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EA Labels President Calls DRM a “Failed, Dead-End Strategy,” Says SimCity “Plays Like an MMO”
At GDC, GamesIndustry.biz had the opportunity to talk to EA Labels president Frank Gibeau about SimCity and its always-online requirement, which caused a considerable amount of grief to many players at the game’s launch. Gibeau acknowledged this, but insisted that what SimCity had wasn’t DRM. “I was involved in all the meetings. DRM was never…
By András Neltz -
Six Reviewers Consider Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 A Worthy Sequel
Yearly sports video game franchises are faced with a difficult task: continuously renewing and perfecting themselves in order to keep things fresh and to draw people in. The latest installment of Tiger Woods PGA Tour does just that. Deep customization, an overhauled online aspect, and the introduction of the historically-inclined Legends of the Majors mode…
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Tim Schafer: The Game: Part Deux
You’re Tim Schafer. You’re hosting the Game Developers Choice Awards. But, since you’ve shaved your beard, put on a tux instead of a t-shirt, and left all your jokes at home, the bouncer thinks you’re an impostor and refuses to let you in. That’s the premise of Host Master Deux: Quest for Identity Schafer hosting…
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Six Critics Are Enthralled with the Mysteries of BioShock Infinite’s Columbia
With BioShock Infinite, Irrational Games’ franchise has finally made the leap from sea to sky — skipping land on the way. It’s quite the leap to make and, as these people seem to think, the results are quite spectacular. Columbia, Infinite’s floating city is not only the world’s greatest cultist hotspot; it’s also a place…
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Ecco the Dolphin Follow-Up The Big Blue Looks to Kickstarter for Funding
Recently launched on Kickstarter, from the people behind the somewhat difficult 1992 Sega Genesis game Ecco the Dolphin comes The Big Blue, a spiritual sequel of sorts. Ecco designer Ed Annunziata is helming the project, promising to deliver a game which “will be strikingly beautiful and at the same time mysterious and terrifying.” Described as…
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Six Reviewers Find Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon Eerily Charming
Mario is king, no doubt ‒ but not in this game. In Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Mario’s brother Luigi is the star. And while he might not have the strength and speed of Mario, he sure managed to convince these reviewers that he’s really got what it takes. The 3D aspect, the atmosphere, the puzzles,…
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Shocker: Counter-Strike Map Based on Local School Causes Outrage
Last month, one Counter-Strike fan got in trouble for putting a Montreal metro station in multiplayer map form. Recently, something quite similar has happened. Last week, CBC News reported on locals’ reactions to a Counter-Strike map featuring Port Moody Secondary School of Port Moody, B. C. People first became aware of the map when a…
By András Neltz