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At death's door: the dreams and decline of Ambient Studios

Even the studios' origins were plagued by instability. Its first in-development project was unceremoniously canceled by its publisher before it even saw the light of day, leaving the team of 11 at Ambient Studios with no work. And subsequently, no money. "It was a game for the Vita," former Ambient Studios technical director Jonny Hopper told Polygon. "Unfortunately I can't say much about it. It went unannounced. "That left us with a team and nothing to do, it was all such short notice, really. So we thought, okay that's not cool." The team held a brainstorming session for the studio's next game. It had to be something they could produce quickly, something good but also a game they could publish fairly soon in order to bring money to the studio. From that brainstorming session came...
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Shadow of the Eternals video shows off nine minutes of gameplay

Developer Precursor Games released a nine-minute gameplay video of its horror game Shadow of the Eternals — the studio's spiritual successor to GameCube game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem — on its YouTube channel, offering a raw look at the title currently seeking crowdfunding. The gameplay video shows off one of Shadow of the Eternals' "Sanity Events" and its historical fiction setting, all running in Crytek's CryEngine 3. Created by former Silicon Knights staffers, the episodic game is planned for release on Wii U and PC, should Precursor Games meet its funding goals. Currently, bakers have pledged more than $135,000 toward the game's funding goal of $1.5 million for its pilot episode. For more on the game and its Precursor Games, read about the game's fundraising efforts...
Speed Run
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Speed Run: Plants vs. Zombies Adventures, Watch Dogs, Silicon Knights, Shadow of the Eternals

Plants vs. Zombies Adventures, PopCap's new spin on the franchise, is coming to Facebook May 20. Watch Dogs will play on society's voyeuristic tendencies and will encourage players to follow data trails and make their own moral decisions. We discovered more information on developer Silicon Knights, which is down to a few employees and has no office building but tells us the studio is "definitely alive." The crowdfunding campaign for Shadow of the Eternals will collect "donations" up front, but developer Precursor Games' policy about refunds in the event it can't complete its game is unclear. Plants vs. Zombies Adventures will launch on Facebook May 20 Watch Dogs' voyeurism, moral choices and clever AI Silicon Knights unloads property, closes office, continues battle with Epic Games S...
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System Shock 2 hits Steam today, discounted for a limited time

System Shock 2, developer Looking Glass Studios' first-person shooter/role-playing game, was released on Steam today and is discounted through mid-May, according to the game's Steam listing. Steam's Windows PC version retails for $9.99, but will be available fo r $6.99 until May 17, a discount of 30 percent. The sci-fi RPG filled with cybernetic implants and a spaceship full of dead crewmates is also notable for being the spiritual precursor to Irrational Games' BioShock series, which includes former Looking Glass Studios employees like designer Ken Levine. In February, Good Old Games announced that it would be selling System Shock 2 after a lengthy trademark battle following the closure of Looking Glass Studios allowed for a digitally distributed release.
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Ascend: New Gods renamed Ascend: Hand of Kul to focus on story

Ascend: New Gods has been rebranded Ascend: Hand of Kul to focus more on the upcoming role-playing game's story, according to a post on the game's official website. "Although the news came as a sudden shock to us, we agreed with their decision," reads a post on the developer's website, written as if the "New Gods" had demanded the change. "Left without a governing body, we decided on our own that it would be more appropriate to give the title a more story-centric name. How? Well, you're just going to have to play the game to find out. ;)" The new "story-centric name" for Signal Studios' action RPC comes as the developers are taking registration for the upcoming beta. Ascend: Hand of Kul, is in development for Xbox 360, Windows Phone and Windows PC. For more on the game, you can check...
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Evil Geniuses drops popular StarCraft 2 player for disrespecting eSports community

Evil Geniuses, one of the leading North American eSports organizations, released well-known StarCraft 2 player Greg "IdrA" Fields today for disrespecting the eSports community in a forum comment. Fields, who had been a part of Evil Geniuses for almost three years, was a controversial fixture in the eSports scene for his negative attitude and hot temper. In response to a half-joking statement suggesting that Fields' outrageous behavior resulted from a perceived need for strong personas in eSports, he wrote (screencap via PCGamesN), "Nope you're all a bunch of fucks. It just so happens I get paid to treat you like it. It's awesome." In a statement on the Evil Geniuses website, CEO Alexander Garfield said the decision to let Fields go was not undertaken lightly, and that it left everyone...
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Syfy renews MMO crossover show Defiance for second season

Defiance, the TV half of the transmedia project from Syfy and Trion Worlds, has been renewed for a second season, according to a press release from Syfy. Production for the second season's 13 episodes will begin in August and is scheduled to premiere in 2014. Defiance currently airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. and follows a cast of characters in 2046 after an alien invasion decimated Earth. Trion's massively multiplayer online role-playing game tie-in takes place in the same world, but in San Francisco, and the developer just announced five upcoming downloadable content packs headed to the multiplatform MMO. "Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been in incredible team effort," said Mark Stern, president of Original Content for Syfy. "We couldn't ask for better partners than Kevin...
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The Realm update shows butterfly-collecting, flute-playing bonus features

In a new Kickstarter update, The Realm technical director Tom Szirtes walks players through potential features that Atomhawk and Lantern Interactive plan on adding to the point-and-click adventure game if it reaches enough funding on Kickstarter. The first is an optional collection sidequest in which players must find and collect hidden butterflies, which are only revealed by solving puzzles in certain ways. One example, says Szirtes, is that there might be a bolder on the ground that stone golem Toru can smash or lift in order to get out of the way. Smashing it, however, would destroy the butterfly hidden beneath it. The second bonus system is Sarina's flute. By playing certain melodies on a flute she discovers in the wilderness, Sarina can activate different powers. Different...
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Shadow of the Eternals crowdfunding collects 'donations' up front

The pledge system, which is managed directly by Precursor Games and collects money through PayPal, includes a number of specific conditions outlined in the site's terms of service including the fact that all money given to the studio are "strictly donations and are not consideration for any services or product," and that donations will be accepted immediately upon receipt, unlike Kickstarter, which only accepts funds if a funding goal is reached. "A donation cannot be cancelled or returned once it has been completed, whether or not Precursor Games completes the game or fulfills the specified reward," it reads. The website's FAQ states that the financial goal is a "flexible one" and "if it becomes apparent that we cannot raise enough to develop this project then we will refund all...
The Besties Podcast
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The Besties Podcast 56 - The backhanded compliment

This episode's a hodgepodge, in which the good is bad, the bad is good and Kickstarter is mediocre. We discuss a handful of video gaming anomalies, like "good bad" games and good games with bad titles. We debate whether rough edges are beauty marks or flaws waiting to be smoothed. We also rap on the reality of Kickstarter projects and the practicality of AAA licensing deals. Whether you prefer one to the other, it's clear that all the money and creative freedom in the world can't guarantee a great game. Also, we talk Canada. Did you know Vancouver is the perfect city? All that and more on this week's Besties. 2:10 - Best reason to be wary of supporting games on Kickstarter (Star Command) 14:30 - Best worst game of the week (Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut) 29:30 -...
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Monaco developers wanted to add competitive Cops and Robbers, Thief vs. Thief modes

The developers of Monaco: What's Yours is Mine wanted to include two competitive multiplayer modes in the game but cut them because of issues with balance and quality, said creator Andy Schatz in a Reddit AMA today. Asked about features that developer Pocketwatch Games was forced to cut, Schatz mentioned modes called Cops and Robbers and Thief vs. Thief. According to Schatz, both modes were playable, but the developers found that they weren't well-balanced in the existing levels. "We were going to have to build entirely new content tailored to them in order to make them feel at the same level of quality," he said. From Schatz's description, it sounds like Cops and Robbers was closer to release-worthy as a game type than Thief vs. Thief, although he noted, "There are some [interesting]...
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The Sims 3: Dragon Valley trailer moves from suburbia to medieval fantasy

A video from EA shows the world and titular dragons in the upcoming fantasy-themed Sims 3 expansion, Dragon Valley. Apparently set in a far more fantasy-esque world than the Sims' usual suburbia, Dragon Valley will allow players to befriend and tame cute baby dragons. The Sims 3: Dragon Valley hits Windows PC at the end of May.
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Resident Evil: Revelations demo launching May 14

A demo for the console and Windows PC versions of Resident Evil: Revelations will be available May 14, one week before the launch of the game, publisher Capcom announced yesterday. There's no word on what the demo will contain, but it will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Network in North America, Steam and the Wii U eShop on May 14, and the next day on the European PlayStation Network. The upcoming high-definition port of the 2012 Nintendo 3DS title will add new playable characters (Hunk and Rachel) and new enemies. The Wii U version will include console-specific features such as off-TV play on the GamePad and Miiverse functionality. Resident Evil: Revelations will be released May 21 on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U for $49.99. You can check out a new...
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The Flash joins the roster of DC Universe MOBA Infinite Crisis

DC's speedster the Flash has been unveiled as part of Turbine's DC Universe MOBA Infinite Crisis with a new video showing off his skills. As befitting of his nature, the Flash is a speedy melee assassin who gains greater damage as his speed increases, and whose abilities further increase his speed. He can vibrate his body to pass through enemies and steal their speed for himself, and his ultimate ability makes him untargetable, doing damage in an area of effect before knocking all enemies into the air. Infinite Crisis is scheduled for release on Windows PC later this year.
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Plants vs. Zombies Adventures will launch on Facebook May 20

Plants vs. Zombies Adventures will end its beta and launch for everyone on Facebook May 20, developer PopCap announced on the game's Facebook page. Today at 6 p.m. ET, PopCap will post a link to the official page that will grant early access to play Plants vs. Zombies Adventures for the first 500 people who click on it. Plants vs. Zombies Adventures was announced for Facebook in March as "the first of several new adaptations of the hit franchise coming to consumers in the next year." "The fun-dead world of Plants vs. Zombies is expanding with endless waves of new characters, strategies, territories, and community challenges," PopCap wrote in a press statement at the time. The game has been in limited beta since its announcement. The company clarified that Adventures is a separate...
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Energy Hook Kickstarter launches as a 'pre-order campaign' with a $1 funding and several stretch goals

Energy Hook, a game from former Spider-Man 2 developer Jamie Fristrom's Happion Laboratories based on swinging through a futuristic city with the titular device, took to Kickstarter recently with a $1 funding goal and several stretch goals, a strategy he described to Polygon as a "pre-order campaign." On the Kickstarter page, Fristrom positions Energy Hook as building on the swinging mechanics that he developed for Spider-Man 2. "Unlike most movie license games, Spider-Man 2 turned out pretty good, and one of the reasons was its crazy swinging system, a system that I invented," he wrote. "Players who dove deep into the system really got a sense of what it might feel like to swing from rooftop to rooftop, holding onto dear life from a tiny thread, as momentum and gravity did their...
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Sega reports 18.7 percent drop in sales, plans to focus more on digital

Sega reported total sales of 321 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, an 18.7 percent drop over sales of 395 billion yen last year, according the company's recent financial report. The company reported a 53.3 percent increase in net income to 33.4 billion yen, which the company attributed to changes in employee pension funds, the liquidation of some U.S. subsidiaries and sales on investment securities. However, operating income dipped 67.3 percent since last year to 19 billion yen. Net sales in the company's consumer business section, which includes Sega's video game division, were 84.740 billion yen, a two percent decrease from last fiscal year. Operating income loss was 732 million yen, far below the 15.2 billion yen loss the company reported last fiscal year....
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Steam Greenlight attracts 2 million voters, looking to release Steamworks API to devs

Valve attracted "roughly" 2 million voters to its Steam Greenlight service since its launch last August, and is "actively looking into" releasing its Steamworks API to developers, according to an online discussion earlier this week between Valve staff and a handful of indie developers. Crunching Koalas reports that during the discussion, Valve's Tom Bui said there is currently no set timeline for when it will make the Steamworks API public. Having the API earlier would allow developers to prepare their games for Steam prior to being Greenlit. In the future, Valve may consider separating Greenlight games into two categories: those "ready to go" using the API and those still in development. The last batch of Greenlight games approved on May 1 was a smaller one than past groups, and...
Report
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Watch Dogs' voyeurism, moral choices and clever AI

Ubisoft's upcoming open-world action-adventure game, Watch Dogs, plays on society's voyeuristic tendencies, the nuanced moral choices we make and our desire to affect game worlds, according to senior producer Dominic Guay. In a recent demo of the game shown at a preview event in San Francisco, Guay and members of the Watch Dogs development team highlighted three areas that they believe players will find engaging. The first is voyeurism, which features heavily in the game. According to Guay, the theme of surveillance is particularly interesting to explore, especially when we consider the increasing number of security cameras that are being installed in cities and how everything — from traffic lights to power networks — is now connected and managed by computers. "The question we...
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SimCity update 3.0 tweaks traffic, fixes bugs and adds more hotels

The latest update for SimCity went live earlier this week, bringing with it a handful of bug fixes, more tweaks to the traffic and 24 new types of hotels to host visiting Sims, according to a post on the game's official blog. Further improvements have been made to the traffic routing system, which saw a bit of trouble earlier in the year. According to the post, the system now "understands more information" regarding u-turns, required vehicle stops and certain vehicle behaviors on different road types, aiming to present a more smooth traffic flow and make traffic "smarter." Industrial and commercial building types will now stagger their work shifts, which should also reduce traffic. Vehicles can now make right turns at red traffic lights if possible, and a bug that made cars randomly...
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