Star Trek Online — Path To The Future

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Star Trek Online will be going free to play January 17, 2012 and it will have a new opening video to mark the occasion. As the video shows,m uch has changed in the Star Trek universe over the past few decades…

Are You The Least Extreme?!?

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A new app on Facebook has been launched for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 called “Unleash Your Un-Ultimate” asking fans to submit photos and videos of their least intense battles. Check out this video to see a little hyper larping in action. Submissions have ended, but check out the tab to browse the cosplay photos and videos for yourself. Fans were eligible to win an Xbox 360, copies of the game and more.

What Is The World Dreaming About

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A new visualizer engagement for the new film A Dangerous Method directed by David Cronenberg allows fans to see what the world is dreaming about right now. Several hashtags have been reserved (#idreamt, #recurringdream, #nakeddream) allowing anyone to contribute and be part of the group analysis. The visualizer scours tweets and Flickr posts searching for the words ‘I dreamed’, ‘I dreamt’ and ‘had a dream’ collecting hundreds of dreams a day creating an interactive experience unlike any other. Our dreams open a window into ourselves, enter to see what the world is dreaming about and see if it opens a window into yourself.

Zynga Releases CastleVille, Plush Toys

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Zynga has launched CastleVille, which will bring their popular social games into a fantasy setting. The game has superior production values to previous Zynga titles, with orchestral music and a variety of colorfully animated landscapes.

“With CastleVille, we set out to develop a fun and social experience that delivers and improves upon all the innovative social and emotional elements our players love,” said Bill Jackson, Creative Director of Zynga Dallas. “We also wanted to bring a higher level of production quality to the Ville franchise — from the stunning scenery and magnificent castles, to the playful characters, beautiful music and deep narrative. We poured our passion for ‘play’ and ‘social’ into every detail.”

 

Zynga also announced FarmVille Plush toys that will be $9.99 at Best Buy, or for only 99 cents with the purchase of a $25 game card. The toy comes with a collectible “blind barn box” with a FarmVille animal inside as well as 10 free Farm Cash (a $2 value).

BioShock Creator Not ‘Burning’ For A Movie Version

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The BioShock movie is something that’s been discussed off and on for the past several years. While its been at various stages of development, BioShock creator Ken Levine indicates it is not a huge priority for him.

“We got very close to having it get made – we had a deal in place and a director,” said Levine. “But for us there’s no burning [desire] to have a movie made just to get it made.”

“For us and for Take-Two, it’s really got to be something that will a) give the fans something that they want, and b) for those who don’t know BioShock, really introduce them to something that is consistent with the game, and is it going to be a good representation of the game,” he noted.

“There are differences between games and movies, no doubt, but the movie has to draw from the same DNA in terms of the world and the story beats,” he said, adding, “But you know, we don’t have a need to get it made.”

Source: IndustryGamers

PC ‘Headaches’ Discussed By Bethsoft VP Marketer

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Zenimax possesses studios in Bethsoft and id Software that have franchises like The Elder Scrolls and Doom that have long been associated with PC development. However, Bethsoft VP of marketing Pete Hines says that piracy and technical issues make it a less than optimal platform to develop for.

“From a technical standpoint, yes, the PC is a headache,” said Hines. “It just is. A million different possibilities of hardware, drivers, etc. As you saw with Rage, all it takes is some bad video card drivers and years of hard work comes off as ‘buggy’ when in fact it’s a really solid, stable game.”

“Unless you decide not to make your games available for PC, [piracy is] a problem and you have to deal with it,” added Hines. “So we do the best we can to protect it without resorting to draconian measures, and we continue to enthusiastically support our PC fans with things like the Creation Kit and the ability to create and add unlimited amounts of mods and content to your existing PC game. We try to do some things with the UI for PC folks to have the best experience possible.”

Source: Joystiq

Halo Living Monument Comes To Life

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Microsoft is marking the launch of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary with HaloLivingMonument.com. Fans are invited to upload moments of their favorite Halo memories from the last decade, which will become part of an interactive, 3D mosaic image of Master Chief.

“Users can explore the content of the mosaic, rate their favorite submissions and share them with friends on Facebook and Twitter. Contributing to the mosaic is as easy as uploading an image from Facebook or leaving a comment about your favorite Halo memory,” says Microsoft. “In addition, fans who add their photos to the interactive memorial can see their contributions immortalized in a personalized, live-action “Halo Tribute” video that honors the dedication and support of the Halo community over the franchise’s ten year history.”

Social Features Enhanced On Xbox.com

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Microsoft has updated their Xbox.com site with a new “Social” section that will show you what your Xbox Live friends are doing and preview the new features in the next Xbox 360 dashboard update. There are also changes to allow browsing of a Zune video catalog and buy movies and TV shows right from a browser.

 

“There’s other new functionality available from the new Social page, including a revamped Messages section, and the ability to visit friends’ profiles to see the Beacons they’ve set, but we’ll leave the rest for you to explore,” says the Xbox.com Blog. “You’ll also want to browse around the rest of Xbox.com, as the update added other new functions to the site, such as a new Video section that lets you browse the Zune video catalog and purchase movies and TV shows to watch later on your Xbox 360, Windows Phone, or Zune media player.”

Source: forums.xbox.com

Final Fantasy XIII-2 U.S. Collector’s Edition

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Square Enix has confirmed that a Collector’s Edition of Final Fantasy XIII-2 will release in North America. It will be available in limited quantities for GameStop, Amazon and Best Buy for $79.99.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Collector’s Edition will feature “premium packaging featuring artwork by Yoshitaka Amano, an impressive 4-disc official soundtrack and a collection of concept artwork. The full-color concept art collection contains material from the making of Final Fantasy XIII-2, with a variety of never-before-seen illustrations, environments and more.”

GameStop will offer a downloadable alternate costume for Serah for those that pre-order, Amazon will have the exclusive Omega boss battle, who will join the player’s party afterward. Best buy will have the Collectible Hardcover Book Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i- novella that bridges the story of the first game and it’s sequel.

Source: Joystiq

Microsoft Cloud Evangelist Foresees Games In The Cloud

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Microsoft’s Brian Prince is a “cloud evangelist” for the company and feels that’s the way gaming is going. He was very complimentary of Onlive and Gaikai, describing them as models for the future of cloud gaming.

“These are really gaming platforms as a service,” said Prince. “There are some limitations here, but I really do think this is the distant future of gaming in the cloud.”

He didn’t go into specifics of Microsoft’s cloud plans, but said, “you will be seeing things in the Xbox platform that’s cloud-specific. I’m already doing it, it’s really exciting, but I can’t tell you about it or else I’ll get fired.”

Source: Gamasutra.com