thrusts to 500,000 player landmark
It took some time, but it's finally done it: Incognito's online-only Warhawk has reached the 500,000 registered player mark. The game was an interesting and risky venture for Sony: would people pay to play a game without a single player component? Looks like the answer is "yes."Warhawk was the first game to take advantage of a new business model Sony is implementing in this generation. Warhawk is available on Blu-ray and as a downloadable. The $40 price point is high for a downloadable, but contains much more content than the average downloadable game.We're certain that Warhawk fans will be pleased by the news -- Dylan Jobe said that more DLC will come to the game "as long as the community exists." It looks like it's going quite strong.[Via Digg]
GDC08: Warhawk DLC will continue "as long as the community exists"
Dylan Jobe, in an interview with 1UP, confirmed that Operation Broken Mirror, the rumoured Warhawk expansion, is currently in production. The booster pack will feature a new battlefield (that'll be "Vaporfield Gl..." then) as well as a new vehicle - an Armoured Personnel Carrier that will function as a portable spawn point and equipment producer. Sounds exciting. We're looking forward to seeing more. No doubt Jobe will have a post up on the PlayStation.Blog within the next couple of weeks. He just can't seem to stay away from it.Jobe also stated that new booster packs will be released "as long as the community exists". New game modes and features will continue to be released in free patches (much like the v1.3 patch that should be hitting the PSN before too long). Splitting content between patches and booster packs means "you can always get free stuff and you always have to option to buy certain content", which we consider to be an excellent philosophy. Finally, Jobe denies that Single Player expansions will ever be released for this iteration of the game, but is definitely something they want to look at for future titles. Whether that's the next Warhawk game, or an entirely different franchise, we look forward to seeing it.
Warhawk expansion arrives day early, free for a few
Warhawk expansion Operation Omega Dawn arrived unexpectedly on PSN today, 24 hours before it was set to go live. What's more, when it first made its premature debut, it was (due to a glitch) accompanied by the bargain price tag of "Free." A few wicked folks (the same people that take a pack of mints without leaving a quarter for Jerry's Kids) managed to take advantage, but it looks like the kink in the system was worked out fairly quickly.The good news is that the pack was left up, so fans can still take advantage of the early appearance, as long as they cough up their $7.99. If you were unaware, the pack adds five new night-time maps, a new dropship and for a few (ahem) unscrupulous early adopters, the unshakable stench of shame.
Rumor: Warhawk add-on coming in December?
Just when you thought you may have had enough of Warhawk, rumors are surfacing about a new pack of goodies due out in December for the online-only title. What's in this rumored pack, you ask? It seems the main draw of the expansion is a new vehicle -- something that launches missiles, or can airlift things, or shoot lasers out of its ears. Well, not the last one, but without official confirmation, it might as well get added to the list. Incognito's own Dylan Jobe didn't confirm the update, but did imply some are on their way when he said "we will further update the community with additional server-side updates, as well as client-side patches." Guess we'll find out the truth in December![via CVG]
Jaffe and Incognito chief leave Sony to start 'Eat, Sleep, Play' - announce Twisted Metal PS2 port
As promised, game developer David Jaffe has finally announced – in a move many expected – details of his new development studio located, not surprisingly, in Utah. Titled Eat, Sleep, Play, the new studio is a partnership with Incognito chief Scott Campbell who worked with Jaffe on the popular Twisted Metal series while both were at SCEA. With Ingognito's Warhawk about to take flight on PS3 and Jaffe having just finished Calling All Cars, the two are finally ready to branch out on their own ... but it's hard to get away from the mothership Sony. They've "signed on for a multi-year, multi-title deal to create titles for the PlayStation family of products, with the first slated for release in 2008."It's not clear if that includes their first project, a PlayStation 2 port of the PSP's Twisted Metal: Head On with some notable tweaks: bumped to 60 frames per second, higher-res textures, "5-7 levels from the never released Twisted Metal Black: Part II," and "a documentary on the history of the series." Jaffe surmises it may be some eight to twelve months before we hear about these new titles, but Twisted Metal: Head On will be available this holiday season. Read – One Door Closes [Jaffe's Blog]Read – SCEA Announces Exclusive Game Development Deal
David Jaffe is 100% Sony, despite new office
While rumors abounded about David Jaffe leaving his position at Sony to open a new studio with some buddies at Incognito Entertainment, we held back until we got more information. Good thing we did, because the rest of the internet buzzed with headlines along the lines of "Jaffe leaves SCEA, world doomed!" We remained optimistic and Jaffe answered our uncertainty on the NeoGAF forums.Jaffe replied to the rumors of a Utah office and leaving Sony by saying "I can promise you guys I am still part of SCEA...I just got a paycheck from them! I am still 100% a Sony employee and unless I got fired today and they didn't tell me, I'm still working for them ... I sure as s**t ain't moving to Utah...nice as it is, I don't think I could live there long term and I don't think the good people of Utah would want me to." However, Jaffe is working with Incognito and has a Utah-based office in the works. So, he's still a Sony guy and isn't moving to Utah, but will have a new office to crank out those super-fun PSN titles. As the new studio progresses, we'll keep you up to date with our favorite developer.[via GameDaily]
Rumor: Sony and Incog Inc. splittville?
The coveted developer that created the Twisted Metal and Warhawk franchises may soon be parting ways with the Sony empire. Rumor has it Sony has been none too pleased with Incog's performances as of late. Sony will sever ties once Warhawk is completed for the PS3, and even scoop up a few of their talented developers in their wake. Those remaining on-board with Incog would likely have to form new financial relationships with publishers and such. If you were waiting for some Twisted Metal love on the PS3, you might just have to wait indefinitely. No word on exactly who will retain the rights to either Warhawk or Twisted Metal after the deal is done. More to come on this as it develops. [Via PSXExtreme]
Warhawk beta starts soon and you are not getting in
It looks like Incognito was telling the truth -- Warhawk is indeed having a beta and it looks like it is starting sooner than was expected. A user on PS3 Forums just received an e-mail inviting him to become a potential beta tester for the sci-fi combat game. The problem? Only Sony RLS members got the invites, and you can only become a member of RLS if you work for certain retail store that sells PS3s. It is supposed to be more exclusive than the GAP membership that they based the private Home beta on. I'm getting screwed again!The initial e-mail didn't include a date for the start of the beta, but if they're recruiting players now, you can be guaranteed it will start in the near future. It is likely that this is only phase one of the beta (much like with Home), so don't worry too much - there should still be be more chances later to get into the Warhawk beta. We'll let you know as soon as we know more.[Via NeoGaf]
