« Igniq.com Gaming News - Bookmark this site Advertisements  The August issue of PC Gamer will feature a special about Supreme Commander, the new game from TA creator Chris Taylor's Gas Powered Games.Scans of the magazine cover show an image from the game, and the splurge "Total Annihilation Reborn! - The creator of Total Annihilation returns to re-invent the genre once again". According to the article, the game is a year into development, though Chris Taylor is careful not to attach the Total Annihilation name to it because the property is now owned by Atari. As such, Supreme Commander will be a new intellectual property for Gas Powered, and Taylor's first RTS game since 1997. It's being published by THQ, and is due for release on the PC next year: Supreme Commander will sport bigger, badder robots and a cool overview tactical map. It sounds like the map will play a pretty big role in the game, according to one of my teethy moles. Subscribe to PC Gamer online Gas Powered Games Total Annihilation Remake Released (28 April) About Total Annihilation Discussion >>  The rumour that hit the Web last night of The Matrix Online being acquired by Sony has been confirmed.In a Sony press release announcing the deal, senior VP at Warner Bros. Jason Hall acknowledges SOE's lead in the MMOG space and says he hopes the SOE deal will help enhance the overall services to players of the game. No details are given in the release about the reported layoffs of Matrix Online staff, including the entire events team who manage the game's continuing storyline. Also announced in the release is a deal for SOE to create a massively multiplayer online game based around licenses from DC Comics, a Warner Bros. franchise. The DC Comics game is mentioned for PC and next-gen consoles, and is expected for a release in the last quarter of 2007. Sony Online Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Collaborate for Online Projects Related: Matrix Online sold to Sony Press Release: It's No Rumor The Matrix Online official site Monolith - Matrix Online developers Discussion >>  Head of the Sonic Team Yuji Naka has given his opinions of all three next-generation consoles in an interview with top Japanese gaming mag Famitsu. He doesn't side with any particular console, and points out the positive aspects of each one.On the Playstation 3, he said, "I am very interested in the machine’s high-quality graphical capabilities. It is equipped with a graphics processor that's twice as powerful any the high-end (sic) GPU for the PC, capable of delivering a realistic experience that hasn't been possible before." The Xbox 360 advantage he pointed out was online, "I think Microsoft has used its experience and knowledge from Xbox Live to evolve its games network, making its services and controls even more user-friendly, which I believe is a very attractive point." As for the Revolution, he said "I look forward to the 'new kind of fun' that's always unique to Nintendo. I expect we’ll see a lot of surprises, such as the unannounced controller as well. I think it’s great that we'll be able to play Famicom and other games via Internet download. I hope that some Sega games will be playable as well." Sonic creator talks next-gen Related: Yuji Naka – The Man Who Knows About Revolution Discussion >>  Finnish developers Frozenbyte have announced the renaming of their upcoming PC action game from Preyground to Shadowgrounds.The move comes as a mark of respect for 3D Realms, who apparently took issue with the similarity of the name to their resurrected sci-fi shooter Prey: Shadowgrounds was originally known as Preyground but the name was changed For more about the game, check out the official site here. Related: Shadowgrounds teaser trailer Frozenbyte.com Discussion >>  Kotaku has happened upon a new "secret" site posted by Rockstar Games for no apparent reason. It's pretty funny but what it's promoting is beyond me - it's dedicated to forgotten West Coast rap legends and features biographies, album reviews and even .mp3 files:You've hit the net's best stop for history on the Forgotten Legends of West Coast Rap. Living legends that were putting it down from San Fierro down to Los Santos and everywhere in between. Some of them everybody knows about, but these guys are the real players. The ones who had something to say, said it, then shut up, or got dropped by their record labels.  The Guardian Gamesblog has an interesting interview with David "Deathifier" Storey, who invested $26,500 to buy an island in the MMOG Project Entropia.He has seen a return of $9,000 so far, and expects to reach profit by the middle of next year through a total of 60 one-off estate sales at between $450 and $550 each, and through ongoing taxation of players carrying out activities on the island: How well has your investment returned? Virtual trade gets real CNET| Real cash for virtual goods (8 Feb) Project Entropia Discussion >>  Major Nelson is reporting on a competition started by Microsoft in which contestants are asked to design the next generation PC. The competition comes amid Microsoft Windows celebrates its 20th anniversary.Envision how innovative next-generation Windows-based PC hardware design will enable the digital lifestyle at home, at work, and on the go. Entries must be received and approved via online submission between May 18 and October 3, 2005 5pm EST. Mail-in materials delivered by October 10th, 5pm EST at the postal address that will be provided in the confirmation email.  An interesting concept to portray Lan gaming as art has sprung up on a website. The site has 3 pages worth of black and white photographs taken from various lans. Is it art? Who knows, a lot of drudgery gets the handle of "art" assigned it in some shape or form, or sometimes the term post-modern is attributed to what is otherwise a complete mess.I'll let the rest of decide. Visit page 1, page 2 and page 3. Via Kotaku Discussion >>  Another HL2 Deathmatch mapping contest is underway over at Vigilant EC. The goal for potential entrants is to design a concept for a Deathmatch map that has to be based around the original Xen chapters for Half-Life.The prize is a $25 Dollar gift voucher for Electronics Boutique. Another incentive to get out your mapping tools is having your Deathmatch map published by the team of Viligant EC. Entries must be drawn out on paper, by CAD, or done in Photoshop. Visit the contest homepage if you think you have what it takes. Via hlfallout Discussion >>  IGN has posted up a list of the top 20 best selling PC games in the US, for the week ending June 4th. No surprise to see Guild Wars and Wow occupying the 1st 2 slots.
Via IGN Discussion >>  Some unconfirmed rumours about Halo 3 have appeared on the forums over at Team Xbox. A poster by the name of Shaedon claims he got the info from a friend related to someone working on the title at Bungie.They're just rumours at this stage but will be of interest to Halo fans: My friend is not a huge fan of the series (he's a PC FPS player, although he has played both games), but he was made privy to some interesting things through his nephew. Of course, I can't confirm if they're valid or not because I'm just taking his word at face value. I will, however, let you guys take a gander at what he told me. Halo 3 listed by retailers Halo 3 to thwart Ps3 release? Resources Doubled For Next Halo Game (15 March) Discussion >>  Joystiq are reporting on a website offering pornographic images made available in PSP format. Sam Sugar of SugarBank.com is reportedly offering up a daily dose of topless nudity pics to make for one happy PSP.That's right, good ole' Sam Sugar of SugarBank.com is offering up a daily dose of free porn formatted for your PSP. For the next week or so, SugarBank will be featuring a daily series of images that, to be honest, are not really pornographic but do contain topless nudity. Check out SugarBank.com (maybe not from work) | Via JoystiqRelated: PS-Porno flicks on the way Hitchhiker to launch PSP in Europe American PSP Crack Released UMD Cracked, PSP ISO's Appear Online PSP's UMD on the offensive Tons of Movies Coming to PSP Discussion >>  Another (Unofficial) extension to the Max Payne franchise. Gamespot is hosting a mod that gives the game a Mission Impossible level, and changes your character to Ethan Hunt from the series Mission: Impossible, as you are charged with the mission of finding a warhead gone missing. Ok, the plot is not exactly oozing with originality but it might be worth a look. Grab the New Dawn mod over at Gamespot (283 Mb) Related: Max Payne Developers Announce New Game Max Payne 2 Used in Art Exhibit (18th November 04) Max Payne 2 The Big Reveal Mod (9th September 04) Discussion >>  As the European release of Sony's PSP nears, one company has pledged support for the PSP movie format, UMD. Buena Vista Home Entertainment has announced itself as the first movie distributor to support the UMD format across the UK.For the European PSP launch, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will be sold alongside when the console launches on September 1st, although a lot more titles are promised to follow in its path. The film, based on Douglas Adams' cult novel, stars Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent and was a hit at the box office earlier this year. American PSP Crack Released UMD Cracked, PSP ISO's Appear Online PSP's UMD on the offensive Tons of Movies Coming to PSP Discussion >>  Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that the next 3D Mario game will appear on the Nintendo Revolution and not the GameCube.Speaking in an interview with Wired.com, he said that Mario 128, the working title for the next 3D Mario adventure, is still in the experimental stages at the moment, and the Mario team is concentrating on the Revolution as the platform for the title: WN: But there's still no sign of the long-rumored Mario 128 for GameCube. Wired.com: The Man Who Keeps Nintendo Cool Related: Mario done gleaming the 'Cube Miyamoto on Revolution Nintendo Revolution Won't Support High-def Unofficial Nintendo Revolution Controller Image Nintendogs To Hit U.S. on 22 August Rumoured Nintendo Revolution Specs Discussion >>  It wasn't like this when I was at school - kids in Redlands, California are to have Playstations installed in the classroom as part of the official curriculum for physical education.To fight childhood obesity, the school district is aiming to have elementary school kids get their daily exercise through games like Dance Dance Revolution and Sony's EyeToy: Play: "One of the things being blamed for childhood obesity is video games, so this is fighting fire with fire," said Sue Buster, the district's director of elementary education. PS2 Used To Combat Obesity in West Virginia Discussion >>  Corpnews.com is reporting that Sony Online Entertainment has bought The Matrix Online from developers Monolith Productions.Four different industry sources have confirmed the Matrix Online staff have all been given their notice apart from 26 to be kept on by Sony: According to some unnamed sources, MxO has been sold. Monolith and SOE have yet to make an official announcement. Added 17 June: · A press release is now available announcing SOE and Warner Bros.' agreements covering DC Comics and The Matrix Online: link · Official Transition FAQ on The Matrix Online forums: link Related: Slashdot | Matrix Online Sold To SOE? Gamesrift: Matrix Online Sold To SOE The Matrix Online official site Monolith Discussion >>  Ubisoft have revealed more detailed information about the new vehicles and weapons for Far Cry: Instincts.The Xbox version of the classic PC shooter will feature 9 new weapons, including a butterfly knife and a recon rifle. There will also be three new vehicles - an ATV, a hovercraft and a waterscooter. Factsheet: Weaponry - Factsheet: Vehicles Garage New screenshots showing the new features were also released, check them out here. Related: Official Far Cry Instincts site Crytek.com - developers Far Cry Instincts Only Planned for Xbox Far Cry Goes 64-Bit, WIll You? Far Cry Prologue - The Project Video Discussion >>  Microsoft's plans for the Xbox 360 in the Japanese market have been outlined by the chief of Xbox Japan Yoshihiro Maruyama. He has told the press that the console is due for Japanese release in December and the company hopes the early start will give an advantage over Sony and Nintendo.It looks like Microsoft will have their work cut out for them - a recent poll by Japanese gaming mag Famitsu had post-E3 interest in the Xbox 360 at a low 18% compared to 42.2% for the Revolution, and 39.8% for Sony's PS3. Sales of the original Xbox also trail far behind those for the PS2 and GameCube in Japan. Despite this, Maruyama is confident: This time, as well as launching first, we have focused on designing the machine and the games for the Japanese market. We expect to win. Xbox 360 will 'win' in Japan, MS pledges “We expect to win” next-gen battle in Japan Xbox 360 Graphics Explained, In Detail Microsoft Gunning for WoW, 360 Style Xbox 360 to bring MS back from musical grave? Discussion >>  Creator of the Metal Gear Solid series of games Hideo Kojima has said in an interview that MGS4 is only planned for release on the PS3. He explained that the game could be ported to other consoles, but would require additional staff, resources and would drive up development costs.He also went on to say he'd rather create original titles if he were to develop on the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Revolution. When asked about his views of the new consoles from a developers perspective, Kojima repeated a gastro-centric comparison he made in an earlier interview: As a developer, I see the three consoles as different kinds of meals. Hideo Kojima Interview (23 May) MetalGearSolid.com Kojima Productions Discussion >>  The official site for the EverQuest Depths of Darkhollow expansion has been launched, and includes a teaser trailer, the feature list and a gallery of screenshots.Depths of Darkhollow is the tenth expansion for the game and was unveiled at the annual SOE Fan Faire last weekend. The expansion will cost $29.99 and is due to be released as a download from the EverQuest Station website and also as a retail box this September. Visit the official website Related: Sony announces EverQuest: Depths of Darkhollow Depths of Darkhollow Preview EverQuest Station New EQ Expansion & Tutorial Details Revealed (11 June) Discussion >>  If you're a die-hard Zelda fan you might want to check out these new Twilight Princess videos Spong.com snagged at a recent meeting with Nintendo in London. Unfortunately, Spong didn't realise that filming was permitted and neglected to pack their top of the range filming equipment so the videos aren't the greatest quality:Exclusive: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – All Hail the ShakeyCam! Related: Zelda.com Official E3 2005 Trailer Twilight Princess E3 demo impressions Twilight Princess among CNN's Six to Watch Discussion >>  Some news coming in from Lionhead Studios website. The highly anticipated sequel to Black & White has hit alpha stage. Not exactly anything to sing and dance about, but it does mean that the game is at a much more stable development position and before long it should reach its beta (now if only they would make that a public-beta).Will you be an evil or benevolent deity? Black & White Series To Have 5 Installments Black & White 2 official site Black & White 2 screenshots Black & White 2 official trailer Black & White Creatures For DS (12 May) Discussion >>  For World of Warcaft fans who like to take the game that little bit further, Stardock has created a Windows XP WoW theme with Object Desktop that completely revamps your desktop theme and wallpaper to the tune of the game, changing icons, tool-bars, start-menu etc. The XP theme is being hosted over on the official WoW website. Now you can enjoy the look and feel of World of Warcraft even when log out of the game, thanks to the specially designed World of Warcraft Windows XP desktop theme pack created by Stardock. Using Stardock's Object Desktop technology, the World of Warcraft theme pack changes your title bars, Start menu, icons, push buttons, borders, and much more to mirror the user interface from the game. Related:WoW reaches 2 million subscribers worldwide Blizzard's Desire To Be The Best Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft Site Major WoW Patch Introduces Battlegrounds (9 June) World of Warcraft Now Launched in China (7 June) Discussion >>  An official trailer of rap artist 50 Cent's new video game has been unleashed. The trailer, which consists of a pre-rendered movie looks like some sort of intro to the game but it does not contain any actual in-game footage.50 Cent: Bulletproof presents 50 Cent in a unique visceral experience combining hard-hitting action and unprecedented interaction with his music. Inspired by a climactic event in his life the urban fable follows 50 Cent as he survives being shot 9 times (ergo: bulletproof) during an ambush and vows to seek revenge against his enemies×the most dangerous crime families in the city. His vengeance leads him down a bloody path through New YorkÃ’s drug underworld where he uncovers an international conspiracy with devastating implications. With no other options 50 must fight his way out of a vicious web of corruption, double-crosses and shady deals. 50 Cent Game revealed, Gangster style Official website Discussion >>  Over the past few months, we have heard very little other than Xbox 360 and PS3 bashing and counter-bashing dished out by Microsoft and Sony. Hands have gotten quite dirty, but it never really brought potential buyers any closer to the reality of the next-gen consoles and their performance attributes.We have seen the specs on paper, but for the technically minded graphics enthusiasts among you, beyond3d has a most thorough article on the graphics capabilities of the Xbox 360 based on conversations with ATI and some developers who have already had some inside knowledge of Microsoft's new Xbox gaming console. Throughout this article we'll attempt to piece together the operation of the graphics processor based on our conversations with ATI and some developers who have already had some knowledge of XBOX 360's capabilities, however we'll also offer some opinions on certain elements. Sections typed in blue indicate Beyond3D's suppositions and have not been directly indicated to us by ATI. Microsoft Gunning for WoW, 360 Style WoW reaches 2 million subscribers worldwide Blizzard's Desire To Be The Best Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft Site Major WoW Patch Introduces Battlegrounds (9 June) World of Warcraft Now Launched in China (7 June) Discussion >>  An interesting article over on C|NET looks at Microsoft's current position in the digital music industry, which is pretty much Apple-town as far as dominance is concerned. However, Senior Vice President, Robbie Bach, who is a 16 year MS veteran and behind some of Redmond's most successful endeavours, is reportedly looking at ways to include the Xbox 360 in repositioning Microsoft in the digital music market.With little sign that Apple Computer's digital music dominance is on the wane, Microsoft's top Xbox executive is helping to look at ways to refocus the software company's music strategy. I think given the Xbox business, and how music plays into it, it was a natural thing to have Robbie think of that," said Tom Pilla, a Microsoft spokesman. "But that's really happening through the lens of the existing leadership team. Microsoft Gunning for WoW, 360 Style WoW reaches 2 million subscribers worldwide Blizzard's Desire To Be The Best Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft Site Major WoW Patch Introduces Battlegrounds (9 June) World of Warcraft Now Launched in China (7 June) Discussion >>  Electronic Arts and Warner Bros have announced the shipping of Batman Begins across North America for the Xbox, PS2, GameCube and Game Boy Advance. The game is based around the comic and film of the same name and will feature the voices and likenesses of Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth), Liam Neeson (Henri Ducard), Katie Holmes (Rachel Dawes), Cillian Murphy (Dr. Jonathan Crane), Tom Wilkinson (Carmine Falcone) and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) from the upcoming Batman prequel. From the press release: The Batman Begins videogame challenges gamers to step into the shadows of GothamÂs perilous criminal underworld as DC Comics legendary Dark Knight, and use fear as their ultimate weapon. Gamers will play as both Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego, Batman, hunting evil-doers from the shadows, using strength, intellect and an array of high tech gadgets to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city, including classic villains Scarecrow, RaÂs al Ghul and Carmine Falcone. Official website Discussion >>  Rockstar's recently released PC and Xbox version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been making its presence felt in the UK software charts ever since the its release on June 10th. San Andreas has knocked out heavy-weight, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which has fallen to the number 2 position. Ever since its release to PS2 last year, the game has flourished with one of the biggest opening weeks of all time for a videogame. The Xbox launch of San Andreas has not fallen far short of its PS2 brother by entering the record books as the largest Xbox launch week ever in the UK after last November's Halo 2. No other new releases make it into the top ten this week, although Vivendi Universal Games' Cold Winter - developed by UK studio Swordfish, which VU Games is thought to be on the verge of acquiring - climbs ten places to number nine, while NCSoft's critically acclaimed massively multiplayer title Guild Wars is up five places to number ten. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas For Xbox/PC Ships Discussion >>  The Onion A.V. Club has posted an impressive list of games tunes that found their way to music artists who remixed them into something completely different. Among the remixed tunes are Mr. Bungle, "Theme From Tetris (Ska Version), DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, "Human Video Game", Minibosses, "Castlevania 3" and lots more.Video games: Lots of people play them. Far fewer feel the need to make music about them. But those who are as passionate about games as music sometimes find a way to combine their loves. To salute them, The A.V. Club presents this mixlist of highlights from moments when gaming and music collide. Related: Video game TV spots, lots of them Discussion >>  Wired News is running an article based around the question of whether distributed computing could be used on the next-generation consoles. After all, these systems are going to have some serious power under the lid that is not going to be used when the system is idle, so why not use them for projects like Folding@Home or SETI?:Imagine the possibilities of millions of gaming consoles (Sony has sold more than 70 million PlayStation 2s) contributing to a community previously limited to thousands of capable processors.  Vin Diesel has been signed up to star in a movie based on the Eidos games franchise Hitman.Fox was the studio behind the deal, and it will be their second major games industry-related signing within a week after they concluded a deal with Universal to produce the Halo movie for Microsoft. Chuck Gordon and Adrian Askarieh will produce the Hitman movie, while Diesel will also take on the executive producer job. More info on Variety.com (free reg req) The hit game franchise is set to continue when Hitman: Bloodmoney is released for PS2, Xbox and PC this summer. Related: Fox and Universal Conclude Deal to Produce Halo Movie (10 June) Hitman official site Hitman: Blood Money Trailer Discussion >>  While Microsoft and Sony have pledged big support for high-definition television with the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, Nintendo have officially stated it won't be a feature of the Revolution.The main reason cited by Nintendo USA's Perrin Kaplan was that HD support at this time would drive up the price of games, while she also questioned whether it would improve games to have the feature: Nintendo doesn't plan for the system to be HD compatible as with that comes a higher price for both the consumer and also the developer creating the game. Related: No HD Support for Revolution Revolution sitting out HD Era? Unofficial Nintendo Revolution Controller Image Rumoured Nintendo Revolution Specs Nintendo Revolution Helmet Rumour Revived Discussion >>  PsP-Dev have brought forward the release of their version 1.5 firmware crack; it was originally due for release this evening but has been released a couple of hours early. Initial reports coming in seem to confirm that the exploit does indeed work:BREAKiNG NEWS: Homebrew on v1.50 PSP! PSP-Dev Releases Their v1.5 Exploit Related: PSP Homebrew Goes Gold PSP Firmware 1.5 Cracked? |
