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End of the road for oft-delayed MMO?
The beleaguered studio behind long-in-the-offing MMO Stargate Worlds has been stripped of the franchise license by owners MGM Studios.
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment CEO Gary Whiting told Nerdvana that MGM had issued a notice of termination on 3rd November.
Stargate Worlds was first announced way back in 2006 and was coming along nicely when Eurogamer’s Keza MacDonald went hands-on with a preview build in 2008.
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Sony adds a second streaming sports service to lineup; app giving access to $169 program’s subscribers to cost $10 (free for PlayStation Plus members).
The first puck dropped on the 2010-2011 NHL season last month, but hockey diehards still considering a comprehensive coverage package have a new option to consider. Sony and the NHL today announced the launch of the GameCenter Live application for the PlayStation 3.
Much like the MLB.TV PS3 app released in April, the PS3 NHL GameCenter app allows fans to watch a live stream of out-of-market games with DVR-like pause and rewind functionality, as well as full-game and condensed replays after the fact. NHL GameCenter also includes a selection of more than 500 classic games dating back to the 1960s, as well as every game played since the 2008-2009 season.
While every game played will be accessible to GameCenter users within two days of the final buzzer, blackout restrictions are still in effect. That means users won’t be able to live stream their local teams’ tilts, or games that are being televised nationally.
The PS3 NHL GameCenter application costs $9.99 to download and requires a $169 annual subscription to the existing service, which also works on PCs. PlayStation Plus subscribers can download the app for free.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“NHL GameCenter drops the gloves on PS3” was posted by Brendan Sinclair on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:25:44 -0800 -
Software giant accusing wireless company of demanding “excessive” royalties on WLAN, video playback tech used in its console.
Microsoft and Motorola are not getting along. For the second time in as many months, the former has filed suit against the latter over a patent dispute–a dispute that explicitly involves gaming.
As first reported by Reuters, Microsoft is suing Motorola over a series of patents involving video coding and wireless technology used in the Xbox 360. According to a copy of the suit obtained by GameSpot, Microsoft contends that “Motorola broke its promises to license patents it asserted as related to wireless technologies known as ‘WLAN’ and to video coding technologies generally known as ‘H.264’ under reasonable rates.”
The suit goes on to allege Motorola reneged on its promise to offer the technologies at a rate consistent with other licensees. Instead, Microsoft is accusing Motorola of “demanding royalties that are excessive and discriminatory” after licensing the technologies at a reasonable rate to “induce reliance” on the technologies.
As the plaintiff, Microsoft is asking that Motorola be prevented from demanding further excessive royalties and that the royalties demanded by Motorola be decreed unreasonable. It also asks that Microsoft be able to license WLAN wireless and H.624 video encoding technology “on reasonable terms and conditions,” as well as be reimbursed for court and lawyers’ fees.
The suit is the second in as many months Microsoft has filed against Motorola. The prior legal action had the software giant accusing the wireless firm of infringing on its patents in the design of Android-based smartphones. Those phones use an operating system designed by Google, a Microsoft rival.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“Microsoft sues Motorola over Xbox 360 tech” was posted by Tor Thorsen on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:17:07 -0800 -
Encourages publisher to move focus online.
A bumper year for Cryptic Studios the MMO specialists behind Star Trek Online and Champions Online has encouraged owner Atari to shift its focus to the online market.
As reported by IndustryGamer, Atari’s half year financial report has revealed a worrying slump for the publisher. Revenues are down 60 per cent to 29.6 million compared to 68.5 million over the same period last year.
The only good news was a strong showing for its online division with revenues soaring to 12.9 million from 1.8 million in 2009, largely thanks to Cryptic Studios’ efforts.
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Capcom’s Monumental-developed motorcycle sim returns to the Xbox 360, PS3 next year in time for start of 2011 championship season.
For most sports, the day the season starts is the day that gamers can pick up the simulation tie-in at retail. Such was not the case for the MotoGP motorcycle racing series up until last year, after Capcom secured the cross-platform rights to the franchise and moved the game’s release window from the holiday season to March. Today, Capcom announced that it would be maintaining that release strategy with the next installment in its annualized MotoGP racing series.
Developed by Monumental Games, MotoGP 10/11 is slated to arrive on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in March 2011. The 2011 MotoGP championship season begins in Qatar on the Losail circuit on March 20, and Capcom noted that it will begin providing current-season updates for MotoGP 10/11 shortly after that race date.
As for the changes going into this year’s installment, Monumental has implemented a new handling system, as well as targeted the game’s physics system. The studio has also added a new player-assist feature, which can be customized to allow for a more simulation or arcade riding experience. Capcom emphasized that the player-assist function can be tweaked in a variety of ways or completely shut off to provide the most realistic riding.
Many of the same modes from MotoGP 09/10 will be carried over to next year’s game, but Monumental has implemented a handful of new features. Namely, Career mode now features co-op play, allowing for local split-screen. The game also features Championship and Time Trial modes, as well as a suite of online racing features that accommodate up to 20.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“MotoGP 10/11 revving up in March” was posted by Tom Magrino on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:02:37 -0800 -
EA Sports aims to have pigskin simulation series in the huddle when Nintendo’s handheld hits stores in the first half of next year.
NFL diehards may dread the stretch between the early-February Super Bowl and the mid-September start to the new season each year, but Electronic Arts is looking to help fill that time this year with a new Madden on a new platform. The publisher today announced that Madden NFL Football will be ready for the launch of Nintendo’s 3DS handheld.
While EA’s announcement was headlined that the game would be available “at Nintendo 3DS launch,” the publisher’s statement made multiple mentions to the game launching “in the first half of 2011.” The 3DS is scheduled to launch in Japan on February 26, with US and European releases to follow in March. As of press time, EA had not returned GameSpot’s request for clarification.
In addition to the standard 11-on-11 simulation, Madden NFL Football on the 3DS will feature 5-on-5 and season modes, with players able to further tailor the game to their level of expertise with classic, arcade, or GameFlow playcalling (introduced in this year’s multiplatform Madden NFL 11). The game will also allow players to draw out plays on the system’s touch screen. The game is being developed in Raleigh by EA North Carolina.
When it comes out, Madden NFL Football will be the first installment on the series for a Nintendo portable since Madden NFL 09. Released in 2008 on the DS, Madden NFL 09 featured then-recently retired (and then unretired) quarterback Brett Favre on the cover.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“Madden NFL arriving for 3DS kickoff ” was posted by Brendan Sinclair on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:00:18 -0800 -
Console users will have to wait.
A patch for bug-infested Fallout: New Vegas has gone live, but only for the PC version.
The Version 1.1.1 update looks like what publisher Bethesda described as an “incremental” patch before the real deal arrives on all platforms at some point in the next few weeks.
Here’s what it does:
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DS remake no longer heading to Europe.
Maxed-out Dragon Quest IX and looking for another serving of handheld RPG questing? Don’t hold your breath Square Enix has seemingly ditched plans for a European release of its Dragon Quest VI remake.
Responding to a request for news on the title on its Twitter feed, a spokesperson for Square Enix Europe wrote, “Not on the cards right now sorry!”
When it was first announced in 2008, Square promised the game would be coming to the the US and Europe.
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Japanese game maker looking to secure popular phrase; Donkey Kong Country Returns due out Nov. 21.
Get the full article at GameSpot
“Nintendo seeking to TM ‘It’s on like Donkey Kong’” was posted by Eddie Makuch on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:42:14 -0800
