Gaming News Channel...

OP
vamsi_krishna

vamsi_krishna

Human Spambot
Winners of AIAS 13th annual awards

Game of the Year:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Producer: Sam Thompson
* Creative Director: Amy Hennig
* Game Director: Bruce Straley

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Producer: Sam Thompson
* Creative Director: Amy Hennig
* Game Director: Bruce Straley

Casual Game of the Year

Flower

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
* Developer: thatgamecompany
* Producer: Kellee Santiago
* Creative Director: Jenova Chen

Fighting Game of the Year

Street Fighter IV

* Publisher: Capcom
* Developer: Capcom
* Producer: Yoshinori Ono

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year

Dragon Age: Origins

* Publisher: Electronic Arts
* Developer: Bioware
* Producer: Mark Darrah
* Creative Director: Mike Laidlaw
* Game Director: Mark Darrah

Sports Game of the Year

FIFA Soccer 10

* Publisher: Electronic Arts
* Developer: EA Canada
* Producer: David Rutter
* Creative Director: Gary Paterson
* Game Director: Kaz Makita

Racing Game of the Year

Forza Motorsport 3

* Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
* Developer: Turn 10 Studios
* Producer: Korey Krauskopf
* Creative Director: John Wendl
* Game Director: Dan Greenawalt

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

Batman: Arkham Asylum

* Publisher: Eidos/Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
* Developer: Rocksteady Studios
* Lead Level Designer: Ian Ball

Adventure Game of the Year

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Producer: Sam Thompson
* Creative Director: Amy Hennig
* Game Director: Bruce Straley

Social Networking Game of the Year

Farmville

* Publisher: Zynga
* Developer: Zynga
* Producer: David Gray
* Creative Director: Mark Skaggs
* Game Director: Bill Mooney

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

Brutal Legend

* Publisher: Electronic Arts
* Developer: Double Fine Productions
* Producer: Caroline Esmurdoc
* Creative Director: Tim Schafer
* Game Director: Tim Schafer

Action Game of the Year

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

* Publisher: Activision
* Developer: Infinity Ward
* Producer: Mark Rubin
* Game Director: Jason West

Family Game of the Year

The Beatles: Rock Band

* Publisher: MTV Games
* Developer: Harmonix Music Systems
* Producers: Paul DeGooyer, Jeff Jones, Alex Rigopulos
* Creative Director: Chris Foster
* Game Director: Josh Randall

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

Scribblenauts

* Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
* Developer: 5th Cell Media
* Producer: Joseph M. Tringali
* Creative Director: Jeremiah Slaczka
* Game Director: Jeremiah Slaczka

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Lead Animators: Josh Scherr, Jeremy Lai-Yates, Mike Yosh

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Technology Director: Pal-Kristian Engstad

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Art Directors: Erick Pangilinan, Robh Ruppel

Outstanding Achievement in Story -Adapted

Batman: Arkham Asylum

* Publisher: Eidos/Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
* Developer: Rocksteady Studios
* Writers: Paul Dini, Paul Crocker

Outstanding Character Performance

Batman: Arkham Asylum – Joker

* Publisher: Eidos/Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
* Developer: Rocksteady Studios
* Writers: Paul Dini, Paul Crocker
* Voice Actor: Mark Hamill

Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

* Publisher: Activision
* Developer: Infinity Ward
* Lead Online Designer: Todd Alderman

Outstanding Achievement in Story - Original

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Writers: Amy Hennig, Neil Druckmann, Josh Scherr

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Composer: Greg Edmonson

Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack

Brutal Legend

* Publisher: Electronic Arts
* Developer: Double Fine Productions
* Music Supervisor: Emily Ridgway

Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Lead Game Play Programmer: Travis McIntosh

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

* Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
* Developer: Naughty Dog
* Sound Designer/Audio Lead: Bruce Swanson

Outstanding Achievement in Portable Game Design

Scribblenauts

* Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
* Developer: 5th Cell Media
* Lead Level Designer: Matt Cox

Portable Game of the Year

Scribblenauts

* Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
* Developer: 5th Cell Media
* Producer: Joseph M. Tringali
* Creative Director: Jeremiah Slaczka
* Game Director: Jeremiah Slaczka

Uncharted 2 ruled the show with 10 AIAS awards. Where MW2, the most anticipated game of all time, only managed to bag 2 awards. Games like Batman:Arkham Asylum, Brutal Legend, Scribblenuts, Dragon age: Origins kept their honor by winning awards in their distinct categories.
 

prat

Broken In
*www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=235596

Ubisoft require that all of their games need an always on internet connection, as part of a new DRM and online services platform. We put your questions about their always-online DRM to Ubisoft in a phone interview last night. Their answers are below the link.

What's the problem this DRM is trying to address?
Ubi are increasingly concerned about piracy on the PC. "It's a huge problem - you know it, I know it, other people know it. It really is a very important issue that all serious companies need to address," says their spokesperson. But they also believe that their online services will make PC gaming better. "The real idea is that if you offer a game that is better when you buy it, then people will actually buy it. We wouldn't have built it if we thought that it was really going to piss off our customers."

So what's in it for gamers?
Ubi say there are three advantages to their online services. The first: you don't need a disc. The second: that you can install the game on as many PCs as you like, as many times as you like. And the third: the automatic uploading of savegames to Ubisoft's servers.

Do Ubisoft understand that we don't want to be permanently online?
They've spotted the outcry, yes. "We know that requiring a permanent online connection is not a happy point for a lot of PC gamers, but it is necessary for the system to work.

Which PC games will require an always on internet connection?
All announced Ubisoft PC games will include the online services, whether sold online, or from brick and mortar stores. That includes Splinter Cell, Silent Hunter 5, Assassin's Creed 2, Prince of Persia and the newly announced Ghost Recon. "It's hard for us to say, yes, from now until the day that we all die all of our games are going to include this," says their spokesperson, "but most will."

If my internet connection goes down during play, will I lose my progress?
That depends on the way the systems have been implemented. The two examples we have now, Assassin's Creed 2 and Settlers VII, show differing implementations. In Assassin's Creed, if your connection cuts out, you'll be taken back to the last checkpoint. "With Settlers, your game will resume exactly where you left off," says Ubisoft's spokesperson.

How will I know what I'll lose?
"You'll have to wait for the reviews, and to hear what your peers are saying."

What happens if Ubisoft take the DRM servers offline for maintenance, or suffer a technical breakdown?
In the case of a server failure their games will be taken offline, and you'll be unable to play them. "The idea is to avoid that point as much as possible, but we have been clear from the beginning that the game does need an internet connection for you to play. So if it goes down for real for a little while, then yeah, you can't play.

"

Are Ubisoft trying to kill PC gaming?
One theory states that piracy is such a problem on PC that they'd prefer to move their customers to the Xbox or PS3. Their spokesperson disagrees. "No, we're not trying to kill the PC market. Are we frustrated by the PC market? I think everyone is. In the end it all comes back to one single truth: piracy is a big, huge, hairy problem. It's a market that suffered a lot because of piracy, and we're all just trying to figure out what we think is the best way to deal with it."

Do Ubi believe this DRM is unhackable?
They accept that it's all DRM's fate to be eventually hacked, explaining that internally, they've already talked of a timescale for how long their games will be protected by it. But, they believe that it's secure enough for them. "We wouldn't do it if we didn't believe in it. The guys who designed it believe in it. Do we think that it's the one system that God has sent onto earth that will never be cracked by anybody ever? We can't guarantee that, but we believe in it.

"

Does this mean that Ubi are dissatisfied with other online rights management platforms like Steam?
There's a hint of that, although Ubi are keen to praise Valve's online platform. "We think what Steam has done is amazingly valid, but aren't Steam games cracked amazingly fast? It's not a question of dissatisfaction, it's a question of 'we've got another idea, another way of implementing it, and we're going for it'."

What happens when it becomes economically inefficient to run the servers for these games? Will Ubisoft take the servers down? And will that mean we can't play the games we bought?

The first point Ubi makes is that they intend for the servers to stay up. "Say in 5 years someone who bought Assassin's Creed 2 wants to go back and play it, the hope is, the plan is that we'll be on Assassin's Creed, I dunno, 3, 4, 5, and the servers will still be there to serve those new games," explains their spokesperson. "They'll also be able to serve the old games." But Ubisoft have the ability to patch the DRM out of their games. "If for some reason, and this is not in the plan, but if for some reason all of the servers someday go away, then we can release a patch so that the game can be played in single-player without an online connection. But that's if all of the servers are gone."

Will Ubi make a firm commitment to removing the DRM if the servers are to be taken offline?

We'll paste the straight transcript here:



PCG: What I think a lot of us would really like is a firm commitment that you understand our worries that the servers are going to go down and suddenly we've just got some trash data on our hard drives that we've paid for.



Ubisoft: The system is made by guys who love PC games. They play PC games, they are your friends.



PCG: So you can commit to saying that those systems will be patched out?



Ubisoft: That's the plan.



PCG: It's the plan, or it's definitely going to happen?



Ubisoft: That's written into the goal of the overall plan of the thing. But we don't plan on shutting down the servers, we really don't."

---------- Post added at 10:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:49 PM ----------

Ubisoft wants its paying customer to do this.
*i50.tinypic.com/14y8v1x.jpg
Will you pay or :p?
 

Ethan_Hunt

Aspiring Novelist
Will you pay or :p?
If they want to kill PC piracy then they would have to do better than that. Lot's have tried and failed. In the end, it's the legit gamers who would really suffer. Looks like Ubisoft have just dug their own grave, might as well ask them to sleep in it. :|
 
OP
vamsi_krishna

vamsi_krishna

Human Spambot
It reminds me EA's SPORE. They have implemented a new DRM system thinking that it will be revolutionary. But bagged a tonne of complaints from legitimate buys.
 

prat

Broken In
It reminds me EA's SPORE. They have implemented a new DRM system thinking that it will be revolutionary. But bagged a tonne of complaints from legitimate buys.

This DRM is much worse.I was planing to buy Splinter cell conviction but it looks like Battlefield BC2 will get my money.
 

NVIDIAGeek

Long Live Gojira!
So, we, I still can control Eth-zio. :D Darn! Ubi [or e-Xpress in India, eh?] make it Rs. 699 like BioShock 2 and I'll get it and support ye'r new Phucin' sh*tty DRM.
 

dinjo_jo

Padawan
Forget Playing Metro 2033

Minimum:
Dual core CPU (any Core 2 Duo or better will do)
DirectX 9, Shader Model 3 compliant graphics cards (GeForce 8800, GeForce GT220 and above)
1GB RAM

Recommended:
Any Quad Core or 3.0+ GHz Dual Core CPU
DirectX 10 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 260 and above)
2GB RAM

Optimum:
Core i7 CPU
NVIDIA DirectX 11 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 480 and 470)
As much RAM as possible (8GB+)
Fast HDD or SSD
 
OP
vamsi_krishna

vamsi_krishna

Human Spambot
Forget Playing Metro 2033

Minimum:
Dual core CPU (any Core 2 Duo or better will do)
DirectX 9, Shader Model 3 compliant graphics cards (GeForce 8800, GeForce GT220 and above)
1GB RAM

Recommended:
Any Quad Core or 3.0+ GHz Dual Core CPU
DirectX 10 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 260 and above)
2GB RAM

Optimum:
Core i7 CPU
NVIDIA DirectX 11 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 480 and 470)
As much RAM as possible (8GB+)
Fast HDD or SSD

I suppose, these requirements are definition for insanity ;)
 

tkin

Back to school!!
Forget Playing Metro 2033

Minimum:
Dual core CPU (any Core 2 Duo or better will do)
DirectX 9, Shader Model 3 compliant graphics cards (GeForce 8800, GeForce GT220 and above)
1GB RAM

Recommended:
Any Quad Core or 3.0+ GHz Dual Core CPU
DirectX 10 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 260 and above)
2GB RAM

Optimum:
Core i7 CPU
NVIDIA DirectX 11 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 480 and 470)
As much RAM as possible (8GB+)
Fast HDD or SSD
Well something tells me thats recommended for playing @ 1920x1080 or higher along with 2x/4x aa, I think anyone can play it @ 1440x900+(no aa) and in DX9 mode with a 8800GT. If that's truly the requirements then the X360 can't simply run it.

BTW- 8GB ram, that's total crap.

---------- Post added at 10:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 PM ----------

Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx Released for PC and PS3 and X360

2K Games and Gearbox Software have announced that The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, a new Borderlands DLC (downloadable content), is now available for PC, X360 and PS3. Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx includes brutal, never-before-seen enemies in a huge new environment complete with tons of brand new missions. You will be able to get guns to give you the firepower you wiill need as you discover entirely new weapons and items.
 
Top Bottom