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'Murdered' teased by spooky Square Enix ARG [Update!]
This morning, Square Enix initiated a guerilla marketing campaign for something apparently new and murder oriented, slated for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, with potential ties to Eidos Interactive and confirmed connections to us being super creeped out by the whole thing.It started with the Twitter account @Murdered tweeting the message "What is ..." followed by a link to the above picture, which appeared to be a section of a photograph of a tree with something carved into its bark. Attempting to navigate to one of the picture's "files" parent folder results in being automatically redirected to an eidosinteractive.com subdomain. Ah ha!Minutes later, we received an email from a Square Enix e-mail address (masquerading as an "@murdered.com" address) with the subject header "What is the hardest case to solve?" Contained inside was a second image, which combined perfectly with the image that had been tweeted earlier.Naturally we decided to check out murdered.com, and were met by an image of the symbol scrawled on asphalt in chalk, accompanied by a link to the official twitter account and icons revealing the project's related platforms. A whois search revealed that the domain is registered to Naoto Sugiyama, a senior manager at Square Enix., and a glance at the site's source code revealed certain assets as being hosted on Eidos webspace.Furthermore, Square Enix registered a Japanese trademark for "Murdered: Soul Suspect" back in December of last year, Siliconera reports. We've contacted both Square Enix and the murdered.com address and will update with any new discoveries we're able to make.Update: Well, that was fun while it lasted. Square Enix has confirmed to us that Murdered: Soul Suspect is "an exciting new game from Square Enix which challenges players to solve possibly the hardest case of all," which obviously wasn't this case, since all we had to do was send an email and ask. Eidos' potential involvement, however, does remain a mystery.
Steam Holiday Sale day 15: Thief series, Civilization V, Bastion
What are you doing to help pack the coffers at Valve? Seriously, you guys, it's up to each and every one of us to cough up dough for reduced-price games during Steam's annual ludicrous sales. If not you, then who?Today's Steam Holiday Sale deals run the gamut from meticulous murder simulators to football management simulators called Football Manager. The Thief series is 75% off, allowing you to grab all three entries for $6.74 – if you're into piecemeal, they're $2.49 each. Civilization V and its two predecessors (plus corresponding expansions) are also 75% off each, while Football Manager 2013 is marked down to $19.99 and Bastion is a paltry $3.74.For the full list of deals, head on over to Steam – oh, yeah, you're already over there. Okay then.
Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance resurrected on Steam
Thanks to the power of the Elder God, the Legacy of Kain series is now on Steam. For $9.99 a pop, you can download Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance.The Legacy of Kain games focus on vampire-turned-wraith Raziel and vampire demigod Kain. It's the series where Amy Hennig got her first crack as games writer and director. Hennig has since won two awards from the Writers Guild of America for her work on the Uncharted series.
Hitman: Absolution crash-fixing console patch targeted for next week
Square Enix aims to patch Hitman: Absolution on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sometime next week. The update is intended to fix crashing issues with the console versions, reported in notable numbers on official forums. They arose soon after the game's November 20 release, but a fix hasn't yet been provided. If the crash occurs while the game's autosaving, save files can become corrupted and result in hours of lost progress.Square Enix community and social media head Phil Elliott apologized for the ongoing issue on the game's official forums, noting "the lack of information [made available] is less than optimal." Elliott said the patch has to be internally tested before being approved by Microsoft and Sony, and as such Square Enix can't confirm an exact release date.Meanwhile, PC players can sneak, dress up, and mulch in the knowledge that their version received its first patch last week. Among other fixes, the patch addresses problems with transferring unlocks over from Hitman: Sniper Challenge.
Hitman Absolution easter egg delivers ice cream at high speeds
This video shows off an easter egg in Hitman: Absolution, in which the ice cream truck Agent 47 drives at the beginning of the game comes back with a vengeance.Courtesy of GameFront, the embedded video explains the steps it takes to find the easter egg, which occurs in the game's "End of the Road" mission. Obviously, that means the video also contains some plot spoilers, so viewer discretion is advised.
Hitman: Absolution video describes a 'living, breathing world'
This video for Hitman: Absolution describes the game's universe and the stories contained within as a "living, breathing world." The IO Interactive game is set to launch November 20 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Select Tomb Raider games 75% off on Steam this weekend
From now until 10 a.m. Pacific time on Monday morning, the PC versions of Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: Underworld are all 75 percent on Steam, meaning that each game can be had for less than a fiver. That is, provided you're able to circumnavigate an elaborate series of traps, deadly animals and vicious, armed ne'er-do-wells hell-bent on preventing you from acquiring the treasure you seek.* *Some or all requirements listed may be a complete fabrication. Joystiq, AOL Media Inc. and The Huffington Post Media Group are not responsible for any injuries sustained while attempting to purchase computerized video-machine games off of digital distribution platforms such as Steam. Today's lucky number is "three." If Lily has six apples, and a different girl also named Lily has twelve apples, why are you still reading this?
Hitman: Absolution cinematic trailer is pretty much shooting everyone
This cinematic trailer for Hitman: Absolution teases the game's story while flashing guns around. It makes us wonder: Can't they just talk it out? Talkman Hitman: Absolution is set to launch November 20 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Hitman: Absolution trailer focuses on story, actors in goofy mo-cap getups
The Hitman series is known for allowing players to create their own narratives within the sandbox levels, but with Hitman: Absolution, developer IO Interactive has enlisted Hollywood talent like Vivica Fox, Powers Boothe and Shannyn Sossamon to help tell Agent 47's latest story.
Steam deals: Shatter on sale today; Deus Ex and Sam & Max this weekend
Steam is making it easier on the wallet this weekend with some sales on Shatter and the Deus Ex and Sam & Max series. Serieses.For today only, developer Sidhe's retro-inspired brick-breaker, Shatter, is 75 percent off, bringing it down to $2.49. That's less than the cost of a Monster energy drink and, really, everyone agrees you need to stop drinking those things anyway.Over the weekend, every game in the Deus Ex series, including Eidos Montreal's prequel, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, is 75 percent off – that's $14.99 for the whole bunch, including some item packs and "The Missing Link" DLC for Human Revolution. You can also buy each game piecemeal.If you like your protagonists a little less gritty, Telltale's Sam & Max games are also on sale for 66 percent off this weekend – $14.99 for seasons one and two, and The Devil's Playhouse.
Hitman: Sniper Challenge now on PC, bonus with Absolution pre-orders
PC players who can't wait for a taste of Hitman: Absolution are finally being catered to – the standalone promotional game, "Sniper Challenge," is now available for folks who pre-order Absolution on PC. The game is free (insofar as making a pre-order is "free") from certain retailers across the globe. You'll find the full list here, but be sure to check with your retailer of choice before you place an order. Once ordered, you'll receive a code that can must be redeemed on the Sniper Challenge website.
Here's what E3 was like for the Hitman: Absolution staff
This behind the scenes video for Hitman: Absolution's E3 booth showcases some of the lesser known parts of the convention, such as private interview rooms for press, or the fact that no matter how tightly you frame a shot, it's impossible to not accidentally advertise someone else's game.
Overheard@Comic-con: A nerd walks into a video game store...
As the man behind titles such as System Shock, Thief and Deus Ex, it's no surprise Warren Spector has a slightly warped sense of humor. For example, when naming Deus Ex, Spector thought it would be funny to pick a title that some people would be hesitant to pronounce, and he still thinks it's funny, even though that name ultimately cost Eidos sales. Spector knows exactly why:"People don't want to go into their game store and ask for the 'Do Sex' game," Spector said, still chuckling.
Agent 47 takes a careful walk through Hitman: Absolution's 'Hope'
There are more than a few ways to play through Hitman: Absolution's "Streets of Hope" mission, as two expert drivers showcase in the latest, lengthy playthrough video. Poor Lenny never saw it coming.
The 'Final Hours' of Tomb Raider documented in March, first episode out now
Geoff Keighley's behind-the-scenes "Final Hours" series is taking on Tomb Raider, and he's getting video help from Zachary Levi. Square Enix enlisted Keighley for a "Final Hours" Tomb Raider entry – which Keighley says he's "especially excited" about, due to it being "a tale about the act of reinvention, both of a studio and of a franchise." But Square also nabbed Levi for a video documentary supplement, which kicks off today, a full eight months before the game launches. Those are some long final hours, eh?The completed entry will launch in March 2013 alongside the game, and will once again be available on iPad and PC. Kindle Fire owners can also snag it via Amazon. Check out the first Zachary Levi video entry above.
Hitman: Absolution's 'Saints' are apparently still a threat
Despite Agent 47 having dispatched the various gogo nuns from Hitman: Absolution's recent trailer, Vivica A. Fox's "head nun" character may have lived. Or they all did! What a twist! See if you can figure it out from the trailer above.
Hitman: Absolution's Agent 47 reminds us of his O.G. status
The Hitman folks probably should've stuck the word "assassin" somewhere in their game title – that way they could avoid embarrassing marketing moments. Take, for instance, the trailer above's insistence that Agent 47 is the "original" assassin. Doesn't his blood-soaked legacy speak for itself?
Lady Shotgun Games: new studio from Tomb Raider devs, working on iOS game
Lady Shotgun Games is a brand new studio being put together by two developers who formerly worked with Eidos on the Tomb Raider franchise, and a number of other studios including Sony and Sega. Anna Marsh and Sarah van Rompaey have decided to leave the big studios and try to go indie. Along with a team of freelancers, they are hoping to make a splash with "a great game for mobile on a realistic budget."The name of the company might suggest that it's a girl power thing, but though many of the company's workers are female, Marsh tells Gamasutra it's more of a developer power thing. The goal is to create a studio with a remote staff to support "the idea that this could really work with a group of experienced freelance developers who all knew how to manage their own time, work as a remote team and take responsibility for their own work."The studio's first title will be a universal iOS app, with a chance for other platforms later, and Marsh teases that it's a casual title with "a tongue-in-cheek narrative" and "depth in the right places." The game will be revealed later on this summer, and you can see some early concepts over on the official blog.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution still coming to Mac, ESRB reassures
Square Enix has a little less than a month to meet the planned "winter 2011/2012" release date for Deus Ex: Human Revolution on Mac. There's no cybernetic implant that can foresee the future but, thanks to the ESRB, we do have at least one sign that Deus Ex is still on the way to Apple machines.The organization has posted a rating for an "Ultimate Edition" of the game for Mac, which is presumably even more ultimate than the Augmented Edition released on other platforms last year. The game has been rated M for egregious pheromone usage. Or killing. Probably killing.
Square Enix joins Good Old Games with Deus Ex and Hitman
Square Enix has joined the ever-growing list of publishers to bring its classic titles to GOG.com. The first two Square-Enix titles to hit the service are Hitman: Codename 47 and Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition (2000 being the year in question). You can pick up either for $5.99 and $9.99 respectively.GOG promises more Square Enix games to come. We'd expect most of those to come from Square's library of Eidos titles (Thief, anyone?), though the PC ports of Final Fantasy VII and VIII are a slim possibility. Slim.
