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Set course for new Star Trek Online gameplay footage

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 3rd 2009 at 11:00PM }

We've got a double dose of Star Trek Online video goodness for you today, as Cryptic has seen fit to not only release part two of the "Future Past" series, but also a new gameplay trailer. The trailer -- handily embedded above -- is comprised mostly of pitched space battles and ground encounters. It's also packed with more phaser and disruptor beams than you can shake a tribble at. One more thing: Borg cube.

After the break, see part two of "The Future Past," which details the outcome of the Klingon / Nausicaan / Gorn war. In short, the Klingons are pretty much bad guys again by 2409, the year in which Star Trek Online begins.

Continued →

Reminder: Champions Online is free to play this weekend

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 2:00PM }

We know you guys have the memory of a ... well, whatever the polar opposite of an elephant is in regards to memory. (A fruit fly?) So, we thought we'd remind you that Cryptic's made its superheroic MMO Champions Online free to play this Halloween weekend in an attempt to promote the game's spooky pseudo-expansion, Blood Moon.

You can download it for free at 1PM EST today, then play it to your heart's content -- or November 2. You know, whichever comes first.

[Via Big Download]

One million heroes fighting crime in Champions Online

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 29th 2009 at 7:30PM }

Excerpt from a Cryptic Studios staff meeting, Oct. 29, 2009:

"Okay, guys, listen up. I know we were all excited about the promotion we were going to run when the one millionth hero was created within Champions Online. You know, we'd take the lucky crimefighter and base a short series of graphic novels on him or her, ultimately culminating in a three-picture deal with Paramount and keeping the hero's creator -- and as a bonus, our game -- in the pop cultural spotlight? Well, we just heard from moderators that the one millionth hero was named ... Boner Dragon."

"Boner Dragon?"

"Boner Dragon."

"I think we should just do a press release instead. A press release which deftly avoids mentioning the hero's name."

"That is an excellent idea, Jeffrey."

Champions Online going free-to-play on Halloween weekend

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 25th 2009 at 7:30PM }

If you've yet to acquire plans for this Halloween weekend to go along with your totally rad costume, Cryptic Studios has a pretty great diversion you may want to sign up for. Starting October 30, you'll be able to download Champions Online at no cost, and take on the mantle of the superhero of your own design until November 2.

The free-to-play weekend is being offered in an attempt to promote the title's first live update, Blood Moon. We expect that more than a handful of partially illiterate heroes will appear during the update's launch, and will be confused as to where all the sexy teenage vampires are located.

[Via Big Download]

Video: A Star Trek Online history lesson

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 17th 2009 at 12:00AM }

Cryptic has put out a new behind-the-scenes video for Star Trek Online, in which members of the development team lay down the fictional history behind the title. The game is set to take place after the final Next Generation film, Star Trek Nemesis. Unless you're pretty up on your Trek lore, that's really all you need to know. For the rest of us, the video goes into thick detail about the various conflicts that follow, leading up to a massive war between Klingons, Romulans, the Gorn and Nausicaans.

Don't worry if you don't know your Dyson spheres from your Crystalline entities, as there are plenty of space battles and explosions in there, too.

Marc Ecko wants more Getting Up, says Atari 's**t the bed'

by Justin McElroy { Oct 9th 2009 at 8:00PM }

When you're in the fashion biz like Marc Ecko you gotta be out there on the edge. So when he tells Destructoid that he's "going to f***ing make [Getting Up] again if it kills me," thereby distinguishing himself not only as the sole living human to want that, but as the only one who remembers it existed, you have to forgive him. He's got to be out there on the edge.

Of course, Ecko then goes on to claim that the reason for the game's failure was that "Atari shit the bed." C'mon Marc, saying Atari bungled something is like the opposite of edgy. It's just obvious.

Project Runway game announced

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 9th 2009 at 3:00AM }

Variety has revealed that Atari plans to publish a game based on the Project Runway reality show. Set to debut in 2010, the game will feature host Heidi Klum and the ever prim and proper Tim Gunn, though the extent of their involvement is still under wraps. Here's hoping Gunn will lend his delightful vocal cadence to the project.

The game has players taking a turn behind the virtual sewing machine, tasking them with designing fashions and properly outfitting models with hair and makeup. Once that's done, players sashay down the catwalk as the models themselves. The game will utilize the Balance Board, so there's a likely chance the previous sentence could be taken literally.

[Via Kotaku]

Resisting new Star Trek Online screens is futile

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 6th 2009 at 10:08PM }

clicking isn't futile

The folks at Cryptic have released some new screens of the upcoming Star Trek Online, and let's just say that Locutus fans should be pretty pumped. That's right, we finally get to take a look at the Borg (sounds Swedish ...) as they appear in the game. We can't help but imagine actually playing as a member of the Borg collective in the game, though that might be just a tad unfair to the rest of the organic exploring the virtual universe.

The screens also show off some of the spacecraft available in the game. Peruse them all in the gallery below. It's not like you have a choice in the matter.

[Via Massively]

Gallery: Star Trek Online (10/6/09)

Atari announces Ghostbusters for PSP, we're left speechless

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 30th 2009 at 10:50AM }

From the day Atari first announced it would be doing a new video game installment in the Ghostbusters franchise to the day said installment was released, we had to maintain a careful linguistic balancing act. We had to ration out quotes and references to the Ghostbusters films in our posts, working tirelessly not to exhaust our resources. We made it to the game's release by the skin of our teeth -- but earlier today, Atari did us the great discourtesy of announcing that the title is coming to PSP. We've just ... we've got nothing left.

The debut trailer for the title is posted above. It looks like a fairly faithful recreation of the console versions, only, y'know, tinier. It's got a launch window of November, meaning you can look forward to a month of uncreative, reference-free posts from our end. Just make sure you don't ... cross the ... oh, forget it.

Atari's launches new CFO in wake of latest MMO

by Randy Nelson { Sep 15th 2009 at 7:13PM }

Atari has a new chief financial officer: Philip Veneziano. Phil (is it okay if we call you that?) is in charge of handling the gobs of cash that will no doubt be pouring in from subscription-based MMOs Champions Online and Star Trek Online. We have absolutely no way of confirming this, but we've also heard that he'll pay you a personal visit if the credit card you use for said games is declined.

We think it's pretty interesting to note that prior to joining Atari, Veneziano was vice president of finance for TheLadders.com, a job search site for folks looking to make $100K+ per year. We wonder if he got a discount on its services?

Ben Heck's Atari 800 laptop is 800 kinds of awesome

by David Hinkle { Sep 14th 2009 at 12:30PM }

We find it hard to keep from gushing about every Ben Heck project, and his latest is no different. Heckendorn crams the inner workings of an Atari 800 (mostly rainbows and magic) into a laptop-style case (much like every other project of his), but what makes this one special is that we want it and we don't have it.

Seriously, look at that sweet keyboard. We can totally imagine the siren's song of those keys clicking and clacking as we boot up some Centipede. If the image above only managed to whet your appetite, head past the break for a pair of videos showing it in use.

[Via Engadget]

Continued →

Non-Sony versions of Ghostbusters delayed in Europe

by Xav de Matos { Sep 10th 2009 at 3:00PM }

While North American Xbox 360 and Wii gamers should have mastered ghostbusting by now, European players were forced to put their talents on the shelf when the game was announced as a timed exclusive for Sony platforms. Sadly, European gamers will have to wait a little longer to capture a copies of Ghostbusters on Microsoft and Nintendo's platforms.

CVG reports that Ghostbusters for the Xbox 360 and Wii has been delayed from October 23rd to November 6th. Of course, European Xbox 360 owners are more than welcome to import the game, since the Ghostbusters NTSC release uses no region protection.

Apple touts 21,178 entertainment titles in the App Store ... did somebody just fart?

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 9th 2009 at 10:45PM }

During Apple's "It's only rock and roll" event today, the company announced ... well, nothing important -- however, it did show off the nifty little graph above. During a section discussing how the iPhone/iPod Touch is a great gaming device, the company demonstrated the power of the iPhone OS by stating it had 21,178 "game and entertainment titles," far above the number of games available on Sony's PSP and the Nintendo DS.

Although Apple considers this grand number a triumph, it should be noted with cautious optimism. The great video game crash of the early '80s had a little bit to do with the lack of quality control happening in the industry, which was an issue Nintendo rectified with its "seal of quality" soon after. Then again, more recently, Nintendo itself has acknowledged a more Darwinian approach to games on its consoles. Forget quality control: Go nuts, Apple! Just please don't kill the games industry in the process.

Register to beam aboard the Star Trek Online closed beta

by Justin McElroy { Sep 4th 2009 at 3:01PM }

If you didn't guarantee yourself a spot by buying a lifetime membership to Champions Online, your second chance to join the Star Trek Online closed beta just veered into scanning range. You can find the link to the necessary form right here. It's still not a sure thing, mind you, as participants will be randomly selected from those who register.

Considering its checkered past, we're a little bit nervous about STO, but we really hope it's good, if only to keep this cat off suicide watch.

Atari files Turbine D&D suit under 'frivolous'

by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 3rd 2009 at 4:00PM }

With a flick of its wrist, Atari has motioned to dismiss Turbine's lawsuit against the publisher, calling the Dungeons and Dragons Online developer's recent legal actions "frivolous" and "a great disservice to D&D fans and to the MMO community at large." Turbine alleges in its lawsuit that Atari failed to uphold a licensing agreement associated with the D&D MMO and did not devote the necessary resources to market the game, due in part to a supposed "strategy" to promote its Champions Online MMO instead.

Unsurprisingly, Atari has filed to dismiss Turbine's suit and, in addition, filed a secondary complaint seeking "monies" allegedly owed to the publisher by Turbine (as supposedly uncovered by a third-party audit). In its official statement, posted in its entirety on IndustryGamers, the publisher adds, "While Atari hopes for a quick and fair resolution, it remains fully committed to the D&D communities worldwide and will vigorously protect the franchise and its own integrity in this matter." Oh, by the way, did you see that Champions Online was released this week!