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Trackmania 2 Valley rolls onto Steam, 10 percent off this weekend
Trackmania 2 Valley is available now on Steam, and is 10 percent off ($17.99) this weekend. The game features a 65-track solo campaign as well as new rally-style handling. The racing game is the latest of the Trackmania 2 titles on Steam, the others being Canyon and Stadium. Valley's three-player and five-player packs are also discounted to $44.99 and $71.99 this weekend, respectively.
ShootMania Storm thunders into open beta
ShootMania Storm entered open beta this week, and you can now freely download the game client and hop into some frenetic multiplayer shooter/builder action. Developer Nadeo says the beta includes most of what'll be in the final game, but some features will be restricted to players who've pre-ordered.Ubisoft announced a delay last month just a day before the game was due. The publisher did at least whip up a new ShootMania Storm release date of April 10.
ShootMania Storm delayed until April, open beta in February
Just a day before it was due out, Ubisoft is pushing back ShootMania Storm until April. The game's new release date is April 10, with an open beta scheduled from February 12 until launch.Developer Nadeo noted the additional time allows the studio to release the shooter/builder at an acceptable standard of quality."Nadeo's model of development has always been to be very close to the community, and following the release of the Beta 2 in December, we received a tremendous amount of information from the very active ShootMania community," said Nadeo Live managing director Anne Boudel-Jouin. "For a living, online multiplayer title like this the work is never done, but these extra few weeks will allow us to polish the game further and release it to the level of quality we think our players deserve."
Trackmania 2 returns to Stadium and enters Valley in early 2013
Trackmania 2 is growing into a frenzy, with 'Stadium' and 'Valley' joining 'Canyon' in early 2013. The Stadium environment returns from Trackmania Nations Forever, updated with all of the features available in Canyon. and made over in the new engine. Meanwhile, Valley introduces a new rally-like environment, albeit with highways and the series' penchant for the ludicrous thrown in. Both updates are coming to the ManiaPlanet platform early next year, with Eurogamer reporting Stadium is free-to-play.Nadeo also announced a January 23 release date for Shootmania Storm, the developer's shooter/shooter-builder. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer for Valley above, while Stadium's is after the break.
Shootmania Storm arrives Jan. 23, preceded by December beta
Nadeo's multiplayer shooter and shooter construction kit Shootmania Storm will be released on PC January 23. A new beta, featuring several software updates, will begin in December, open to players who sign up on the website, and to all who pre-order the full game. The new beta adds a "Welcome Build" for new players, a couple new game modes, and new moves like "Laser Jump," "Wall Jump," and "Grappling Hook." It also allows players to import 3D objects into their levels, and create tournaments in-game.%Gallery-170094%
Shootmania Storm beta sign-ups end next month, get in now
The Shootmania Storm beta is revving up to begin, with registration ending July 2 and the beta starting soon after that. Sign up with a valid email address through the Shootmania site.Shootmania Storm is a "ManiaPlanet" game, meaning it has a powerful, accessible editor, though rather than being used to create race tracks, Shootmania's emphasis is on laser-based weaponry and arcade-style-shooter environments.Every person who has so far registered for the beta will get a key to participate in the seven-day trial. The beta will introduce a new mode, Seige, which is a five-on-five competitive round. Other modes include one-on-one, three-on-three, free-for-all and free-for-all with a shrinking map.
Shootmania Storm trailer simultaneously touts the game and its editing tools [update: beta registrations open]
Nadeo's Shootmania Storm is part of the "ManiaPlanet" series – basically, it's like Trackmania, but a shooter. That means an emphasis on a powerful, easy-to-use editor, which is evidently powerful enough to create every shot in this trailer.As for the game itself, the trailer presents a high-speed, arcade-style shooter that substitutes lasers and a cool disintegration effect for bullets and blood, in order to achieve a 12+ rating (and a fun atmosphere) – because making a human body disappear entirely is fine, of course.Update: Beta registrations are now open.
TrackMania 2 Canyon preview: The amazing race
Even fans of Nadeo's legendary TrackMania racing series (which, even if you haven't played, you might remember from the wild 1k Project videos) might be forgiven for thinking they've been abandoned. The last game in the series was released for the Nintendo DS two years ago, and while a full sequel to the popular original game and its many addons was announced in 2009, those plans were apparently derailed a bit by a Ubisoft acquisition in 2010. Last year at E3, Ubisoft revealed that it would be turning the series into a platform called ManiaPlanet, with not much more than a name and an ambitious release plan (including not just the long-awaited racing sequel, but also highly customizable RPG and shooter titles as well). Since then, we haven't gotten much more than a screenshot, and a promise that the game's still coming. Finally, last month at a pre-E3 event, we got to see the title, now called TrackMania 2 Canyon, in action. This is indeed a brand new TrackMania game, featuring all of the kooky customizable tracks and over-the-top physics-based racing that's made the series so popular. But rather than TrackMania 2, Canyon is actually the beginning of the TrackMania platform, one that will depend as much on user creations as what the developers actually assemble.%Gallery-124809%
Trackmania 2 still coming, first screenshot released
You remember Trackmania 2, right? You're not the only one! Even though Ubisoft seems to have forgotten about its much anticipated sequel -- it was supposed to launch in beta late last year -- fans on the game's forums have pieced together the first screenshot of the game (seen above) by compiling a puzzle -- pieces of which have been popping up in the first Trackmania as of late. Additionally, a second puzzle has been revealed, though it's yet to be completed. As you might expect, it features a car on a track ... driving like a maniac. What's that? You wanna help? Head right over to the Trackmania forums and get crackin'!%Gallery-120741%
Ubisoft announces ManiaPlanet (which is not a video game)
But! "ManiaPlanet" is a platform that supports video games. Specifically, it's a "user-powered PC gaming zone" (according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot) for TrackMania 2 (beta coming Q4 2010) and additional "Mania" games, including the previously announced FPS ShootMania (beta Q1 2011) and RPG QuestMania (beta "soon"). Like TrackMania before them, the new Mania titles from Nadeo will emphasize player-created content. Presumably, ManiaPlanet connects the content and creation systems across all Mania games in one convenient application. Imagine that.
Ubisoft acquires TrackMania dev to build online cred
Ubisoft must have found TrackMania creator Nadeo to really be speaking its language, as the French publisher has acquired the, uh, French developer in a bid to drift into the online gaming sector. "Through Nadeo, Ubisoft will gain an expert team, one of the best online technologies around as well as a flagship multiplayer game that enjoys an unrivaled reputation among a loyal and committed community," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot observed. The acquisition of Nadeo comes just weeks after the developer announced a true TrackMania sequel, TrackMania 2, at the Paris Games Festival.
Nadeo announces Trackmania 2 at Paris Games Festival
With a rich level creation feature, wonderfully reckless driving and a non-existent price tag, Trackmania Nations Forever was one of the most surprisingly captivating games of 2008. Yesterday, developer Nadeo surprised us once again by revealing the game's sequel (aptly titled Trackmania 2) during the Paris Games Festival. We haven't seen any official video aside from some shakycam footage captured during the game's announcement -- still, we don't need high-quality media to see the insane graphical facelift the game has undergone. We'll let you know when we hear more. And see more! Any more we can possible experience with any of our senses, we will pass along. [Via Big Download; image credit: TaxiGamer]
In-game ads put devs in control
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, IGA Europe vice president Ed Bartlett explained how in-game advertisements could benefit the interests of PC-based independent developers. Barlett pointed to Nadeo, which was able to release TrackMania Nations as freeware through the use of in-game ads, in turn boosting its player base (recording over 6 million downloads) and increasing ad revenue. This business model is unique because it eliminates the need for a publisher and means developers can retain the rights to their IPs.Ironically, it's the indie developers that have been most resistant to in-game ads; whereas triple-A title publishers, while unable to offset theirs games' costs with ads, have been much more receptive to the practice.
