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A look at how Mercenaries 2 does co-op
IGN has a pretty decent writeup detailing their hands on time with two player co-op in the explosive Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. Online co-op is presented pretty standardly, allowing two players to connect seamlessly where one player enters the others' world a la Crackdown. Meaning that any progress made during co-op only counts towards the hosts' game, but any weapons or money earned by the other player can be taken back to their game. What's nice to see too is the fact that the game doesn't "scale" the action based on co-op, which means that having a co-op buddy by your side makes dishing out the destruction a whole lot easier. Make the jump to get Mercs 2 learnified.
Rumor: Dark Knight to prowl GTA-style city
In the category of things that are not surprising, you're certain to find the existence of a video game based on a stunningly successful superhero film. You'll also find Kotaku's report on the alleged first details of said game, which see the titular Dark Knight roaming the GTA-style streets of Gotham City, racing about in the Batmobile and swinging through the urban jungle on the hunt for society's less reputable elements. But it's the game's unusual failure to release -- or even be officially acknowledged by anyone other than Commissioner Gordon -- that you might file in the less crowded category of surprising things. The report attributes Batman's no-show to the developer's continued struggle against a dodgy camera system and repetitive combat, the latter of which is no doubt a challenging side effect of film director Christoper Nolan slamming our hero's cape in the door of reality. There's hope for a successful outcome (Vigilante's Creed, anyone?) within such a vaporous release schedule, but we're already concerned by the game's supposed adoption of the now-standard "Superhero + GTA = Video Game" formula. EA, we know you ignored us when we pleaded with you to put the Tumbler into Burnout Paradise as an unlockable, but listen to us this one time: People want to be Batman -- all of him. We want to be a billionaire playboy, the world's greatest detective and Gotham's Dark Knight. Don't make us beat up petty thugs in generic alleys all game long, okay?
The AP asks: Where's the Dark Knight game?
We don't know about you, but we've been doing a little internal happy dance that a crummy video game version of The Dark Knight wasn't rushed to shelves, sullying in some way our love of the film. But The Batman's absence was apparently enough to get under the skin of the AP, which tried to dig up any dirt they could on the Caped Crusader's video game incarnation.The general consensus? No one expected The Dark Knight to do as well as it did, meaning EA didn't feel a rush to get the game out day-and-date with the film, a miscalculation that analyst Michael Pachter estimates cost the company $100 million. Of course, it's mainly guesswork and speculation at this point, what really happened is anybody's guess. But make no mistake: Though we're happy there's no botched Dark Knight title on the market, we do want one. We just want the right one.
Watch as Oldman spills The Dark Knight game details
Like a Batarang, this story didn't come back – it stuck. We're talking about our original report on G4's interview with actor Gary Oldman, in which he specifically speaks about an upcoming game based on the smash hit movie The Dark Knight. G4 had pulled the video, but, like a boomerang, it's back.Oldman, who plays the role of Gotham City police lieutenant Jim Gordon in the film, reveals during the interview that he's "seen a tiny little piece of [the game]" and that its developer (rumored to be the now EA-owned Pandemic) is focusing a lot of effort on realistic, seamless gliding sequences. Meanwhile, his interviewer looks more uncomfortable and confused than enthused about the fact that she's sitting across from a film legend. Why so serious?
Oldman confirms Dark Knight game, G4 pulls video
[Update: Now with video (thanks, VVP)! Watch Gary Oldman spill the beans after the break. And hey, G4 – you guys totally got that story fair and square, so why pull the video?]Far be it from us to tell Electronic Arts how to run its business, but one would think that announcing a long-since-leaked game based on a hugely anticipated movie which just so happened to premier the very same week of the industry's largest press event would be – what we in the video game blogging business call – "a no-brainer." But, then again, we're not Electronic Arts so, despite being first rumored and then leaked by IGN over a year ago, Pandemic's totally secret adaptation of The Dark Knight did not make its debut during the serendipitous collision of E3 and Batman-mania last week. As if EA's counter-intuitive marketing plan wasn't funny enough, an interview on G4 with Commissioner Gordon himself, Gary Oldman, revealed – surprise! – that a game was indeed in development. Oldman stopped short of naming developer Pandemic or EA, but we all know the score; in response, G4 had the video removed from YouTube as well as their own site. Our favorite part from the interview teaser reel? When Oldman says, "It's hard to make a movie like this under the radar." You know what, we were just thinking the same thing about games ...Source – IGN forumsSource – YouTube video (since pulled by g4 Media, Inc.)
MLG Orlando coverage begins on GotFrag TV
GotFrag's coverage of the MLG 3v3 Arena Tournament in Orlando begins at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific today. If you didn't tune in at all last month, I definitely recommend doing so this time around. Generally, I'm not a PvP fan, but this was very fun to watch last time. WoW's impact as an eSport isn't really something you can witness in-game (which is a shame) but for me, tournaments like this give it a whole new dynamic. The emphasis is placed more on the players and the choices they make, and a little less on rock-paper-scissors and endless countercomping. It's an all weekend event, so if you're only interested in watching the finals, that'll be tomorrow.Like Amanda Dean and GotFrag themselves detailed the other day, there are a lot of teams to keep an eye on this time around. Frag Dominant took the win last month, and there are plenty of other teams you may recognize. SK-Gaming, MoB, Got Game East/West, Pandemic, Fnatic, plenty more. If you don't keep an eye on the PvP scene on a regular basis you might not recognize those names, but they put on a good show last time.To view the live stream, you will probably be prompted to install a codec if you don't have it yet. All of us WoW players are a little paranoid these days (with good reason), so don't be afraid to run a background check on anything you're asked to download. I'm pretty positive there's nothing to worry about in this case, but better safe than sorry, eh?
EA Mythic reclaims original Mythic Entertainment name
It was only a name change! Remember when Mythic Entertainment, the force behind Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online sold out and got slapped in the face with the EA brand? Many gamers associate a stigma to EA and were disheartened by the name retrofitting that took place in 2006. In an interesting twist, Mark Jacobs announced yesterday that EA Mythic has reclaimed the Mythic Entertainment name. As to why, according to Jacobs it's as simple as EA wanting to reinvent itself. EA's recently acquired studios Bioware and Pandemic retained their identities. In an MMORPG.com interview conducted by Jon Wood, Jacobs explains the new rationality being employed by John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts. EA wants studios functioning as their own city states with more creative freedoms and maneuverability, an example Riccitiello uses in a February 10th Gamasutra article. It's important to note that even with the name change Mythic Entertainment is still a part of Electronic Arts. (Duh!) Mark Jacobs also confirmed that the company will be revealing a new logo soon. Two more Warhammer Online announcements are planned for later today. What will they be? It could be about the Collector's Edition pre-orders, a release date, or worse another delay. We will keep you posted.
Joystiq interview: Mercenaries 2 senior producer Jonathan Zamkoff
We spent some time with the eagerly awaited Mercenaries 2: World in Flames at Electronic Arts recently, and we can safely say that it's a lot of fun blowing crap up in this game. In fact, if they dropped the storyline (you're chasing a druglord) altogether and called this game Blowing Sh*t Up!, we'd still buy it. Senior Producer Jonathan Zamkoff answered several of our questions about the game after we took a breath to check for scorch marks and shrapnel wounds. We'll be spending a lot more hands-on time with this one at E3, so look for more coverage next week. In the meantime, check after the break to find out why they hope driving won't suck in this one... although they don't explain why this screenshot looks like Motorstorm 2: Save Your Own Ass. %Gallery-27307%
Verify your target with this Mercenaries 2 trailer
We haven't reported on Mercenaries 2: World in Flames since its delay back in 2007. Apparently, after almost a year, destroying entire buildings is still an option and the game is still coming on just about every console and PC. The video has a group of mercenaries in Venezuela, whose goal is to 'verify' a human target, dead or alive. Alive will bring in more money, but dead is just so much more fun. The trailer has a promise stamped at the end for a August 31st release date, but are you guys even still interested?[Via Joystiq -- thanks, imperalpig!]
Mercenaries 2 delivers the goods with 'Improvise' trailer
After what feels like countless delays, the new trailer for Mercenaries 2 rekindles our hope that the latest release date of Aug. 31 for the game actually sticks. The video gives examples of a couple different ways to complete missions within the game, from being all stealth-like to just going in guns blazing. There's something disturbingly satisfying about the idea that, if a mission goes south while trying to sneak through it, the option of just flipping out and destroying everything is still on the table. Check out the video after the break.
Mercenaries 2 developer walkthrough previews different 'approaches'
Those who enjoyed the economics-meets-explosions gameplay of Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction will no doubt get a kick out of the latest trailer for the title's upcoming sequel. The three ExOps personalities we came to know and love in the first Mercs are making a comeback, and in the above video, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames lead designer Scott Warner gives us a sneak peek at how these well-trained operatives, you know, operate.The gameplay looks solid, but for those of us too busy to watch a five-minute video on a Saturday afternoon, we'll briefly break it down using A-Team archetypes: Jennifer Mui is Templeton "Faceman" Peck, Mattias Nilsson is "Howling Mad" Murdock, and Christopher Jacobs is an amalgam of John "Hannibal" Smith and B.A. Baracus -- only he doesn't pity fools. He hastily shuffles them off this mortal coil using their own grenades.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest teases epic
There are few existing licenses that can pull large scale, arena-style, battles off and it looks like Lord of the Rings has just joined the ranks -- so far. In the teaser trailer for the upcoming title Lord of the Rings: Conquest, Pandemic showcases the epic battle of good versus evil from both perspectives. Pulling inspiration from Battlefield and its own Star Wars: Battlefront franchise, Lord of the Rings: Conquest has shown great potential. Working closely with Peter Jackson's Weta Digital to capture the look of the award-winning films, LotR: Conquest looks to impress gamers when it ships this fall.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest debut trailer depicts battles, oliphant violence
Pandemic just released the first trailer for their Star Wars: Battlefront-esque take on Tolkien's beloved fantasy world, Lord of the Rings: Conquest, and despite a few framerate issues, we're as pleased as Miruvor-flavored punch. Though past titles have tried to capture the grand scale of Middle Earth's climactic battles through various methods of interactivity, we've never really felt the exhilaration associated with cutting through swathes of Orcborn adversaries with our trusty Andúril. The familiar Battlefront gameplay formula looks to be just what the doctor ordered -- though PETA might have a few unkind words to say about the Proboscidean homocide apparently featured in the title.
EA: Saboteur, Dragon Age to miss '08
Delays are never good, but in the case of two titles emerging from EA's acquisition of BioWare and Pandemic, it's nice to see the publishing giant giving its studios the time they need to get the job done right. In particular, we're talking about BioWare's all-new original RPG title, Dragon Age, and Pandemic's WWII action game, Saboteur, both of which EA boss John Riccitiello revealed are now 2009 titles during a speech Tuesday. BioWare, hot off the PC release of Mass Effect, has been crafting its first fantasy RPG since Neverwinter Nights for some time. Saboteur showed substantial promise when we saw it last year; it's a third-person action game set in Nazi-occupied France, starting off in black & white, with color appearing as Nazis are driven out of areas of Paris.
LOTR Conquest details: playable creatures, heroes
In a recent interview with Crispy Gamer, Pandemic got the chance to shed some light on their recently announced Battlefront-meets-Lord of the Rings title, Lord of the Rings Conquest. With the interview come a few details regarding the game and just what gamers can expect. Said details are as follows: Three types of combat: Melee, Ranged, and Magic (expect warriors, archers, etc) The game will play from 3rd person perspective There will be several playable creatures and vehicles including ents, fell beasts, catapults, siege towers, trolls, battering rams and eagles Much like the Battlefront series, players will be rewarded with playable heroes for completing objectives Players will fight through the major battles of the film and a few that appear in the books. There are also battles included that were "hinted at" in the books. The Evil campaign plays out as though Frodo failed in his mission to destroy the One Ring No cross-platform play between PC and 360 (surprise, surprise) Conquest features "a recognizable actor from the films" as the narrator (dare we hope for Hugo Weaving?) The concept of mixing Battlefront with Lord of the Rings already had us intrigued, but this new info has us even more excited, particularly the news regarding the available creatures and vehicles. Hit the "Source" link for the full article.
'Virtual Iraq' treats PTSD with modded Full Spectrum Warrior
If you're curious to see how the government is using video games to help war veterans – and not just turn them into killing machines, as some say – over at The New Yorker there's a rather lengthy piece on Virtual Iraq, a system in development that uses a modded Full Spectrum Warrior to help those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In addition to the game, Virtual Iraq involves using a head-mounted display (i.e. virtual reality goggles), earphones and a scent-producing machine. The prolonged-exposure therapy involves having the user revisit and retell the traumatic story repeatedly to "disconnect the memory from the reactions to the memory, so that although the memory of the traumatic event remains ... are restored to insignificance." We look forwarding to hearing more about the program, and we wonder how the effects of it would change with a more visually-advanced war game like Call of Duty 4. Note: The above video is from an un-modded version of Full Spectrum Warrior and not Virtual Iraq.
Pandemic reveals Lord of the Rings Conquest
click to enlarge EA returns once more to the golden money spigot that is The Lord of the Rings franchise with The Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Currently under development at Pandemic, IGN states that Conquest is essentially the studio's Star Wars: Battlefront set in the LOTR universe. Players will take control of the series' many creatures and characters (no word on whether or not the game will feature heroes å la Battlefront) and wage war on some of the films' most famous battlefields. The game will also include battles not featured in the films (dare we hope for the Battle of Bywater?). Conquest will feature up to 16 players online, 4 player co-op (online and local), where players will fight battles that feature up to 150 characters on screen at one time. The game will include both a good and evil campaign, including a scenario in which Sauron -- the leader of the evil forces -- reclaims the One Ring. Expect Conquest to arrive in fall 2008. Gallery: Lord of the Rings: Conquest
Pandemic announces Lord of the Rings: Conquest [update]
click to enlarge Just how many people are working at Pandemic anyway? Not only are they still finishing up Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and (maybe) making the next Batman game, but news has come from IGN today that the Lord of the Rings game the studio is currently crafting (called Lord of the Rings: Conquest) will arrive on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this fall. By the developer's own admission it's an unabashed mash-up of the fantasy property and its own Star Wars Battlefront (read: huge fights in Middle Earth).The game will incorporate every battle from the movies, a few from the books and some from whole cloth. Conquest's large-scale battles, which will sport up to 150 characters on screen at once, can be waged by eight players online [update: It's apparently 16] against one another or with four players teaming up on the main campaign online or via split screen. Frankly, we got a little burnt out on Lord of the Rings games when a glut of them arrived with Peter Jackson's films, but this sounds like the kind of meaty experience that justifies a return to Middle Earth.%Gallery-22396%
New Mercs 2 trailer reveals August 31st release date
Pardon us if we fail to sound particularly interested during this post. The above video for Mercenaries 2 almost made us fall asleep and now we're all grumpy. From what we can see, Mercs 2 will be another generic shooter with a second rate storyline. The only good thing about the trailer? It had a release date attached. The game will arrive on shelves on August 31st. Will it be worth picking up? Doubtful, there are plenty of games due this year that promise to be more worthwhile.
Mercenaries 2 blows things up August 31st
IGN has revealed that Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is scheduled for a U.S. release on August 31st. And since a release date announcement is a big deal, Pandemic also supplied a new Mercenaries 2 "US Release Date Trailer" for everyone to enjoy. From what we can tell, things splode really, really good. We also get a feeling for why Mattias Nilsson is so hellbent on revenge ... his bum has a bullet lodged in it. Watch the trailer, take it all in and (potentially) add Mercenaries 2 to your ever expanding list of 2008 must-haves.[Via Game Stooge]
