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TopWare games takes 50 percent, a load off on GoG
It's a lazy Sunday afternoon, so stay in your pajamas, grab a mug of coffee and curl up in front of your computer with the final run of Good Old Games' weekend deal on TopWare titles. The TopWare Mix is half off until tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. EDT and includes Two Worlds, Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire, Jack Orlando: A Cinematic Adventure, the Earth series and more. Check out the full lineup right here, but hey, take your time. It is the day of rest, after all.
New Two Worlds game due in 2012, blog comment reveals
Here's the shoo-in for today's Unlikeliest Venue for New Game Announcement: in the comments of a Destructoid article about accusations of TopWare trying to manipulate review scores of Two Worlds 2, TopWare marketing director James Seaman indirectly confirmed the existence of a third Two Worlds. Okay, a little context. The original article presents allegations from various sources that TopWare PR contacted sites requesting review scores be raised, or threatening to blacklist them if scores weren't. Seaman responded to these allegations in several comments, in general attributing the problems to misunderstandings. And responding to a criticism about the game's actual quality from another commenter, Seaman said that "We are trying to do a better job every time and have brought in a brand new 3D modeling, animation and CG team for the next Two Worlds game coming out in 2012." Some companies use press releases, some companies use stage presentations. TopWare opted for the blog comment.
Fallout over 'Bethesda v. Interplay' remains unsettled
Unofficial Fallout community wiki the Vault has posted snippets and analysis of another batch of court documents, courtesy of site founder Paweł Dembowski (posting as Ausir), in the legal battle between Bethesda and Interplay over the latter's licensed, in-development Fallout Online MMO and rights to distribute pre-Fallout 3 titles from the franchise. If the absence of recent developments in the suit had you wondering if the two sides had settled cordially, forget about it. The excerpts are most certainly lacking in holiday spirit, as the fiery debate appears to wage on. According to the Vault, highlights from the new documents show Bethesda, which is the current Fallout IP owner, defending against Interplay's claims that it had denied the MMO developer rights to use "Fallout-related intellectual property assets." Bethesda maintains that it had licensed back to Interplay (the original IP owner) rights to the Fallout name only and not art assets, including the series' (literally) trademark Pip-Boy. In a separate document, Bethesda took to the offensive, demanding Interplay hand over the contents of its internal Fallout Online design wiki as court evidence. Interplay objected, calling the wiki a "trade secret document" and suggested Bethesda had repeatedly turned down offers to "inspect" the wiki outside of the courtroom. Interplay seems to have little choice but to fight on, even as it operated at a $205,000 loss in its June–September fiscal quarter. As Gamer/Law points out, the company is caught in a deadly gamble: Its future is dependant on completing Fallout Online for a planned 2012 release -- if the project doesn't get shut down by the courts first. On the bright side, Interplay won out in a separate lawsuit earlier this month against TopWare, concerning the latter's infringement upon Interplay's "Battle Chess" trademark. [Pictured: Fallout Online concept art]
Two Worlds 2 publisher's CEO mad at Sony about European PS3 delay
Two Worlds 2's release drama continues, as publisher TopWare/Zuxxez's CEO Dirk Hassinger calls Sony out for missing the game's European release date. Eurogamer reports that the game recently launched in mainland Europe on Xbox 360 and PC, but the executive explains that because TopWare couldn't choose the pressing plant for the PS3 discs, the game won't be available on the platform until after Christmas. This is just the latest incident in a string of delays, more delays and denials regarding the reasons for those delays that have plagued the title. The wait may be worth it, as Eurogamer Germany gave the game a 9/10. Two Worlds 2 is expected to launch January 2011 in the US and UK. %Gallery-89295%
TopWare says Two Worlds 2 is done, disputes SouthPeak's delay claim
Awwwkward. Two Worlds 2 was recently delayed in North America until January 2011 because, according to regional publisher SouthPeak, it planned to take the extra time for "heavyweight quality assurance," so the game was "absolutely flawless" for launch. TopWare Interactive, a subsidiary of the game's European publisher Zuxxez, apparently didn't appreciate that messaging and called it "factually incorrect." Speaking to Gamespot, TopWare's managing director, James Seaman, said the delay was made because of the "exceptionally crowded" holiday season. The company (which oversees Two Worlds 2 developer Reality Pump) allegedly finished all "production, bug testing and localization" work in mid-September and plans to release the game in a few territories on October 21. The January launch in North America will feature the same content as the European release, except for the expected patch updates. This whole messaging debacle gives us an Alpha Protocol vibe. Hopefully, it'll have a more positive outcome.
Enclave Wii port to be published by TopWare
It's been quite a while since we've heard anything about the upcoming Wii port of the 2003 Starbreeze Xbox and PC title, Enclave. Now we've got a few new tidbits on the Wii port. First and foremost, the game now has a publisher in TopWare Interactive, the same publisher behind the upcoming open-world fantasy Two Worlds 2. TopWare has acquired the worldwide IP and trademark rights for the game and will bring it to the Wii with the new title Enclave: Shadows of Twilight. Shadows of Twilight will take advantage of the Wii Remote and will add some other new features including a better save system -- you can actually save at any time now -- and a new tutorial. Furthermore, both the light and dark campaigns will be unlocked from the beginning. There is, unfortunately, one detail still missing from the press release: The release date. As of last year, the game was slated for "early 2010" so hopefully we'll hear something soon. In the meantime, check out a trailer for the original game after the break.
Two Worlds II site updates with new screens, 'moveshots'
The official Two Worlds II site has added a handful of screens and something called "moveshots" -- three-second clips featuring some of the game's characters in idle poses. Do idle animation clips get you hyped up for the third-person sequel to a less-than-stellar role-playing title? Mind you, if the latest batch of screens represents developer Reality Pump's way of showcasing its state-of-the-art, horrific medieval clown technology, then a hearty "job well done." Look at them in the shot above, they're the stuff of nightmares! More screens and those "moveshot" things are available on the game's official site.
Scivelation announced (but hard to pronounce)
If you were listening to this post being read on the non-existent "Joystiq Posts on Cassette" series, you'd probably hear us have a bit of trouble. The press release which we recently received announcing the TopWare Interactive and Black Wing Foundation-developed third-person shooter Scivelation included a number of details about the title, but sadly, no audible pronunciation guide. For the record, we're going with "Siv-uh-lay-shun." The title features a generic-ish plot dealing with evil dictatorships and stalwart resistance movements in a dystopian future -- we've chosen to turn to the portfolios of the title's creators for more insight into its quality. Black Wing Foundation made Stalin vs. The Martians, which is completely magical. TopWare worked on X-Blades, which committed violent crimes against our intellegence. We expect Scivelation to fall somewhere in between. [Via Big Download] %Gallery-75291%
Why Two Worlds II isn't Two Worlds: The Temptation
After the announcement of Two Worlds II, we assumed -- erroneously, it turns out -- that developer Reality Pump had ditched the subtitle attached to the previously announced Two Worlds: The Temptation, and gone with a number. In reality, there was a lot more to it than that. The short version, from publisher Zuxxez PR director Joerg Schindler: "The Temptation had been canceled due to technical outdating [sic]. We use a complete new engine for Two Worlds II."
How epic is Two Worlds? So epic ...
Two Worlds, the upcoming RPG from Reality Pump and SouthPeak Games, has always had one thing going for it: online multiplayer. With an similar design aesthetic to the 360's crown champion RPG, Oblivion, multiplayer is really the major selling point for Two Worlds. Sure, the game's creators contend that it improves on Oblivion in many ways, but for most gamers, the focus has been the promise of multiplayer. So, we knew about that. What we didn't know was that Two Worlds is the most epic RPG of all time. Yes, according to this latest promotional video, Two Worlds is just that. We certainly don't want to argue with marketing material (it's so shiny!), but we think we'll reserve judgment until the game is actually available.
Two Worlds Achievements revealed
Upcoming Online RPG Two Worlds had its 41 Achievements revealed today, at IGN, of all places. Either way it seems to be the standard fair of objectives. At the very least, one would have to agree that it certainly seems far more obtainable than Final Fantasy XI's current set. Also worth noting is the final Achievement of "Defeated the Grand Enemy" has the second third highest Gamerscore worth of 370 points, next Madden NFL 06's "Complete 30 Years of Franchise", for 400 GS, and 2006 FIFA World Cup's "Complete all Scenarios", a 500-pointer. Are you going to be unlocking away next month in Two Worlds?
A handful of new Two Worlds screens
Xboxyde nabbed three new screens of Two Worlds, the upcoming open world RPG from Reality Pump. 360 Fanboy readers will remember that Two Worlds was recently announced as an MMOG of sorts, allowing party play over Xbox Live. The new screens show off a decent engine, although comparisons to Oblivion are inevitable (Two Worlds doesn't look quite as pretty). Assuming Two Worlds has a decent multiplayer component, would you be interested in a new open world RPG in the style of Oblivion?
