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Darkspore PvPreview: Arms and legs thrashing
Darkspore's been introduced to us as "Spore meets Diablo," and seeing it in action reinforces that early pitch -- the game has six abilities on a bar across the bottom, and health and mana bars on either side, while characters that appear as if they were generated in Spore hack and slash their way across the screen. But what EA really wants to do with Darkspore, says Michael Arsers, software engineer on the title, isn't just clone an action RPG with Will Wright's funny toys. They want to answer that question everyone had after Spore originally released. "A lot of the criticisms on Spore," he told me recently, "were that there were a lot of cool tools, but where's the game? And that's what we were trying to get at here." So you might be forgiven for thinking Darkspore is the product of some weird genetic mashup of game genres -- it basically was. "The team that started this production was a very core gamer, WoW arena/DotA kind of crowd, and so we really wanted to take the creatures from Spore and put them in a hardcore game," Arsers said. "We have this great Creator technology, so how can we leverage and make a core game with that?" We've already heard a bit about the singleplayer side of the title, but no true hardcore game is complete without some player-versus-player (PvP) action, and so Arsers was excited to show off the PvP Arena mode that he and the team are working on.%Gallery-106625%
Darkspore now accepting beta applications
Anxious to sample the Warrior Within-like change going on with Darkspore? EA is now taking beta applications, where the lucky winners will get an early taste of the next installment in the fledgling Spore franchise. There's no word when the beta will launch, but all you have to do to get on the list is hit up this link and drop in some details about yourself. If you're worried about the CIA or some other scary government agency getting hold of said personal details, we'd suggest adopting the Rusty Shackleford approach, otherwise known as: using a false alias.
Dead Space, Mirror's Edge and Spore on sale at the EA Store this weekend
Wanna dodge the sun's harmful rays and get some gaming in within the air-conditioned comfort of your home? EA's been offering discounts on its PC lineup every weekend; a revolving door of its best and brightest for a pittance. Through Sunday, Dead Space, Mirror's Edge and Spore share the spotlight -- you can get each game for $10, $5 and $20, respectively.
Darkspore screens filled with spore creatures, totally dark
In case you were wondering about the validity of Darkspore's "darkness" or its inclusion of Spore creatures, these screens from Gamescom should more than clear that up. An ice level? Check. A fire level? Totally. What, you wanted a water level? Nope. Wait a sec ...
BioWare writer taking lead on creating Darkspore's story
It seems the assistance which the RPG experts of BioWare are providing to Maxis on the development of Darkspore isn't exactly all that thorough. EA recently explained to Destructoid that BioWare's Malcolm Azania, part of the writing team for Mass Effect 2 and its "Kasumi - Stolen Memory" DLC, is filling the role of lead writer for the genetically engineered action-RPG. So, it's not so much "help from BioWare" as much as it is "help from one dude from BioWare" -- still, considering the strength of the storytelling in BioWare's catalog of titles, it sounds like they picked the right one dude to bring on board.
BioWare lending Maxis a hand on Darkspore development
We suppose the Sims franchise has a few elements in common with the role-playing genre -- after all, it's about character improvement and, more often than not, all of the characters are startlingly, impossibly attractive. Still, it seems Maxis is getting a helping hand on Darkspore development from a more experienced RPG developer -- according to Gamespot, the studio's Comic-Con panel revealed that fellow EA studio BioWare is helping out on the project. The capacity of this help is still unknown, but based on BioWare's strong roots in the genre, we strongly doubt they've been brought in to offer backrubs to weary programmers. We've contacted EA to find out more about this partnership, and to find out whether we can expect Darkspore to contain any romance sub-plots leading to tastefully directed sex scenes. Update: The scope of the studio's assistance seems to be limited to the hiring of BioWare writer Malcolm Azania (Mass Effect 2, "Kasumi -- Stolen Memory") to fill the role of lead writer for Darkspore.
Preview: Darkspore, Maxis' 'Spore meets Diablo' action RPG; coming Feb 2011
Last week saw the release of DeathSpank, a game I wasn't alone in likening to "Monkey Island meets Diablo." Presumably in an attempt to avoid missing the "meets Diablo" bus, Maxis is preparing to give the PC gaming world Darkspore -- a.k.a. "Spore meets Diablo" -- in February 2011. It's a new Spore game, albeit one focused on combat. It's described by publisher Electronic Arts as a "sci-fi action-RPG," but you might describe it as "not really what you were hoping for from Maxis." Still, the studio Will Wright built (and later left) seems to be trying its best to work the idea – an idea it's had since wrapping the original Spore, we're told – into something that will satisfy a more hardcore, multiplayer-focused PC gamer. %Gallery-97777%
Maxis hiring development director for 'online simulation game'
According to a job notice recently discovered by superannuation, Maxis is currently hiring a development director to aid in the creation of "an unannounced next-generation Online simulation game." The job's prerequisites give a few hints about what the new project might entail, including requirements such as "shipped at least one online PC title" and "has shipped at least one game with an online financial model, including online stores and DLC's." Regardless of which of Maxis' franchises this new title ends up within, it sounds like it'll be microtransaction-supported. Perhaps superannuation's hypothesis that it'll be a Facebook-based FarmVille competitor isn't too far off.
Maxis' Spore-based action-RPG to be announced at Comic Con
The schedule for San Diego Comic Con 2010 was updated earlier today, adding a few game-centric panels focusing on titles like Guild Wars 2, Red Faction Armageddon, Epic Mickey and more to Saturday's proceedings. However, one panel in particular caught our eye: "Video Game Reveal: Maxis Studio." According to the event's details, the panel will see a handful of members from the Maxis dev team unveil "a brand new, Sci-Fi Action-RPG based on the DNA of Spore." This sounds like it could be the Spore title referenced in EA's Q3 2010 investor's briefing, the name for which may have surfaced in the company's recent trademark of "Darkspore." We might just learn what happens when good Spores go bad when the panel unfolds Saturday, July 24.
The Sims 3 and expansion packs on sale at Amazon
The current Amazon Deal of the Day is quite possibly the site's most cyclical discount yet: The Sims 3 and all of its expansions have had their prices temporarily slashed. That means you can buy the game online, play it, and then buy more games online, but in a virtual world.
Sims 3 console trailer exposes the dark nature of humanity
"I did it with 312 girls in two months." That unsavory proclamation is the first in a long series of deep, dark confessions made in the debut trailer, currently hosted on MTV, for the console versions of The Sims 3. Watch as ordinary people -- by which, of course, we mean paid, professional actors -- air out their dirty, in-game laundry. We find the whole ordeal more than a little surprising. We've always conducted ourselves in the world of The Sims just as we do in real life -- that is to say, as fine, upstanding citizens. Not as murderers, thieves and unashamed hussies.
The Sims 'Medieval' web domains registered
A fan site of all things Simlish, called Infinite Sims, recently uncovered a handful of web domains registered by the ever-stealthy, third-party outfit Corporate Domains, Inc. These reserved addresses could be an indication of an upcoming expansion to the Sims universe -- one that could take the bright, cheerful world of Sunset Valley back into the Dark Ages. The reserved domain names all include some variation of "thesimsmedieval" or "thesimsgetmedieval," which might hint at the subject matter of the next batch of content for the highly successful franchise. Hey, we wouldn't mind trying to move up the Sim caste system. Maybe learn how to joust? Perhaps go pheasant hunting in the northern wilds? Learn how to relieve ourselves properly in a sturdy waste bucket? No, wait. That last thing sounds terrible.
EA registers trademark for Spore's possible evil twin, 'Darkspore'
Oh, sure, Spore's a nice enough guy. But ... don't you sometimes wish he had a bad streak? You've always been attracted to the lone wolf, the rebel, the ne'er-do-well -- that goody-two-shoes Spore wouldn't know the first thing about satisfying your desire for unwholesome behavior. You know who does? His edgy twin brother, Darkspore. At least, we're assuming EA's recently registered trio of trademarks for "Darkspore," discovered by Superannuation, are reserving the title for the franchise's next, considerably darker iteration. Is it possibly the Spore title hinted at in EA's Q3 2010 financial report? Or is it an unexpected evil twin, making a soap operatic surprise entrance? Only time (and possibly EA's press conference at E3) will tell.
Be a Spore Hero for less with Amazon deal
Ready to add more genetic diversity to your Spore game collection? Amazon is offering the chance to get the latest Wii and DS variants in the franchise at a nice discount. The action-adventure Spore Hero for Wii is $17.99, while the DS fighting game Spore Hero Arena has been knocked down to the impulse-buy price of $10.99. Don't take too much time making the natural selection about whether to buy one or both: as Amazon's Deal of the Day, these offers will be gone tomorrow.
New Oddworld on hold, old Oddworlds coming to Steam this year
A couple of years ago, Maxis co-founder Jeff Braun decided it was a good time to start teasing us with the prospect of a new installment in the Oddworld franchise. We've been desperately nurturing that little glimmer of hope since his announcement -- but we might have to extinguish our excitement for the time being. The series' creator, Lorne Lanning, recently told G4TV that the next Oddworld game has been put "on the shelf." "There's a lot of shakeup going on [in the gaming industry]," Lanning explained, "and in that turmoil, we didn't really want to put the Oddworld brand out there in the middle of it." Looks like our Oddworld desires will have to be sated by the Oddbox collection, which will bring the series' four console outings to Steam later this year -- or by purchasing the first two games on Steam together, right now, for $9.99.
Recently laid-off devs rant about being recently laid off
I think we can all agree that, aside from being hit by a speeding train or dropping a hot meal you've been cooking for hours, being fired from your job is like, the worst thing that can happen to you. As such, we expected the speakers on last week's GDC rant panel, titled "Fired and Fired-up: Jobless Developer's Rant," to be especially inflammatory. We were not disappointed. Just past the jump, we've highlighted three of our favorite presentations from the panel. Some of them get awfully, explicitly blue, so if you happen to find yourself reading this video game news site while at work, you might want to think twice about going beyond the break. (You should also get back to work, you lazy so-and-so!)
Hunt ghosts in the new Sims 3 Ambitions trailer
There's really only one important thing to take away from the new trailer for The Sims 3 Ambitions expansion. The expansion allows players to extend the lives of their sims, endowing them with many different career options, including inventor, fireman or a detective. None of that is important, though. What is important, is that the expansion allows you to be a Ghostbuster. Legal reasons probably prevent it from being called ghost busting, of course. Atari and EA's lawyers wouldn't want anyone crossing the memes, after all. Check out the ghost busting catching action -- along with the other professions -- in the trailer above. %Gallery-87729% [Via Big Download]
EA: Sims 3 is top selling PC game in 2009 worldwide
It seems virtual voyeurism never goes out of style. A recent Electronic Arts press release has informed us that The Sims 3 was last year's best-selling PC game across the globe, according to Chart-track UK, NPD Group, GfK and the publisher's own internal estimates. We imagine a bit of number crunching went into the aforementioned estimates -- we don't think they'd leave that kind of thing to water cooler talk. "So, what do you think, Mark? Best game ever? Yes, great. It's official." The EA presser also boasts the company's optimistic outlook on 2010, as the Sims 3 community continues to tinker around with the Create A World tools. Check out this neat, Robinson Crusoe-esque Machinima to see what these tools are capable of!
PETA chooses The Sims 3 as its GOTY 2009
Usually when we post something about PETA here on our gamez blawg, it's about the company protesting this or complaining about that. Not so today, as PETA's awarded EA Maxis' The Sims 3 with a Proggy Award for being the 'Most Animal-Friendly Game' of 2009. You may remember PETA gave the same award to Fable 2 last year. The award this year is in recognition of The Sims 3's ability to put your virtual pal on a vegetarian diet. PETA also adds that "vegetarian Sims, like their real-life counterparts, live longer, age more slowly, and feast on cruelty-free delights -- from tofu dogs to ratatouille." Sounds well and good, but we're not sure we'd totally attribute any supposed increased life span to a diet, because we all know from the great Xena: Warrior Princess that if anything happens, it's because a wizard did it. [Via Gamasutra]
Steam users report Spore online account issue
Yes, some adventurers are still exploring Spore and its would-be vast, online universe -- at least, they're trying to. Since late last year, some Spore buyers who purchase the game through Valve's Steam distribution service have been unable to access the game's online component. The issue seems to be related to the serial number that's required when setting up a Spore account, but not provided with Steam copies of Spore. Users who contacted Steam were told that Valve is working with EA to fix the issue and to continue to play offline until a fix is delivered. A Steam representative, posting in one forum thread, addressed angry users, claiming, "The ETA for a fix is 'as soon as possible.'" In the meantime, if you're about to buy Spore from Steam ... just buy it somewhere else.
