EA Closes Down Maxis
EA is closing down Maxis Emeryville, the main studio for Maxis, long-running developers of Sim City and The Sims franchises.
The Sims FreePlay: Play-Free
Going back a few months, Tim brought home an iPad, and showed me The Sims FreePlay. After previous experiences with “social” games, I wasn’t expecting all that much.. even so, I was disappointed.
SimCity Launches.. And There Are Queues.
SimCity has launched in the US, and there are 30 minute queues to get in and play. The game doesn’t even unlock in Europe for another three days, so unless EA hurry up and add more servers, this is only going to get worse.
SimCity Due on 8th March 2013!
EA have announced that SimCity will be released on the 8th March 2013 in Europe!
SimCity will be available for PC and Mac, and is available to pre-order on Origin.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ig6E2460V0] (more…)
Gamescom 2012 Round-Up!
Gamescom 2012 started off with Sony’s press conference, with a selection of games for the PlayStation Vita.. Little Big Planet Vita, Killzone: Mercenary, and other games previously mentioned at E3: Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified; PlayStation All-Stars; Assassin’s Creed III Liberation, featuring a new female lead, Aveline; and Need for Speed Most Wanted, a Vita game with all the same features as the PS3 version, with a huge open world to explore.
Media Molecule’s new game Tearaway was demonstrated for the first time, with a lot of use being made of the Vita’s touch features.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK6_QvdxyXQ] (more…)
SimCity Social
During E3, I saw mention of a new, reinvented Sim City.. with city specialisation, intelligent Sims who will react to the city you’ve planned and built, and the option to work with friends and interact with their cities or create large projects together. It’s due in 2013.. but I already know I want this game!
In the meantime, EA have released SimCity Social on Facebook.
SimCity Social places you in charge of your own city, which evolves as you interact with it.. placing buildings and roads and interacting with them either as a good or bad Mayor. If friends are playing, you can visit their cities and interact with them too, building up a friendly relationship or rivalry.
E3 2012
It’s E3 time again.. the first day starting off with conferences from Microsoft and Sony. I’ve been waiting for more info on a few games, but E3 is usually good for info on new games too..
Microsoft showed footage from 360-exclusive Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II, due for release in November, Resident Evil 6, due in October, and Tomb Raider, Spring 2013.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc1GaGFEJrc] (more…)