the-saboteur
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EA giving free game to disgruntled APB buyers [Updated]
reddit_url = "http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/27/ea-giving-free-game-to-disgruntled-apb-buyers/"; Tweet Ticked off about the recent closure of Realtime Worlds' All Points Bulletin? Well you're not alone, and surprisingly enough it seems like Electronic Arts has heard your cries for justice. According to reports from CVG and SavyGamer, the publishing giant is ponying up a free download from the EA Store for customers who purchased APB via Valve's Steam digital distribution platform. The list of possible freebies is nothing to sneeze at either, as it includes BioWare darlings Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, as well as Spore, The Saboteur, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and several more. There's currently no word on refunds or compensation for those who purchased the ill-fated urban crime MMOFPS from retail outlets or other digital shops. [Editor's Note: Having just gone through this process myself, I can tell you that it's easy and virtually painless. Simply visit www.ea.com, choose your country of origin, visit the support link in the upper right hand corner, and log into your EA account. Once that's done, click the "contact us/email us" button to create a new question to ask the EA support representatives. Select APB as the game in question and tell them that you own the game, where you bought it, and that you'd like to take advantage of their refund offer. The representative will ask you to make a list of games you'd like (pre-order titles are excluded and only games in the EA store are being offered) and that's it! Once you send your list, they'll give you a game (most likely your first choice) and you can download it using their instructions. ~Seraphina]
Direct2Drive's Spring Sale: Star Trek Online, Civ 4, Torchlight and more discounted
Once again, downloadable gaming retailer Direct2Drive has chosen to reduce the price of a whole gaggle of its offerings. Encheapened titles as part of the "Spring Sale" include interstellar MMO Star Trek Online ($29.95), Nazi-vanquishing sim The Saboteur ($14.95), mine-raiding RPG Torchlight ($9.95), world-dominating strategy title Civilization 4: Complete Edition ($9.95) and every X-Com game ever made, except for, you know, the new one ($4.95). To see the complete list of discounted games, click past the jump. Now look, Direct2Drive. You really, really need to chill out with all of these sales. If you keep discounting the prices of your games with such regularity, then people are going to start thinking that these are your normal going rates for these titles. During the off-times when you're not holding a sale, they're going to start thinking that you're just having a temporary ... expensiveization. That can't possibly be good for business.
Amazon offering Borderlands for $40, The Saboteur for $20
If you've got a handful of twenties just lying around, then first, congratulations for staying so moneyed during trying financial times. Second, Amazon's got a couple new deals you should look at -- the online retailer recently knocked the price of Borderlands down to $39.99, further reducing the game's gun-to-dollar ratio to a staggering 1 to $0.0002. If you're on a somewhat tighter budget, you can grab Pandemic's open-world swan song The Saboteur for just $19.99. Sure, it didn't receive as much critical acclaim as Borderlands, but if you pronounce its title with a hard "a," it turns into The Sabo-Tour, a sports simulator following the life of bespectacled Cincinnati Reds legend Chris Sabo. That's well worth the $20, in our humble opinion.
$20 off any game priced at $40 or more at EA Store
While they're improving, things still aren't the best for EA financially. Like all of the best misfortune though, EA's current cash situation can be capitalized on, with the offer of $20 off of many items in the company's store. You want Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for $30? No problem. Want The Saboteur for $20? Done. Does taking advantage of this sale help or hurt EA's financial situation? We don't know. Just use the code "PAXEAST842" when you check out, keeping in mind that the offer's only good for one item, and only on those $40 and up. If you're the indecisive sort, you've got until the offer expires on April 9 to make up your mind. [Via GamerDeals]
The Saboteur has much more color on iPhone
EA's The Saboteur must've gotten lost down an alley or something, because it's just emerged on the iPhone. Developed by Hands-On Mobile, the port takes a noticeable departure from the strong visual style its console-bound comrade went with, yet retains a lot of the narrative elements: you still play as Irishman Sean Devlin and he's still trying to get those darn Nazis out of France. You can check it out right now by hitting up the App store or, if you're checking out Joystiq on an iPhone, by tapping the little gray button you see below. Na toilich do mhiann gus am feuch thu do sporan! The Saboteur ($2.99): %Gallery-89313% [Via PocketGamer]
Riccitiello talks 'Project Ten Dollar' and digital distribution
Crack open a fresh copy of Mass Effect 2, The Saboteur or Dragon Age: Origins and you'll see it: A code to download some piece of game content that those suckers buying used will have to pay for. It's not just coincidence that EA is shipping so many games with these bonuses/punitive measures (depending on your perspective). It's what CEO John Riccitiello calls "Project Ten Dollar," a bid to take back a portion of revenue from the estimated $2 billion in annual used game sales. That and the rest of Riccitiello's strategy to to make EA more reliant on digital content is detailed in a new BusinessWeek report. All we know is, with a 25 percent decline in revenue for Q3, the company needs to find some way to fill the gaps sooner rather than later. Though Riccitiello seems convinced the digital strategy will patch the hole, some remain unconvinced. Former EA consultant Eric Goldberg told BusinessWeek, "While it's possible EA can make the extremely difficult transition from providing a shiny disc in boxes to [leading] in digital, history suggests it's rather unlikely."
Impulse adds The Saboteur and more to online store
Look, we know you've been waiting with bated breath for all those Hearts of Iron 3 content packs to arrive on Impulse, so we were glad to tell you that they've finally arrived. Sure, so did The Saboteur and X-COM, but we know you're not concerned. We suppose it's possible you'll tire yourself out with the new Hears of Iron 3 content to the point that you'll need a break, so we should probably point out that a mess of other games made it onto Stardock's digital distribution platform this week. Being the good friends we are, we've dropped the whole list just after the break, just for you!
EA: Pandemic's California location 'significant' in decision to close studio
EA CEO John Riccitiello claims there were multiple factors in the decision to shutter Pandemic Studios, but one of the most significant was the studio's California base of operations. In an interview with Kotaku, Riccitiello blamed a combination of regulatory changes that affect technology and entertainment companies in California, as well as the tax incentives offered in other countries as major factors in the company's decision. "For good or for bad, we are taking down headcount in California because it is really expensive," Riccitiello said. Another factor in the decision is the rapid growth of digitally delivered titles and browser-based games, leading Riccitiello to believe that the industry is quickly moving away from a focus on "packaged" software. "In a world that used to be all PC, then used to be all console, now it's neither." Riccitiello's comments echo those of Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada, who recently advised publishers to prepare for the "exponential growth" of digital delivery and server-based games following the announcement the studio would restructure its Eidos London offices, resulting in layoffs. Pandemic Studios' closure comes at an interesting time, as the announcement was made just weeks before the studio's final title: The Saboteur. However, Riccitiello reiterated that the company's brand and franchises will live on.
Review: The Saboteur
You've got to feel for The Saboteur. Sean Devlin's one-man war against the Nazi party would have been a fine way to while away the summer hours, but here at the end of a holiday season -- filled with wonderful games -- it's tough to leave it thinking about anything other than its squandered potential. It's a solid open-world action title, but it's one that hits just enough amazing, explosive crescendos to leave you wishing you could have seen it in an alternate reality, where developer Pandemic hadn't been shuttered and was able to give its swan song just a few more months of polish. %Gallery-49266%
The Saboteur's day-one DLC unlocks nudity, self-loathing
Here's at least one reason to buy your copy of The Saboteur new: All fresh copies of the game will ship with a code to download DLC, called "The Midnight Show," for free. The pack contains new Parisian hiding spots, a new minigame and, for better or for worse, the option to unlock nudity in the game. If you buy the game sans code, you'll also be able to pick up the DLC for $2.99 / 240. But at that point, whether you'll admit it or not, you're basically paying to see digi-boobies ... and if you do that, we're just not sure we can be friends with you any more.
The Saboteur goes gold despite developer going dark
Though The Saboteur developer Pandemic Studios is losing its 200-person staff, the company's final game has just "gone gold" across Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. In a post on the studio's forums, Community Manager Mathew Everett noted that while "this has been a very difficult week for Pandemic Studios," The Saboteur will still be "available across Europe starting December 4 and throughout North America on December 8." Unfortunately, it would appear that EA (the game's publisher) has forgotten about said release dates, choosing to offer as little marketing push as possible. We wish the folks at Pandemic Studios the best and offer our condolences to those who recently lost their jobs. [Via PlanetXbox360]%Gallery-77896%
Rumor: Pandemic Studios to close its doors today
Pandemic Studios, the house behind games like Mercenaries and the forthcoming The Saboteur will be shuttered by EA today, according to sources speaking to Kotaku. Reportedly, the developer's 200-some staffers will be informed at 2 p.m. EST that all but a few (who will be integrated into other EA teams) are to be let go. Pandemic had previously been rumored as one of the studios that would be hit hardest by EA's 1,500-member staff reduction. Current Pandemic projects will reportedly shift to EA's Montreal branch, which handles Army of Two. This story, that of a developer who puts their all into a game only to be rewarded with a firing upon its completion, is staring to become alarmingly familiar. Sure, we understand the logistics, but that's cold comfort to those Pandemic employees who may have to start tomorrow off by looking for work. We'll keep after EA for official word.
Rumor: EA cuts targeting Maxis, Pandemic, C&C staff
We already knew the announced cuts coming to EA's workforce (totaling some 1,500 jobs lost) would be deep but, if a recent Kotaku report is to be believed, we're starting to get an idea of just where the gashes will come. For starters, the site says it's been told by unnamed sources that almost every member of the Command and Conquer 4 team would be let go after the game's completion, which is the very last Halo Wars feature we wanted to see copied in C&C. More cuts are rumored to be hitting Pandemic (the house behind Mercenaries and The Saboteur) and Maxis (yeah, again). We'll keep reaching out to EA to get the official story. In the meantime, our thoughts are with those affected.
New Saboteur screens show heartless, blimp-hating hero
Okay, Mr. Saboteur. You're not going to listen to reason, are you? We asked nicely -- so very nicely -- that you stop blowing up those beautiful, elegant and endangered dirigibles. However, the latest batch of screenshots from your self-titled game have revealed that you haven't heeded our advice, and continue to detonate airships at the drop of your dusty, brown flat cap. That's how you want to do this, huh? Well, you can expect our harshly worded petition to surface within the next few days. Nope, sorry pal. Too late for apologies. This just got real, sir. %Gallery-77896%
New Saboteur trailer displays intolerable blimp cruelty
Listen, Mr. Saboteur. We appreciate what you're going for here. Liberating France from Nazis is about as noble as goals get -- but your methods are questionable. Did you know that fewer than 100 zeppelins exist in the world today, placing them near the top of National Geographic's "Top 10 Most Endangered Means of Transportation" list? Well, it's true, and every time you buffet a blimp with a ballistic missile, that number dwindles even more. Oh, don't try and deny it. We caught your latest act of blimp violence on camera, and placed it in the latest trailer for your self-titled video game, The Saboteur. We're fine with the street racing and the Nazi shooting -- but let's try to keep the rigid airship exploding to a minimum, okay?
Pre-order The Saboteur, get ... a knife
No, no, in the game, silly! If you pre-order The Saboteur you get a knife in the game. Specifically, those who pre-order the game from GameStop will receive a code to unlock "an exclusive Nazi knife," which can be used for stealth kills. Frankly, we find it just a tad strange that a game about a stealthy underground agent doesn't give you a cool Nazi knife to begin with, but hey, metal was in shorter supply in the days of World War II. Also, just as a reminder, it's not a real knife. We're pretty sure EA learned its lesson since the last time. [Via @PandemicStudios]
Interview: The Saboteur's Tom French & Chris Hunt
The Saboteur has been catching eyes since its announcement way back in 2007 and now, with the game only a few months from release on December 8th, we got the chance to sit down with lead designer Tom French and art director Chris Hunt to discuss Nazis, their black-and-white recreation of the city of Paris, and killing the one while running around the other. French did a quick presentation before our interview, where he told the story of William Grover-Williams – the racecar driver-turned-saboteur that the game's protagonist, Sean Devlin, is based on – as well as the cinematic influences on The Saboteur, from Raiders of the Lost Ark to The Third Man. Afterwards, we sat down with both designers to talk about why you'll find plenty of color, but no ghost guns (you'll see) or multiplayer in their upcoming game.
Hands-on: The Saboteur
The Saboteur, Pandemic's latest open-world shooter about a rough and tumble Irish lad bringing color back to Nazi-occupied Paris, showed promise when we played an early build back at E3; but it definitely needed work.Previewing a current build, I found that development has continued to progress. For one, you won't confuse The Saboteur with any other title this holiday season. The black-and-white landscape (part Casablanca, part Sin City; as lead designer Tom French describes it) is distinctive, with the "City of Lights" living up to its name and various splashes of Nazi-red creeping in among the buildings. The "look" of this game will definitely win some admirers, even if the gameplay doesn't end up quite as polished.%Gallery-74398%
New The Saboteur media sneaks into view
When Irish protagonist Sean in The Saboteur isn't busy, uh, saboteuring, he likes to frequent the local gentleman's establishment, The Belle de Nuit. And about four seconds into the above clip, we totally get why he would: his passion for architecture. Look at the beautiful hanging chandeliers and balustrades in that building and tell us there's any other reason for the dude to be hanging around there. Yeah, we thought so.After checking out the above video, head into the gallery below for some new screens. %Gallery-73615%
The Saboteur visits brothels, explodes Nazis, has an accent
Nothing says, "I'm Irish ... really!" like Flogging Molly. And that's exactly the music that EA's Pandemic Studios chose for the new gameplay trailer of The Saboteur you see above. Sure, we enjoyed the game when we checked it out at E3 2009, even though it still looked a bit undercooked at the time. And yes, sneaking around WWII-era Paris as a rogue Irishman with a penchant for chaos does sound good to us. But if this music is any indication of the game's attitude, we're feeling a bit wary about it. There's only so much cliché one can take, folks.Update: EA would like us to point out that the trailer above is "made for Germany" and thus" had to be softened for their guidelines." We're pretty sure that means more blood and actual Nazis when the game ships Stateside. Er, um, not in Germany at least. %Gallery-49266%
