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Command & Conquer series discounted this weekend on EA Store

GameSpaz — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Are you one of the three PC strategy game enthusiasts who refrained from picking up StarCraft 2 earlier this week due to a lack of cash-on-hand? EA's offering a way to console yourself with some retail therapy: It's reduced the price of a handful of Command and Conquer titles on its online store.

Continue reading Command & Conquer series discounted this weekend on EA Store

Command & Conquer series discounted this weekend on EA Store originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Battlefield 1943 for PC remains on track, still no release date

GameSpaz — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Still waiting for your PC version of Battlefield 1943? Okay, first, we feel obliged to tell you that you should probably check out Battlefield: Bad Company 2. But second, you might want to know that EA is apparently issuing refunds for pre-orders of the title to folks who reserved the PC release. VG247 asked EA about said refunds, and was told, "All pre-orders can be canceled with refund at any time and we do not have any further information at this time about a release date for the PC version of Battlefield 1943." We asked an EA rep for clarification this afternoon and were told that pre-orders for any game can be refunded at any time -- furthermore, the rep specifically pointed out "Battlefield 1943 is not canceled, but we don't have any news about a release date at this time."

Last we heard, the game was on track for release sometime this year and the game's producer even assured us that the PC version was still in the cards as recently as last March. So, while unfulfilled PC fans eagerly awaiting the game's release may ask for their pre-order money back, it also appears that whatever interest EA earned on your money since last October when pre-orders opened will remain in the publisher's hands. How nice of them! Perhaps it'll be used to support the game with DLC? Yeah, we're not holding our breath either.

Battlefield 1943 for PC remains on track, still no release date originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New ‘NBA JAM’ Trailer Shows Off Rodman, Drexler And McHale (In Tiny Shorts)

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:03:20 +0000

EA continues to trot out the old school NBA stars for the upcoming release of "NBA JAM" on Wii (and other platforms, apparently). We had already revealed that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird will be appearing in the game, and now we can see six more additions to the "JAM" roster in action:

Clyde Drexler
Kevin McHale
Denis Rodman
Hakeem Olajuwon
Detlef Schrempf
James Worthy

Clearly this is only the beginning for classic NBA stars getting into the action. Stay tuned as the "NBA JAM" surprise guests continue to join the roster. Fingers crossed for Air Dog!

Ron Gilbert digs iPhone, hopes DeathSpank inspires other devs

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0000

GamerBytes has a nice long interview with DeathSpank creator Ron Gilbert, and while he waxes philosophical on all sorts of stuff found in the excellent XBLA/PSN hack-'n-slash title, he says he's not sure what he plans to do next. But iPhone gaming has grabbed his attention for the moment: "iPhone games are very interesting to me right now. I play a lot of them, and they're neat because then you can do two- or three-people teams to make those things," he says.

Making DeathSpank was tougher than expected, according to Gilbert -- he started out wanting to make Monkey Island meets Diablo, but the Diablo half of the game was more difficult to balance than he'd thought it would be. Not only did he have to balance weapons and combat, but he had to deal with DeathSpank's own character attributes. A class system was originally planned, but Gilbert wanted to play his character (which originally came from a Flash cartoon series), not yours, so the team eventually went with the "Hero Cards" system.

Gilbert also says he hopes that DeathSpank influences the downloadable market -- rather than simply house reissues of older games or big budget titles, he hopes that downloadable game platforms can be a place for originality, and that "we can get some really good, interesting games in the download space." We'll hack and slash to that!

Ron Gilbert digs iPhone, hopes DeathSpank inspires other devs originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SimCity torn down, available now as SimCity Deluxe on iPhone

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:30:00 +0000

SimCity Deluxe, the replacement for regular SimCity on iPhone/iPod Touch (which is now missing from the App Store), is ready for mobile mayors who divert $6.99 of their household budget to the app. According to EA, the new version includes "bigger buttons, better flow and more accessible items" than the original release. The game has also received some graphics work and a frame rate enhancement to bring it a little bit more in-line with SimCity 4.

The game also features seven scenarios and starter cities, along with the four seasons in which to play. If you download SimCity Deluxe and have "meaty sausage fingers," leave a comment on how this one handles.

Gallery: Sim City Deluxe (iPhone)

SimCity torn down, available now as SimCity Deluxe on iPhone originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare’s Zeschuk on Mass Effect Galaxy: ‘Our guess was wrong’

GameSpaz — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:20:00 +0000

Some people forked over a sawbuck for Mass Effect Galaxy because they wanted to experience the backstory of characters appearing in Mass Effect 2. Some people downloaded Galaxy for the promise of in-game goods in Mass Effect 2. No matter what folks signed up for, most seem to agree that what they got could've been better -- even BioWare's Dr. Greg Zeschuk.

"Oh, I think it was very worth attempting," he told Videogamer. "Even when something's not as successful as you'd like, you can take some lessons away and apply them, right? For us, that's kind of where humility comes in, to eat the humble pie on the Mass iPhone game [laughs] and go, 'Yeeeaaah, we made a big mistake,' in the sense that we thought story could carry it." He immediately corrected himself, saying that it might not have been a mistake, but "as much as we took a guess, our guess was wrong, and we learned something in the process." The lesson? That the important part of designing for iPhone is building the game around the interface. "Unless your game is utterly designed about tactile gameplay, you shouldn't release it. That was good information for us to have."

Despite Galaxy's failing, Dr. Zeschuk isn't entirely willing to write off the potential of the iPhone just yet. "We'll explore stuff," Zeschuk said. "For us, it may be things that link into other games. It's the cross-platform nature of the potential platform, like an iPhone app able to somehow access one of the other games' universes, or something. That would be really cool."

Gallery: Mass Effect Galaxy (iPhone)

BioWare's Zeschuk on Mass Effect Galaxy: 'Our guess was wrong' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Battlefield: Bad Company 2 activates VIP ‘Map Pack 5′

GameSpaz — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:20:00 +0000

It's a winter murderland as Battlefield: Bad Company 2 deploys VIP Map Pack 5 on Xbox 360 and PS3 today. The snow will turn crimson on White Pass in Rush mode, and on Nelson Bay in Conquest. Check out the trailer after the break.

Continue reading Battlefield: Bad Company 2 activates VIP 'Map Pack 5'

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 activates VIP 'Map Pack 5' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dragon Age to be rocked by ‘Golems of Amgarrak’ DLC on Aug. 10

GameSpaz — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:30:00 +0000

You know that Dragon Age: Origins DLC, "Golems of Amgarrak," we just played at Comic-Con? You'll be playing it soon yourself -- on Tuesday, August 10, to be exact, for PS3, 360 and PC. (Unless, that is, you don't like Dragon Age, in which case we can't be friends anymore. Kidding!)

BioWare's, er, bio on its new 'ware -- which is meant for seasoned adventurers -- tells of a backstory involving a "missing dwarven expedition" and "ancient secrets for creating monstrous constructs." How this is all that different from most normal people's days escapes us, but at least we can look forward to fighting an "all-new terrifying creature!" (Spoiler alert: it's probably a golem.)

Dragon Age to be rocked by 'Golems of Amgarrak' DLC on Aug. 10 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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‘Medal of Honor’ Soundtrack Only The Beginning For Linkin Park And EA

GameSpaz — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:54:06 +0000

Linkin Park launched an iPhone game earlier this year, and now they're officially moving on to become a part of one of 2010's biggest EA releases. The band will provide the music for a new "Medal of Honor" trailer directed by their DJ Joe Hahn on August 1. The sounds will come from their new album A Thousand Suns' first single "The Catalyst," which will also play as part of the game's soundtrack. And EA says they've only just begun.

"'Medal of Honor' marks the beginning of an innovative new relationship between EA and Linkin Park," EA worldwide executive of music and marketing Steve Schnur said in a press release. "I've personally known the band since 1999, and they have always been an intensely creative group who understand the power of videogames and have wanted to explore and expand the medium’s possibilities. 'The Catalyst' is one of the most anticipated tracks of the year, and the combination of this new song and Joe Hahn's distinctive visual dynamic re-sets the bar in our commitment to bringing together landmark EA games with artists whose talents go far beyond music."

Exactly what kind of EA-related plans Linkin Park may have post-"Medal of Honor" weren't specified, but they agree that they'd like to work on other such projects in the future.

"I definitely think we could do things with them down the road," bassist David "Phoenix" Farrell told USA Today. "It was a good and fun partnership on our end. I know our fans are gamers and it is a cool way to get your music heard."

Do you think Linkin Park will be a good fit for the "MoH" soundtrack? What else would you like to see them do with EA? Anything? Nothing? Share your suggestions in the comment section below.

FIFA 11 for Wii to include street soccer mode

GameSpaz — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Those planning on signing up for the Wii version of EA's FIFA 11 will find an exclusive game mode in the package: street soccer. It takes players to the streets of major cities around the world for less official games of footy, in places like Brazil, France and London. The mode will allow players to "use the wall to jump past defenders or bank passes to teammates" and select from a set of different match types, like First to Score, Tug of War and Timed games.

Not only that, but there will be a host of modifiers to choose from -- things like elevated nets, wall goals and even shrunken nets -- to mix things up further. Players can also select a specific arcade mode within street soccer, which adds a power meter that can be used to "blast shots, ignite a speed burst or send shockwaves over your opponents." It kinda sounds a lot like FIFA Jam, to be honest.

FIFA 11 launches on the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 4. Feel free to breakaway into our gallery below for some new screens, fresh off the bench.

Gallery: FIFA 11 (Wii)

FIFA 11 for Wii to include street soccer mode originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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