In news that shouldn’t be all that surprising, id software has announced that they have begun production of the next installment in the Doom series. And…that’s really all that we know right now. However, id has also announced that they’re now looking to hire some new people for the project:

“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”

Odds are the game will be an FPS involving a space marine fighting demons on Mars. Unless they shake things up a bit and make it real-time-strategy-kart-racing game. Frankly, with the FPS genre so oversaturated these days, I’d welcome the change of pace.

Via Press Release

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Ubisoft has released a new trailer for the upcoming Far Cry 2, which shows off some gameplay footage and has the developers explaining some of the game’s dynamics. This new game will be set in Africa and will allow you to openly explore around 50 square-kilometers of terrain. As such, the developers actually took a trip to the continent, took some notes, snapped some reference shots, and almost got eaten by lions. The game will also allow you the freedom to approach enemies however you’d like, from silently taking them out one by one to running in and blowing their whole base to smithereens. From the look of the gameplay footage, this is already shaping up to be one awesome shooter.

I really hope Blizzard starts clearing up the madness soon on what top secret game they have in the works, since these indications of a new Diablo title are either based on fact or an elaborate ruse. Recently, the owner of fan site Diablo3.com revealed that he was contacted by Blizzard a few months ago about purchasing the domain name. As such, the entire site’s community has been moved over to DiabloFans.com, though Blizzard has expressly stated this is not an announcement of an official sequel:

“…While Blizzard is indeed acquiring the diablo3.com domain name, they told me that this shouldn’t be considered an announcement for the Diablo 3 game we’ve been waiting for all these years. They acquire new domains all the time. While this is true, I personally can’t help but think that this is a confirmation of sorts that they’re working on the next Diablo game. Sure, they can claim it’s because they want to protect their intellectual properties ‘n what have you, but I can’t imagine they would all of a sudden be so interested in the diablo3.com domain if they weren’t working on a new Diablo 3 game behind the scenes.”

Riiiiight, just how Blizzard suddenly taking over “Starcraft2.com” last year didn’t indicate that a sequel was in the works. Of course, not too long ago, a bizarre teaser appeared on the former Diablo3.com with a countdown set to end…er, today. Man, I hope the countdown wasn’t just to the new site introduction.

Via DiabloFans.com

2K Games has unveiled a batch of new screenshots for Mafia 2. This sequel will move ahead a few years into the 1950’s, but will still have players taking on the role a new recruit to the criminal underworld. From the looks of the new screens, the game is caming along pretty well. It looks like you’ll be doing the usual Mafia-type stuff, liek taking care of “business deals” and ducking the cops. I just hope the developers ditch any plans they might have for a mission like the agonizing car race in the first gamer. I still get a twitch just thinking about that one.

You can check out the rest of the screenshots here.

Ah, yes, finally here’s a proper trailer for Saints Row 2. This one shows off some of the gameplay and…um, is that Gary Busey? It appears THQ enlisted the infamous escaped mental patient actor for a few sort videos about a few different gameplay elements for the upcoming game, such as taunting, throwing people, and using satchel charges. And once again, these videos prove that everything is ten times more entertaining with even a mildly recognizable celebrity. Fun fact: Mr. Busey had absolutely no idea he was being filmed when these ads were shot. He thought he was auditioning for a role in a new stage version of The Sound of Music.

You can check out the other two videos after the break.

Read the full article

It looks like THQ has finally announced exactly when the sequel to Saints Row should be released. The game is now slated to drop for the Xbox 360 and PS3 on August 26 of this year. There’s also a new website for the game up, which is predictably decked out in copious amounts of bling. I guess that’s probably the best time for the game to be released: far enough from the GTA IV release so most people will have finished that game and not too close to competing with the AAA Christmas titles. The first Saints Row was probably the best Grand Theft Auto knock off around, so I’m sure the sequel will have it’s fair share of fun.

Via Joystiq

You can always count on games ratings boards to get the scoop on something. Apparently the OFLC (Australia’s version of the ESRB) has released a rating for “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2,” and unknowingly revealed the game’s existence. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all that’s known at this point: that it exists and is rated “G” for “General” in Australia. Chances are though that this will be an XBLA release that will probably be released within the next month or so (given that it’s already been rated in at least one country). We’ll have to wait until we hear more info to know for sure though.

Via OFLC Website

Assault Heroes was one of the earlier games to be released through the Xbox Live Arcade, and just yeserday it became an “Arcade Hit” with a permanent price reduction of 400 Microsoft points (about $5). Looks like that was also a move to get people excited about the upcoming sequel, since the developers have now also revealed this new trailer. The first game was fun (I spent a chunk of last night playing it), but kind of hard to justify as more than a $5 purchase. Luckily, this game looks to up the ante a bit with some crazy new bosses and new vehicles to command. We’ll have to fin out how much value that adds to the game when it’s released later this spring.

SouthPeak Games announced today that it will be releasing a sequel to its open world role-playing game, Two Worlds. Entitled Two Worlds: The Temptation, the game is slated to be available on the PC and Xbox 360 this Fall.

Taking place shortly after the events portrayed in the first Two Worlds, The Temptation takes place in Eastern Antaloor, in the regions surrounding Oswaroh and the Drak’ar Desert. Featuring as much content as the original, Two Worlds: The Temptation will feature more missions, improved voice-overs and animations, retooled horseback riding, completely revamped combat, and a new game engine that delivers revamped visuals - which by looking at the screenshots actually appear pretty decent.

Hopefully, they made this one a lot more playable than their last attempt. For more information on Two Worlds: The Temptation you can look over our previous posts and check out the official website.

Sierra has many titles in the works right now, and the ones scheduled for release sometime this year will stay on schedule. However, the titles that are currently in development and scheduled for a 2009 release are to have their fate decided soon by Activision.

Those of us who are eagerly anticipating The Bourne Conspiracy, Prototype, Brutal Legend, or Ghostbusters should just sit back, relax and wait for our games to hit shelves - they are safe. Sierra titles for 2009 though will have to be resubmitted to Activision and go through the approval process all over again.

Changes always happens when a new company buys your old one, and gaming is no exception. Hopefully all of the hard work that Vivendi’s Sierra line had put into these projects will not have been in vain, but you know something has to go and it may just be something you have looked forward to, so be prepared. One example of a conflict of interest may be Activision’s sequel to F.E.A.R. and Warner/Monolith’s Project Origin  -  I would sincerely hope that Activision is not dense enough to waste the time and money spent on these two massive projects - they may put them on  hold, but I doubt they feel the headsman’s axe any time soon.

When corporations merge, loads of changes happen and it is not always for the better. We will just have to wait and see how this goes down.

Source: Ben Fritz, Variety Online

Since Mass Effect was announced for the PC, people have been wondering whether the upcoming sequel would also be a timed exclusive for the Xbox 360 or if it would just be released at the same time. Senior manager with BioWare, Matt Atwood, responded to these inquiries in recent interview:

“We haven’t announced plans for timing on Mass Effect 2, period, so at this point we’re not really ready to talk about it, but because we’ve got a really great PC fan base we think it’s really important to deliver the PC experience as quickly as possible. Look for more news on that soon.”

From that and the fact that EA is now holding the reins, I’d say PC gamers can expect to see the sequel at about the same time as Xbox owners. At the very least, they might not have to wait around for months to find out what happens in the latest adventures of Shepard and Co.

Via VideoGamer

A sequel to the PS3 hit, MotorStorm was announced not too long ago, and now there’s a trailer showing some of it off. Unfortunately, it doesn’t show any gameplay, so it’s hard to say what will make this game different from the first. More importantly though, I just want to know how you can improve on graphics that were practically photo-realistic to begin with. Guess we’ll find out when the game ships later this year.

For a movie with outdated graphics that came out over two decades ago, Tron has definitely managed to maintain a strong cult following. It’s probably for this reason that a release schedule from Disney apparently lists a sequel to Tron is slated for Spring in 2011. It seems the film will be done completely in CG, while still trying to bring an innovative visual style. We can only wonder how the writers will update this classic, given the vast improvements in virtual media over the years. Whatever they come up, I’d be willing to bet there’s going to be a video game tie-in.

Via Dark Horizons

I’m labeling this a rumor because it hasn’t been announced yet, but anyone who played Assassin’s Creed to its anti-climactic finish could probably guess that Ubisoft was already looking at a sequel (or two, as other rumors have it). But people who took a random opinion survey may have received confirmation of a sequel. The survey asked people questions concerning what they liked about the first game and what features they might like to see in next game. At the end of the survey, they were then informed that their opinions would be used in designing “the next Assassin’s Creed.” Hopefully they really take these opinions seriously, since the last game had kind of mixed reviews.

While we’re on the subject though, I liked the first game, but it had quite a few major flaws; particularly the repetitiveness and the complete lack of an ending…um, and the long-winded death sequences…and the fact that no matter how stealthy you were with the main kills, they’d still sound an alarm. Did I miss anything?

Via Nidzumi

Valve’s Kim Swift inadvertently revealed a full blown sequel will be coming out for the popular inter-dimensional puzzle game Portal is in the works. Swift let it slip in an interview on last night’s X-Play episode on G4. Doug Lombardi, Valve’s Director of Marketing, assured gamers that “more Portal is definitely on the way,” but it wasn’t clear whether it would be in the form of DLC or a sequel until last night.

Check out the video segment if you missed the show. The Portal 2 reveal comes at the 2:50 mark in the 3:05 clip:

Swift - “Well, uh, I think… I believe Doug Lombardi, who is our lead marketing director at Valve, has announced Portal 2, so we can’t wait!”

As big fan of Portal, I’m looking forward to seeing new content that expands on the original game enough to merit a sequel.

via G4 - X-Play News

It’s time once again for us to offer up the latest installment of the File-N-Forget Podcast. This week, Shawn and Ron discuss the large number of sequels that seem to be flooding the market lately, and try to discern if this is a good or bad thing for the industry and the gamer alike.

We also bring back the ‘Guess the Game’ feature, as requested, and we close out with our customary ‘Rant and Rave section, where you can hear about Rock Band peripherals and Sins of a Solar Empire.

You can grab this week’s episode 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.

According to Naughty Dog’s Amy Hennig, the Director for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, there will be no DLC for the game in the future. I realize that fans of the game will be quite disappointed upon hearing this, but this should come as no surprise really considering that a sequel is currently in the works.

We don’t currently have any plans for downloadable content - instead, we included all our bonus content as unlockables right on the game disc. We’re excited about future integration with Home, though, and are looking forward to supporting Home with additional content when we’re able to.

It all boils down to this: would you rather have new content or a whole new game? Personally, I prefer a new adventure as opposed to DLC but if the game is a long ways off, why not give gamers something to sink their teeth into while waiting for the latest installment? Not only does it keep their level of interest up in the game, it would help assure better sales as gamers will be itching at that point to delve back into Drake’s shoes. Regardless though, as popular as Uncharted is it would not matter whether DLC was available or not - gamers just want more of this title no matter how long of a wait it may be.

Source: Kotaku

cdv Software Entertainment have agreed to publish ASCARON Entertainment’s anticipated Sacred 2: Fallen Angel in the United States, Canada and Mexico and is slated to launch on the PC and Xbox 360 in the second half of 2008 - just in time for Christmas I imagine.

Based on the success of the predecessor, Sacred, of which more than 1.8 million units were sold world-wide, analysts are expecting the sequel’s revenues to total in excess of 10 million worldwide. Thats a pretty large number right there!

“With the exceptional Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, our North American subsidiary has secured one of the top titles for 2008. We are delighted to take a major step forward with a game that has such AAA market potential,” said cdv Software Entertainment AG’s CEO, Christian Gloe. “It illustrates that cdv can successfully deliver among the best titles in the industry, significantly growing the organization’s global revenue potential.”

“We’ve found our ideal partner in cdv Software Entertainment USA,” remarked Heiko tom Felde, Head of Operations at Ascaron Entertainment GmbH. “Based on our past successful cooperation we are delighted to launch the highly desirable Sacred 2 – Fallen Angel with cdv as our key partner in North America.”

The story for Sacred 2 is set 2000 years before the original and features a 3D world where action RPG fans can also look forward to a number of new features, as well as improved game mechanics. Taking place in a giant, open-ended world with hundreds of dungeons, treacherous opponents and a variety of challenging quests, players will come across intelligent enemies which will steadily adapt in number and difficulty based on player progress, and you can challenge these enemies in wither single or multiplayer battles.

Sacred 2 provides numerous unique items that can be gathered and includes a deep reward system which further enables advancements in character, individual attributes and character-specific fighting styles, each designed to keep players returning to discover what is around the next bend. Drop-in styled cooperative multiplayer gameplay ensures players will enjoy the game alone or with friends at any time with five unique multiplayer modes.

For more information on Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, check out our previous posts. Game features are listed after the break.

Via: Press Release

Read the full article

SEGA announced today that some new multiplayer modes would be featured in the next installment of the Condemned series. Condemned 2: Bloodshot will introduce a variety of online multiplayer modes for up to eight players:

• Crime Scene is an innovative round-based competition to find and protect valuable evidence within the Condemned universe. One team will use their forensic tools to track and scan the evidence while the opposing team will do everything in their power to keep the evidence hidden and protected.
• Bum Rush is a team-based race against time. With three minutes before one team can safely be evacuated, players must hold off an onslaught of attacks by the other team until the timer runs out in order to stand a chance of survival.
• Deathmatch is the classic free-for-all mode. Players can use every weapon they can find to dispatch enemies as quickly as possible in this melee battle royale. The player with the highest score at the end of the time limit wins.
• Team Deathmatch is the team-based version of the classic free-for-all mode. Working together, players pick up weapons from the environment and fight off as many enemies as possible before the clock runs down. The team with the highest score after the time limit wins.

There are also a couple of trailers (here and here) showing what looks like some Deathmatch gameplay. The trailers, well, don’t impress. Besides being egregiously short, they basically just show show two people trying to beat on each other with sticks. I’ve seen whack-a-mole games that were more interesting. That “Crime Scene” mode sounds like it could be interesting though.

Via Press Release

EA told Eurogamer Germany that Dead Space is coming to the PC. Executive producer Glen Schofield also revealed that downloadable content for all three formats is also in the works, but plans for the title don’t stop there.

“I would definitely like to make future Dead Space games,” said Schofield, probably through Gordon the Gopher. “I’d love for this to become a well established franchise; we’ve created a huge and rich back story and universe, so other games could easily be made.”

EA is promising us the scariest survival horror game ever. Dead Space is ignoring the multiplayer shooter routine and concentrating on story and atmosphere taking liberal notes from Half-Life 2 for cut scenes and game mechanics. There will be no conventional HUD either to maximize immersion. Anther innovation is the use of gravity to solve puzzles and defeat bosses.

I’m a big fan of the Silent Hill series. I also really liked the innovative gameplay of Portal. Valve used gravity very effectively within the title. Somehow, I’m hoping if they could combine the two, it would be this game.

Dead Space is scheduled for launch this fall.

via Eurogamer