Microsoft's New Boku Game Design Project

Although not exactly a PC game, I thought this was pretty interesting anyway. Boku is a new visual programming language, currently in development by Microsoft Research, that will allow users to easily create video games visually through the use of icons.

Key Features:

Boku provides an end-to-end creative environment for designing, building, and playing your own new games.

* High level language incorporates real-world primitives: collision, color, and vision.
* Runs on XBox 360 and PC
* Interactive terrain editor
* Bridge and path builder
* Terrain editor - create worlds of arbitrary shape and size
* 20 different characters with different abilities
* Built-in sharing and rating

Grand Theft Auto 4 PC System Requirements

Rockstar is bringing the newest iteration of its flagship series Grand Theft Auto to a personal computer near you. They have added many new graphical improvements over it's console counterparts. To take advantage of these upgrades you will need the recommended requirements at least but it should run fine with the minimum specs.

They are as follows:

Minimum System Requirements

* OS: Windows Vista - Service Pack 1 / XP - Service Pack 3
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8Ghz, AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4Ghz
* Memory: 1.5GB, 16GB Free Hard Drive Space
* Video Card: 256MB NVIDIA 7900 / 256MB ATI X1900

Recommended System Requirements

* OS: Windows Vista - Service Pack 1 / XP - Service Pack 3
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz, AMD Phenom X3 2.1Ghz
* Memory: 2 GB (Windows XP) 2.5 GB (Windows Vista)
* 18 GB Free Hard Drive Space
* Video Card: 512MB NVIDIA 8600 / 512MB ATI 3870

Best Selling Video Games Oct 12-18

1. Spore
2. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
3. Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
4. Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning
5. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion Pack
6. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
7. Civilization IV: Colonization
8. World Of Warcraft
9. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack
10. Crysis: Warhead

Spore has come out on top once again with the ever popular World of Warcraft sneaking into number 2 with its battlechest collection which includes the full game in addition to the burning crusade expansion. November 13th is the release date for Wrath of the Lich King, the next expansion for wow. Blizzard are lining themselves up for first and second place in sales within the next month. As for that Nancy Drew game..... ugh, people bought that? wait wait wait, not only did they buy it but more people bought it than they did the bottom 6 games! Believe it.

World of Warcraft Patch 3.0.2 Released!

Version 3.0.2 of World of Warcraft is released and its a big one! There are quite a few new improvements over the last client including the all new achievement system which seems to be a big hit with azeroth's finest.

All players have had their talent points reimbursed to make way for an all new talent tree for all classes. New spells and abilities are available and many adjustments were made to pre-existing spells and abilities.

Another new feature in the patch are the barbershops scattered among the major cities of Azeroth. This will allow players to change their characters facial and hair features, for a fee somewhere around 5g.

Pictured above is the all new addition to the human capital of Azeroth, Stormwind Harbour.

Other new additions can be found in the official patch notes at the official site.

I play in the Kael' Thas server as a rogue named Overshadow for those wondering.

Call of Duty 5 PC Open Beta!

That's right people you read correctly. Activision and Treyarch have announced that the fifth installment of the Call of Duty series, World At War, will be tested in an open beta. You can register for the open beta at the official COD site here.

Oh and a little end note: The Profiles of all beta testers will be deleted at the end of the beta, so if your looking to get an early start on the competition, think again toots.

Callofduty.com

E3 2009 Will Be Open to The Public!

It has just been announced that next years E3 event will be open to the public on the last 2 days of the show. Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 will be the start of the show for developers and the likes while us upper lower middle class folks will be able to get in on the following Friday and Saturday. This seems to be the result of the show falling flat on its face the last few times around. It will be held in the Los Angeles Convention Centre and the capacity is set at 40,000.

Diablo 3 Barbarian Skill Tree!

Blizzard have released the skill tree for the barbarian class in Diablo 3, I know what your all thinking, that I am obsessed with either Blizzard or Diablo 3. Well the answer is both. I have always loved Blizzard's games, the way they made them and what they achieved in gaming.

Well here it is folks:

Juggernaut Skill Tree
-Juggernaut skills are mostly active attack skills that are controlled by the player from the hotbar.

Battlemaster Skill Tree
-Battlemaster skills are passive buffs for the Barbarian Class.

Berserker Skill Tree
-Berserker Skills are agressive attack skills and passive buffs that alter damage, attack speed and similar effects.

Far Cry 2 Security...

Far Cry 2 will be released using the same DRM Securom technology that was used for the first time in Spore. Far Cry, however, will utilize this technology differently and will have registration features similar to that of bioshock. You can install the game up to 5 times on 3 computers. When you uninstall the game, you get the credit back and may reinstall again.

While this is not quite as harsh of a system as Spore uses, it is still pretty strict. Spore only allows one player to ever play Spore properly.

Starcraft 2 Details

Blizzard have released some interesting new details about Starcraft 2 at Blizzcon. Starcraft 2 will be going back to its roots to find its gameplay style, but Blizzard says it's a completely new game in its own.

The biggest announcement they made about the game is that it will be not only 1 game, but split into a trilogy. Each part of the trilogy being about the size of the original game.

There will be new units and new buildings. It is still based on the same fast paced resource management and multitasking gameplay mechanics but much more in depth and improved. Blizzard has also stated that there won't be as much single unit micro-management and things of that nature as it slows down the gameplay.

Starcraft 2 is still in development and is not near completion but an early demo was prepared for the fans at Blizzcon.

Jim Raynor is returning as the central character of the Terran campaign. Still his drunken bitter self. Players have complete control over how they spend their money. Which units to buy or upgrade is up to you. Players will also have the choice of which missions to do or what planets to explore.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Today is turkey day here in Canada, so its our long weekend. I should have at least 2 new updates tomorrow. One of which includes Starcraft 2 details and the other will be on a great free online game i stumbled upon called Project Torque, by Aeria Games.

Diablo 3 Details!

Diablo 3 is one of the hottest up and coming games this year, the third in the Diablo series. Blizzard has improved the interface with the addition of a hotbar where your potions used to be in Diablo 2. They have modified the skills system so you can easily switch your fighting style on the go and no longer have to be stuck with one or 2 skills.

There are new playable classes which are Wizard and Witch Doctor. The ladder of which you can see in the picture above. Blizzard have also changed the way you can gain health in Diablo 3. Instead of having to rely on potions so much, there are new drops from enemies which look like a glowing red orb. The orbs will provide you with health that will allow you to keep battling and makes the game flow a little bit better.

Another big gameplay addition in Diablo 3 are the fully interactive 3d environments. Players will now be able to destroy the environments and even use it to their advantage against enemies.

Long time Diablo fans will notice some old friends in the new game, one of which being Deckard Cain, as well as many new and exciting friends and foes. Some familiar locations will also be rendered in full 3D for the first time such as Tristram.

I will post more details as news breaks.

Sierra Shutting Older Servers Down

Sierra will be shutting down many of its servers that were designated for older games, starting November 1st. Most of these games are out dated and technologically inferior but still have players using them. Clearly not enough players to warrant the servers being kept open. The Games on the list include:

1. Empire Earth
2. Empire Earth 2
3. Star Trek: Armada
4. Dark Reign 2
5. Sanity
6. Alien vs Predator 2
7. Arcanum
8. Empire Earth: Age of Conquest
9. Ground Control
10. Ground Control2
11. Vampire
12. Tribes 2
13. Red Baron
14. Nolf 2
15. Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom
16. Caesar IV
17. SWAT3: EE
18. SWAT3: GOTY
19. The Incredible Machine
20. Homeworld
21. Homeworld: Cataclysm

Blizzard Reveal Diablo 3 Details At Blizzcon

Blizzcon 2008 is here. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, it is a two day show full of guild meetings, developer panels and tournaments. Blizzard Entertainment runs the show and it is growing in popularity every year, this year being its third annual. The show is not open to the public, so the very fortunate ones who managed to nab a ticket surely felt superior to those non ticket holding folks. Those who are in the show will also get first hand looks at Blizzard's impressive upcoming line-up including Diablo 3, Starcraft 2 and the 2nd World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King.

In the opening remarks of the show Blizzard announced the new wizard and witch doctor classes as well as the classic barbarian class. They also announced the first ever Starcraft 2 tournament.

Far Cry 2 On October 21st

The sequel the the award winning FPS is coming. In just over a week, gamers will be able to get their hands on their very own copy of Far Cry 2, developed by Ubisoft's Montreal Studio.

Far Cry 2 is set in a fictional Central-African Nation in a state of unrest. The player will be able to choose from 9 different characters to play the game as, instead of the first game's system, which forced you to be Jack Carter.

Rockstar Bringing GTA 4 to PC Gamers

Rockstar has grown a lot over the years, due to he success of its popular Grand Theft Auto series. Some say, it's one of the best game series' of all time, others disagree. Either way, Rockstar is bringing its signature series back to its PC origins.

Beware though, the game will take up a massive 18 gigabytes of space on your drive.!
* OS: Windows XP SP2
* Processor: Dual core processor (Intel Pentium D or better)
* RAM: 2GB Hard Drive: 18GB free hard disk space
* Video Card: 512MB Direct3D 10 compatible video card or Direct3D 9 cardcompatible with Shader
* Drive: DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
Although if you ask anyone who has played the game, they can tell you that its worth the space.

The PC version will include new features like a new multiplayer option, graphical improvements, a new redesigned game interface, a replay editor and more.

The official PC release date for Grand Theft Auto 4 is set. November 18th is the day so pre-order now!

Check Out Gamebiz 2!

Velocigames is a freeware simulation game developer under the helm of Nino Arndt, who was a former member of the Osiris Games team along side Chart Wars series programmer Rob Cooper. Osiris has since seemed to evaporate off the net.

Gamebiz 2 puts the player in control of a video game developer in the early 1980's. It starts with systems like the Atari 2600 and moves its way all the way to the XBOX and Playstation era. You can design how your games will be made and all the aspects of your company. You can even develop your own system, once you have a steady cashflow, later on in the game.

So for any fans of the freeware simulation genre, fans of gaming, or anyone who just wants to check out a neat free game. Check out Gamebiz 2 by Nino Arndt.

Download it here


P.S: Rob Cooper? Are you alive? If you read this, message me or comment on what you have been up to and is there any future for the chart wars series?. thanks.

Lich King System Requiremtents Released

Here are the minimum and recommended system specifications released by Blizzard.

PC System Requirements

OS: Windows XP (Service Pack 3), Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)

Processor:
• Minimum: Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+
• Recommended: Dual-core processor, such as the Intel Pentium D or AMD Athlon 64 X2

Memory:
• Minimum: 512 MB RAM (1GB for Vista users)
• Recommended: 1 GB RAM (2 GB for Vista users)

Video:
• Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 32 MB VRAM
Such as an ATI Radeon 7200 or NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or better
• Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM
Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT class card or better

Sound: DirectX-compatible sound card or motherboard sound capability

Mac System Requirements

OS: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer

Processor:
• Minimum: PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz or Intel Core Duo processor
• Recommended: Intel 1.8GHz processor or better

Memory:
• Minimum: 1 GB RAM
• Recommended: 2 GB RAM

Video:
• Minimum: 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting with 64 MB VRAM
Such as an ATI Radeon 9600 or NVIDIA GeForce Ti 4600 class card or better
• Recommended: 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability with 128 MB VRAM
Such as an ATI Radeon X1600 or NVIDIA 7600 class card or better

iRacing.com Reinvents Simulated Racing

iRacing.com is a new pay service with subscriptions ranging from $13 to $20. What is iRacing you say? A Good question indeed. iRacing is developed by David Kaemmer (of NASCAR Racing fame)and a team seemingly bursting with talent.

You will need a decent Wheel and pedals to play. There are no chase cams or fancy camera angles like in other racers. This one is serious. In car cam only and in my eyes that's the way it should be. When I play a racing game I want to crank up the surround and feel like I'm actually in that car, driving that track.

This game is especially exciting for me. Mosport International Speedway, or my home track as I like to call it, is included. Although Mosport is not finished and ready for use, it is still exciting that I will be able to be driving the legendary Canadian road course digitally once again. The last time it was digitally rendered was in the PC Game "Sports Car GT"(1999), to my best recollection.

CD Projekt to Bring Back Forgotten PC Classics

In an effort to bring forgotten gems back into availability, CD Projekt, developer of "The Witcher", has made a new unique digital delivery service. The games that will be available will only be cult classics, or highly acclaimed games. Most of the games are no longer available in retail stores.

One of the service's finer features, in my opinion, is it's guarantee that all its games are 100% compatible with Windows XP and Vista. Since most of these older games have quite a lot of incompatibility issues with operating on newer systems. Games are set to be $5.99 or $9.99. This is a one time fee and its yours for good, whether the servers are up or not. You can download it as many times as needed or burn it to a cd.

Interplay and Codemasters already have licensing deals with the project. Some of the games to be available include: Giants: Citizen Kabuto, MDK, Descent, Fallout, Fallout 2 and Operation Flashpoint.

Google To Sell Video Games Through Youtube

Google will soon begin to promote video game sales through Youtube.com and Amazon.com. Viewers watching Video Game videos will have the option to purchase the game from Amazon.

The search engine giant's move to accommodate gamers shows just how powerful the gaming industry still is.

Pirates Of The Burning Sea Free 14 Day Trial

Pirates of the Burning Sea will now be available in a free 14 day trial. No credit card is needed to play. Hopefully more players will discover the vast sea of pirate goods to be found and could make this MMO much more popular. The more players online, the more community aspects to be had. Which in most cases results in a more loyal audience. Anyone who has played an MMO for more than a few minutes can tell you that when you feel welcome in the game, when you have friends in the game, you are much less likely to leave the community.

Check it out at Pirates of the Burning Sea Free 14 Day Trial

Tom Clancy's End War PC Bound?

Early reports on Ubisofts new Strategy title were that it would be released on XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 only.

The ESRB website has released new details that might say otherwise. It is listed as a PC game as well as the two big consoles. We will have to wait for more details to arrise as the release date approaches.

End War is set to be released for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on November 4th.

Fallout 3 To Be Released Oct. 28th

The third installment of the Fallout series is looming on the horizon. Long time fans have been anticipating the game for some time now. Bethesda Softworks has based Fallout 3 on the same game engine they used for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Oblivion was a major hit and an achievement in gaming all its own. Rather than playing in a fantasy world like in Oblivion, Fallout casts the players on a post-apocalyptic america. Players can play in first and third person views.

Fallout 3 is gold and ready for release. A sure to be classic with a team like Bethesda working on it.

Uplink: Hacker Elite - A Forgotten Revolution?

Uplink first came to my attention quite a few years back with the name Hacker Elite on the end. It has recently been re-released on the Steam software service under the name Uplink: Trust is a weakness.

Whichever name it is, the game is an underground gem, and should not be forgotten. Since the game does not have graphics of any kind, it cannot possible become out dated. It is an intense ride that will have you trying for that elusive million dollar bank hack!! And anyone can learn the ways to do it with the games tutorials and help program. The game involves everything so seamlessly, you feel like you are an actual uplink agent.

Another side note i have is to check out the diary that comes with the game. A small story of a hacker in 1988. Compelling and if you read it before you play you will be so motivated that you will forget its a game... you will get caught and run to your front door to lock it before the feds run in. Ok, ok.. maybe not, but i think you get the concept. Anyone who has the chance should check this game out.

Ben's Rating = 8.7/10

Need For Speed Undercover Details...

The next installment of the ever popular racing franchise is set to hit North America in mid November. EA's Black Box development studio, based out of Vancouver, BC, has released details on some of the games online multiplayer modes.

Cops and Robbers pits 4 players from each team against eachother in a chase style game. The Robbers must pick-up and deliver a package to a specified destination, while the cops are trying to prevent that from happening all the while.

There are also sprint and circuit modes available for up to 8 players to show off their skills. High intensity chases and adrenaline pumping battles are the main premise of the new game that will differentiate it from its predecessors.

Spore Cracks Its 1 Millionth Sale In Its First Week!

As it stands, the sporepedia holds over 26.5 million creations by users across the world. There were an astounding 3 million creations already online leading up the games launch. Thanks to the early release of the Spore Creature Creator as a seperate package, a very smart move indeed. The Sporepedia is an online collection of user created content for EA Maxis' amazing new Spore PC game. The Game's creator being the legendary game guru and founder of Maxis games, Mr. Will Wright. Wright has brought us such famous titles as Sim City and The Sims.

Knights of the Old Republic MMO in the works?

Though still only speculation and rumours, there seems to be clues leading to the fact that Lucasarts and BioWare have been working on a new KOTOR game based in a Massively Multiplayer Online environment. The first two installments of the KOTOR franchise were critically acclaimed and beloved by many.

An official announcement is set to be made October 21st.

NBA 2K9 Announced for PC

2K Sports announced in an official statement that it was bringing the tenth installment of their popular basketball franchise to PC fans. This will be the first time NBA 2K game on the PC.

NBA 2K is regarded highly by its fans for its realistic approach to the game. Look for it in a store near you on October 21st.

Ehnström Wins Virtual-World TouringCar Championship!

The day is October Fourth. The location is Monza, Italy. The Raceroom Game Park is located directly outside the paddock at the track. This is where fifteen of the worlds top simulated drivers met to compete in Simbin Studios' V-WTCC Event.

The big winner from the day was Sweden's Roland Ehnström, followed closely by Bastien Bartsch of France. Actually "followed closely" is a pretty general phrase. The margin of victory was only four hundredths of a second. Ehnström received a brand new Chevrolet HHR as his grand prize.

Ehnstrom has been in simulated victory lane before though. He won last years Swedish Virtual Grand Prix.

The V-WTCC 2008 Podium:

1st Position: Roland Ehnström (SWE)

2nd Position: Bastien Bartsch (FRA)

3rd Position: Markus Könönen (FIN)

For more details: www.v-wtcc.com

EA Cancels Tiberium

The Game was set in the Command and Conquer atmosphere and fans were already starting
to hype it up when they set sights on the screenshots that were previously released. EA suspending the game also means some EA employees will be taking the long walk home.

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce the end to all work on 'Tiberium,' effective immediately," Mike Verdu, head of the Electronic Arts studio who is creating the game, said, "The game had fundamental design challenges from the start."

EA is on a mission and is dedicated to bringing the consumer the best quality games possible. Somehow, "Tiberium" is getting in the way of that.


thanks to Marketwatch.com for the quote.

Mosport International Raceway: Canada's Best Road Course?

I Challenge anyone who disagrees to discuss this openly. I believe that Mosport International Raceway, in the small town of Bowmanville, Ontario, is in fact Canada's Finest Road Course.

This 3.96 Kilometre, or 2.45 Mile, Road Course has been exciting crowds since 1961. They broke ground only one year earlier, with architect Alan Bunting at the helm of the operation. There are no capacity limitations or designated areas to watch from at Mosport. If you can walk there, you can pretty much watch from there. Of course only if it is safe to be there, for the most part. I've heard people talk about how they went to the Molson Indy years back and were amazed by it. If they had ever been to Mosport, the Indy would have been a joke.

They currently accommodate 2 major events which are the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the ALMS Grand Prix of Mosport

Formula 1 also Raced on the track 8 times between 1967 and 1977 with Jackie Stewart winning 2 of those in '71 and '72 respectively.

So if you ever have the opportunity to travel there to see any racing, whether it be the Spectacular ALMS GP of Mosport or just some free to watch regional racing, never pass it up. Hear the roar of a C6.R as it accelerates down the backstretch after exiting turn 5. Watch as the tires rip up the pavement.

photos and words © Ben Bailey 2008.