Medal of Honor PC Open Beta Launches October 4

PC gamers will have a chance to get in on Medal of Honor in open beta form before its release, albeit briefly. EA announced today that the beta will launch on October 4, and then close October 7. Interested PC gamers can sign up at the official site. The beta will include two maps and two game modes. The Kunar Base map consists of an area control mode, while the Shahikot Mountains map is objective-based team multiplayer. Both modes support 12-player teams for a total of 24 players.

This new beta test is said to have been tweaked from the earlier closed beta. DICE made fixes to the weapons pick-up system, hit detection, and made support actions more rare. The unlock tree was also expanded and balanced, and the press release promises a "major graphics overhaul."

EA took the opportunity to address the recent military controversy in the press release. "We hope that by offering the Multiplayer Open Beta, we can clear up any misunderstanding about the patriotism and respect that are the foundation of this game," said Frank Gibeau, president of EA Games. "The Medal of Honor franchise has always shown extraordinary reverence for American and Allied soldiers -- this game is no exception."

View the original article here

Dead Space 2 invite-only multiplayer beta is a go

While the studio was tightlipped about it while chatting to us at the recent reveal event, it turns out Dead Space 2 is indeed holding a multiplayer beta. And it looks to be exclusive to PlayStation 3 owners.

Handpicked users have begun receiving invites to the testing, which is already on-going, though the criteria is somewhat vague right now; users are being chosen ‘based on their experience with multiplayer shooters’, those who’ve been accepted are reporting.

The invites are being sent out via email, in which multiplayer producer Scott Probst explains: “We have just launched a small beta which will help us polish the game, and we have selected you to help us achieve that goal! We are still several months away from the game’s release, and there is still plenty of work to be done prior to shipping the game.”

The game itself is out in January; in North America on Jan. 25 2011, Europe on Jan. 28.

View the original article here

Video: Dead Rising 2 Producer Explains It All

Executive producer Rob Barrett of Blue Castle Games runs through the basics of Dead Rising 2 in a Wired.com video shot at Microsoft’s X10 event earlier this year.

The sequel to 2006’s zombie-slaying sandbox comes out September 28 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

If you’ve got even a sliver of curiosity about Dead Rising 2 give the game’s $5 prologue a shot. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, available only to Xbox 360 users, is a demo that sets up protagonist Chuck Green’s dilemma and gives players an excellent preview of all the weapon crafting, missions and visceral zombie slaying they’ll experience in the full game.

Capcom plans a second batch of DLC called Dead Rising 2: Case West. The expansion will mark the return of photographer Frank West, the lead character of the first Dead Rising game.

See Also:

View the original article here

British Retailer Lists Prince of Persia HD Trilogy with 3D Support

Today British retailer Shopto has seemingly confirmed the exitence of the Prince of Persia HD trilogy for PS3 and it comes with 3D support. The Trilogy will include Sands of Time, Warrior Within, and The Two Thrones.

The listing gives a firm release date of November 26 and gives great detail about all included games. This is really of little surprise since many have speculated a Prince of Persia HD trilogy was in the works. What may be surprising to some is that the game has 3D suppport.

To see the listing click here

View the original article here

Prince of Persia Spin-off Was Set in Modern Times, Canceled by Ubisoft

Prior to releasing the 2008 Prince of Persia reboot and way before this year's Forgotten Sands, Ubisoft was apparently working on a modern-day take on its classic franchise. In a recent interview, a former art director at the company discussed his involvement with the long-canceled project, as well as revealing a scrapped Assassin's Creed game for the Xbox and PlayStation 2.

"After [the Assassin's Creed cancellation, Ubisoft] wanted a spin-off for Prince of Persia," ex-Ubisoft employee Jonathan Jacques-Bellet?te told CVG. "We had some awesome ideas with that too... in contemporary time."

"[Development on Prince of Persia 2008] had already started at that point," he explained. "But they wanted really something completely out of the left field. And back then I was known as one of the ones... 'oh this guy can get some pretty cool, weird ideas'."

Just how weird did it get? Jacques-Bellet?te, now working on Deus Ex: Human Revolution at Eidos Montreal, provided a brief synopsis: "So I had this little team, and [our PoP] was actually in the contemporary world. Think a bit Day After Tomorrow, but replace the snow with sand and everything. It was really wicked. But it got cancelled, and then we did all the Far Crys."

Sound like something you'd play? Or do you think Ubisoft made the right call by dumping the project?

View the original article here

Codemasters: F1 2011 already in the works

Racing expert Codemasters is already working on a follow-up to this year’s F1 2010, lead designer Stephen Hood has revealed.

While the development is still in its early phases, Hood’s revealed in a chat with Eurogamer that he and senior producer Paul Jeal are already working up the feature list. This at the expense of content add-ons, though; “DLC we’re not planning to do with this one, because Paul and I have already started on ’11 now.”

“There are some other exciting things that we want to play around with,” Hood added of the sequel.

But what of F1 2012? “Certainly for 2011, that deal’s done and dusted. I think the 2012 deal isn’t a million miles away, it’s not signed yet, but I guess it depends on the sales, review scores, that type of thing.”

F1 2010 is released this week; yesterday in North America, tomorrow in Europe.

View the original article here

Giant Robot Mag Packs Free Indie Game Return of the Quack

Videogame magazines aimed at the enthusiast crowd have been bundling game demos with their print editions for years. But now long-running pop-culture magazine Giant Robot will be giving away an entire indie game with the purchase of their publication.

Erik Nakamura, publisher of Giant Robot, announced Monday that Issue 67 of his magazine would come with a new game called Return of the Quack. The game is a collaboration between artist Matt Furie, game designer Chevy Ray Johnston and chip musicians Nullsleep. Those who buy the magazine will get the whole three-level game on a disc. (If you want to try before you buy, take a whack at the online demo of Return of the Quack.)

This isn’t the first time Giant Robot has gotten into indie games. Giant Robot retail stores and galleries have hosted several art exhibitions that present collaborations between indie artists and game designers. Giant Robot No. 67, which features cover art by Furie, is on newsstands now.

Image courtesy Giant Robot

See Also:

View the original article here