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Mercenaries 2: World in Flames delayed (again)
Shacknews reports that Pandemic Studios' action-packed Venezuela-wrecking shooter, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, has been struck with another delay, this one sending it careening into publisher EA's 2009 fiscal year. Though the game "is likely to ship this year," the official release period now stretches from April 2008 to March 2009. The news follows several rumors which suggested that EA would show gamers no Mercenaries until August. We'll let you know as soon as official release date debris details come hurtling through our office window.
BioWare, Pandemic creating 10 new franchises for EA
Electronic Arts has dropped a cold, emotionless reminder of its late-2007 acquisition of both BioWare and Pandemic Studios, announcing that the pair have now been officially digested by the EA collective. While we remain cynical of the whole affair – it is, after all, what we do – EA has announced that the pair has been tapped to create a whopping ten new franchises for EA, based on six different "wholly-owned" properties. 10? Seriously? BioWare alone hasn't touched that much code in nearly a decade, though to be fair EA hasn't laid out a time line for how often these games will emerge. Both BioWare and Pandemic will be overseen by EA Games' top cheese Locutus...erm, Frank Gibeau, and according to the executive the acquisition will broaden EA's game portfolio in the RPG, action and adventure genres. A cloud of mystery continues to hang over the bulk of these new projects, though EA has confirmed that BioWare remains hard at work on Dragon Age and the DS Sonic RPG, while Pandemic is chugging along developing Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and Saboteur. At least it seems as though the assimilation hasn't freed the developers of independent thought, though granted it does take some time before the implants take hold.
Mercenaries 2 viral videos = Tough guy + The Office
Pandemic put together a small set of viral videos promoting its mercifully delayed Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. The mockumentary is The Office-esque and follows the exploits of Jim Holston, a "real" mercenary who visits the Pandemic studios to "check out the game." There is no Mercenaries 2 gameplay footage or launch announcement in the videos that we can see, the first episode is above with the other three found after the break. If you like cringe-humor created by awkward situations then you may find a few moments of laugh-out-loud humor in the videos. We'll never view motion capture technology the same way again after seeing what Holston does to the Pandemic receptionist.
EA to buy Pandemic Studios and BioWare
Electronic Arts has announced today that it will acquire VG Holding Corp. from Elevation Partners. VG Holding owns both Pandemic Studios and BioWare, which means the deal nabs both developers for EA. Electronic Arts will be paying up to $650 million in cash to the stockholders of VG Holding, with up to $155 million being paid in equity to specific employees. Pandemic is currently hard at work on the excessively violent sandbox title, Mercenaries 2, which is being published by EA. The deal raises questions about BioWare, as the company is currently developing the galaxy hopping RPG Mass Effect for Microsoft Game Studios. As the game is set to be a trilogy, we have to wonder what this deal means for the next two installments.We'd love to make some sort of Madden RPG joke here (Madden Effect, perhaps?), but we just don't have the energy. Hit the "read" link for the full press release.[Via Joystiq]
EA to acquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios
Monolithic publisher EA has today announced an agreement with Elevation Partners to purchase VG Holding Corp. -- a move which sees EA becoming the owner of both BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios. A shocking move to be certain, but one that should make complete sense to a publisher looking to strengthen its lineup of role-playing games and action titles. BioWare, currently finishing development on November's Microsoft-published Mass Effect, has proven itself to be one of the leading developers in the genre, and Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries franchise has shown an alarming propensity for blowing things up. Closing January 2008, the purchase will cost EA up to $620 million in cash payment to the stockholders of VG Holding Corp., with another $155 million in equity going to "certain employees" of VG Holding Corp., "subject to time-based or performance-based vesting criteria." EA has also agreed to lend VG Holding Corp $35 million through the closing of the purchase. Ray Muzyka, Co-founder and CEO of BioWare Corp, thinks it's all money well spent. "This vision is consistent with BioWare's focus on crafting the highest quality story-driven games in the world," he says. "It will enable us to further the careers of the passionate, creative and hard working teams at BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Austin." EA will hold a conference call later today to discuss the acquisition. Oh, and here are all the exclamation marks we wanted to put in the headline: !!!!!!!!!!
Mercenaries 2 lets you destroy just about anything
We are a gaming news site, after all. Let's move away from all the juicy new info and give you a preview of a game we're still in the air about. Some may dislike it, but the loyal fanbase of the original Mercenaries title are ready for more and we've got some hands-on impressions from IGN to keep you worked up. Let's make a list. Everything is destructible, so set those trees on fire and watch the blaze spread. The fire is claimed to be the best-looking thing in the early build of the game. So either it looks really good or the game looks kinda bland. Did we mention everything is destructible? Every building, vehicle, other person, whatever -- all can meet their doom thanks to you. There are thirty weapons in Mercs 2 and over 200 vehicles. The fun lies in the vehicles, though. You won't necessarily have to pull a Grand Theft Auto and take a 20 minute jog to get the perfect vehicle, though. As you kick ass, you earn cash. This cash can be traded in for special weapons, attacks (air strikes), or vehicles to be delivered on the spot. Want a Wave Runner on that small lake? You got it! Stealing a tank from an enemy involves a more God of War inspired button-pressing sequence, whereas other vehicles will only require one press of the action button to oust whoever else happened to be driving it. There are a lot more impressions about the actual level played in the hands-on treatment, but we'd like to leave that up to you to read. It's pretty entertaining and we're moderately jealous. The game seems to be shaping up nice, but since we haven't heard how their online service will work, we've got our reservations until we see that in action.
Destroy All Humans, Saint's Row sequels not coming this year
A brief note in publisher THQ's fiscal report (PDF file) indicates that a previously announced sequel to Saint's Row will not be marching until fiscal year 2009. In calendar terms, that means excess excess pimp-slapping won't be coming until at least April 1, 2008. Conspicuously absent from the entire report was a mention of a Destroy All Humans sequel. Though DAH3 was reportedly announced in a German magazine as coming out this calendar year to consoles, no mentions were made of the franchise for either FY 2008 or 2009. It is still listed as one of its key IPs, however. There's always a chance, however slim, that THQ could pull a surprise announcement at next week's Min-E3. Expected this fiscal year from THQ are Stuntman: Ignition, Frontlines: Fuel of War, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights and MX vs. ATV. Oh, and licensed titles, too.
Destroy All Human 3 invading consoles this year
The aliens are back! THQ has announced in German magazine Man!ac (via N-Europe) that Destroy All Humans 3 is coming out sometime this year (in Europe, at least) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, PSP and Nintendo Wii. A new title in the series was mentioned by THQ CEO Brian Farrell in an investor conference call in February, but no dates or platforms were given at the time. Pandemic is the likely developer, as it created the last two Destroy All Humans titles (as a joke, originally). Is this secret project B, Q, Y or Z? A TV show based on the Destroy All Humans series was announced in late 2005, but so far nothing has come of it. [Via VGB]
Pandemic talks Mercenaries 2: no vs. multiplayer
Eurogamer recently sat down with Scott Warner, Pandemic's lead designer for Mercenaries 2. We don't get a ton of new info on the game, but it's interesting nonetheless. One nugget that was revealed is that while most areas will respawn after they've been destroyed, there are certain areas that will remain in tatters after you've blown them to smithereens. The game will feature hundreds of new vehicles including boats, a first for the series. There's bad news for multiplayer fans though, as there are no plans for any competitive multiplayer. Mercenaries 2 will, however, feature online co-op. Hit the "read" link for the full interview.There is no mention of Bono in the interview by the way, though we expect he was -- as always -- lurking in the shadows.
Rumor: The Dark Knight in Pandemic's hands, "Project B" is for Batman
Pandemic could be developing The Dark Knight, a video game based on the forthcoming movie, alleges a rumor posted by IGN. Supposedly, sources close to the project have linked the Mercs 2 developer to the Batman Begins sequel tie-in. Private equity firm Elevation Partners has apparently gained rights to the title through its alliance with Pandemic and BioWare, but "insiders" insist that EA, which handled the lackluster Batman Begins game, will publish The Dark Knight.Pandemic currently has five secret projects in the works, with 'Project B' having the most obvious relationship to the Batman rumor; though the "B" could simply stand for "Brisbane," the particular Pandemic branch that is heading up the mysterious game. Project Y, which promises to "break new ground in its category" also offers a possible connection to The Dark Knight. With few exceptions, both Batman games and movie-licensed titles are often met with groans -- could Pandemic flip the script?Pandemic has yet to issue a response to the rumor. When questioned by IGN, an EA representative declined to comment.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
RUMOR: Pandemic signed on to develop next Batman game?
While it's just a rumor at this point, the studio behind the sleeper hits Mercenaries and Destroy All Humans!, Pandemic, is apparently working on the next Batman game, based off of the sequel to the film Batman Begins. While Pandemic is developing it, it seems the rights belong to Elevation Partners and the publishing will likely be done by everybody's favorite software distributor: Electronic Arts.The rumor stems from the idea that Pandemic has been working on a project known as "Project B" for a long time. With the above list of people coordinating on the project, it seems likely that the B does indeed stand for Batman. Even though the first game, Batman Begins, was welcomed by mediocre reviews and a strange kid-friendly style of stealth. Well, if this turns out to be true or false, we'll keep you posted. Maybe it'll turn out decent? Wishful thinking for a movie-game ...
Star Wars Battlefront III60 exclusive?
According to GamesRadar, the March issue of UK Magazine Playstation World spilled some beans on Star Wars: Battlefront III. On page 65, they state that LucasArts is moving the series from Pandemic, who developed the first two in the series, to Free Radical, of TimeSplitters and GoldenEye fame. They go on to say that SWBIII is listed as an Xbox 360 exclusive, but don't think it will stick. Still, Free Radical has a history of making some badass multiplayer games, and hopefully it will translate well in Star Wars: Battlefront III's online skirmishes. Are you looking forward to the new gen iteration of the series? What are your thoughts on the potential exclusivity and Free Radical taking the helm?Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, that box art is fan made, and not official.[Via GameStooge]
Venezuela enlists Bono to stop Mercs 2
A group called Venezuelan Solidarity isn't happy about Mercenaries 2 (that sounds awfully familiar). Apparently the group isn't so keen on the game's depiction of Venezuelan locales, not to mention the "extremely realistic" violence Mercenaries 2 encourages in said locales. In an open letter to Bono, Venezuelan Solidarity asks the U2 singer-cum-activist to pull the support of Elevation Partners -- Bono's investment firm -- from Pandemic Studios, developers of Mercenaries 2. The group pulls at Bono's human rights strings, asking that he "reconsider [his] investment in a company that glorifies violence and militarization." Furthermore, Venezuelan Solidarity implores the rock star to prevent the game from being sold "anywhere." That's a mighty tall order, even for Bono.Whether or not Bono will accept this call to arms remains to be seen. We wait with bated breath.[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Stynk Monkey]
Children's game coming from Pandemic?
Pandemic Studios, best known for big-kid games like Destroy All Humans and Full Spectrum Warrior, are working on a new children's game for Wii. According to a quote on Business Week's website from Pandemic Chief Executive Andrew Goldman, the game is the reflection of a desire to do something fresh and offer new gameplay, in a medium that they see as becoming stale. "The Wii does something new, and draws people back in." We have to wonder, is it really wise to go on record with sound bites like that as they're promoting their Xbox 360/PS2/PS3/PC war game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames? We suppose it will sell anyway. [Via NeoGAF]
Mercenaries 2: some questions, some answers
So, we're aware that Mercenaries 2 has found a publisher in Electronic Arts, moving away from their original publisher, LucasArts. At least they're staying "Arts"-y. Yeah, that one was bad... apologies. Anyway, a recent Q&A was put into action about the new title. Here's what's worth knowing: A completely new next-gen engine was built for this sequel. Also, as Pandemic Studios President Josh Resnick gracefully put it: "Aside from dealing with the scale and detail of next generation games, the engine has a fundamentally different architecture to deliver a much bigger open-world experience. The sheer number of things that you can grab, shoot, drive, fly and blow-the-crap-out-of is astonishing." The original "deck of 52" device used in the first game has been set aside, opting for a new story and mission progression system. Pandemic Studios is remaining mum on online multiplayer! It hurts! Pandemic plans to have a more challenging title this go around and will keep actual gameplay time up to snuff with competing "open-world" titles. The setting? Venezuela. That's it for now. This seems like it'll be a pretty fun title, so long as it doesn't become a generic Grand Theft Auto meets Burnout meets Crackdown meets that atrocious Domino movie. Absolutely awful.
Pandemic adds second Brisbane team for "brand new titles"
There's a pandemic in Australia. Game development is spreading like rabbits through the outback, from Team Bondi's noir-ish pursuits in Sydney to Pandemic Brisbane's just announced expansion. The team responsible for the recently shipped Destroy All Humans 2 will be adding a second team, expanding the Brisbane studio to over 100 employees, tasked with ... not working on another Destroy All Humans game!After earning their stripes in the lucrative alien-invasion simulation genre, Pandemic's Brisbane team (teams?) will begin working on "the development of brand new titles for next-generation gaming systems." Brand-new: (adj.) "Being in a fresh and unused condition; completely new." If we're reading that correctly, that means no sequels and no licensed games (we think).[Via FierceGameBiz]
Design Merc ink: Mercenaries 2 tattoo contest
Pandemic Studios has opened up a Mercenaries 2 contest that conveniently doubles as a resumé builder for aspiring tattoo artists. Design the ink that will adorn Mattias Nilsson's arm and if picked, you'll see the work rendered on the character and even receive a shout out in the game's credits. You won't, however, be paid any royalties since you give up ownership rights to the tattoo design upon submitting it to Pandemic.The contest ends this Friday, June 16. Tribal designs, copyrighted/trademarked content, nudity, and profanity are strictly prohibited -- meaning, we're out of ideas. Good luck.
Pandemic to deploy Mercenaries 2
Pandemic has announced the inevitable, a sequel to last year's enjoyable sandbox romp, Mercenaries. The key for Mercenaries 2: World in Flames' success will be Pandemic's ability to improve upon the original's formula, which grew stale about halfway through the game. But the developer isn't ready to talk about these improvements, nor is the studio ready to release platform availability details. According to 1UP, Mercenaries 2 is headed for a console with the number '3' in its name. Our guess, the sequel will arrive on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Metareview - Star Wars: Battlefront II (Xbox)
Do the additions of playable Jedi and space combat make Star Wars: Battlefront II a worthy sequel? Tough question. If you're a Star Wars fan and enjoyed the predecessor, then yes. If you weren't sold on the first Battlefront, then (probably) no. Still, Battlefront II could give your Live account a much needed workout-at least it should carry you through the next two weeks... Review highlights: Computer and Video Games (90/100) - "A walloping, beautiful example of what Xbox Live can do." Gaming Age (83/100) - "[A] good sequel, but it's got too much in common with the first game to make the upgrade a no-brainer." IGN (70/100) - "[The] faults and quirks of Battlefront II stand out and become glaring because the new adds feel unpolished while the old gripes manage to rear their heads for a second time." [via Metacritic; also available for PC, PS2, & PSP]
Disturbance in the force: Battlefront II early?
One of our force-sensitive readers from Highland, IN claims to have seen an empty (but price labeled) slot at his local Target where a few advanced copies of Star Wars: Battlefront II for the PC recently sat. The clerk confirmed that they had copies on Tuesday and sold out quickly. The official arrival date is Oct. 31, but has anyone else seen evidence of an early release? Last week, we talked about the extras that Pandemic has promised PC users, so it might be worth a phone call to your local vendor of choice. Hurry, man! The imperial troops have boarded the Tantive IV and you-know-who is about to get a bun stun! [Thanks, Mack]
