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Ridley Scott is producing a followup to '2001: A Space Odyssey'
There was a time when the name Ridley Scott had film - and especially SciFi - fans salivating at the mouth. Unfortunately, after Gladiator, it's been mostly downhill, with Prometheus leaving a particularly sour taste. That's why you're entitled to be more wary than excited at the news that the Blade Runner director has signed up to produce a SyFy Channel miniseries of Arthur C. Clarke's 3001: The Final Odyssey. If you're unfamiliar with the 1997 sequel to 2001, 2010 and 2061, the novel concerns Frank Poole - the astronaut HAL sets adrift in 2001 - floating in space. Once revived and returned to Earth in the future, he finds a land where the monoliths now pose a threat to mankind's continued existence. We would tell you more, but that'd defeat the point of them making the TV version, wouldn't it.
Defiance final beta invites PC, PS3, Xbox 360 players March 22
Defiance launches on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on April 2, but prior to that, developer Trion plans to run one last beta test, including – for the first time – Xbox 360 and PS3. The beta runs the weekend of March 22, starting at 8am PT (11am ET) and concluding on March 24 at 9pm PT (12am ET, March 25).The final beta opens up the Mt. Tam and Madera regions to players, with co-op battles on Angel Island and the Cronkhite Bunker available. Competitive multiplayer may also be sampled on the Freight Yard and Observatory maps.Trion is stripping the NDA for this last beta test, so feel free to upload gameplay videos to YouTube, you crazy game streamer you. Expect invites to go out next week, though Trion is guaranteeing beta keys to all who pre-order Defiance from here on out.
Engadget goes ghost hunting -- exploring the gadgetry of paranormal investigation (video)
The rendezvous point is as nondescript as these things come -- a giant convenience store off the side of the freeway, a big cardboard box out front, filled to the brim with pumpkins in anticipation of the upcoming holiday. Stacey Jones approaches us timidly at first, calling my name in our direction, as two of the crew members puff on cigarettes in the unseasonably frigid air. She'd apparently mistaken some other folks for us a moment earlier, a group of college students in hoodies and baseball caps, and is clearly a little embarrassed by the whole experience. It's the first and last time words like "timid" and "embarrassed" can be accurately applied to a middle-aged mother of an adult son who hunts ghosts for a living in central New York State. Group identified, she announces, "We'd better get going. It'll take about an hour to get there." Disappointing news, after the five it took to get to this roadside rest stop. But we nod and smile and get back in our respective cars. She's careful not to reveal the location until we arrive, for concerns of privacy. I've studied her a bit online. A self-described "ghost cop," YouTube is littered with videos of her leading camera crews through abandoned hospitals, in search of dead people apparently desperate to relate some bit of information to her. The location, however, isn't as classically horror movie as we'd imagined or hoped in the car ride up. It's quite idyllic, really -- a beautiful 100-year-old building off the side of the road, 200 yards from a truly stunning old church. Outside the front door, a small signboard advertises a monthly waffle breakfast. Decidedly more ominous are the two graveyards that flank the buildings, with tombstones dating back to the early 19th century, generations of farmers under the ground that may well outnumber residents in this sparsely populated locale. The weather, too, is doing its part to set the scene -- strange, gray clouds hanging low in impossible shapes. "The light," says one of the crew members, as we park and begin the unpacking process. "It's...oversaturated." Sounds seem to travel remarkably well in the cold, crisp, pre-storm air. I step across the road with the show producer, to gather b-roll of 150-year-old headstones, still able to hear every word that Stacey says, as she describes her entry into this strange and oft-maligned world, how her son became possessed by demonic forces on an investigation in a graveyard as a teenager. It's a story she'd recount for the Discovery Channel five years ago, coupled with basic cable dramatizations, portrayed by actors bearing slightly resemblances to their real world counterparts, if you're willing to afford them the advantage of a good squint.%Gallery-168911%
The Firing Line: Blacklight release, Defiance, and (hopefully) a DUST livestream
Welcome back to The Firing Line, shooter fans. I'm still recovering from Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide 2 demo last week (as well as CCP's reveals regarding DUST 514 gameplay footage and impending beta dates). Life goes on, though, and there are plenty of interesting tidbits to talk about with regard to our favorite genre. Won't you join me after the break for a recap?
Syfy announces star of the Defiance TV series
By now, we're sure you're all familiar with Trion Worlds and Syfy's collaborative effort, Defiance, which aims to be the first MMO to directly interact with a running television series. Well, every TV show needs a star, and Defiance is no exception. In a press release today, Syfy announced that New Zealander Grant Bowler has agreed to play Defiance's starring role. North American audiences would best know Bowler from his role as Connor Owens on Ugly Betty or as -- we wish we could make this stuff up -- Cooter, "the leader of the werewolf biker gang in the HBO series True Blood." In Defiance, Bowler will play the role of Jeb Nolan, "the law keeper in a bustling frontier boomtown that is one of the new world's few oases of civility and inclusion." Having lost both his wife and his child in the conflict with the aliens, Nolan became a lone wanderer, which eventually brought him to the town where he works to keep the peace. Hopefully this new addition to the cast indicates that the TV series -- and by extension, the MMO -- is beginning to gear up for production. [Source: Syfy press release]
Ask Massively: Sort of like literary criticism edition
For those of you not familiar with Irish literature and the nonsensical ditherings of some more famous examples of same, you might not realize that today is Bloomsday, a day celebrating the novel Ulysses. If you've never read Ulysses, you're in for a treat... if your idea of a treat is a phone-book sized tome whose plot leaps and bounds like an inert lump of granite. It's a heartwarming tale of a man's growth into boyhood, a boy's growth into surrogate sonhood, and an author's growth into the sort of man who would submit Finnegan's Wake as a serious literary work with a straight face. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's time for this week's edition of Ask Massively. And today's questions aren't going to lie down and take it, since we're fielding questions about Defiance as well as the sometime-this-year-probably release of Star Wars: The Old Republic. As always, if you've got a question you want answered next week, you can send it along to ask@massively.com or aim it toward the comment field.
Trion Worlds and Syfy to debut Defiance at E3 2011
Three years ago, Syfy announced that it would be teaming up with RIFT creator Trion Worlds to construct the world's first MMO that would actively intertwine with a live-action TV series. This project became Defiance, which will be making its debut at E3 2011. The groundbreaking project will create a shared universe for the game and TV series, with each influencing the other through actions the characters and players take. The game -- an action-based shooter that will be released on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 -- will be set in the San Francisco Bay Area, whereas the TV series will take place around St. Louis, Missouri. Both, however, take place on the same conflict-torn future Earth where humans and aliens coexist, though whether they do so peacefully or not remains to be seen. Lars Buttler, CEO of Trion Worlds, has this to say about the project: "This is essentially the convergence of the television and gaming industry into one fully-developed cohesive property. Syfy is creating a television show that takes place in the fictional universe that the game is set in. The game and the show will constantly [influence] each other from the moment they simultaneously launch." If done properly, Defiance could bring a new level of persistence and player influence to the genre. Keep an eye out for more on this upcoming title as E3 draws ever closer, and be sure to head over to Hollywood Reporter for the full article.
The MMO Report: May the beard be with you edition
With great facial hair comes great responsibility, as Casey Schreiner knows. This week on The MMO Report, we're given not only a healthy serving of news and views on all things MMO but also a glimpse into past-Casey. We also learn of time-traveling-Casey, who apparently shares beard-care tips with the early Jedi. First up, it's a look into the news about Defiance, the upcoming sci-fi MMO from Trion Worlds and the Syfy Channel. That, in turn, leads us to ask: Does anyone else look at the channel name and want to pronounce it "siffy?" After that, we get a look at a shockingly Schreineresque Jedi in the Star Wars: The Old Republic newsbyte. Charging onwards, it's a note on the EVE Online/DUST 514 cinematic from Fanfest that CCP released to the drunken capsuleer masses -- and then the rest of us. Next up, it's time to look at the toad-ally awesome Guild Wars 2 Hylek, and finally we finish off with the standard sack silliness, including a bit of internet archaeology. Check out this week's episode behind the break -- and don't forget you can see it every Thursday on G4TV!
SyFy-Trion project revealed as Defiance
Trion Worlds may be big with its RIFT mojo these days, but the studio isn't looking to be a one-trick pony. We've known that it's had a number of other projects in the works, including an action science-fiction MMO created in conjunction with the Syfy channel. Today we've learned the name of this project: Defiance. Described as a "new entertainment franchise that will seamlessly pair a primetime series with an online video game," Defiance is scheduled for release sometime later this year. We first heard about this MMO a few years ago, although Trion's been fairly mum on the specifics. Video games and TV series working together offer a unique prospect for synergy and cross-promotion, something that hasn't escaped the attention of Trion CEO Lars Buttler. Defiance may also appear on the Xbox 360 if Trion's hiring practices are any indication.
Battlestar Galactica gets an open beta date
Are you ready to step into the world of Battlestar Galactica Online and have a frakkin' good time blowing Cylons into the next century? Perhaps you're more the type of person who feels a certain affinity with the toaster-people and instead would prefer to play on the side of the Cylons themselves? Whatever the case, if you've been waiting for Bigpoint Games' upcoming free-to-play SyFy Channel space dogfighter, then you're in luck. According to a post by Husker on the Battlestar Galactica Online forums, the game's open beta is right around the corner: February 8th, to be exact! Initially, three servers will be launched for open beta: Caprica for the U.S. West coast, Scorpia for the U.S. East coast, and Tauron for players located in the EU. However, all players will be expected to use English in common chat channels, even on the EU server. The only exception is in Squad and Wing chat, which is left up to players. Any other language used in open channels will cause you to be ganked with a GM banhammer and be sent to appeal on the forums. Bigpoint also states that if more servers are needed, the company will be adjusting accordingly. In the meantime, you can check out Beau's First Impressions of the game or watch the red-hot trailer Bigpoint just released to get an idea of what this very ambitious Unity-engine-based game will be like.
Trion hiring for untitled SyFy action MMO, looking for XBox 360 programmers
With RIFT launching in the very near future, Trion Worlds is resting on its laurels and doing absolutely nothing... by which we mean the exact opposite. The team is looking for new staff to help develop the yet-unnamed action MMO created in partnership with SyFy, currently just named the "SyFy Action MMO." This in and of itself is good news for those who had thought the project had been abandoned, but it gets even more interesting when you realize that two of the jobs are targeting XBox 360 programmers. Assuming that the game is targeting the 360 -- which seems likely under the circumstances -- it would join Final Fantasy XI as one of the only MMO options on the console. That would be a significant boon from a marketing perspective, as would the show/game integration promised back when rumors first began surfacing. The 360 programmers are not explicitly linked to the long-dormant game, but neither are they linked to the two existing games in Trion's stable. Although the job listing alone doesn't promise a future for the game, it's a step in the right direction for what might be a very different take on MMOs after all.
Battlestar Galactica Online goes closed beta, releases new screens
It looks like Bigpoint is stepping closer and closer to launching the browser-based Battlestar Galactica MMO. Open beta is due this December with launch exclusively on SyFy.com this fall. (Sci-fi on SyFy? Yes!) Fans will be happy to know that the game will be firmly set in the popular television show's universe complete with warring factions, exploration, mission-based PvE and lots of player-obliterates-player combat! Ah, the joys of exploring the unique sights and ships of the Battlestar universe. Right now, closed beta players are being asked to finish a tutorial mission -- as either human or cylon -- then are sent off to freely explore the universe. They can experiment with mining, PvE or PvP content, or even exploring the Battlestar, space outposts, planet bases or a Cylon basestar! We all know that Cylons rule and humans drool, so this is good news. Read on!
Battlestar Galactica Online trailer is out of this world
Some of us may scoff at a browser-based Battlestar Galactica MMO, but for those who just want to see something BSG related on a screen, there's hope in the form of the embedded trailer. It shows a large scale space battle between the Cylons and human survivors, and if that doesn't give you the warm fuzzies then you're probably a frakkin' toaster.
GDC10: Battlestar Galactica MMO coming
German game-maker Bigpoint has just announced its forthcoming MMORPG based on the SyFy Channel's popular Battlestar Galactica reimagining. The company, owned in part by NBC Universal which also owns SyFy and consequently the Galactica brand, plans on releasing the game later this year. Bigpoint representatives broke the news at GDC today. "We believe in the value of IP, and the second thing we believe in is cross-platform," said Bigpoint CCO Nils-Holger Henning. Hit the link to read the full write-up courtesy of Gamasutra's Christian Nutt. Stay tuned to Massively this week as we'll have an interview with Bigpoint and more details as GDC rolls on.
