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.

Read the full article »

As promised in the second episode of C&C TV’s BattleCast Primetime, EA have released the Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars v1.09 Patch. Here’s a quick summary of what that patch includes:

This patch for Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars fixes several bugs, makes balance changes across all three sides, adds a new four-player multiplayer map, and more.

Lots of changes here. The balance changes alone will probably make it a completely different game now. You can read the rather lengthy list of patch notes after the break. Download the patch here at FileFront by clicking the link directly below.

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars v1.09 Patch [264MB]

As a bonus, EA have also put up a preview (above) to episode three of BattleCast Primetime, which should go live Tuesday, October 30th at 1PM P.S.T. Something else to check out while you’re waiting for that patch to finish downloading.

Read the full article »

Electronic Arts have announced 27 titles in their holiday line-up that are sure to please at least some of North American gamers young and old. The EA line-up brings titles to all major game systems, handhelds, and mobile. You will notice that some of these games are already out (The Orange Box), but since they were included in the press release, I have included them here as well – you will also notice ratings, pricing and format listed along with the title. This should make the decision making process much easier for you and EA has been kind enough to send along information about each game. Enjoy.

Army of TWO

Combat. Camaraderie. Cash. Master two-man combat with a live or AI partner to form the deadliest private military partnership a government can buy. Preorder Army of Two this holiday on the Xbox 360, and gamers will receive exclusive community created weapons. Pre-order Army of Two on the PLAYSTATION 3 and receive an exclusive dossier including hints and content from the graphic novel.

· Release date: November 13
· Platforms: Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3
· ESRB Rating: M for Mature
· MSRP: $59.99

Boogie

Shake it. Sing it. Create it. The ultimate party package for gamers of all ages, Boogie on the PlayStation 2 and Wii will have players dancing, singing and creating music videos to hit songs from over four decades. Players can even take their dancing act on the road with Boogie on the Nintendo DS. This version offers unique dancing modes including 3D gameplay using the 3D glasses packed in the retail box as well as mini-games not found on the consoles.

· Release date: November 15, 2007 (PlayStation 2/ Nintendo DS), August 2007 (Wii)
· Platforms: Wii, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo DS
· ESRB Rating: E10+
· MSRP: $59.99 (Wii) and $49.99 (PlayStation 2) – includes microphone; $29.99 (Nintendo DS) – includes 3D glasses

Command & Conquer Saga

Experience Command & Conquer like never before with The Command & Conquer Saga —thirteen Command & Conquer games spanning three generations of the series in a single package! This massive compilation spans over a dozen Command & Conquer games including the award-winning Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars and all the titles featured in Command & Conquer The First Decade. Available in North America this October for the PC, The Command & Conquer Saga marks the largest PC franchise compilation to date.

· Release date: October
· Platform: PC
· ESRB Rating: T for Teen
· MSRP: $49.99

MORE AFTER THE BREAK

Read the full article »

…and there was much Moo’ing and gnashing of teat.

Despite having given away the first Command & Conquer game freely in celebration of C&C’s 12th anniversary (nice marketing probing there), EA, in predictable fashion, have decided to milk that fat cow just a little bit longer. Just yesterday, EA announced Command & Conquer Saga – a collection of all C&C games within the franchise’s 12 year history to date. C&C Saga, priced at $49.99 and PC only, will contain the following titles:

• Command & Conquer™ (Aug. 1995)
• Command & Conquer The Covert Operations™ (April 1996)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert™ (Oct 1996)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert Counterstrike™ (Mar. 1997)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert™ The Aftermath™ (Sept. 1997)
• Command & Conquer™ Tiberian Sun™ (Aug 1999)
• Command & Conquer™ Tiberian Sun™ Firestorm (Feb. 2000)
• Command & Conquer Red Alert™ 2 (Oct. 2000)
• Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ Yuri’s Revenge™ (Oct. 2001)
• Command & Conquer Renegade™ (Feb. 2002)
• Command & Conquer™ Generals (Feb. 2003)
• Command & Conquer™ Generals Zero Hour (Sept. 2003)
• Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™ (Mar 2007)

[Yes, I know Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor isn't listed here. There's a good reason I'm sure.]

At first glance, this seems like just another repackaged C&C: The First Decade. After giving it much thought, you are actually getting a fairly modern C&C3: Tiberium Wars game inclusive as well. That alone probably justifies 2/3rds of the price. Still, the whole “same ol’ repackaged stuff” and “milk it for its worth” stigma is gnawing at my psyche. I would much rather see an announcement of a (and I’m making this up) C&C3: Liquid Tiberium Edition – bundling C&C3: Tiberium Wars & C&C3: Kane’s Wrath. Console owners will have the luxury of purchasing the upcoming Kane’s Wrath as a standalone title, which means PC users will probably get the shaft with separate purchase requirements. Then again, I guess it all comes down to who has what and, of course, price.

The question I have, before I decide to plop my 50 hard earned dollars down for C&C Saga, is “Will everything run on Vista?” Let’s hope EA provide a proper installer and do their best to avoid kludge emulation hacks to get the old stuff running. It would also be nice if I we didn’t have to use workarounds to get all the multiplayer aspects working. The whole marketing behind The First Decade was “It will run on XP!” I don’t see EA touting “It will run on Vista!” with Saga. Makes me wonder…

Meh. Just give me a proper Renegade sequel and I’ll stop my EA bashing. Milk that fat cow for all it’s worth.

Full press release after the break.

Read the full article »

It has been a month and a half since the premiere of Command & Conquer TV Battlecast. Battlecast, of course, is EA’s attempt at advertisement through a Sportscenter based television show themed with the Command & Conquer franchise. It is a bit silly to watch at first, but it does provide a breath of fresh air to an otherwise boring television medium (technically a webisode). The highlight of the first Battlecast was definitely C&C’s Joe “Kane” Kucan stealing the show by acting like a complete goofball. In case you missed it, you can find all four parts of the first Battlecast here. You can also read Shawn’s thoughts on the first Battlecast here.

Episode 2 of the C&C Battlecast, much like first, clocks in at a near 40 minutes (including commercials). Here are the major highlights of the second Battlecast:

My analysis of Battlecast Episode 2? Needs more Joe “Kane” Kucan. He’s barely in it this time, folks. Overall, pretty much more of the same stuff. Definitely worth checking out if you are into the Battlecast match coverage itself.

Because of the massive filesize and near 40 minute runtime of a Battlecast episode, it has been divided into four parts. The first part is provided above. Links to the rest are below. Enjoy.

C&C TV Battlecast Episode 2 Part 2 of 4 (WMV) [226 MB]

C&C TV Battlecast Episode 2 Part 3 of 4 (WMV) [285 MB]

C&C TV Battlecast Episode 2 Part 4 of 4 (WMV) [383 MB]

Straight out of the rumor mill comes news of Electronic Arts developing a new First Person Shooter, possibly in the C&C universe. Could this be the sequel to 2002’s Command & Conquer: Renegade? I hope so.

According to Gamespot, EA recently posted a job on its own employment site for a sound designer:

“Does the idea of contributing your specialized knowledge in sound design to the next-generation gaming platform for EAs widely recognized leading sci-fi franchise get you pumped,” the posting asks. “EA has an exciting opportunity for a sound designer who will work closely with the audio director on creating sound effects, dialog, and music for a next-generation first person shooter game.” (Emphases added.)

If true, this could be some exciting news for C&C fans. C&C: Renegade, despite its substandard graphics and stiff competition at the time, proved it could tackle the FPS genre, Westwood-style. Renegade received many praises from critics, and its multiplayer is still regarded as one of the best in its day. In fact, when it comes to gameplay over graphics, I tend to always refer to Renegade. It had the back-story and look of the C&C universe with all the popular first person shooter elements gamers came to expect. Many would-be critics bashed Renegade for its graphics, but the gameplay is what truly carried the game. The game must have been thought a success in some circles, as a sequel was planned within the C&C: Red Alert universe. Unfortunately, the sequel never had a chance when EA/Westwood decided to scrap the project early, and the eventual shutdown of Westwood only made matters worse.

Although there is no official confirmation yet on any FPS development by EA, it is still fun to guess what’s going on over there at EALA. If the success of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is any indication, the C&C franchise is worth resurrecting.

Via Gamespot

Bethesda has released new screenshots of Star Trek: Conquest. The screens are extremely colorful shots of battles and one console screen. The details on these screens are great. The style is very artistic rather than starkly real.

Star Trek: Conquest will be released simultaneously for the Wii and the PS2 this holiday season. Bethesda promises more details on Conquest soon so keep your coms on for more information to follow. In the mean time, view the new screens here on FileFront.

via Bethesda Blog