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SOCOM Confrontation's Special Forces organizations revealed
Fans of Sony's popular militaristic 3PS series are probably already keen to the fact that the upcoming May issue of EGM will blow the doors off of the highly secretive next installment, SOCOM Confrontation. 1UP recently added to the meager pile of info for the game in the form of a correction for their ink-and-paper counterpart -- the list of Special Forces organizations featured in the game is apparently incorrect in EGM's upcoming feature.As it stands right now, clan-bound players can join up with and enjoy the unique equipment options made available from five different, actual military units: U.S.'s Navy SEALs, U.K.'s Special Air Service (SAS), Germany's Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK), Spain's Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE), and France's 1er Régiment Parachutiste d'Infanterie de Marine (1er RPIMa). We're sure this will make for some realistic, intense firefights -- still, we wish there were more eccentric units we could sign our digital soldiers up with, like the Michigan Militia, or McHale's Navy (the Tom Arnold remake regiment, of course).
GameStrata statistic site launches, get PWN3D via graphs
GameStrata, a new game statistic tracking and social site, has just launched into a (semi-)public status. Players can use the free service to keep track of a range of quantifiable game performance details. We're not quite sure what to make of the service, since an Xbox Live Gamertag does nearly the same thing on a platform basis, albeit Xbox only. (We see overlap with Steam too, for another heavy competitor.)We'll give the site some hope, however, since it's signed a wide roster of EA, Activision, Capcom, and Sega for launch titles. Those games are Battlefield 2 (PC), Guitar Hero III (Wii, 360, PS3), Lost Planet (360), and Universe at War (PC, 360). The site combines stats from all of those games into a single user profile. It'll also strip Gamertag data into its service.GameStrata aims to bathe geeks in delicious data to keep them away from in-game -- and community-based -- competitors. Co-founder Barry Dorf takes exception to our classification, saying via email, "We do not see the space as having competitors, only partners.There are publishers that track stats and some that do not. We do not believe the publishers that are tracking stats are at the granular level we want them to be, or they want to be. Where do I rank in the first chorus during Sabotage in GH3 on Medium, or how many headshots did I make last week in Battlefield 2, and where did it rank amongst those stats?"Those details run deep, letting gamers graph performance over time -- say, kills with a certain weapon -- and compare it to friends. Players can also broadcast a syndicated news feed to update competitors with their latest achievements.
Lineage II clan rivalry ends in real life murder
We've all faced off against some frustrating adversary in an online game; be it a sword-hogging, trash-talking, rabid teabagger on Halo 3; or a cocky member of a rival faction in an MMORPG. However, the boundaries established between virtual enemies are never impermeable, and when online rivals decide to settle their differences in a real world context, the result is almost always tragic -- as was the case for Albert, a 33-year-old Lineage II player who was allegedly beaten to death by a vindictive member of an opposing clan.Albert is survived by his sister Albina, a fellow member of Albert's Platanium clan, who reports that she's received a number of death threats from members of her brother's alleged murderer's guild, the Coo-clocks clan. Considering this is Russia's second Lineage II related murder in one year, perhaps warring clans and other sparring members of the gaming community should momentarily cool their jets and firmly reestablish those necessary borders between video games and reality.
Virtual gang violence turns real in Russia
Russian news outlet Russia Today is reporting that a clash between two Russian clans bled into the real world, and led to the brutal beating and murder of a young man from Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia. The two clans, Coo-clocks and Platanium, were reportedly engaged in a bitter in-game struggle that developed to the point where the two groups agreed to go toe-to-toe. The victim's sister was quoted as saying, "I think they have confused the game and reality. And after we buried him on December 31, they continued to threaten us"It's not clear from Russia Today's account exactly what game the two groups were playing, though they did include a Lineage 2 screenshot. Regardless, it seems clear from the details we have that any link between the violent acts and the games that the two groups were playing is circumstantial at best. That the two groups agreed ahead of time to engage in a fight away from the game speaks to their character. Game or no, these young men were bound to get themselves into trouble. It's unfortunate that their conflict led to the death of a young man, but blame in this case doesn't have anywhere to go but to the participants.[Via PCWorld]
Tabula Rasa clan punches their way to victory
I suppose you could debate the raw salience of this video to the greater news-hungry public but... well, we're not all always entirely serious around here. And speaking personally, anything played sped up to the Benny Hill theme song is usually good for at least a chuckle from me. The video you see before you is the Invictus clan on Tabula Rasa's Pegasus server making a naked holiday-themed rampage through the leafy planet of Foreas. While naked clan runs are hardly particular to Tabula Rasa (though this is among the first we've seen up on YouTube), what's particularly impressive is that Invictus was able to do their fellow members of the Allied Free Sentients a service and take over a couple capture points while they were at it. I suppose it speaks to the enduring power of humanity that a group of determined, albeit naked, humans can punch their way to victory.So now we've seen them free the Wilderness from the Bane's icy grasp. Can we get a naked Mires going soon?
Calling all TR experts - wanna be a wolf?
The good people over at Tabula Rasa Vault are putting out a call vise vie the official Tabula Rasa website for experienced players to be "alpha wolves" in their new clan -- The Wolf Pack. What ostensibly sets this clan apart from every clan out there is the information-gathering role it will play for the TR Vault community. They're looking for players who are experts in their given class to find all there is to know, gather the concerns of other players in their class du jour, and suggest solutions to perceived class imbalances. Apparently, this role is more than just a self-appointed one -- as they're promising that these Alpha Dogs will get the chance to discuss their concerns with the TR designers themselves.It's not uncommon in other titles for developers to pay attention to the class concerns of a game's elite guilds, but it's rare that a clan can promise that sort of interaction before most people have even settled in the end game. They're still recruiting for all Tier IV classes, so if being an Alpha Dog sounds like your cup of tea, check out the information on the TR website.
Worms Open Warfare 2 gets serious about online
Worms Open Warfare 2 is getting serious about online. Not only does it feature Infrastructure play, it will offer a plethora of other features that will make it one of the most fully-featured online titles on our handheld. IGN's recent preview notes that "you can even create clans, text chat, track your online stats, share battlefields you've created in the level editor." Of course, that's not all. Like Wipeout, the game will have a great deal of longevity thanks to its downloadable content. Players will be able to "download some of the classic maps from previous Worms games via the title's online capabilities." With all these new features, Open Warfare 2 looks like a substantial upgrade to the franchise's previous iteration.
What's not in the spring update: clan support
It's springtime again, which can mean only one thing. No, not the impending arrival of young couples making out behind the bushes at the park, it's time for Xbox 360 Spring update rumors. Clan support has been a rumored addition for a while now, and there are even some alleged pictures of it in action (see above). Before we define this a little further, let's just get this out of the way: clan support is not part of the upcoming spring update. This was confirmed by Major Nelson himself during our latest Xbox 360 Fancast.Now for clarification's sake, it's perfectly possible for any given game to have clan support. As such, screens like the one above may be legitimate. However, Major Nelson informed us that Microsoft has no plans to integrate clan support into the 360 itself. In other words, there are no plans to add universal clan support that spans multiple games. Clan support is offered by Microsoft, but it is up to developers to implement it into individual titles.So, there you go, no clan support in the spring update. Of course, that doesn't stop us from speculating about other features.[Thanks, todd]
Animal Crossing Mafia now accepting applications
'Animal Crossing Mafia.' Sure sounds like an oxymoron, don't it? Well, for the gang that boasts, "you hit me, we hit you," it's serious business.Of course, Animal Crossing: Wild World is not without its limitations, and we suppose there's not much risk in wronging this mafia. What's the worst they could do? Chop down your tree? Regardless, if you're in need of ACWW buddies, this might not be a bad crew to get involved with. After all, thy claim to "do many things other clans won't try..." Sounds like fun. Where do we sign up?[Thanks, Fish]
Clans still possible for Gears of Wars ranked matches [update 1]
Mark Rein maintains that Microsoft prevented the developer from implementing clan support (e.g., Halo 2's Party System) into Gears of Wars' ranked multiplayer matches. But, in a recent interview with Gamer Andy, Epic's VP did hint that team support could still be added, stating vaguely, "In the future we might roll out some additional functionality."In the meantime, a tedious workaround does exist. If one member hosts a ranked match, it's possible for the rest of the clan to grab spots in the match via the custom search menu. Of course, this method will become more difficult as the Gears player base grows and you and your teammates' TrueSkill ranks begin to differ.Update: Gamer Andy contacted us to clarify that his conversation with Rein was not an interview. According to Gamer Andy, Rein's comments did not hint at future clan-play implementation. The cryptic statement about upgrading functionality was just an offhanded remark delivered to steer the conversation toward a new direction (i.e. away from concerns about Gears' multiplayer).See also: Gears of War's ranked matches smell rank[Via 1UP]
