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BioWare book will chronicle 25 years of games
Did you practically grow up with BioWare games? If so, there will soon be a book to help you reminisce. The studio is preparing BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development, a retrospective book that will discuss "key moments" in the company's history while showing previously unseen artwork and photos. You can also expect tidbits regarding "secret, cancelled" game projects. This might shed light on how Mass Effect characters came to be, or help you wax nostalgic about playing the original Baldur's Gate or MDK titles ("good gravy, that's Edmonton!").
Good Old Games taking half off Interplay titles this weekend
Good Old Games is hosting an Interplay 50 percent off sale this weekend, cutting the prices of 32 games right in half. Or, as we like to call it, this is GOG's "buy 16 games, get 16 games free" sale.The sale includes Fallout 2, Earthworm Jim 1 and 2, MDK, Freespace and Invictus: In the Shadow of Olympus, for $3 each. Every title is $3, actually, making the entire bundle $96 -- a savings of $96. Yes, that's what we meant with "buy 16, get 16 free." This could also be the "buy one, get two half off" sale, or the "buy 8, get 16 half off" sale. Take your pick; any way they're all good old games for a great new price.The sale runs from now until Monday at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
MDK 2 dropping into WiiWare, 'HD' version targeting PC
Interplay is continuing its bizarre WiiWare resurrection of classic franchises with BioWare's beloved MDK2. The action-shooter-puzzle-adventure game, a sequel to an equally well-remembered game by Shiny, is being planned for release on WiiWare sometime this winter. Following that, a new version of the game, called MDK2 HD, will be released on PC via the Beamdog distribution service -- which happens to be have been founded by Trent Oster, formerly of BioWare. If you don't want to wait for whatever remastering will be done, you can get the original MDK2 (and its predecessor) at Steam or GoG. [Via GoNintendo]
MDK, MDK2 and Giants on special at GOG
Action doesn't always have to be so ... pretentious. Whimsy is welcome and GOG reminds us of that with a sale on a few "action-comedy" classics that fit the bill. This weekend, MDK, MDK 2, and the even more ludicrous Giants: Citizen Kabuto are enjoying a 30% discount, to $4.19 each. Thinking about it, there just aren't enough heroes that look like giant woodpeckers anymore. Don't you think?
GoG holiday sale includes Freespace, MDK and much, much more
GoG.com is having its biggest sale ever. Many of the good old games still hold up, even as we stand on the precipice of a new decade. The site's entire catalog (excluding December releases) of 171 games is discounted 25 to 40 percent -- and don't forget, you can still pick up two Tex Murphy games for free. The sale ends January 3, but don't dawdle. Once your brain is filled with the fat globules of your holiday bird of choice, it may be hard to remember the special is going on. Highlights of the sale are ... well, almost everything. But, let's say that both MDKs for $8 and Freespace 2 for $4 is a good deal. Seriously, Freespace is less than a jar of Nutella. At that price, it's almost worth playing Freespace while sucking microwaved Nutella through a straw. Bliss.
Interplay still out of money
It seems that selling off the Fallout IP hasn't reversed Interplay's fortunes -- nor has ... planning to make a Fallout MMO. According to a recent SEC filing, the publisher ended 2008 completely broke. But don't worry! Interplay has a plan: Get more money from somewhere. "We continue to seek external sources of funding," the company stated, "including but not limited to, incurring debt, the selling of assets or securities, licensing of certain product rights in selected territories, selected distribution agreements, and/or other strategic transactions sufficient to provide short-term funding, and achieve our long-term strategic objectives." We assume that those long-term strategic objectives would include paying off the new debts incurred in order to provide short-term funding.The document does mention that the publisher continues to work on "the development of a MMOG code named: "Project:V13" (the alleged Fallout MMO) as well as "sequels to some of our most successful games, including Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent and MDK." All decent reasons to hope the company doesn't tank. [Via VG247]
Revolutionary: Most Deceptive Kontraction
In the year 1997, with Sylvester Stallone's Demolition Man still fairly fresh on our minds, developer Shiny took the opportunity to name one of their games after an abbreviated phrase that was mentioned several times in that film. Under the assumption that MDK stood for "Murder, Death, Kill" and the fact that you run around as a guy whose head is a sniper rifle, the Playstation generation couldn't wait to get their hands on it. As it turned out, the game was not the gruesome murder simulator many people expected, but a humorously quirky action title like most of the prior games Shiny was known for. In the sequel, the main character from the first game, Kurt Hectic, would share the duty of saving the earth with Doctor Fluke Hawkins and the four-armed, gun-toting, cigar-chomping robotic dog, Max, the other members of the game's titular trio. It's the crazy sort of stuff that keeps gaming fresh, and with its recently-announced comeback in the making, I can think of no better place for the franchise to make a killing than on the Wii.
GameTap Thursday: MDK, Cosmic Osmo and Descent II
The Interplay titles keep returning to GameTap as Descent II and MDK rejoin the service. We know that everyone's waiting for Fallout, but MDK is a pretty sweet game. Of course, the whole reason for playing it is to see the bizarre music video at the end of the game, which even today is still fantastically jarring. Cosmic Osmo (Windows) - There's some vague memory of having played this on a Mac way back in the day. Descent II (Windows) - Shoot everything in 360 degrees of blasting awesomeness. MDK (Windows) - If you can cope with the weirdness, there's a fun third-person shooter in there. This week GameTap's list of free games welcomes Dracula Twins (never invite a vampire in!) and Five Card Deluxe. We also received an image from GameTap with the release schedule for the company's upcoming original game Grimm. We've placed the free games list and the Grimm release image after the break.
Interplay back in business, planning long-awaited sequels
It seems the formerly-financially-disabled company Interplay got quite a bit of cash for leaving Fallout 3 in the command of Bethesda Softworks, because they've officially gone back into business. Their plans? Sequels galore! Their first order of business, probably to keep funds rolling in, is to get a Fallout MMO out into the market. This should work, since the world of Fallout simply begs for an MMO-inspired tale. With the money gained from that, they plan to get cracking on established brands we haven't heard of since the original PlayStation -- like the MDK series. They were hard, but so very fun. Other very exciting projects would be Earthworm Jim, Descent, and Dark Alliance. We're very excited to have Interplay back and look forward to seeing what the future holds for them!
Fallout MMO still alive
It's never too late to create an MMO from an already-established franchise. Heck, movies recycle content more and more frequently these days, so why not games? Sometimes we wonder if anyone has had an original idea since 1990, but this time it's a good thing.Remember Interplay? Yeah, they're still alive and kicking. Well, they're alive anyway, and they plan on following through with their original plans to make an MMO based on their highly-successful Fallout series. Not only that, but they also mention plans to create sequels for such successful games as Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent, and MDK. You may be aware of the sale of the Fallout name to Bethesda in 2007, who are set to release the single-player Fallout 3 later this year. Part of that business deal was the agreement that Interplay would eventually create a Fallout MMO. Finally, 4 years after the original announcement, it's coming to fruition. Currently Interplay is hiring developers and revamping their website in preparation, so we certainly look forward to what they have in store for us.
Sequel alert: Earthworm Jim, MDK and Dark Alliance
Earthworm Jim, MDK, Dark Alliance and Descent fanboys perk up your ears, because we have promising news for each franchise. Today, Interplay confirmed that all four of these franchises are prime targets for future sequels after their company recorded rather nice profits last year. We'd be fools if we thought we could speculate to how, when or in what form these franchises will receive the sequel treatment, though we hope that the Interplay gods give us Earthworm Jim on the Xbox 360. In retail form or XBLA form, we'd be satisfied getting Jim either way.
Foundation 9 melts together Collective and Shiny into Double Helix
Whatever last remnants of identity clung to by both Shiny and The Collective were lost today as the duo were merged together by owner Foundation 9, creating a new, wholly unfamiliar entity known as Double Helix. Studio head Michael Saxs Persson calls the new name and logo, which were chosen from a pool of employee submissions, a "perfect" match for the company, adding that "making games is in our DNA." The founding follows the initial merger, announced last October, and according to Foundation 9 creates a studio "that is now able to build upon its previous experience to gain new heights in quality and efficiency." And all it cost us was our fond memories of a simpler time spent playing the likes of MDK and Earthworm Jim. While the company remains coy regarding what it's up to currently, today's announcement notes that Double Helix is developing a trio of multi-platform licensed games, one of which we assume to be the already announced Silent Hill V.
Interplay resurrection report: new website
Well, calling it a "website" might be a bit of a stretch. It's more of a digital poster really. Still, it looks like the rebirth of Interplay is officially underway. Fastidious X3F readers will recall that the company submitted an SEC filing late last year that detailed plans to return to the video game development business, largely in thanks to the profits made in the sale of the Fallout IP to Bethesda. Said plans included the revival of several of Interplay's well-known franchises including Earthworm Jim, MDK, and Baldur's Gate. It seems that Interplay is moving forward with its plans, as the new website will attest. Consisting solely of the image seen above, Interplay.com clearly references all three of the franchises mentioned above as well as Fallout (most likely the MMO Interplay has been talking about since 2006). Let's hope we see some details sooner rather than later.[Thanks, Boff]
Dave Perry honored by Queen's University Belfast
Outspoken developer and former Shiny founder Dave Perry has found himself on the receiving end of an honorary degree by the UK's Queen's University Belfast, to be awarded as part of the school's centenary year celebration this July. While the degree would be equally served for recognizing Perry's unceremonious commentary on the Wii's questionable longevity when compared to the competition, the architect behind MDK and others has instead received a diploma in science engineering for distinction in computer game development and design. Perry shares the honorary spotlight with some distinguished company as well, with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Taioseach Bertie Ahern, actors Joanna Lumley and James Ellis and others filling out the university's honorary graduate list, though we doubt any of those can boast having breathed live into a gun-toting earthworm.
Fallout sale to help fund Earthworm Jim, Descent comebacks
With help from money it gleaned from selling the Fallout franchise to Bethesda, Interplay intends to revitalize its in-house game development studio and "has hired a veteran game developer," according to an SEC filing. Interplay also noted that, should it be able to obtain further financing, the developer intends to "develop sequels to some of the most successful games, including Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent and MDK." The developer also plans to continue work on a Fallout MMO. The connection to Interplay's former post-apocalyptic franchise doesn't end there; it's as interwoven into this story as the characters from LOST are to each other. The "veteran game developer," as it turns out, is former Fallout designer Jason Anderson, who worked on the first and second games before leaving with fellow Fallout devs Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky to form Troika games. Anderson is reportedly working on an MMO for Interplay unrelated to Fallout. [Via Gamasutra]
Planet Moon's After Burner is lookin' good
Planet Moon Studios, developers of MDK, Giants, and the PSP-exclusive Infected, have been working hard at reviving a old Sega classic. After Burner: Black Falcon is yet another PSP-exclusive endeavor from this respected developer, and 1UP has the exclusive scoop on the game. They talked to Bob Stevenson on the game, and he explains: "We were interested in taking a classic arcade game like After Burner and adding a bit of artistic license, Planet Moon-style. We were careful not to go too crazy as the game has its own essence that we didn't want to mess with."The classic game will be getting some unique story and character development, something the team at Planet Moon has always been good at. With 30+ single player missions and extensive multiplayer modes planned, you may want to keep your eye on this one on its journey to a Spring 2007 release.
Sega sends us Deep Fried goodness
Sega's support of the PSP so far has been pretty pathetic in the US. But that looks like it's all about to change. We're excited about their upcoming games, though: Sega Genesis Collection and Sonic Rivals being their two most noteworthy titles heading to our system. Today, they announced a partnership with Vancouver-based Deep Fried Entertainment to work on PSP games. We don't know what they're working on, but the staff has worked on games such as MDK2, NFL Gameday, Baldur's Gate, and the Need for Speed: Underground series. Having a team dedicated to the PSP is a great idea: it means we'll see more games from Sega, and that's always a good thing.[Via Gamespot]
