Conficker Predictions - Doomsday Scenarios for April 1
Conficker spells doom for April 1. Or does it? We ponder whether it’s time to stock up on firearms and fresh water and hit the bunker.
Three Reasons Why Microsoft’s App Store Will Thrive
A reasonable return policy, a smart pricing strategy, and crafty partnerships will help Microsoft succeed.
Sony Slashes the Price of the PlayStation 2
Starting tomorrow, you can get your hands on Sony’s game console for only $100.
Conficker Set to Strike: Protect Yourself with These Tips and Tools
With the Conficker worm set to strike on Wednesday we offer you piece of mind and ways to protect your digital behind.
Motorola Evoke QA4: Best Touch-Screen From Motorola Yet
Motorola offers touch-screen features with Evoke QA4 we wish the iPhone had all along.
EA Releases PC DRM Management Tool
Electronic Arts has released a DRM Management Tool for its PC games released after May of last year. The tool will allow users to deauthorize game installs so the title can be reinstalled after a change of computer or hardware.
Previously, EA had released individual tools for specific games, but this tool will cover all applicable EA titles.
Does anyone else find it ridiculous that EA had to program and release an application to manage their DRM? Now, I have to run two services to mange my game installs? Digital Rights Management Management…?
This is why I prefer Steam for PC games and DRM. All I have to do is login provided the game doesn’t include additional DRM tools.
Click through to see the EA titles covered by this new tool.
EA Games covered by the new DRM Management Tool:
- Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
- Crysis Warhead
- Dead Space
- FIFA Manager 09
- FIFA Soccer 09
- Littlest Pet Shop
- Lord of the Rings Conquest
- Mass Effect
- Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
- Mirror’s Edge
- MySims
- Need for Speed Undercover
- NHL 09
- Spore
- Spore Creature Creator
- The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion Pack
- The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff
- The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff
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‘Just Cause 2′ Screens: Explosions, Hummers and Parachuting
Filled with a great helping of explosions, military vehicles and parachuting, Eidos’ new bundle of Just Cause 2 screens continue the franchise’s signature feel to the series. Check out more after the cut, and the game itself when the Avalanche Studios developed action sequel launches in the fall for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
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‘Aion: Tower of Eternity’ Walkthrough: Earn Your MMO Wings
Need a little flight of fancy in your MMO experience? Take an in-depth walkthrough as NCsoft melds eastern hardcore MMOs with the great storytelling of western MMOs with the MMORPG Aion: Tower of Eternity for the PC. Join NCsoft’s Liv Blazier and Brian Knox as they detail the game’s:
- Factions
- Flight
- Character customization
- Armor and weapons utilization
- Combo-based battle system
- Pvp system
…and an attached trailer to illustrate everything in full, rich detail. Look for Aion May 26 when it launches exclusively on the PC.
GDC 09: Aion: Tower of Eternity Walkthrough
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‘Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising’ Media: "Open-World Modern Warfare"
Perhaps, your day has finally come. The on-going groan of "I’m tired of WWII" might not have fallen on deaf ears. In these times of modern-day political theater, maybe the developers have found more oppurtunity for engaging gameplay in the here and now.
Codemasters released the latest trailer and screens for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising touting a "welcome to open world modern warfare." A similar title by the name of Modern Warfare 2 (you might have heard of it last week) by Activision is set for a November release, while Dragon Rising is launching this summer. There should be plenty of gaming hours to go around between these two and will hopefully have plenty to offer on both fronts. In the end, the winner will be you — Mr. FPS-modern-warfare trigger man.
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Open-World Modern Warfare Trailer
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Warren Spector Wants Games To Get Cheaper To Better Compete With Other Media
"If I’ve got a 20 dollar bill in my pocket I can go buy a book, go to a movie, but I can’t buy a game. I can buy a CD, I can do so much even now, but you cannot buy a game." Those are some wise words from Junction Point Studios’ Warren Spector, also known for his outstanding work on the Deus Ex games. Spector is convinced that pricing is one of the biggest challenges to the gaming business. While gaming is more mainstream than ever, there are still a few hurdles the industry needs to leap before it becomes as ubiquitous as movies, music, and books. In a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz, he said:
Spector certainly has a point about game pricing. Not many people make $60 impulse purchases. One of the reasons downloadable games have been so successful is that the price point is so attractive. For $10 to $15, gamers can quickly download a game to their console and enjoy it straight away. A lot of consumers won’t think twice about parting with $10. $60, however, is another matter.
Of course, the larger problem is that games are expensive to make. As consoles have become more advanced, development costs have risen. Eat Sleep Play’s David Jaffe pondered the situation, but wondered if gamers would be down with shorter games with less features at a lower price.
It can be argued that gaming is at a crossroads. Millions of consumers are fine with paying $60 for a game and $400 for a console. To get to the next level of mainstream penetration, Spector is right to say games have to get cheaper. That would require publishers and developers to drastically change their approach to the business. Then again, they might not have a choice in the matter. Cheap, downloadable games for consoles, iPhones, and other alternatives are keeping millions of people entertained. If traditional gaming gets more competition from newer sources, then cheaper games might be the only way to compete.
Obviously, you’d all love cheaper games, but do you think that’s the future of the business? Will Spector’s $20 dream come true? Would you buy games like the ones used in Jaffe’s suggestion? Leave a comment and let me know (please!).
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