rise-of-the-triad
Latest
Rise of the Triad dev working on next-gen 'Project Ascender'
Interceptor Entertainment, Aalborg, Denmark-based developers of Rise of the Triad and iOS ports of Duke Nukem and its sequel, are currently working on a game known as "Project Ascender." The game is in development for PS4 and PC, and has been in the works since September. The project's existence is made known through two Interceptor developer LinkedIn profiles, namely that of CEO Frederik Schreiber. The other LinkedIn profile in question, for Executive Producer Khaled Ibrahimi, lists a 2014 release window for the project. The project linked in Schreiber's profile lists 19 team members on the project, including IP Creator Scott Miller, co-founder and CEO of 3D Realms.
Rise of the Triad review: Everything old is still old
Interceptor Entertainment's bang-up job of recreating Rise of the Triad for the modern era unavoidably highlights some of the original's flaws, and serves as a stark reminder that certain relics just can't live up to our warm, fuzzy memories. Rise of the Triad starts off fabulously well. A stylized comic book opening introduces us to the five members of H.U.N.T. - the High-risk United Nations Task force - after which we're dropped into a top-down map of San Nicolas, an island that's been taken over by a mysterious organization known only as the Triad. The name of the game: Infiltrate, investigate and blast the holy hell out of everything that moves.%Gallery-176985%
Rise of the Triad returns on July 31, pre-orders get Throwback Pack
Rise of the Triad is due on July 31 and available for pre-order now, for $15, through Steam, GOG, Green Man Gaming and original developer Apogee's own store. Pre-orders get the Apogee Throwback Pack for free. The pack usually runs $10 and includes Rise of the Triad: Dark War, the Extreme Rise of the Triad expansion pack, Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold and Blake Stone: Planet Strike. Apogee published the Blake Stone series starting in 1993 with the shareware version of Aliens of Gold, from developer JAM Productions. It's a first-person space adventure romp that uses the Wolfenstein 3D engine and follows British Intelligence agent Blake Stone as he takes out interstellar threats. This year's Rise of the Triad is a revival of the 1994 shareware shooter from Apogee Software. The revamp comes care of Apogee and Interceptor Entertainment, with a single-player campaign, multiplayer modes, a level editor and a brand new heavy metal soundtrack. Rise on.
Rise of the Triad out this summer, here's what you'll need to play it
The release window for Apogee Software and Interceptor Entertainment's revival of Rise of the Triad has been narrowed from sometime this year to sometime this summer, it was announced on the game's official blog today. Also unveiled, in addition to the homage cover artwork above, was the fact that RotT will be available simultaneously on Steam, GOG and Green Man Gaming upon launch. In order to run it, first-person nostalgia aficionados will need a minimum of two gigs of RAM and either a Radeon HD 3870 or an NVIDIA 8800 GT, plugged into the same motherboard as a 2.4 GHz dual-core processor running Windows XP or newer. For the best experience, double the RAM, bump up to the 64-bit version of Windows 7 and drop in a Radeon HD 6950 or GeForce GTX 560.
GOG adds 10 games for OSX: Guilty Gear, Rise of the Triad and more
GOG has added 10 more jams to its ever-growing list of OSX-compatible games, almost all of which have never been available on an Apple platform previously. Mac folk running OSX 10.6.8 or newer can now partake in Syndicate Wars, Rise of the Triad: Dark War, Blade Stone: Planet Strike, Strike Commander, Slipstream 5000, Darklands and Litil Divil. Anyone with OSX 10.7 or newer can also pick up Evil Genius, the phenomenal Guilty Gear X2 #Reload and the experimental (for better or worse) Guilty Gear Isuka. As is typically the case at GOG, most of these games also include bonus goodies, ranging from digital manuals, to wallpapers and complete soundtracks.
18 minutes of Rise of the Triad multiplayer
Interceptor Entertainment's remake of Apogee's Rise of the Triad will be out sometime soon – no specifics announced yet – for $14.99. In the meantime, we can share 18 minutes of the game's old-school multiplayer action.
Rise of the Triad 60% off on GOG
Apogee's 1994 first-person shooter, Rise of the Triad: Dark War, is 60% off on GOG.com today. Those gearing up for the eventual return of the game courtesy of Interceptor Entertainment, as announced at QuakeCon this year, have until 10:59am GMT tomorrow to pick up the original game for $2.39.The DRM-free download comes with the game's soundtrack and seven extra levels, so saving $3.60 never felt better (especially if you buy a burrito with that extra money like we will).
How a level is built in Rise of the Triad
We imagine this is actually how a lot of Unreal Engine 3 games are built, actually. Still, this time lapse video shows off some of the tricks that couldn't be pulled with the Wolfenstein 3D engine that ran the original Rise of the Triad. Tricks like, you know, round surfaces.%Gallery-163733%
Unleashing ludicrous gibs in the Rise of the Triad revival
By the late 90s, Apogee Software – the legal name of 3D Realms – was a household name for hardcore PC gamers. The Texas-based studio was responsible for franchises like Duke Nukem and published some of id Software's earliest hits such as Wolfenstein 3D.Years later that partnership continues as Apogee made its return to id's annual QuakeCon event in Dallas to announce the revival of Rise of the Triad – a cult-favorite first-person shooter released in 1995. Though its popularity never reached the same level as Doom, Rise of the Triad gained a niche fan base for its over-the-top nature. It's the kind of game that has a character named I.P. Freely; the kind of game with a gun that shoots a literal wall of flame, because why not?Rise of the Triad's return is being developed by people with at least a little experience in modernizing old Apogee products. Developer Interceptor Entertainment was formed in 2010 to create Duke Nukem 3D: Reloaded, a fan project turned official remake that was put on hold indefinitely in late 2011. Apogee decided Interceptor could be trusted with another of its franchises and supported the development team by adding former Rise of the Triad devs and mod makers to Interceptor's squad.%Gallery-161630%
Rise of the Triad's return will cost $14.99; free DLC planned
The return of the PC classic Rise of the Triad from developer Interceptor Entertainment will be sold digitally for $14.99 and offer all post-launch DLC for free, the dev announced during QuakeCon 2012.Marketing director Dave Oshry told Joystiq the priority was being faithful to the original Rise of the Triad in the core game, with add-on content allowing the Interceptor team to go crazy once the remake is finished.Oshry says that co-op has been one of the most requested additions players at QuakeCon have asked for, so it's now on the minds of the developers as something to pursue in the future. Even weapons came up as a possible addition – such as shotguns, which were not featured in the 1994 original – but part of their inclusion would depend on player interest. As far as Interceptor is concerned, the sky is the limit, and the developer plans to support the game well after launch.As if running down a checklist of oft-requested features from PC players, the game will also be DRM-free, completely moddable, run at 60 frames per second and have plenty of adjustable settings to let the game run on older hardware.An exact release date has yet to be revealed; however, during a QuakeCon panel, the developer promised it would arrive "late this year or early next year ... at the latest, early 2013."%Gallery-161630%
Rise of the Triad returns to PC this year, powered by Unreal Engine 3
When it comes to the early days of first-person shooters, names like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom come up a lot. There are some, however, lucky enough to remember Rise of the Triad, a frenetic, gory and occasionally downright goofy shooter from 1994. Now, after over 15 years, Rise of the Triad is coming back, Apogee Software has announced (confirming the rumor from earlier today).Rise of the Triad is being built on Unreal Engine 3 and is under development at Interceptor Software, which includes original ROTT level designer Joe Siegler as one of its members. The game will feature a single-player campaign, online multiplayer and a level editor that will allow players to share maps via Steamworks. And yes, it will include all of ROTT's bizarre weapons and, of course, Dog mode.Rise of the Triad is slated for "late this year."%Gallery-161630%
Rumor: New Rise of the Triad in the works
A Twitter account for Apogee's 1994 first-person shooter, Rise of the Triad, has been discovered. The bio for the account reads, "The world's most ludicrous shooter has returned!" The obvious implication is that a new Rise of the Triad, or possibly a remake, is in the works.The account follows two other Twitter users, namely Apogee Software and Interceptor Entertainment. Interceptor, as it turns out, employs one Joe Siegler, who just so happens to be a level designer from the original Rise of the Triad. As a Duke4.net forum-goer pointed out in June, Siegler's bio states that he's working on an "undisclosed project," and that spilling the beans would "require the death of the whole world 30 years later by one of his descendants." For those without incredible memories, that's a direct reference to the bad ending of Rise of the Triad.Rise of the Triad has popped up a few times in the last couple of years, being released on iPhone in 2010, followed by developer Apogee opening a new online store in 2011 to peddle its classics, including ROTT.
Apogee opens online store, peddling its classics
Shareware pioneer Apogee Software has announced the launch of a new online store, offering a handful of Apogee's most well-known games, specifically Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, Rise of the Triad and both Blake Stone titles, all of which can be had for $5.99 each. Savvy readers may recognize that the same lineup has been available via GoG.com for some time now. The Apogee store manages to offer a better deal though, thanks to its "Legacy Pack" which bundles all five games for $20. The bundle also includes the "Extreme Rise of the Triad" expansion and ... the Duke Nukem: Critical Mass soundtrack. Also, until June 20, the store is running a Father's Day promotion, offering the Legacy Pack for only $15. Just use the promo code "Father" during checkout. The current slate of available games is apparently just the beginning, as Apogee plans to revisit its beginnings as a digital distributor by "providing a platform for new developers to access a global market."
iPhone Rise of the Triad getting free add-on
Apparently "early 2010" meant "right now," as it looks like Apogee's Wolfenstein pseudo-sequel Rise of the Triad is already available for the iPhone. To mark the release, Apogee has announced that developer Mobilia Interactive plans to deliver a free update to the game entitled Extreme Rise of the Triad. The update will include 40 new maps containing "deviously different tricks, traps and treachery not seen in the original Triad." Not bad, especially considering the update is free. Check out a new trailer above, which includes some snippets of both the game's God Mode and the far superior Dog Mode. Rise of the Triad ($4.99):
Apogee's Rise of the Triad getting ludicrous on iPhone
Apogee -- it's not dead yet! -- has announced that its cult classic first-person shooter, Rise of the Triad, is on its way to the iPhone OS. The game is being ported to the platform by Mobilia Interactive, which has produced a number of previous iPhone titles as well. The port actually surfaced over the summer last year, though it's now clear that the company has been given Apogee's blessing to sell the app. The game will work on every iPhone OS platform, including the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad. Expect to see it hit the App Store in "early 2010." Check out a video of the game in action after the break. Tender viewers beware: The video contains ludicrous gibs.
GOG in the Machine: Rise of the Triad and Seven Kingdoms 2
Good Old Games has added two more titles to its library. On one hand, we have a real-time strategy game, and on the other we have the game that popularized the term "ludicrous gibs." Something for everyone!Rise of the Triad: Dark War ($5.99) - A violent first person shooter with a God mode that turns players into an actual god. No, really, you become seven feet tall and hurl balls of light that obliterate everything.Seven Kingdoms 2 ($5.99) - It's humans versus Fryhtans in this 1999 real-time strategy game. Choose from twelve human civilizations or seven Fryhtan races and have at it. What's a Fryhtan? No idea.
Ion Storm, Wolfpack vets lift lid off KingsIsle Entertainment
When the folks at KingsIsle Entertainment first approached us saying that they were working on something mysterious, we couldn't help but be intrigued. After all, this is a company co-founded by Tom Hall of id Software and Ion Storm fame, not to mention such nostalgic favorites as Commander Keen and Rise of the Triad. Of course, then we heard their project was an MMO, which was about the same time we began to feel uneasy and in need of nearby exit. Little is known about the new MMO project, save for the fact that it's been under the knife for three years and is one of two projects currently being banged out by the fledgling studio. Still, there's reason to believe that KingsIsle's MMO could turn out something worth looking out for, and not just another corpse on the massively multiplayer Hamburger Hill. Besides Hall, the company is being helmed by former Midway Games vet David Nichols, while development efforts are being led by former Wolfpack Studios president Todd Coleman, who worked on the semi-popular MMO Shadowbane in a previous life. Even so, with everyone and their brother coming to the table, forks in hand, boasting the 'next great MMO,' it's difficult not to be jaded, so we'll be looking forward to seeing what more comes out of this company in the weeks ahead.
