Something for the Weekend
Diablo III will apparently not have PvP at launch, as the systems aren’t up to scratch yet. Instead, they’ll be patched in when they are ready. In the meantime, Blizzard are apparently putting the finishing touches on the game.. for which there is still no confirmed release date.
CryEngine 3 is now available for free non-commercial use! AI, animations, dynamic lighting.. check out the preview from IGN:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TtgW20IEm0] (more…)
The Resurrected Scroll of Resurrection, and Other News
Blizzard are encouraging WoW players to bring their friends back to the game, with the latest version of their Scroll of Resurrection. The player referring their friend gets a Spectral Mount, while the returning player gets a free upgrade to Cataclysm, a boost to level 80 for one character, and free character move if required, so they can join their friend’s realm and faction.
News of the Leaked Variety
Almost all the news that has caught my eye today has been leaked in some way or other.. maybe this is the new thing for bored PR? 😉
Ubisoft have released a CGI launch trailer for the American Revolution-themed Assassin’s Creed III:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVUMPrv8oRw] (more…)
Blizzard appealing Valve’s use of the DOTA trademark
Blizzard are appealing against Valve’s use of the DOTA trademark, on the grounds that the trademark carries with it all the goodwill generated for the original DOTA mod and Warcraft III, which it was based on.
Valve are currently developing DOTA 2, which will be a standalone game available on Steam.
In the appeal, Blizzard argue that they supported the original DOTA mod, and that it was built using the Warcraft III engine, characters, items, spells, artwork and textures, and that Valve should therefore have no right to use the name.
Blizzard are currently developing their own version of DOTA: Blizzard DOTA, a custom game for StarCraft II.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx1JDEnrVK8]
Like other DOTA-style games, this is a team-based competitive game where each player controls a powerful hero with unique abilities, and must work with their teammates to invade the enemy’s base. More information is available in the DOTA FAQ.
Diablo III on Consoles Too?
Diablo III is confirmed as being developed for consoles as well as the PC and Mac, according to this tweet from Blizzard’s Community Manager, Bashiok.
Although a console version has been mentioned in the past, it had not been confirmed until now. Director Jay Wilson has previously said that if they were to build a console version, it would be from the ground up rather than a port.
“We don’t want to port it,” said Wilson, Diablo III’s director. “We want to build it for console. There’s a key difference. Certainly, a lot of things get brought over, but a port is trying to take a PC game and graft it onto a console.
“Our goal, is to make a game that feels like it’s natively made made for a console. If we make it, we want it to feel like a Blizzard game and that we built it for that platform from the ground up.”
From VG247, via Game Informer‘s magazine.
Update: Bashiok has now said that the earlier tweet wasn’t meant to be an announcement: “We’re still exploring a console version, but more importantly working on the PC/Mac version.”
Diablo III Release Rumours
Best Buy have posted a release date of February 1st for Diablo III, with the date listed on the website as well as in a shop display in Rochester, Minnesota.
Although we’d love to see the game out sooner, Blizzard haven’t actually announced a release date beyond “early 2012”, and we’re still waiting for the news from the official Diablo III site itself!
Update: Bashiok, Community Manager at Blizzard, has confirmed that Diablo III does not yet have a release date.
X-53 Touring Rocket
There’s something quite clever about the Recruit-a-Friend programme on WoW.. aside from the useful Summon spell, and the increased XP when working together, there is also the awesome X-53 Touring Rocket. This is a reward given to the veteran once the recruit has actually joined the game as a fully paid member. Good for Blizzard, and definitely good for those getting the rocket 😉
My friend finally earned his this weekend, and we’re using it at every chance we can get..
As it’s a two-seater, it means you don’t need to buy a flying mount each, and well.. it’s a rocket.
Who doesn’t love a nice big rocket? Innuendos aside, it does look pretty awesome 🙂
Trialling WoW
As my gaming friends are now back in the clutches of Blizzard’s WoW, I figured I should maybe take a look at the game, under the premise of “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it”. So I signed up for a free 10 day trial, with the intent of buying the game if I liked it enough.
Here’s my first character: Snagglehorn, a Tauren Druid.
The referral system, Recruit a Friend, allows for an existing player’s account to be linked to the new player’s account. This gives a few benefits in terms of increased experience and a nice Summoning ability. This meant I got to go sight-seeing as well as figuring out how to play 😉
Flying between places reminded me of my quick foray into Aion, and while the graphical detail isn’t as high here, I was still quite impressed at the amount of detail which has been put into the game.
The subscription model was something I had rejected this game for, years back. I felt that buying a game should be enough, never mind paying for it month after month. However, I understand that Blizzard are reasonably good at updating their product, and good companies deserve support. There are also plenty of other games I’ve got my hands on which haven’t had the play-time to justify their price, so if WoW gets even a few hours play each month, it will be worth the fee.