News

Epic packs Gamespy into UE3 engine

Posted by: Chuck at 8/15/2007 11:51 PM - Comments (0)
More On: Epic
It looks like Epic is adding another tool into the now ginormous Unreal Engine 3 toolbox as they are now including GameSpy's suite of online technologies into the game.   This will allow developers to have access to those technologies while they are building their games.  I'm not really sure this impacts anyone outside of PC developers as the 360 and PS3 already have a lot of those features baked in (well the PS3 not quite so much).  Still it's another added goodie that may help sway a developer to pick the UE3 engine over others.  This is the third big addition joining the Ageia PhysX engine and Microsoft's Xbox LIVE service.


GAMESPY AND EPIC GAMES ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO INTEGRATE GAMESPY MULTIPLAYER AND COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY INTO EPIC’S UNREAL® ENGINE 3

 

GameSpy to Join Epic’s Integrated Partners Program

 

BRISBANE, Calif. - August 15, 2007 – IGN Entertainment’s GameSpy, a leader in multiplayer and online gaming technology, and Epic Games today announced a licensing deal to incorporate GameSpy’s suite of online technology into Epic’s Unreal® Engine 3, one of the industry’s most popular game engines.  Under the terms of the agreement, GameSpy will join Epic’s prestigious Integrated Partners Program, and its technology will be immediately available to any publishers or developers that license Unreal® Engine 3.  

By incorporating GameSpy’s online technology into Unreal Engine 3, the two companies have created an integrated one-stop solution for game developers looking to leverage the world’s most advanced multi-player technology and game engine in one package.  The partnership will span both the PC and PLAYSTATION®3 platforms within Unreal Engine 3, enabling seamless PLAYSTATION®3  and PC online functionality.  Functionality available to Unreal Engine 3 licensees via Gamespy will include cross-platform gameplay, communication tools and competition applications. 

“Epic and the Unreal Engine 3 are on the leading edge of next-generation and multi-platform gaming, and we are very pleased to join the Integrated Partners Program.  GameSpy is committed to working together with Epic to address a broad range of needs for the connected gamer, including multiplayer matchmaking, in-game and out-of-game messaging, persistent player communities, and competition systems,” said Jamie Berger, senior vice president of consumer products and technology for IGN Entertainment. “Over the past months we have fully integrated a broad suite of GameSpy online technology in Unreal Engine 3 and have built a fantastic working relationship with Epic.  We look forward to extending that relationship with a number of new technologies customized for Unreal Engine 3 to be introduced over the next 12 months.”

By making available many leading community tools and technologies, GameSpy will provide game developers with the opportunity to have PLAYSTATION®3  and PC users play, communicate and compete together as a single community.  GameSpy technologies available to license immediately include:

  • GameSpy “Matchmaking” is a robust and flexible matchmaking system that makes it easy for gamers to find suitable opponents effortlessly
  • GameSpy’s “Comrade” in-game middleware and desktop technology that enables seamless in-game to out-of-game community features, such as instant messaging, in-game voice communication, and friend rosters
  • GameSpy’s “Sake” will allow developers to store data securely online, enabling gamers to build extensive player profiles and maintain game statistics
  • GameSpy’s “ATLAS”  advanced statistical system for dynamic leaderboards and tournaments within the game and on the web   
  • Future feature sets developed by GameSpy will all be incorporated into the Epic Partnership. 

“We’re very excited to welcome GameSpy into the Integrated Partners Program,” said Mark Rein, Vice President of Epic Games, Inc. “GameSpy is the leader in multiplayer gaming technology and has a vast amount of experience in developing rich and sophisticated multiplayer systems with community and commerce features that Epic and its Unreal Engine 3 licensees can directly benefit from. Having GameSpy integrate their technology into our engine and provide direct support for our licensees is a huge value-add for Unreal Engine 3.”


In additional to providing multiplayer online features, GameSpy will also join Epic Games’ Integrated Partners Program (IPP).  The IPP program establishes a formal business relationship with selected companies making cross-platform technologies which integrate with, and are complementary to, Unreal Engine 3. Under the IPP program Epic provides continuous Unreal Engine 3 source code access and full technical support to IPP members. Companies who join the IPP agree to provide a high level of technical support for UE3 licensees through Epic's established support channels, keep their implementations up-to-date with the latest UE3 versions, and work with Epic on potential promotional and co-marketing efforts.

GameSpy technology integration is immediately available and several developers have already licensed the integrated GameSpy technology, including Codemasters’ Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and Ubisoft’s Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway.

 

About GameSpy

GameSpy, a division of IGN Entertainment, is the leader in multiplayer gaming technology.  Utilized by each of world's top ten publishers, GameSpy's technology is accessible on eight different platforms and featured in more than 500 current titles. With more than 19 million registered users, GameSpy has the tools, expertise and ingenuity to help connect gamers, induce competition, foster community and create new commerce opportunities.  IGN Entertainment is a unit of Fox Interactive Media.

About IGN Entertainment

IGN Entertainment, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, Inc., is a leading Internet media and services provider focused on the videogame and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN's properties reached more than 30 million unique users worldwide in the month of May 2007, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN's network of videogame-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others), is the Web's number one videogame information destination and attracts one of the largest concentrated audiences of young males on the Internet. IGN also owns and operates the popular movie-related website, Rotten Tomatoes and one of the leading male lifestyle Websites, AskMen.com. In addition, IGN provides technology for online game play in videogames. IGN is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices throughout the U.S. and in Montreal.

About Unreal Engine 3

The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and a best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 is expected to maintain those features while adding massive world support, multi-processor support, next-generation console optimizations, and one of the most mature tool pipelines in the industry. Unreal Engine 3's new toolset is designed specifically to accelerate developers' productivity for ultra-complex, next-generation content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained at www.unrealtechnology.com.

About Epic Games

Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology for PC and console. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in their Unreal® series and their latest game, Gears of War®, broke sales records on Xbox 360 selling more than 3 million copies worldwide in the first ten weeks and awarded overall Game of the Year for 2006 by multiple media outlets including Gamespot and Gamepro. Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including, Console Game of the Year winner, "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell TM" by Ubi Soft; PC Gamer's Game of the Year, "Deus Ex" from Ion Storm/Eidos; "America's Army: Special Forces," by the United States Army, and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (PC) by Electronic Arts. Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the current holder, and three-time consecutive winner, of Game Developer magazine's Front Line award for Best Game Engine. Epic Games was also awarded Studio of the Year at the 2006 Spike TV Video Game Awards and Developer of the Year by Official Xbox Magazine. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through Epic's Web site at http://www.epicgames.com.

Unreal and Gears of War are registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

News Roundup: Halo/Crysis Wars

by: Randy - posted: 10/6/2008 10:59 PM - Comments (0)
FREE GAMES, DEMOS, UPDATES
VIDEOS
SCREENSHOTS
ARTICLES
Thanks to Xbox America, Techgage, Cryptic Online, AtomicGamer, and OS X Reality for today's News Roundup.

MLB Stickball hitting XBLA this week

by: Dan - posted: 10/6/2008 10:51 PM - Comments (0)
Microsoft announced today that the GAIA Industries developed and 2K Sports published MLB Stickball will be available at 5:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday, October 8th. The game is a take on the classic stickball and includes bounce pitches, customizable rules and no gloves. Toss in the ability o unlock 120 MLB pros from Topps Pro cards, and it sounds like a fun title to try out. It will be available for 800 MS points and is rated ‘E’ for Everyone.
[READ MORE]

NBA 2K9 soundtrack listed

by: Randy - posted: 10/6/2008 10:18 PM - Comments (0)
The soundtrack has been etched for NBA 2K9, and it has expectantly mixed big names with virtual unknowns.  Big dogs include N.E.R.D.'s aptly-titled "Spaz," Santogold's ubiquitous "Creator" (I'm still puking a little from its unfortunate inclusion in FaceBreaker as well), and Gnarls Barkley's arid "Going On."  The Cool Kids (nice!) have laid down an original recording called "2K Pennies" -- which, I'm guessing, adds up to a $20 bill -- while The Meters bring in the classy "Cissy Strut," and the Pharcyde (early OutKast influencers) didn't pass up the classic "Passin' Me By." [READ MORE]

GameFly is on-the-go with new GameFly Mobile interface

by: Randy - posted: 10/6/2008 10:04 PM - Comments (0)
GameFly now has a mobile-device-friendly site -- GameFly Mobile -- which will automatically pop up when you punch www.gamefly.com into your mobile's browser.  Built within six weeks and powered by Usablenet, GameFly Mobile promises all the conveniences and ammenities of their PC-accessed site:  Changing up your GameQ, title browsing, accessing FAQs, etc.  The mobile site ain't much to look at, but it's cleanly outlined. [READ MORE]

Jason Graves gives Dead Space a frightening score

by: Randy - posted: 10/6/2008 9:44 PM - Comments (0)
Composer Jason Graves' work has graced two dozen projects ranging from the King Arthur soundtrack to Star Trek Legacy, and from Zathura to Dead Head Fred.  More recently he was hired on to score October 14th's Dead Space, the creepy-crawly sci-fi horror title from EA.  In two sessions, Graves conducted 60 musicians of the acclaimed Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra at the Bastyr Chapel in Seattle, and a year later, he conducted another 60-piece ensemble from the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra, and 20 voice choir at the Skywaylker Sound Scoring Stage.  The entire Dead Space soundtrack will be available on EA Trax to coincide with the game's launch, but if you want a snippet now, head over to Jason Graves Music where you can hear his utterly creepy aleatoric work in "Nicole's Theme," "Severed Limbs Are Hazardous Waste," and "The Necromorphs Attack."  Scary, scary stuff. [READ MORE]

XBL Gets Exclusive DLC for Tomb Raider: Underworld

by: Eva - posted: 10/6/2008 2:45 PM - Comments (0)
Eidos has teamed up with Microsoft to offer two Tomb Raider: Underworld levels available only on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Xbox 360 owners can grab Tomb Raider: Underworld - Beneath the Ashes at Christmas with Tomb Raider: Underworld - Lara's Shadow following in early 2009.

The new DLC may make it more difficult for gamers with multiple consoles to decide which version of Tomb Raider: Underworld to purchase. It's great for Eidos considering that the 360 will have exclusive DLC and the Wii version has controls tailored to the Wiimote. It will be interesting to see if Sony gets its own exclusive features or content adding more incentive for gamers to buy multiple copies for different special features. Eidos will also be offering a demo through XBL in October so keep an eye out for it. Tomb Raider: Underworld is due out in November in North America.
[READ MORE]

Fallen Earth Hits Accelerated Content Completion Goal

by: Eva - posted: 10/6/2008 2:10 PM - Comments (0)
Fallen Earth MMO team has made its content completion goal after nine months of accelerated development. The results are a high yield delivery of custom character content, dialog, motion-captured animations and emotes for this post-apocalyptic MMO. these are some of the things that keep players interested in an MMO as they progress. Combat will inevitably get to be routine, but customizing your character's stuff is always new.

Fallen Earth is still in Alpha testing at this point, but usually those gamers signed up for newsletters get the first word and shot at beta testing when it comes around. Check out the press release after the break and then visit the Fallen Earth website to find out more about the game and get your name on the list.
[READ MORE]

Atlus Awarding Teddies to Lucky Persona Faithful Fans

by: Eva - posted: 10/6/2008 1:41 PM - Comments (0)
Atlus is giving away plush Teddies to 15 members of its Atlus Faithful fans as part of the "Teddie for the Faithful" sweepstakes. Teddie is a member of the new team from Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 which comes out December 9.

Lest you fear Teddie is an indication that the Persona series is going soft, only the blowing your brains out to trigger your powers has been changed. The rest of the action, suspense and violence is still intact. Check out the press release following the break to get signed up as part of the Atlus Faithful for your shot at a Teddie plush. Stay tuned for more promotions as Atlus gears up to release Persona 4.
[READ MORE]

EA 's Madden 09 goes Light Red to Fight Breast Cancer

by: Eva - posted: 10/6/2008 1:30 PM - Comments (0)
In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, EA has released a limited edition of its popular football franchise, Madden NFL 09 Pink. The game proudly bares the pink ribbon that has become synonymous with breast cancer awareness world-wide and The Deanna Favre HOPE Foundation will receive a donation for every copy sold during the month of October. If you're late getting in the game and want to pick up a copy, you can grab madden NFL 09 Pink and NFL 09 All-Play Pink for the Wii exclusively at Target stores and www.NFLShop.com.

This is the kind of exclusive offer that I can wholeheartedly approve of. Deanna Favre, the wife of cover athlete Brian Favre founded the charity after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. She continues to fight for women faced with this pervasive disease after winning her own battle. Like many others, my life has been marred by this disease. Let me remind you, breast cancer is truly nondiscriminatory affecting both men and women. If you were looking for a reason to own NFL 09 and are on the line, this is a good one.
[READ MORE]

Second Metal Gear Online expansion pack coming

by: John - posted: 10/6/2008 1:17 PM - Comments (0)
I've yet to try the online portion of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots but Konami continues to further the expansion along. Another expansion pack is on the way, titled MEME Expansion. The pack includes 3 new maps, 2 new characters, additional rules and settings, and more avatar parts. One of the new maps is in a jungle setting that's taken from Metal Gear Solid 3. [READ MORE]

Gaming Gibs for 10/6/2008

by: Chuck - posted: 10/6/2008 12:23 PM - Comments (1)
Here are a few things I missed while watching the Norwegian Nightmare light up Jason Blake:

Media Hub+ now available

by: John - posted: 10/6/2008 11:26 AM - Comments (0)
For those that purchased PlayStation 3s without media card readers which is pretty much all of them now, you can get that functionality back along with some more USB ports. Nyko's Media Hub+ is now available which adds SD cards and Memory Stick readers along with three additional USB connections. The device plugs into any USB port on the console and will cost you $20.
[READ MORE]

Wiikly wiileases wiivealed

by: Chuck - posted: 10/6/2008 8:26 AM - Comments (0)
Nintendo has released four new digital downloads this week composed of two Virtual Console games and two WiiWare titles.  Midnight Bowling(800 points) and MadStone(800 points) arrive on the WiiWare side while Mario Golf (1,000 points) and Shining Force(800 points) make their debut on the Virtual Console side of the service.  Not a bad week for Nintendo fans as they are getting one more title than usual.  Be sure to check back on Friday for Cyril's take on the Virtual Console titles. [READ MORE]

Mega Man 9 DLC due out this week

by: Dan - posted: 10/6/2008 7:41 AM - Comments (0)
Capcom announced early this morning that DLC is coming for Mega Man 9 this week. These include the new stage "Endless Attack" and "Proto Man" mode. There is no word on price, but the content is available on the WiiWare Channel now, XBLM on Oct 7th and PSN on October 9th. [READ MORE]

Nintendo press event--Sean Colleli's Wii impressions

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 10/4/2008 9:40 PM - Comments (1)
It was a big week for Nintendo with the October 2nd press conference dropping a number of big announcements.  The DSi was the most prominent surprise but I'd like to talk about the Wii announcements first, as they're just as significant if not as exciting.

Nintendo fans finally have some decent software to live for, with the reveal of several new games that don't have "Wii" or "music" in the title.  First off is the new Punch Out!, a retro revival if there ever was one.  The original game was one of the NES's runaway hits, and from the teaser videos it looks like Nintendo understands what made the original game great.  There were a lot of familiar faces and the gameplay looks solid and nostalgic.  I was just hoping for something completely different--Kid Icarus.  They've been hinting at it for over a year and while Punch Out is great, Nintendo should really stop torturing the fans.

Sin and Punishment came right out of left field, and I'm delighted to see a sequel to the Japan-only N64 cult hit.  The first game apparently had very good Virtual Console numbers, and that's what prompted Nintendo to make a sequel.  They might have been astonished that an audience besides grandparents and soccer moms play the Wii but at least they're paying attention.

Square finally deigned to allow Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time to be shown, and I can see why it's been taking them so damn long.  Wii to DS play was expected but considering everyone and their dog owns a DS, it should be easier to play than the GameCube one.  The lack of a link cable will really ease things up--the GBA to GCN play was innovative but clunky and expensive.

Some of the lesser titles, like Dynasty Warriors and Trace Memory were great to see, especially with the possibility of WiiMotionPlus compatibility in the former.  It's always great to see The Conduit and the brilliant guys from High Voltage, and I'm happy to see that they're still pushing the living tar out of the Wii's processors.  With the magic they are working with that machine, I wouldn't be surprised if they discover that the Wii can cure cancer if you push it hard enough.

What's intriguing me, though, is the "Let's Play on Wii" series.  Nintendo is basically retrofitting GameCube titles with Wii features--one example was Pikmin.  This sounds kind of like double-dipping to me, but for people who missed the games on the Cube this could be like an enhanced "Player's Choice" series.  As long as they're budget priced I think it'll be fine, and this also lends credence to the rumored Metroid Prime Trilogy.  I for one would love to see Prime 1 and 2 remade with Wii controls, and possibly online multiplayer.  I just hope Miyamoto's hinted Pikmin 3 isn't simply a remake of one of the first two games in the series.

The biggest announcement for me, though, was the storage solution.  This has been one of the Wii's biggest problems since it was released, and WiiWare made it about 100 times worse.  Nintendo isn't giving us a hard drive but they are finally opening the SD card slot.  Now you'll be able to save, access and play games from an SD card, instead of having to copy them over to Wii system memory.  Nintendo has a long and bitter hatred of software piracy, and I'm betting they kept the SD slot locked up tight for so long for fear of pirates and homebrew coders.  It seems they finally got their minds right and realized that the slot was going to waste; the Wii's piddling 512 internal MB was never enough. 

Now we can finally download VC and WiiWare games without deleting everything on the internal memory.  I'll certainly be buying more VC games now that I can store more than a handful of them at a time.  The only problem is that the firmware update for the SD use won't be coming until next spring.  It's great that they're addressing the storage solution but it's been a huge problem for a long time, and they shouldn't make us wait any longer.

"It's about damn time" was the whole feeling I got from this conference.  Most of the announcements were like water in the scorching desert--finally, some good games and a lot of other things we've been asking for.  My problem is that we should have seen some of this stuff at E3, and other things, like the storage solution, should have been available at launch or shortly thereafter.  Again, it shows that Nintendo is a very reactionary company.  They'll take as little effort as possible to make a disproportionately large amount of money, and they won't fix a problem until people complain vocally, and for a long time.

New Halo Wars cinematic released

by: Chuck - posted: 10/4/2008 4:24 PM - Comments (0)
Here's the new cinematic trailer for Halo Wars that provides a little insight into the plot of the game.  It's not much but it's enough to give you a small taste of the game.  I'm still a little bitter than Microsoft has killed off Ensemble which is tainting my view of the game a bit.

The Tale of Despereaux screenshots, children's book-to-movie-to-videogame tie-in

by: Randy - posted: 10/4/2008 2:35 PM - Comments (0)
The based-on-the-book movie is getting a based-on-the-movie game, The Tale of Despereaux, launching this December to coincide with the movie's theatrical release.  God of War fans can take a little breather.  This platformer is obviously geared towards the young gamers.
"A modern fairy tale, The Tale of Despereaux tells the story of an unlikely hero.  Tiny and graced with oversized ears, Despereaux was born too big for his little world.  Refusing to live his life cowering, he befriends a princess named Pea and learns to read (rather than eat) books -- reveling stories of knights, dragons, and fair maidens.  After Pea is kidnapped, Despereaux discovers he is the only one who can rescue her..."
These screenshots show the little guy taking on an Armored Thimble Rat, a Fighting Wasp, a Fighting Blue Spider, and making the requisite French kitchen appearance.
[READ MORE]

Blackshot beta open to everyone this weekend only

by: Randy - posted: 10/4/2008 2:20 PM - Comments (0)
This weekend (it's not too late to join in) is the server stress test for the beta of modern combat FPS, Blackshot.  The cinematic video is a deliberately-paced visual introduction to some of the regular team members, while the user video below depicts the meaty gunfire action that'll dominate Blackshot's multiplayer maps.
The beta servers will be online all weekend, from 10:00am PDT yesterday (Friday) to 10:00pm PDT on Sunday night.

News Roundup: Geo-Political LittleBigPlanet

by: Randy - posted: 10/4/2008 1:53 PM - Comments (0)
DEMOS, UPDATES
VIDEOS
SCREENSHOTS
ARTICLES
Thanks to Defunct Games and AtomicGamer for today's News Roundup.

SwitchBlade PRO is Now Available

by: Dan - posted: 10/4/2008 11:37 AM - Comments (0)
PC gamers familiar with the original SwitchBlade will be excited to know that the Blu Orb has now released SwitchBlade PRO. The PRO version offers even more support for PC gaming using console controllers by adding SIXAXIS controller support and Texter, a texting tool. The controller supports over 20 PC games including World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Half-Life 2, Call of Duty 4, Age of Conan and now Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and SPORE. Rates are $1.99 per month, or $19.95 per year, and can be downloaded from www.switchbladepro.com or www.switchbladegaming.com.
[READ MORE]

New Songs and venues revealed for Ultimate Band

by: Dan - posted: 10/4/2008 11:14 AM - Comments (0)
Disney Interactive Studios announced more songs and venues for their upcoming title Ultimate Band. The venues will include Gold Saber Cove, Jamhalla , Aztec Palace, Dome Debut and Viking Castle are among the eight. In addition, the new songs announced are:

Complicated
Won't Go Home Without You
Get the Party Started
First Date
When Did Your Heart Go Missing?
The Take Over, The Break's Over
9 in the Afternoon

Ultimate Band is a Wii band game that uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment to perform current and classic rock songs.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 gets new Latin America Specific Content

by: Dan - posted: 10/4/2008 10:26 AM - Comments (0)
Konami is taking care of the place where Soccer is probably the most intense and loved sport: Latin America. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 will have some focus on the Latin America regions by including Mexican Soccer Star Andres Guardado and Lionel Messi on the cover and having game commentary from Latin American Soccer Commentators Luis García and Christian Martinoli. PES 2009 will hit the 360, PS3 and most platforms on November 11th, 2008 and the Wii in 2009.
[READ MORE]