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Dungeon Siege 3 trailer learns to play nice in co-op
The Dungeon Siege 3 adventurers, who have each had their own separate trailers, now show off how they play as a team. The dungeon crawling begins in mid June.
Reports: Obsidian hit with layoffs
According to tweets made by several former Obsidian employees, the company went through a round of layoffs yesterday. VG24/7 initially took note of the tweets, which have also been posted in the company's forums. The extent of the layoffs are not known currently, and Obsidian has yet to respond to requests for comment. Obsidian is preparing to ship Dungeon Siege 3 at the moment, having just come off a year with the highlight of Fallout: New Vegas and the fizzling of its original IP, Alpha Protocol. We'll update as more information becomes available.
Buy Dungeon Siege 3 on Steam, get the first two games free
Steam is offering the first two Dungeon Siege titles gratis should you choose to purchase the third entry in the series through Valve's digital distribution platform. Locking in your purchase now will grant you access to the first two games immediately, prior to the newly announced June 21 launch date for Dungeon Siege 3. On top of that, Valve and Square Enix revealed that Dungeon Siege 3 will employ the Steamworks suite, adding "auto-updating, Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud support, downloadable content and more" to Obsidian's upcoming action-RPG. For the full skinny, cast your cloak of click-through to check out the press release past the jump.
Dungeon Siege 3 delayed, adventure begins June 21 in NA, June 17 in Europe
When Square Enix originally said Dungeon Siege 3 would have a May launch, it must have meant may, the lower case verb and not the calendrical noun. The publisher announced today that Dungeon Siege 3 is, in fact, coming June 17 and 21 to Europe and North America, respectively. "Although the final polish phase has demanded a bit more time than originally planned," said Mike Fischer, president and CEO of Square Enix, Inc., "we want to assure fans and followers that the additional effort will allow us to deliver an action-RPG worthy of its rich heritage." There have been no platform-specific delays, so it'll be available at the appointed time on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Plus, June doesn't have a verb, so there's no slick way out of delay notification next time.
Obsidian working on XBLA title for Q1 2012 (and some other things)
Obsidian Entertainment is currently working on "an original IP XBLA game," which is being targeted for release in the first quarter of 2012. In a recent interview with Game Revolution, Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart mentioned, "It'll be an action RPG that's focused on fun -- not Dungeon Siege; it's quite a bit different in a different genre with a different camera." "We also might throw our hat in the whole free-to-play thing," Urquhart added, before passively referencing another game -- based on a "licensed product" -- he'd be "killed" if he talked about in detail. In our own recent interview with him, Urquhart similarly hinted at a "once in a lifetime" licensed game that is "something we've been working on since the middle of last year; just with a small team -- it's only been five or ten people." This could be that Wheel of Time project, or something separate -- "I'm hoping that'll be announced around E3," Urquhart told GR of the mystery project. The studio has also pitched an Icewind Dale reboot to Atari, in addition to shopping around general pitches for a game based on "a new world" and a sort of "what if" Sauron won scenario for a Lord of the Rings title dubbed "Defiance." But first! Obsidian has to wrap up Dungeon Siege 3. Talk about keeping busy.
Fallout: New Vegas 'Dead Money' coming to PC and PSN this month
Fallout: New Vegas' Dead Money DLC will have PlayStation 3 and PC users playing its vicious little scenario on Tuesday, February 22. PS3 owners can pick it up through the PSN, while PC owners have the choice of Steam and Direct2Drive. Bethesda also mentioned that the next three expansion packs for New Vegas will launch simultaneously on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Dead Money will likely be $10 on PS3 and PC (as it was on Xbox 360), but we're currently following up with Bethesda for confirmation. Update: Bethesda tells Joystiq that it hasn't announced price for the DLC, but will announce it in the "coming weeks."
Lay siege to Dungeon Siege 3 on May 31
Hackers and/or slashers, listen up. Dungeon Siege 3 has officially been given a North American release date. The Obsidian-developed dungeon crawler will hit shelves on May 31, and publisher Square Enix has detailed a number of retailer-exclusive pre-order bonuses to entice players. Most pre-orders include some in-game items, though both Walmart and Steam offer more tangible bonuses. Walmart is offering a mini Dungeon Siege comic from Dark Horse and a mini Prima strategy guide. Meanwhile, those who pre-order on Steam will receive free single-player versions of the original Dungeon Siege and Dungeon Siege 2. For the moment, it seems that the first two Dungeon Siege titles will be exclusive to those who pre-order the game. Whether or not they are offered for individual purchase in the future is "still under internal discussions" at Square Enix. See the breakdown of each retailer's pre-order bonuses after the break.
Fallout New Vegas mod Project Nevada adds sprinting, new vision modes
For us, plodding through the Mojave in search of things to kill and people to steal (or is that the other way around?) can sometimes take forever. Look, we're busy marauders, so we're glad to hear that a mod for Fallout: New Vegas, dubbed "Project Nevada," aims to change things up -- specifically, it'll add sprinting to the game and some handy vision modes, including thermal and night vision. There's also the addition of bullet time and some new scopes to use. Currently, there's no time table for release, but in the meanwhile you can at least catch a trailer past the break.
Intel's Sandy Bridge hits the desktop realm: Dell, CyberPower, Digital Storm and more
For the most part, Intel's Sandy Bridge introduction at CES made a giant impact in the outlook of future laptops, but not as much was said over in the desktop world. Quietly, a slew of custom PC makers have slid out revised towers with the second generation Core lineup, with Dell's XPS 8300, Digital Storm's entire family, Cyber Power's Gamer Xtreme 1000 / 2000 and iBuyPower's Chimera XLC seeing the new Core i5 and Core i7 chips. Care to dig in deeper? Hit the source links below, and be sure to bust out your credit card -- Intel's fastest doesn't come cheap, you know.
Fallout: New Vegas 'Dead Money' trailer hosts a heist
The first Xbox 360 "exclusive" DLC for Fallout: New Vegas, dubbed Dead Money, lays out all its cards in a new trailer. The add-on sees you caught in a dangerous deal, where saying "no" puts you on the bad end of an exploding collar. Okay, so there's no bad end to a circular object, but ... oh, oh, got it: you're being collared in the middle of an explosive situation. Nailed it. Dead Money will be available next Tuesday, December 21, on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 MSP ($10). Best start planning how you're going to break into the Sierra Madre casino and make off with all its ill-gotten riches.
The Game Archaeologist and the Nights of Old Winter
Here's a question for you: How much do you really, really have to love a game to pay $8.00 an hour to play it? Considering how much we tend to whine about a flat $15/month fee, I'm guessing the answer is, "Only if it loved me long time." And yet, in 1991 this wasn't considered crazy extortionist practices -- it was dubbed "Being a pioneer." While online RPGs were nothing new by then, nobody had tackled the jump from text-based RPGs (MUDs and BBS doors) to graphical games due to the technology (limited modem speeds and access) and funding involved. It took the efforts of a Superfriends-style team to make this happen with Neverwinter Nights: Stormfront Studios developed the game, TSR provided the Dungeons & Dragons license, SSI published it under its Gold Box series, and Aol handled the online operations. Thus, 19 years ago -- six years before Ultima Online and 13 before World of Warcraft -- the first multiplayer graphical RPG went online and helped forge a path that would lead to where we are today. With only 50 to 500 players per server, Neverwinter Nights may not have been "massively," but it deserves a spot of honor as one of the key ancestors to the modern MMO.
Fallout: New Vegas 'Dead Money' DLC tours the Sierra Madre's most exclusive resort
Late next month, Obsidian will launch the first bit of DLC for Fallout: New Vegas. That DLC, according to issue five of the Bethesda newsletter, will take players to the Sierra Madre, "an opulent and extravagant resort that was supposed to be the greatest casino in the west -- except that it never opened." Turns out that whole apocalypse thing really put a damper on the festivities. Who woulda thunk a silly thing like atomic bombs could be such a buzzkill? The vaykay-spot-that-almost-was had a pretty bitching security system, thus locking the complex up tight following the nuclear holocaust that befell America. As time went on, the climate control and air conditioning system starting pushing toxins out into the nearby area, surrounding it with a mist of poison and making the adjoining city impossible to navigate. A small band of survivors, dubbed the Ghost People, have only managed to scrape by, seemingly resorting to capturing healthy people outside of the plume of pollution surrounding the Sierra Madre. You know, to eat them. And that's pretty much all we have to go on right now. You can download "Dead Money" for Fallout: New Vegas on December 21, exclusively on Xbox Live, for 800 MS Points ($10).
Stealing in Fallout: New Vegas -- the bucket method
Who wants to save up hundreds of thousands of bottlecaps for the right to buy all those tasty, expensive Energy Cells in Fallout: New Vegas? Sure, we could play Craps or Roulette, but wouldn't this handy dandy ghost bucket be, like, way easier? Sure would!
Fallout: New Vegas pre-order DLC errors explained
Due to the PlayStation Network's update schedule, folks who bought Fallout: New Vegas for the PS3 may have experienced "error 80023156" while attempting to download bonus DLC yesterday. If you lost your cool and emailed us about it, here's your answer. Bethesda's Pete Hines explains, "That is the error you get when you try to enter a code too many times (unsuccessfully). Most likely because they were entering the code yesterday before the packs were live on PSN. The user just needs to wait 24 hours and enter it again. Once you download the content it will work with any existing save game." The PSN needs to update on Tuesday before content becomes available. In the case of pre-order DLC bonuses for newly released games, it's best to wait until the update occurs on launch day and then try using the code you received. [Thanks, Arthur]
Metareview: Fallout: New Vegas
You've already had time to sup on our opinions on Fallout: New Vegas, but we imagine you must be hungry for more, like a lost courier in the Mojave who's been attacked and left for dead. Actually, you know what? That's, like, exactly how this game starts. Weird, huh? Anyway, let's satiate that appetite for words you've got going, shall we? Eurogamer (90/100): "Obsidian has created a totally compelling world and its frustrations pale into insignificance compared to the immersive, obsessive experience on offer. Just like the scorched scenery that provides its epic backdrop, New Vegas is huge and sprawling, sometimes gaudy, even downright ugly at times – but always effortlessly, shamelessly entertaining." GamePro (90/100): "This laundry list of complaints might seem like a game breaker, but that I could suffer through them repeatedly during my marathon New Vegas weekend and still walk away feeling not only satisfied but hungry for more says something about the power of the formula that Bethesda has crafted." IGN (85/100): "In New Vegas, the fun Fallout 3 formula is intact, with more polished combat, high-quality side missions, and the exciting setting of the Vegas strip. Unfortunately, the bugs also tagged along for the ride." Game Informer (85/100): "Gamers should expect more of the same from this follow-up. If Fallout 3 holds a place among your top 10 games of this generation like it does for me, another rewarding 200-plus hours of survival awaits you." PC Gamer (84/100): "More wasteland to wander. New Vegas is good, but the failure to move the series on makes it feel a tiny bit stale." Giant Bomb (80/100): "It's not a surprise that Fallout: New Vegas sticks closely to Fallout 3's structure and style. But if it weren't for the game's way-too-long list of technical issues, New Vegas would actually be better than its predecessor. Instead, it's a well-written game with so many issues that some of you might want to take a pass, at least until some of this nonsense gets fixed." %Gallery-87609%
Fallout: New Vegas dev diary takes us on a tour of 'The Strip'
Unlike a lot of the landmarks in Fallout 3, the Vegas strip in Fallout: New Vegas mostly survived the apocalyptic meltdown of America in tact. Sure, the roads are a bit scarred and the buildings could use some paint, but it's all there. Vegas, baby!
First Look: The Fallout: New Vegas TV Spot
Featuring Nat King Cole's classic rendition of "Orange Colored Sky," the first TV commercial for Fallout: New Vegas has hit the internet. Just like that -- flash! bang! alakazam! -- out of Bethesda's dev blog. We've dropped it past the break.
Fallout: New Vegas dev diary is all about the tech and sound
We were about to comment on the aesthetics of 1950s technology, as examined in this new Fallout: New Vegas dev diary, but then we saw the machine gun that shoots grenades. Seriously -- it's a machine gun that just happens to shoot grenades.
Bethesda reveals Fallout: New Vegas companions
Bethesda rep Matt Grandstaff notes in a spoilery PS blog post that Fallout: New Vegas' version of the wasteland is "a dangerous and desolate place." Like Fallout 3, New Vegas is filled with companions to help you endure the journey. You can find their images past the break and more info here.
Fallout: New Vegas comic previewed on iTunes
A 12-page preview of the Fallout: New Vegas - All Roads comic is now available on iTunes, but if you end up liking what you read don't expect to buy the full thing off of Apple's virtual store shelf. The graphic novel is a prologue to events in the game and is "exclusive" to the Fallout: New Vegas Collector's Edition. The un-interactive text adventure is published by Dark Horse Comics and written by New Vegas' senior designer, Chris Avellone. The comic also apparently gives "clues to in-game missions for the sharp-eyed reader." Now we totally want Where's Waldo: Fallout Edition.
