Author Archives: Jessica Citizen

Nearly 30 years ago, Jordan Mechner – the man who went on to create Prince of Persia – received a fan letter in response to his earlier work, one-on-one fighter Karateka. The author praised Mechner’s graphics (particularly the scrolling background), and mentioned that he was a budding programmer who wanted to grow up to create games.

The young letter writer was John Romero, who did indeed grow up and create games, helping to popularise the FPS genre while he was at it.
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It’s been a long time coming, but indie title Vessel has finally emerged from developers Strange Loop Games, and early comments suggest it was probably worth the wait.

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This week, the internet has been abuzz on the topic of Doom 4. First, we heard that it was cancelled, then that it was not, and then there’s the little matter of those alleged screenshots.

Now, id Software has taken a moment out of its busy schedule, taking to Twitter to officially respond to the rumours.
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Want to get in on some bank-robbing action, without all the drama of getting involved with the police and that whole “criminal record” thing? Then cancel your weekend plans, because here’s your chance: PAYDAY: The Heist is running a free weekend, where you can dip your toes in these murky waters without fear of retribution.

If you like what you see, then you’re in for a treat – the game is currently 50% off the marked price, and will set you back a meagre $9.99 on Steam – significantly less than any fines you may incur trying to do this in real life.

While he may have been overshadowed in recent years by the introduction of those pesky Raving Rabbids, Rayman is still a pretty awesome little dude – and he’s set to return in an HD remake of Rayman 3, hitting PSN and XBLA a little later this year. Take a look at this new power-up trailer and you’ll see what all the fuss is about.

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Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is headed to the Playstation 3 a little later this year, with developer Sanzaru Games targeting a release some time in the North American fall.

Sure, it’s nothing specific, but it’s a step closer than the elusive “2012″ release window we were given at last year’s E3 briefing, which also hinted that the game would feature time travel and the ability to meet your own ancestors.

Economic dramas are rocking the real world, and they’re on their way to The Old Republic now, too. Headed your way in patch 1.1.5 is a whole mess of information, tidbits, updates and lore, so you’d better pay attention.

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After a brief delay, Square Enix has confirmed that world mergers for Final Fantasy XIV will be starting later this month. From now until March 19th, you’re invited to put in your world transfer applications – after that, the transfers will take place during standard maintenance on March 27th.

Ten Ton Hammer reminds gamers to sign up well in advance of the merger, to make sure you land on a world that you’ll like.

It seems you just can’t get enough of Harvest Moon: The Land of Origin, as developer Marvelous reveals the game has enjoyed a massive debut week of sales, moving more than 80,000 units and taking home the record for biggest-selling debut of any Harvest Moon title in revent years.

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After an ill-fated launch swamped with negative reviews and player complaints which ultimately resulted in the game being removed from the App Store, it’s now been confirmed that Battlefield 3: Aftershock will not be returning.

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The latest update for Lord of the Rings Online takes the Middle Earth MMO down the Great River. In the latest developer diary, the team takes us behind the scenes on this new zone, as well as highlighting a few extra tweaks they’ve dished out.

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History repeats: Age of Booty is coming right back around, hitting iPhone, iPad and Android devices in the near future, with developers working on an “all new version” of the game. If you don’t remember the original, you’re forgiven – it was a download-only title released in the mess that was holiday 2008, and died a quick and painless death.

Now though, it’s back (or nearly – no release date as yet), bringing with it a handy single-player mode, real-time multiplayer and even cross-platform support if you have friends who aren’t fans of fruit.

We’ve already told you about the upcoming double-act that is Mass Effect 3 and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – play the demo of one game to receive unlockable items in the other?

In case you’re not so familiar with the deal, EA has thoughtfully sent over a new trailer to explain what’s what.
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Trion Worlds would like to reassure you that your RIFT server is not about to close down. At present, 11 of the game’s servers have been labelled as “Trial” – but Trion promise there’s a perfectly valid reason.
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February 14th – Valentine’s Day – is a good day to spend time with your loved ones, maybe have a nice dinner, see a movie, spend a silly amount of money on flowers and chocolates… or you could stay at home, and load up Jagged Alliance: Back in Action, which launches on that precise date. Unless, of course, you’re in Europe. It launches there on February 10.

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Gamers who have already spent time with Kid Icarus: Uprising have walked away with one uniform comment – gameplay aside, playing the game is rather uncomfortable. There’s only so many hours you want to spend hunched over a stylus – and with action as fast-paced as this, the number’s even less.

However, it seems that (in Japan at least), Nintendo’s taken preview comments to heart, shipping the game alongside a handy plastic stand.
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If you’d been looking forward to playing with ModNation Racers: Road Trip, when it launches alongside the PlayStation Vita, you might have to get used to the idea of playing by yourself.
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So. Kinect for Windows is an exciting thing, as revealed by Microsoft this week at CES. Somewhat less exciting is the price tag, which – at a whopping US$250 (RRP) – is US$100 more than you can expect to pay for the Xbox 360 version. Microsoft doesn’t see a problem with that. Other people do.
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Despite a recruit’s claims that he was forced to work up to 120 hours per week, the New Zealand studio of publisher Gameloft has been cleared of any health and safety breaches.
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“Piracy is not a solution to anything,” says Minecraft creator Notch. The Swedish developer has never really hidden his views on piracy. Summarised, the Minecraft creator considers software theft a “minor offense” overall, something on par with jaywalking or littering.

It’s not really surprising then, that when a fan commented that he loved the game but couldn’t afford a copy for himself, the creator suggested that he “just pirate it“. Almost as an afterthought, “don’t forget to feel bad.”
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