Not to outdo today's news, but Civilization 4 is on sale for a measly 10 bucks over at the Steam store. Crack open those wallets!
News Blips:
2K Games will be shipping a Digital Deluxe Edition of Civilization 5 for Valve's Steam platform. Containing features of the Steamworks service, the Deluxe Edition stars Babylonian renegade Nebuchadnezzar II (a name which evokes a memory of a certain rusty hovercraft from The Matrix) and his merry band of Babylonian bowmen. In an unconventional twist by developer Firaxis, pre-ordering the game nabs you the exclusive Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Mesopotamia, which covers the Fertile Crescent, Nile River valley, the Tigris and Euphrates River, and the Persian Gulf. I'm a bit foggy on Firaxis' decision to include a pre-order bonus; creating one of the most addicting games of all time should be enough.
A leaked image of a GameStop shelf placeholder card has revealed the name of the next Assassin's Creed game. Kotaku received confirmation by Ubisoft that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is indeed the official title after a GameStop employee posted pictures of the placeholder card on the Internet. Additional information provided by the card indicates that Assassin's Creed 2's Ezio will return, this time within the sprawling capital of Rome. The brotherhood in question refers to the band of mysterious assassins that lurk behind Ezio on the front and back cover, which teases the brand-new multiplayer component being introduced within the game. As for the GameStop employee, can you say, "hosed"?
Speaking to CVG, Epic Games designer Cliff Bleszinski affirms the decision to limit the upcoming Gears of War 3 at 30 frames per second instead of the more silky-smooth 60. After a rough translation of the Russian magazine article that exposed the change, Bleszinksi responded by saying, "Our target is, and shall remain, 30fps. When asked about 60 we always respond that we'd rather have the extra juice to put more on screen and stick with 30." So far, that "extra juice" is going into some sparkly visual treats such as "multi-layered shadows, wind, and particle effects," plus levels that "change in real-time." I wish Doc Brown had a hand in video games — with the power of 1.21 gigawatts, anything is possible!
Bungie community lead Brian Jarrard remarks upon the staggering amount of players that have participated in the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta thus far. A whopping 1.2 million players signed on to the beta during the initial 24 hours, a number that surpasses the "entire life of the Halo 3 beta," according to Jarrard. Apart from the typical first-day server woes, Jarrard said that the beta is "off to a great start" and that Bungie "couldn't be happier" with the beta's turnout. Jarrard also mentioned the inclusion of the new Invasion gametype this coming Friday, which pits Spartan and Elite teams in multi-tiered, objective-based arenas. Make sure to experience the new beta content during our Halo: Reach Game Night! [IndustryGamers]
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