 The PC version of Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath, is on sale this week at Circuit City for the low low price of $17.99 with $12 off the retail price. This sale is only for the PC sorry 360 fans, it looks like full retail price for you.
Mar. 25, 2008 The Messiah has risen again! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that Command & Conquer(TM) 3: Kane’s Wrath has shipped to retail outlets in North America and Europe for the PC. The expansion pack to last year’s award-winning(2) real-time strategy game Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars(TM), Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath introduces a new, hand-crafted campaign spanning two decades of Tiberium lore, six sub-factions and game-changing epic units to the Command & Conquer universe. And gamers who purchase Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath or the Command & Conquer 3 Limited Collection will also receive an exclusive key to the Command & Conquer(TM) Red Alert(TM) 3 beta starting this summer.
“The success of Tiberium Wars showed us that despite a five year hiatus, the fast, fluid and fun gameplay, deep storyline and live-action cinematics that make up the DNA of Command & Conquer still resonate with gamers,” said Jim Vessella, Kane’s Wrath producer. “With Kane’s Wrath we wanted to take the fiction further by tackling the stories our fans have been asking us to explore. This gave us a great opportunity to introduce new sub-factions and units that complement those stories while adding depth and variety to our core gameplay experience.”
Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath’s 13-mission single player campaign focuses on the rebirth of the Brotherhood of Nod after the Second Tiberium War through the dramatic events of the Third Tiberium War and beyond. The story is told through over 30 minutes of high-definition, full-motion videos starring Natasha Henstridge (Species, Eli Stone), Carl Lumbly (Alias) and Joe Kucan as Kane. The campaign introduces six-all new sub-factions that add a wealth of new toys and powers to the armies of the Tiberium universe’s three clashing superpowers, the Global Defense Initiative, Brotherhood of Nod and the Scrin, giving them nine sides to choose from in multiplayer. Players will also get an added bonus feature in the new Global Conquest Mode, which allows commanders to create their own campaigns for world domination with an infinitely replayable strategic layer added to the frenzied, tactical combat they know and love.
The Xbox 360(TM) version of Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath will be released this summer, debuting a revolutionary new CommandStick interface that takes RTS console controls to a whole new level of simplicity and usability. The standalone title also features 50 multiplayer maps and the Xbox 360 exclusive “Kane’s Challenge”, a single player mode that pits the player against a terrifying gauntlet of sub-faction opponents.
For the latest on Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath and everything Command & Conquer please visit http://www.CommandAndConquer.com, home of Command & Conquer TV, the franchise’s dedicated online programming channel. This Friday, the channel’s flagship show, “BattleCast PrimeTime” will feature an in-studio interview with Kane himself, Joe Kucan, along with highlights from the very first Command & Conquer 3 Kane’s Wrath fan matches and more!
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EA has announced that they will be donating the original 1989 SimCity game to the One Laptop Per Child initiative. OLPC is a non-profit humanitarian effort dedicated to develop, manufacture, and distribute inexpensive laptops all over the world, in hopes of giving children everywhere a modern education. SimCity, while being entertaining, also helps to teach decision-making skills and expand a child’s creative thinking. This is a first time a major game developer has provided a game for free to the whole world. Laptops with the game should begin arriving in countries such as Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Haiti, Cambodia and India by the end of this year.
I wonder if other Major game publishers will start to do this with some of there older games.
Filed under PC News on November 1st, 2007 Dam you EA! Dam You Mythic! What is a ex-World of Warcraft player looking for a crack fix going to do? During EA’s financial conference call today they revealed yet another delay for Mythic’s long-awaited MMORPG, Warhammer: Online, pushing back its release from Q1 of 2008 to quarter two (at best). PLEASE! I do not want to play WoW anymore I need a new Fix!
During their financial conference call today with investors, Electronic Arts execs announced yet another delay for Warhammer Online, the long awaited fantasy MMO title from their EA Mythic studio. The game, originally set for release this fall and then delayed to the first quarter of 2008, has now been pushed back to sometime in EA’s fiscal 2009 year (which begins on April 1 2008). During the conference call, EA execs said that they now expect the game to ship sometime in the first half of 2008, explaining that Mythic’s head Mark Jacobs asked for an extension beyond March 2008 due to the team missing part of a milestone in the game’s development.
Here is what the VP and General Manager, EA Mythic, Mark Jacobsa had to say in the Warhammer online newsletter.
In 2005, when Mythic signed the licensing agreement for Warhammer, I promised Games Workshop that we would create a great and glorious game. When Electronic Arts acquired us a year later, I told them the same thing. Now, a year after that acquisition, nothing has changed: we still intend to deliver the next great MMORPG. As many of you may have heard, we have extended WAR’s development cycle until the 2nd quarter of 2008. The reason is simple; we will not release Warhammer Online until it is the game we set out to create two years ago.
Our goals for Warhammer Online are not easily met. The game includes many new and innovative ideas, a feature set that is going to blow players away, and, most importantly, the best RvR system in MMORPG gaming. These things take time to implement and test properly. During the last phase of beta testing, we received valuable feedback from our testers that will help make these features even better. When we looked at our options, two paths lay before us: 1) Ship the game on time with fewer features and less polish, or 2) Extend the development cycle and spend the needed time and money to make WAR great. We chose the latter path - to invest additional time and effort in implementation and polish to make WAR great. Fortunately, we have the resources and support of EA behind us to extend our development cycle; time that will be used to make sure the game is everything we want it to be. WAR is coming, and it will be glorious.
One of the “popular†topics of discussion regarding EA Mythic this past week has been the subject of layoffs within the studio. While we did let several people go from the Warhammer Online team, the number was *quite* small and their loss had no impact on our development schedule. These layoffs were part of our normal studio operations and a necessary step for EA Mythic to ensure that we have a focused and committed team working on WAR going forward.
On the Beta front, we will begin a new phase of testing in December, and we look forward to getting even more people involved in WAR by the end of the year. We are approaching a half a million registrants, and, to my knowledge, this could be the most signups ever for a Western MMORPG beta. I am very proud of this as it is a testament to the strength of the community, the popularity of the Warhammer license, and the outstanding work the team at EA Mythic is doing on the game. When we open the beta in Asia, we expect the numbers to continue to climb as we’d like to see one million players signed up to test the game. At that point, we will be well on our way to bringing about the second part of the double entendre of our motto as WAR really will be everywhere.
Over the next few months in Beta, our players will find all-new content to experience, careers to play and cities to siege. Our Capital City team continues to push the envelope by creating the next generation of living cities in MMORPGs and Altdorf is simply breathtaking. New Community systems will be in place and we look forward to getting many existing guilds into the beta to try them out.
In addition, we’ll be making changes to the RvR (open field RvR FTW!) and Server Rule Set Systems. These changes bring WAR a step closer to fulfilling the promise that “War is Everywhere†while ensuring a great play experience for those that do not choose to engage in RvR 24×7. This is another example of how EA Mythic talks to the community, listens to what they have to say, and takes action. We will continue this process over the next three quarters as we continue to develop, expand and improve WAR.
As I often quote from movies, one line particularly leaps to mind right now: “Creation is an act of sheer will,†said John Hammond in Jurassic Park. Unlike his creation in that film, however, what EA Mythic creates will be great and glorious, and nobody will get eaten by giant reptiles. That is, until we bring Lustria to life and then all bets are off.
As always, we thank you for your patronage, support and interest.
Mark Jacobs
VP and General Manager, EA Mythic
The Hellgate: London Website speaks out about the new about the Hellgate Adware EULA with an explanation of why it’s worded the way it is. To me it sounds like they are trying to put out fires with very weak excuses on why they did what they did.
We want to make something very clear. We are in no way scanning your computers for your personal information or taking any personal information without your knowledge. The only time that Flagship or Ping0 would collect your personally identifiable information is when you actually decide to give it to us. Examples are when you create an account for Hellgate: London online or when you provide us your personal information when you enter a contest. The language in the portion of the EULA that has been cited is actually fairly standardized language that is used in the vast majority of EULAs for recent on-line software. It was unfortunately also somewhat broad in scope and potentially ambiguous in nature in an attempt to keep the legalese at a minimum.
This catch-all statement was included so that we have the ability to determine if someone is using hacks, unauthorized mods or other abusive applications while playing the game which spoils the gameplay for everyone else. We also use this catch-all to protect other parties offering technical support, such as our online provider, Ping0. This is a completely legitimate function and other leaders in the MMO space do it in an effort to stop hackers and provide better technical support. In order to stop hacks and cheats, as well as attempts at outright fraud, we may need the ability to scan our player’s computers for applications running at the same time as our game. This paragraph was designed to be able to allow for such functionality. It is also important to point out that EA does not determine what we do in regards to online and offline for our game security.
Also, this has nothing specifically to do with advertisements. EA has nothing do with Massive or potential ad-serving in Hellgate: London. First and foremost, any in-game advertising that would be in Hellgate: London is there to simulate how London looks in the real-world. Ads that represent this have been in the entirety of the beta, and in fact, have been shown in the game for well over a year. The fact is that we did not agree to potentially have ads in the game just to make more money. If we did not work with Massive, we would have to get individual approvals from every single company that we want to feature in the Underground stations. This is simply too time consuming and it’s much better to have the experts to do it, allowing us time to focus on making Hellgate: London better and better while getting a realistic portrayal of London in the process.
Should we elect to serve ads, they must be approved by us, Flagship Studios. We would demand that they be in-context with the game world - aged, weathered, only shown in appropriate areas, just as the static posters you see in the Stations are now. We have no interest in putting giant, bright-white billboard in the middle of your battles or having you wield swords of Brand X Cola.
Finally, Hellgate: London and all of the online play and components are controlled by Flagship Studios and Ping0. We’re all gamers here, and we’re as sensitive to protecting our personal information as you are. This is why we have spent the past six months becoming a member of the ESRB Privacy Online certification program. This means that we’re meeting the most rigorous standards in the industry for protecting your privacy and the information that you provide us.
Do you read the license agreements when you install software, or do you just keep hitting next? Well if you downloaded the newly released Hellgate: London demo you should have, since you get the extra bonus of adware included. (Advertising-supported software)
Here’s the pertinent section of the license you have to agree to once Hellgate is installed onto your system:
The Software incorporates technology of Massive Incorporated (”Massive”) that enables in-game advertising, and the display of other similar in-game objects, which are uploaded temporarily to your personal computer or game console and replaced during online game play. As part of this process, Massive may collect your Internet protocol address and other basic anonymous information, and will use this information for the general purposes of transmitting and measuring in-game advertising. Massive does not store or use any of this information for the purpose of discovering your personal identity. For additional details regarding Massive’s in-game advertising practices, and to understand your options with respect to in-game advertising and data collection, please see Massive’s privacy policy. The trademarks and copyrighted material contained in all in-game advertising are the property of the respective owners. Portions of this product are © 2007 Massive Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Consent to Use of Data. You agree that EA, its affiliates, and each Related Party may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online play. EA and/or the Related Parties may also use this information in the aggregate and, in a form which does not personally identify you, to improve our products and services and we may share that aggregate data with our third party service providers.
Here is one better example for you As reported on CNN.com about splinter cell and other titles serving in-game ads for the UK Xbox 360 users.
Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is taking a new approach to attracting new recruits. ‘The monthlong ad campaign, which starts at the end of October, is being run by GCHQ, the recruitment firm TMP Worldwide and Microsoft-owned in-game ad agency Massive Inc. Ads headed ‘Careers in British Intelligence’ will appear as billboards in scenes in Splinter Cell and other games including Need for Speed Carbon and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars when they are played on computers and Microsoft Xbox consoles in Britain.
You might be saying well the ads are only posters on walls in certain areas, but with the adware fully incorporated into the game they don’t have to stop at just posters on walls. You could find yourself kicking the crap out of some Zombie flesh by chucking some Windows ME CDs at it, since Massive is owned by The Borg errr Microsoft.
I am ok with including this crap err technology with a free demo but to be included in a game you’re paying full price or paying a monthly fee for … NEVER! I have refused to buy a game at full price that has in game ads in it. I feel the same way about in game ads as I did when I found out Blizzard and World of Warcraft had been stealing my bandwidth to substitute for having game patch servers by using a bittorrent system. This would have been ok if they would have had an option to turn it off or receive the download some other way, or *Gasp* discounted my bill for supplying them with bandwidth.
Us as a consumers have allowed this to continue and dare I say it, even grow. More greedy game studios are looking at this as a great option to pad the bank account even more than the already high prices they charge for games.
If you don’t like it, do something about it like write emails, don’t by the game or setup a petition. But for your sake do something or all the games you play will be just like watching TV with commercials popping up at every loading screen / save point.
What do you think take the poll on your right or leave us a comment about your thoughts.
Filed under PC News on October 17th, 2007 A Unofficial Hellgate London website is reporting Hellgate London has gone gold and a single player demo will be released tomorrow.
Demons of London beware… your reign of terror is coming to an end. Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai Games, and Flagship Studios are excited to announce that Hellgateâ„¢: London has gone to gold master and will be available exclusively for the PC on November 2nd in Europe.
“This has been an amazing journey for us and we couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished,” said Flagship Studios CEO, Bill Roper. “We’re anxious to get Hellgate: London into gamers’ hands and we can’t wait to play right along with them.”
And for gamers who can’t wait until November 2nd to get their Demon-slaying on, Flagship Studios is releasing a single player demo tomorrow, Thursday October 18th on AOL’s Game Daily (www.gamedaily.com). The demo will be available everywhere else from Friday.
The single player demo represents just a small taste of the Hellgate: London experience. Gamers can choose from two of the game’s six character classes: the Blademaster, a master of swordplay and action-packed melee combat, or the Marksman, a cool, calculating, long-range specialist. In the demo, these heroes are able to battle through a small handful of storyline and side quests as they adventure through the streets and tunnels around London’s Holborn Station.
**Update** 2007-10-18
Looks like its official and posted on the HELLGATE: LONDON web site.
And for gamers who can’t wait until Halloween to get their Demon-slaying on, Flagship Studios is releasing a singleplayer demo this Thursday, October 18th.
On a side note there is no mention of AOL’s Game Daily getting it today and everybody else getting it the 19th. I will update when we know more with demo download links.
**Update 2**
Demo Up and Ready to download From AOL GameDaily, FileShack, GamersHell, 3DGamer, 4Player , ActionTri , Computer Games.ro, FilePlanet, Worthplaying
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