Dead Space 2 Announced 56
Electronic Arts announced on Monday that their popular survival-horror game Dead Space is officially getting a sequel. According to the press release, it's being developed for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. There's speculation that Dead Space 2 may include some form of multiplayer, after an EA job opening was spotted on LinkedIn that mentioned multiplayer level design for the franchise.
EA Flip-Flops On Battlefield: Heroes Pricing, Fans Angry 221
An anonymous reader writes "Ben Kuchera from Ars Technica is reporting that EA/DICE has substantially changed the game model of Battlefield: Heroes, increasing the cost of weapons in Valor Points (the in-game currency that you earn by playing) to levels that even hardcore players cannot afford, and making them available in BattleFunds (the in-game currency that you buy with real money). Other consumables in the game, such as bandages to heal the players, suffered the same fate, turning the game into a subscription or pay-to-play model if players want to remain competitive. This goes against the creators' earlier stated objectives of not providing combat advantage to paying customers. Ben Cousins, from EA/DICE, argued, 'We also frankly wanted to make buying Battlefunds more appealing. We have wages to pay here in the Heroes team and in order to keep a team large enough to make new free content like maps and other game features we need to increase the amount of BF that people buy. Battlefield Heroes is a business at the end of the day and for a company like EA who recently laid off 16% of their workforce, we need to keep an eye on the accounts and make sure we are doing our bit for the company.' The official forums discussion thread is full of angry responses from upset users, who feel this change is a betrayal of the original stated objectives of the game."
Canadian Blood Services Promotes Pseudoscience 219
trianglecat writes "The not-for-profit agency Canadian Blood Services has a section of their website based on the Japanese cultural belief of ketsueki-gata, which claims that a person's blood group determines or predicts their personality type. Disappointing for a self-proclaimed 'science-based' organization. The Ottawa Skeptics, based in the nation's capital, appear to be taking some action."
EA Shuts Down Pandemic Studios, Cuts 200 Jobs 161
lbalbalba writes "Electronic Arts is shutting down its Westwood-based game developer Pandemic Studios just two years after acquiring it, putting nearly 200 people out of work. 'The struggling video game publisher informed employees Tuesday morning that it was closing the studio as part of a recently announced plan to eliminate 1,500 jobs, or 16% of its global workforce. Pandemic has about 220 employees, but an EA spokesman said that a core team, estimated by two people close to the studio to be about 25, will be integrated into the publisher's other Los Angeles studio, in Playa Vista.' An ex-developer for Pandemic attributed the studio's struggles to poor decisions from the management."
Comment Re:Won't hold up (Score 1) 357
Oh my god, Samna... That takes me back...
Comment Re:There goes .... (Score 1) 200
no, it doesn't.
Comment Virtual Machine? (Score 1) 424
Although you'd probably need a monstrous rig to handle two games... maybe.
I'm really just guessing here. Maybe someone can tell me if that can be done =)
Submission + - Ohio teen convicted of killing mom over video game (yahoo.com)
Nick R writes: "Here is another story politicians, lawyers, journalists, etc, will use to try and link the violent behavior of unstable people to playing video games. This of course puts the brunt of the blame in exactly the wrong place, the laps of the video game developers."
Submission + - Dynamically Balancing Robot
dar writes: If you have kids, you know what a thrill it is to watch them take their first steps. It must have been a similarly great feeling to get Dexter the robot to walk like a human — "It looks fairly smooth when we do it, but it's really a controlled fall. At any given moment you have to think (or at least, your body does) about which direction you're falling, and put your foot down in exactly the right place to push you in the direction you want to go." Anybots seem to have it just about licked.
Submission + - Microsoft Quietly Making Untold Millions
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft's Internet Explorer automatically and indiscriminately generates results pages filled with profitable pay-per-click ads for a virtually infinite number of non-existent domains. Are they asking for trouble, or is this yet another demonstration of their "evil genius"?
http://www.dailydomainer.com/200784-microsoft-quie tly-making-untold-millions.html
http://www.dailydomainer.com/200784-microsoft-qui
Feed Hacking My Child's Brain (wired.com)
Feed China Fields Cyborg Flying Rats (wired.com)
Submission + - New Zealand SPAM and Txt Laws Passed
kitanai writes: The New Zealand Parliament has passed into law a new bill which will see electronic advertisers required to provide accurate information about their identity as well as clear opt-out information. From the release from the Beehive: "The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 aims to prevent New Zealand becoming a haven for spammers.......It applies to all emails, texts and instant messages that market or promote goods, services, and other schemes of a commercial or dishonest nature. ".
Vanishing Honeybees Will Affect Future Crops 322
daninbusiness writes "Across the US, beekeepers are finding that their bees are disappearing — not returning while searching for nectar and pollen. This could have a major impact on the food industry in the United States, where as much as $14 billion worth of agriculture business depends on bees for crop pollination. Reasons for this problem, dubbed 'colony collapse disorder,' are still unknown. Theories include viruses, some type of fungus, poor bee nutrition, and pesticides."
