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This week we purge the unclean from the podcast and discuss just where that Kane guy was during the lull between the 1st and 2nd Tiberium War. Our topics are two recently released RTS games - Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath and Dawn of War: Soulstorm. Join us for approximately 24 minutes as we talk good and bad and mostly great things about these two expansions. Additionally , Ron rants and I rave. Good Times. I almost apologize for the use of the word orgy in the podcast’s metadata too.

You can check out my “impression” of Kane’s Wrath as mentioned in the podcast here. And here is a link to 1Up’s official network review  of Kane’s Wrath and Soulstorm as well.

This weeks show is available by direct download here.

As always, you can get past episodes from our podcast page at http://podcast.filefront.com, and you can send your comments, questions, suggestions, or snarky comments to podcast@filefront.com.

File-N-Forget is also available on the iTunes Music Store.

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Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath
Developer: EA LA
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Price: $29.99
Platform: PC, Xbox 360 (June 2008)
Category: Real-Time Strategy
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (Animated Blood, Mild Language, Violence)
Release Date: March 24, 2008

Command and Conquer or get the hell out of my way! The Tiberium wars may be over and the mysterious Kane returned but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a story left to tell. Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath, the first expansion to last years popular C&C 3, does something not many expansions attempt - it fills in backstory and expands continuity for the Command & Conquer universe while attempting to hint at things to come.

I’ve always been a fan of C&C, way back to the days when it was a game based on Frank Herbert’s Dune series. (Yeah I’m that old.. Dune 2 was groundbreaking I recommend every fan of RTS games try and find a DosBox playable copy!) The series is all about fast build and rushing. There is a balls to the wall pace that many games of its ilk have tried to replicate with varied success, but aside from a few missteps along the road to C&C 3 the series is a perennial favorite.

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Thank you, developers of alternate history games. Thank you for reminding us that if World War II had never happened, the forces of evil would be invading the world with missile-carrying dirigibles…for, um, some reason. EA has released a handful of new screens for the upcoming Red Alert 3. As you can imagine, they feature lots of electricity-firing vehicles emblazoned with the Soviet hammer and sickle. Ridiculous premises aside, this game’s already looking like it will satisfy many an RTS fans needs when it comes out eventually.

You can check out more screenshots from the game here.

EA apparently decided to declare today “Red Thursday” as they are now officially announcing Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 (as opposed to the information getting leaked by two magazine covers). Along with that, they released a video of executive producer, Chris Corry, discussing the upcoming game as well as a few screenshots. There are only two images showing any actual in-game footage, but so far, it looks pretty good. Besides, where else are you going to find a franchise set in an alternate history where Einstein traveled back in time to kill Hitler, leading the Soviets unopposed to build up their forces for world domination through mind control?

Even though nothing official has been announced just yet, I think it’s safe to say that another installment of the Red Alert series is on it’s way. Aside from a cover story on Hungarian magazine, PC Guru, it looks like the next issue of PC Gamer will also have a lot of news on a new Red Alert game. So either two magazines in different countries are trying to feed their audience the same lie, or (much more likely) Red Alert 3 is already in the works. Soon we’ll be able to fight for or against the Soviets again, thanks to Einstein’s brief stint as a Timecop.

Via PC Gamer

Command and Conquer 3 is a great game, but you know what I really want? Another RTS set in an alternate history where Albert Einstein traveled back in time to kill Hitler, leaving the Soviets able to build up their forces and try to take over the world through mind control. I’m not joking either; I loved the Red Alert series for it’s great action and bizarre story. That’s why it comes as awesome news to me that Red Alert 3 may soon be announced by EA. The cover of the next issue of the Hungarian gaming magazine, PC Guru, was recently leaked onto the internet with their eye-grabbing cover story about the upcoming sequel. The words below the title translate to “World Premiere: Red Alert 3, 20th page; We ventured to Los Angeles to try out the newest installment of this legendary series personally.” Of course, this isn’t an official announcement yet, so I’m still classifying this as rumor; but that’s kind of like how I sometimes classify Taco Bell as “healthy.”

Via Strategy Informer (thanks to Joel for the heads up!)

For its third fiscal quarter, which ended on December 31, EA posted a net loss of $33 million, compared with a net income of $160 million during the same period the previous year. Despite this, the company saw a 17% increase in revenue compared with the previous year, from $1.28 billion to $1.5 billion.

“This was a record revenue quarter for EA and the single biggest revenue quarter for any third party publisher in our industry,” said CEO John Riccitiello.

Riccitiello went on to say that “short-term pain” is necessary for the company to enhance the quality of internally developed titles. He also said that he’s willing to delay titles to ensure higher quality.

“While we are the third-party quality leader we are not satisfied with where we are,” said Riccitiello. “We did not have any internally developed breakaway titles and no one of EA’s internally developed titles reached a Metacritc rating of 90 or greater.

“This hit us particularly hard in North America where EA faced tough competition on a number of fronts. In North America, excluding EA Partners, our business was essentially flat in a very robust market.

“As anticipated, our calendar year shares were down. Although we hit our numbers and anticipated our share losses, losing share is just not acceptable. Rebuilding share is a top priority.”

And almost as if he was trying to give me a quote to back up my claim that he is the guy gamers would want in charge of a company like EA, he said, “When I came back to EA I made a commitment to investing in quality, both because I think it’s the right decision for the long-term financial health of the company and because it is what our consumers have a right to expect.”

via GamesIndustry.biz

Somehow, I always seem to forget that the Tiberium in Command and Conquer games is essentially glowing green death (and that has cost me dearly many times). But this new trailer for the upcoming FPS, named simply “Tiberium,” certainly drives that point home. That and you get a closer look at your character’s transforming gun. If you want to see a lot of actualy gameplay though, be sure to check out the video here.

At the end of last week, we got a look at the not-so-pretty NPD results for PC games in 2007. While they of course don’t factor in things like digital distribution, it turns out that the numbers actually were incorrect, in that they didn’t count Gold and Deluxe versions of some of the games on the list. Basically, The Sims 2 moves up while one of its expansions is knocked off the list by Flight Simulator X.

Have a look:

1. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade – (Vivendi) – 2.25 million
2. World of Warcraft– (Vivendi) – 914,000
3. The Sims 2 – (Electronic Arts) – 534,000
4. The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack – (Electronic Arts) – 433,000
5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – (Activision) – 383,000
6. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars – (Electronic Arts) – 350,000
7. MS Age of Empires III – (Microsoft) – 313,000
8. Sim City 4 - (Electronic Arts) – 294,000
9. MS Flight Simulator X - (Microsoft) - 280,000
10. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Expansion Pack – (Electronic Arts) – 272,000

You can see the original numbers here. Ultimately, it doesn’t make the outlook of the PC gaming world look any better, but at least we now have more accurate data.

via Gamasutra

This new video from Command and Conquer: Tiberium shows off some of the gameplay from the upcoming FPS set in the established RTS universe. There are plenty of notable things on display here, mostly in the form of cool moves that you can pull off in the first-person, such as front slides and super jumps. All that and you’ve essentially got a Transformer for a gun, plus different specialized squads to help you out, some of which include earth-shaking mechs. So far, this game’s already looking like it could have more than a few tricks up its sleeve to set it apart from the usual FPS fare.

Before you skip right to the numbers, keep in mind that NPD numbers don’t encompass digital downloads which explains why games like The Orange Box are conspicuously absent from the year’s top 10 chart.

Revenue from retail sales dropped nearly $60 million from $970 million in 2006 to $910.7 million in 2007. That doesn’t encompass revenue from subscriptions from MMOs, which continue to be a major chunk of the PC market. As for what the direct cause of the drop was, I would imagine it’s a combination of increased piracy and a larger usage of digital distribution as outlets like Steam become the norm for many PC gamers.

1. World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Vivendi) - 2.25 million
2. World Of Warcraft (Vivendi) - 914,000
3. The Sims 2: Seasons Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts) - 433,000
4. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision) - 383,000
5. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (Electronic Arts) - 343,000
6. Sim City 4 Deluxe (Electronic Arts) - 284,000
7. The Sims 2 (Electronic Arts) - 281,000
8. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts) - 271,000
9. Age Of Empires III (Microsoft) - 259,000
10. The Sims 2: Pets Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts) - 236,000

It’s no surprise to see World of Warcraft and The Sims dominate the list; I’d expect nothing different in 2008. There’s not much room for games that don’t belong to either of those series to make the list, but of the four that did, it’s somewhat odd to see Age of Empires III sell just over a quarter million units.

I really wouldn’t put much stock in these numbers for all of the aforementioned reasons. Whether or not PC gaming is struggling certainly cannot be ascertained from these figures, so don’t go crazy about how you just invested in a new 8800 when PC gaming is about to go down the toilet.

Which I’d like to think it isn’t.

via Gamasutra

EA is kicking off the new year with episode 5 of Command and Conquer: BattleCast Primetime. This latest episode gives gamers a look at the first multiplayer match for the upcoming Kane’s Wrath expansion.

A brand new 45 minute BattleCast Primetime Episode 5 is finally here to kick off 2008! In this epic episode you’ll witness the first ever multiplayer match for our upcoming expansion pack, Kane’s Wrath. The new GDI sub-factions Zocom and the Steal Talons are also blown open with new gameplay footage of all their units, including the Mammoth Tank “Marv” epic unit! We’ve also got another explosive BattleCast Primetime feature match, all your favorite C&C 3 moments on “The Five”, more community entertainment from APOC’s corner, Dave and Raj, and tons more! Command & Conquer fans, ring in 2008 with this brand new episode of BattleCast Primetime.

C&C fan can watch or download episode 5 from the Command and Conquer 3 site. Check out screens for the C&C 3: Kane’s Wrath on FileFront.

“The commander saw victory in his grasp, the greenskins had been pushed back and he knew the tactical elements of the Imperium would, Emperor willing, capture and rally with the help of the newly arrived Blood Angels. Five units. Five simple units of Cadian Imperial Guard had held against the green horde, the rampaging onslaught of Gretchin and Orks with their bloodlust flowing. Not even a regiment of defenders stood between them and the settlement of Cleric’s Hollow. The Cadian’s had held before the brunt of the overwhelming numbers. Today this bastion of the empire would not succumb. Today, the greenskins had been taught that even trying to take an insignificant clerical outpost would cost them dearly.”

How can you not enjoy a futuristic Gothic fantasy game? Littered with all the conceits of fantasy races, mystic forces and mankind corrupted by alien influences? Warhammer 40,000 (40k) is now a property well known in the PC gaming circles thanks to Relic Entertainment and THQ. A real-time strategy game where players build and command the forces of the Empire in a galactic future. A dark future in fact, where mankind faces constant war against all comers – from the green skin Orks to the mysterious Eldar. Years of backstory go into informing this rich and expansive universe with tomes and tomes of story enlightening gamers about each and every faction in the setting.

Warhammer 40k, and it’s partner series – Warhammer began life as simple fantasy miniature games. Tabletop titles where players purchased and built up massive armies of metal miniatures and simulated squad and even army scale combats using elaborate tables and charts and a couple of dice. While Warhammer might not be the 1st such game of this nature it is probably one of the most universally recognized tabletop wargames available today.

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Yesterday it was revealed that EA is hard at work on a spiritual sequel to Command and Conquer: Renegade, titled “Tiberium.” Now it looks like Tiscali has gotten their hands on some scans of the January issue of Game Informer, which should reveal more details on the upcoming squad-based FPS. The scans are unfortunately really grainy, but you can still get the general idea of what sort of enemies you’ll be up against, like the alien robots called the “Scrin.” That and you can see what soldiers you’ll be commanding, along with some giant robots of your own. Just wish they could’ve scanned the text as well, so we could get some more details on this title.

Via Tiscali

It’s been over five years since the last first-person shooter set in the Command and Conquer universe, “Renegade,” came out. Now it looks like the famed RTS is heading back into the FPS realm with the upcoming “Tiberium.” You’ll play the leader of a group called “R.A.I.D” (Rapid Assault and Intercept Deployment) against a new enemy, the Scrin. The only two Scrin units announced so far are standard infantry types called “Archons” and little robots with guns called “Shrikes.” The game is said to be “Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter meets Battlefield meets Rainbow Six Vegas,” which I think basically means it’s a squad based shooter with vehicles. The game should be coming out for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. We should find out more when the January issue of Game Informer hits news stands with the full details.

Via Video Games Blogger

Cheating is prevalent in nearly every game out there, and all the community can really ask is that developers not ignore these cheaters – meaning that they fix the game’s problems and ban those that exploit them. EA is one such developer, and it won’t stand idly by while you cheat your way to the top of the leaderboards in Command & Conquer 3.

75+ accounts have been banned in this most recent wave, which includes permanent bans for some and suspensions for others, in addition to being kicked off/banned from the game’s 1v1 ladder.

An EA staffer made a post on the official C&C3 forums stating the offenses (excessive disconnecting, lobby flood spamming) and ousting the names of certain noteworthy individuals who suffered the fate of a ban. The list included two top ranked players.

via 1UP

Okay, so it doesn’t function the same way as Tesla Coils in the Command and Conquer games do, so you couldn’t use it to zap the neighbor’s annoying dog; but it still looks pretty cool nonetheless. Electricity enthusiast, Peter, decided to recreate the look of the Tesla Coils from the game using a real one. The picture you see above is the result of roughly 100 hours of work crafting life-size models and getting the tesla bolts to spark the right way. You can’t tell from the picture, but there are actually small wires running from the coil to its targets. After crafting and setting all this up, Peter then took a 17-second exposure to produce this one image. He gives step-by-step details on how he did it on his site, along with some other cool pictures involving tesla bolts. Now we just need someone to make a Prism Tower and home security will take a step in a new direction.

Via Tesla Down Under

EA’S The Command & Conquer Saga is storming the shelves of store across North America today. The massive compilation of Command & Conquer titles for the PC includes the award-winning Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars and all the titles featured in Command & Conquer The First Decade making it the largest PC franchise compilation to date.

The Command & Conquer Saga contains the following titles:

• Command & Conquer^™ (August 1995)
• Command & Conquer The Covert Operations^™ (April 1996)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert^™ (October 1996)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert Counterstrike^™ (March 1997)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert^™ The Aftermath^™ (September 1997)
• Command & Conquer^™ Tiberian Sun^™ (August 1999)
• Command & Conquer^™ Tiberian Sun^™ Firestorm (February 2000)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert^™ 2 (October 2000)
• Command & Conquer^™ Red Alert^™ Yuri’s Revenge^™ (October 2001)
• Command & Conquer Renegade^™ (February 2002)
• Command & Conquer^™ Generals (February 2003)
• Command & Conquer^™ Generals Zero Hour (September 2003)
• Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars^™ (March 2007)

All games included in the compilation are rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. The Command & Conquer Saga retails in the US for the suggested price of $49.99.

via Business Wire 

It looks as if Episode 3 of EA’s SportsCenter themed web show, BattleCast Primetime, has gone live. For now, you can attempt to view the episode via their embedded Flash player on the C&CTV website. Unfortunately, the website’s player seems broken at the moment. I tried viewing it on two different machines with two different browsers to no avail. The page and plugin load, but nothing happens. Reading this thread over at the EA forums, I get the idea that I’m not the only one experiencing this.

Regardless, Apoc assures us that direct downloads to the 3rd episode will be available soon.

In case you missed the previous BattleCast episodes, we have them archived here at FileFront for you to download.

Don’t forget that you can also watch the BattleCast games, sans the announcers, via EA’s handy tool: C&C3: Tiberium Wars Battlecast Viewer. This tool is basically a stripped down C&C3 engine that allows you to watch the recorded matches. Battlecast Viewer is obviously superior to any recorded video since your PC is rendering the stuff in real time. Oh yeah, it’s free for anyone to download and use. Cool stuff.

Via C&CTV

EA have just sent word that the upcoming C&C3 expansion, Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath, will feature two new Hollywood celebrities. Adding to the C&C3 cast are Hollywood veteran Carl Lumbly (”Alias”, “Justice League”) and the very lovely Natasha Henstridge (”Species”, “The Whole Nine Yards”). And if the expansion’s title wasn’t enough clue, the enigmatic Joe Kucan will be reprising his role as “The Messiah” … I mean Kane. I can’t imagine anyone other than Joe playing the immortal sociopath.

Straight from the Press Release:

“Natasha and Carl are a perfect fit for the live-action video sequences that will bring our epic story to life,” said Mike Verdu, General Manager of EALA and Executive Producer on Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath. “We had great success with the cast and story for Command & Conquer 3, and I’m very excited to be working with such talented actors on the expansion pack. We’re doing something really unique with the campaign this time around – and I think fans will be thrilled to see how the story unfolds.”

Carl Lumbly, who many Cartoon Network junkies may recognize as the voice to J’onn J’onzz of “Justice League” fame, will be acting the role of Marcion in C&C3: Kane’s Wrath.

Natahsa Henstridge, herself, will be tackling the role of Alexa. Ironically, Natasha’s IMDB bio shows her as a 5′10″ blonde model-turned-actress hailing from Canada. Sound familiar?

Poor, Kane. It looks like his last hair plug session went badly. Full press release after the break.

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