BlackFoot Studios Announces Ground Branch(
Post a comment
)
[CR6, 07/15/2007 @ 11:00 PM] 
BlackFoot Studios has announced the title of its first game that has been generating huge excitement in the squad-based tactical gaming community: Ground Branch. Here's a snippet from the synopsis:Ground Branch is the premiere title from Blackfoot Studios. The term Ground Branch is a little known Military and Intelligence reference phrase for the paramilitary wing of the CIA.
These teams are not constrained by the law of land warfare that applies to military units. They operate under the radar and outside public knowledge, often conducting operations in conjunction with Special Operations Forces. Their members are drawn from the best former SOF operators from around the world including US Army Special Forces, British SAS, Australian SAS, Navy SEALs, Delta Force, and GSG9 just to name a few. 
Find out more information about the game at BlackFoot Studio's Ground Branch forums!
Halo 3 3D Art Lead Interview(
Post a comment
)
[CR6, 06/28/2007 @ 9:12 PM]
GameCritics.com has posted an in-depth interview with Shi Kai Wang, one of Bungie's "Grizzled Ancients" who has worked on all three installments of the Halo franchise.
EndWar Trailer Available(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 05/23/2007 @ 10:43 AM]
IGN has a Tom Clancy's EndWar trailer available here. The trailer does not seem to show any actual gameplay, though it does seem to hint at some units and features the players can expect, including Kinetic Bombardment (aka Rods from God).
The events of the trailer do not really bode well for the US side, but this month's EGM article indicated that EndWar would be an online game in which players may side with the US, the EU or Russia, so one player's loss is another player's victory. The bigger question on my mind if there is a tie-in to Third Eschelon and the Ghosts, will we see European and Russian equivelants in the game? Discuss.
StarCraft 2(
6 Comments
)
[CR6, 05/19/2007 @ 09:38 AM]
After almost 10 years, StarCraft II has been announced by Blizzard today at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea. It will take advantage of all that Blizzard has learned in the last decade with the WarCraft series: exemplary gameplay, finely-tuned balancing, built from the ground-up to support competitions, better matching over Battle.net, and all done in glorious 3D!
Check out this thread in our forums for more info about this highly-anticipated sequel!
Ubisoft Announces EndWar(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 04/25/2007 @ 09:27 AM]
If you have seen Ubisoft's viral marketing campaign here, you will have discovered that a brand new title for the Tom Clancy franchise is on its way. Not only is it new, but the scale promised to be large with the campaign delivering bits of "intel" regarding a long siege in Europe, an invasion of the south eastern United States, and status updates from Splinter Cells and a "Ghost Lead".
Now, Ubisoft has officially unveiled EndWar, a stragy game set in a third world war, and bound for next-generation consoles. More details will be available in the upcoming June issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.
Xbox 360 Elite(
Post a comment
)
[CR6, 03/31/2007 @ 9:10 PM]
Microsoft has announced the first revision of the Xbox 360 console named the Xbox 360 Elite. The main differences from the original version are the black finish, 120GB HD, and HDMI port with cable.
New Round of Console Wars Begins(
Post a comment
)
[CR6, 11/19/2006 @ 10:01 PM]
With the launch of Nintendo's Wii today, the "next-gen" systems are now officially "current-gen" and a new round begins to find out who will come out on top between Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PS3, and Nintendo's Wii.
While all systems now have built-in online gaming, both MS and Sony are emphasizing prettier HD graphics while Nintendo is going for innovative new gameplay.
PS3 Does NOT Upscale Games to 1080i(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 11/16/2006 @ 10:32 AM]
Sony has made a lot of "news" lately, but with the upcoming US launch of the PS3, those of you thinking of getting in line may want to read this bit first. Apparently, the PS3 lacks the ability to upscale its video output to 1080i. This means that games rendered in 720p, such as launch title Resistance: Fall of Man, are forced to run in 480p when displayed on a HDTV only capable of accepting a 1080i connection (as is the case with many early displays). By comparison, the Xbox 360 can scale its 720p rendered games, to 1080i or 1080p as need be, producing an HD image that is compatibile with most of the high definition televsions out there.
Daily Tech and IGN have information on the problem. So far, there has been no official word from Sony on this issue, or whether it will be resolved in the future. In the meanwhile, buyer beware!
Free Texas Hold'em Until Tonight!(
3 Comments
)
[GB Crush, 08/24/2006 @ 5:58 PM]
All you Xbox 360 owners out there, there's been a new Texas Hold'em Game available for free via Xbox Live Arcade for the past few days. It appears though, the powers that be have changed their mind and it will cost you 800 after 1:00 am tomorrow (PST). Don't miss your chance to get a free one on Microsoft, grab this tonight and start tossing virtual chips at your friends.
AMD Systems From Dell(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 08/21/2006 @ 12:05 PM]
Times are changing for Dell too. They've long been known as an "Intel only" system provider (at least in the consumer space), but at the start of this month Dell announced AMD powered notebooks, and just a few days ago they confirmed consumer Desktops are coming down the pipe. One has to wonder if their shrinking maket share and the loss status as the only "intel-only" system provider had anything to do with it.
Now Dell is citing things like "In order to remain competitive, we have to make sure that we have [a wide] enough variety of products to meet the market demand" to explain this change, but go back a year and you would have heard them complaining that it added complexity to their process. Of course, it's part of human nature to enjoy watching others take back their words, and to that end I present to you this entertaining list of quotes compiled by Cnet.
Catching Up On The AMD / ATI Deal(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 08/21/2006 @ 11:48 AM]
In the motherboard space, both Intel and ATI have announced that the RD600 chipset designed for the new Intel processors will still be a go, but that isn't stopping motherboard manufacturers from worrying. After all, we know what NVIDIA was really up to when they aquired Uli (makers of the prefered southbridge chip for ATI chipsets). Despite promises not to immediately end production of the Uli southbridge chips, it wasn't long before supplies got tight.
And speaking of supplies, does anyone want to guess what will happen to Apple's choice of graphics providers? Now that Intel is their sole supplier of processors one would expect the chip giant to have some sort of influence. Share your speculation and thoughts in our forums.
Adios E3?(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 07/30/2006 @ 11:06 PM]
Here's anoter hot ticket item. It looks like an official announcement that E3 will be 'finished as we know it' is in the works for the immediate future. For those who don't know it, E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, a giant of a gaming convention that has become THE big place to go in the gaming industry. Well, Gamespot, NextGen and ArsTechnica have tidbits that suggest the ESA thinks E3 has become too big, too flashy, and too expensive for its own good. They are looking to bring the convention back to its smaller, less glitzy roots, which should allow non-EA-sized entities to get back into the action.
Ahhh well, here's hoping it'll still be aorund to attend, cause I really, really wanted to go one day (and yes, check out all the glam).
AMD To Acquire ATI(
4 Comments
)
[GB Crush, 07/24/2006 @ 10:11 AM]
Here's a giant news item for PC enthusiasts. Long in the works (and in the rumor mills), this morning AMD officially announced its plans to purchase ATI. The full press release by AMD can be found here, and commentary can be found on virtually every technology and gaming enthusiast site.
This has the potential to shake things up quite a bit. Ever since the introduction of the nForce and nForce 2 platforms, nVidia has been the dominating player for AMD chipsets. With ATI entering the motherboard more recently, it has finally started to see some real success with both the AMD and Intel processor camps, but becoming one with AMD raises questions about what's to come. Will nVidia continue to drive for the AMD market now that the processor company is part ATI? Will there still be ATI chipsets for Intel platforms now that the company is part AMD? And what does this mean for ATI graphics industry or running SLI on an AMD board? Come share your questions on our forums.
Update:The Tech Report has talk of "AMD Platformization" here and a good list of additional merger notes including what the two companies expect will happen in the future. Check it out.
How Much Does It Cost To Develop For The PS3?(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 06/29/2006 @ 3:16 PM]
All right, I don't know that answer. But for those of you who are complaining about the PS3 sticker shock, consider how much it must cost a studio to make a game for the PS3 with the new architecture design and the huge expectation of (graphical?) quality driven by Sony's E3 showings. According to I4U News, that cost is too much for one developer, and they've bailed on their PS3 game.
Which of course brings us to the rising cost of games. Not only are their development budgets rivaling (sometimes wastefully) Hollywood movies, but costs have already been pushed down onto the players with the Xbox 360's $60 a title policy. If the PS3 actually delivers on its hype, and AAA developers start delivering blockbuster games for it, can smaller, less well funded studios survive? And how much is that PS3 really going to cost your wallet in the end? Come share your thoughts on our forums here.
Dell 2407WFP Lacks 'Full' HDCP Support(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 06/27/2006 @ 10:05 AM]
Dell recently released the 2407WFP in the US, among other places, and the reviews have finally started to come in for this update to the much beloved 2405FPW. Click here for bit-tech.net's take on it and some lovely product shots that show the sweet new thing off.
In the past, I've made no bones about wanting one of these for myself, but decided to wait while early revision problems (most notably color banding) sorted themselves out. Unfortunately, one blemish has appeared that does not look like it will be fixed with a firmware update. According to this thread on the Dell Support Forums, it appears that whatever component that allows the 2407WFP to display HDCP protected content only allows for HDCP signals encoded up to 720p. Kind of a waste for a beauty of a monitor with 1200 lines of resolution, don't you think?
Enter into my thoughts the BenQ FP241W announced at Computex, also with a Samsung pannel (my preference) and all the connection options of the Dell...plus full 1080p HDCP support over an HDMI connector. Of course, the design of the FP241W resmebles the older 2405FPW, making it, in my opinion, a little unispired compared to the svelte looks of its newer Dell competitor. I've always thought that monitor aesthetics were important, if you could afford them, since it's the component you spend the most time looking at, and as far as affordability goes, Dell has an edge there too with their regular, crazy discounting. That leaves me to ponder a choice between pretty and geekly more impressive monitor with a feature that may not see full use for another year or two; and sexy, updated model that, while slightly deceptive in its features will probably be cheaper as well. Want to share your thoughts? Drop by our forums.
Aegia's PhysX Under Evaluation(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 05/05/2006 @ 11:48 AM]
I posted this over at the Ghost Recon retreat, but those of you who don't follow the series may want to take note of this as well. With the recent release of Aegia's PhysX PPU (physics processing unit) and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, a lot of people have become curious as to what these cards can do. PC Perspective has a look here with GR:AW (and some hi-def videos to boot), and today Anandtech takes a look at Asus' retail physics card with some insights into its performance.
EA Announces "Army Of Two"(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 05/02/2006 @ 12:31 PM]
Just when you were getting ready to bash Ubi for moving us towards a four-player limit co-op (or three, if you count R6:Vegas), EA decides to up the ante by announcing ARMY OF TWO for the 360 and PS3.
Man, remember games like Ikari Warriors, Life Force and TMNT, when we thought two-player co-op was the best thing ever? Maybe we're just completely totally spoiled now. Honestly, I am a little interested in seeing what this game will offer. After all, Perfect Dark Zero's two player co-op reminded that, limitations aside, having the same one person constantly at your back was a fun way to tear through a game.
Tomb Raider Creator Speaks(
4 Comments
)
[CR6, 04/21/2006 @ 02:16 AM]
I've been playing through Tomb Raider Legend PC and I'm happy to say it rocks. This is the type of game Eidos should have waited to make after Tomb Raider 2. Eidos was wise to finally release a game that was "ready when its ready" instead of releasing it in beta stage before their financial year-end which was the TR: Angel of Darkness fiasco.
Tomb Raider Legend's graphics are gorgeous. (Especially with a high-end graphics card on a widescreen LCD :-) Lara is back in the tombs where she is supposed to be. The control scheme is much more intuitive and natural than before, and the storyline is better integrated with the game. Note that Nvidia has just released a beta driver specifically for TR Legend to use the "next-generation" graphics option.
Toby Gard, Lara Croft's original creator was brought in to consult on the game. Check out a recent interview where he shares his insights about the TR franchise.!
Ageia PhysX Card Available For Preorder(
2 Comments
)
[GB Crush, 04/11/2006 @ 09:13 AM]
Well, at least in the UK. Those of you waiting on one of the long promised Physics Accelerators from Ageia may be interested in knowing that Overlcockers.co.uk is now listing a BFG PhysX card for preorder from their site. One could guess (and hope) that it should be only a matter of time before Ageia's board partners bring their products to other markets around the globe.
Microsoft's Game Technology Group Director Q&A(
Post a comment
)
[CR6, 03/24/2006 @ 12:47 AM]
Kikizo has posted an outstanding video interview with Director of Microsoft's Game Technology Group, Scott Henson. This is a must-see for anyone who currently owns or plans to own an Xbox 360!
Scott Henson gives us some great insight on upcoming tech for the 360 and Live, info about XNA and the XDK, HD-DVDs, why "1080p is basically impossible" and more!
And...Dell Buys Alienware(
2 Comments
)
[GB Crush, 03/22/2006 @ 8:37 PM]
I'm sorry, did Dell try to downplay an Alienware purchase as much as possible without expressly denying it? You couldn't listen to vicious rumors, it was insisted. We, like so many other sites reported the speculation anyway.
Lo and behold, Dell has announced it's acquisition of Alienweare, and is anyone really surprised that the official press release would mention "Alienware has tremendous brand appeal..."? We told you so! Come discuss this more in our forums.
Dell Quad SLI + PhysX PPU Arrive(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 03/22/2006 @ 11:17 AM]
And you may want to hurry. Dell has indeed (and finally) launched their Quad SLI XPS 600 Renegade. That's four GeForce 7900 video cards stuck together in that rig. And while it (curiously) isn't listed in any of the specs, Dell seems to be happily pimping the inclusion of Ageia PhysX Accelerator cards. Could this see the launch of the long hyped PPU?
Well, if you have the whopping $10,000 to plunk down for this baby and just happen to grab one (rumor is that less than 30 will be made), you can tell us. Stop by our forums and let us know.
Got Oblivion?(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 03/21/2006 @ 12:27 PM]
Well, it looks like this lunch hour, there will be no sniffing the aroma from the box for me. I stopped by EBX to pick up my preorder of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Collector's Edition) only to find it wasn't in yet. Funny thing, as they did receive the PC regular addition. They also got the Xbox 360 Collector's edition, but no regular copy for the console.
Now my first instinct was to blame the recent completion of the EBGames/Gamestop merger and their new "streamlined" inventory system, being that this same store was shortchanged several copies of MGS3 Subsistence when that came out. However, it seems I am not the only one having problems. Maybe, just maybe the shipping companies got an offer they couldn't refuse. Got your own conspiracy theory? Or perhaps you have the game already. Share your thoughts here in our forums.
The Outfit Xbox Demo(
Post a comment
)
[snicker, 03/17/2006 @ 11:30 PM]
The First Multiplayer Demo Now Available with The Outfit on Xbox Live
Get the intense multiplayer experience of The Outfit for Xbox 360. See what all the buzz is about and go to Xbox Live® Marketplace to download the free demo. Battle it out with the multiplayer mode - choosing between a variety of Co-Op and Team-Based Multiplayer game types including Deathmatch, Destruction and Strategic Victory. Download the demo to your hard drive, then go online. Click here for access.
Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers demo!(
Post a comment
)
[snicker, 03/16/2006 @ 01:34 AM]
Be the first to get your hands on the Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers demo!
Now is your chance to experience Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers before it’s even released!
THQ has made demos available for both the Xbox and PC. You can play through the game's first
mission with the exclusive PC demo with FilePlanet Click here for the exclusive download
http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions/fsw/.
Xbox users can also experience the action. To find out more about how you can get your hands on
the Xbox demo disk, visit http://fswthpresell.com/.
More Playstation News From Sony(
Post a comment
)
[GB Crush, 03/15/2006 @ 09:17 AM]
Like I said over in the Ghost Recon Retreat news column, when PR takes something away from the customer, PR has to give something back. Unsurprisingly, a bunch of new info has now made it out from the special Playstation briefing yesterday.
First, not only is the PS3 delayed until Novemeber, 2006, but Sony has announced it will be a world wide launch. It may be that Microsoft near-simultaneous global launch is forcing Sony's hand, since a traditional staggered release could give the 360 as much as an 18 to 21 month availability lead in Europe. Further, in its effort to combat the Microsoft console, the PS3 now officially comes with a 60GB harddrive, standard, as well as a free online service to compete with Xbox Live. There's even rumors being able to download a back catalog of PS1 and PS2 games to the device, something that very much makes sense considering how hard we hear it is to develop for the new platform.
The same meeting also announced that the PSP (another system criticized as of late for its dearth of good titles) will be able to download PS1 titles to the handheld's memory card. This will arrive along with a plethora of new updates and additions to the PSP including an Eye Toy camera, GPS and voice chat capabilities.
And somewhere, I bet Nintendo is laughing quietly that the only hype they've been seeing lately has been good. Ha! How's that for a bit of console news? Feel free to share your reaction to all this in our forums.
PS3 In November, Dell Buys Alienware(
3 Comments
)
[GB Crush, 03/14/2006 @ 9:43 PM]
It looks like there have been a few small tremors in the gaming universe lately. First, Sony has finally announced that the Playstation 3 will see a November launch in Japan. No surprise really, except maybe to the investors who only read the official hype.
And then there's Dell, who it seems has indeed purchased Alienware. Of course none of this is "official, official" yet, since heaven forbid if the target market should read the news before yet another gigantic company has had a chance to make a PR release about it dealings. There's all sorts of "No Commentary" about this, which as my seven year-old cousin will tell you (when asked if you're with someone), means it's true.
Get The Heck Off My Xbox Live!(
2 Comments
)
[GB Crush, 03/07/2006 @ 09:40 AM]
A multiplayer demo for The Outfit hit the Xbox Live Marketplace yesterday. Like so many other 360 owners looking for something new to do I decided to grab it...at a whopping 1% every twenty minutes, or roughly 3.6KB/sec. Never mind the frequent interruptions requiring me to check and resume my download every hour or so. I finally finished this morning at 3:45 am when I woke up, resumed, and completed the remaining 11% in two minutes. Yeah, I blame all of you out there.
My questions now are, do any of you blame me for hogging your server bandwidth? And did any of you actually get a hold of the demo and take it for a spin? Let us know what you think in our forums.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Gone Gold!(
2 Comments
)
[GB Crush, 03/02/2006 @ 12:41 PM]
Looking for something new and pretty that doesn't involve Rainbow, Ghosts or Third Echelon? How about Oblivion? Today, Bethesda announced that the fourth title in their Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion, has gone gold! The title will ship for PC and Xbox 360 on March 20th.
I haven't seen much RPG talk around here, but ever since witnessing Daggerfall's free-form play, I've been a fan of openness and the depth of the TES games. Now, one of the titles I bought my 7800GTX for is almost with in reach and I'm as giddy as a schoolboy. Anyone else looking forward to this? Drop us a note in our forums.
Vista Requires LCD Monitor HDCP Support(
Post a comment
)
[CR6, 02/22/2006 @ 11:55 PM]
If you are looking to buy a new LCD monitor this year, make sure you read FiringSquad's article first. Most people are unaware that the upcoming Windows Vista requires LCD monitors to have HDCP support in order to get the best playback with new HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs on your PC.
The article also mentions an excellent utility called PixPerAn which you can use to check the response time of your LCD!
|
|
|
