Speaking at the outset of this year's Leipzig Games Convention, Crytek boss Cevat Yerli revealed that the developer's graphical tour de force, Crysis, cost an estimated $22 million to create. Yerli has previously lamented the effect piracy has had on the title, but reiterated that it's still recouped the development costs, saying, "If it wasn't profitable I wouldn't be able to stand here."
Best known for their stunning visuals, Crytek's game engines are also guilty of bringing even the mightiest of gaming PCs to their knees. While the upcoming, heavily-optimized Crysis: Warhead promises a significant performance increase even on mid-range systems, Crytek is already cooking up its next GPU melter, which Yerli says should be ready by 2012. That's when he anticipates GPU tech making the next major leap in its evolution; until then, he expects fellow developers to focus more on what they already have to work with, by means of stylized graphics and hardware accelerated physics.
Source – Crysis cost 22 million to make, IGN Source – Crytek: New engine in 2012, IGN
Well, that was easy. 2K Games has complied with our subliminal request that it release the PlayStation 3 version of sublime, submerged shooter BioShock in North America on October 21. There was some mental resistance to our suggestions of a worldwide release, however, so you international folks will just have to make do with October 24.
BioShock comes to the PlayStation 3 sporting the same aquatic utopia-turned-dystopia that made the game one of 2007's best, along with Trophies, a new "Survivor" difficulty level and challenge rooms, to be released as downloadable content "shortly after launch."
No surprise to you, we watch a lot, a lot of trailers. Do you know how much better our lives would be if video game trailers were less "You're some guy who's got to do a thing. Buy it!" and a lot more like this new trailer for House of the Dead: Overkill, a funky homage to 70s B-grade action flicks? Well, we don't know either, but we bet it's a lot.
Now, the real question of course is will the game itself have this much style and panache? Jeez, greedy, they already gave you a cool trailer, what else do you want?
Cigar-chomping testosterone factory foiling alien invasion news now, with word that the Duke Nukem game you've all been waiting for -- again -- may be arriving imminently. Speaking to Shacknews, 3D Realms' George Broussard has confirmed that the Xbox Live Arcade version of Duke Nukem 3D has defeated the development galaxy's most dreaded scourge, the Microsoft certification process.
"We officially passed final cert on our first try Friday, August 15th," said Broussard, also revealing that the game is due for release "soon." Though we've yet to see convincing evidence that 3D Realms employees are familiar with that last word's meaning, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a game they've at least managed to complete once before.
No price has been announced yet, but Broussard noted that it would be "about what you'd expect." Meanwhile, be sure to check out the list of Duke Nukem 3D's Xbox 360 Achievements, which reward players for tipping strippers and stepping in poo.
With the sun setting on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. prequel Clear Sky's development, GSC Game World has let us know that it's finally safe to venture outside -- provided you're packing enough firepower to keep the ravenous and irrevocably irradiated hordes at bay. The anticipated FPS is finally dawn done and should be taking us for a first-person stroll through Chernobyl's utterly charming neighborhood on September 5th (yes, that counts as a minor delay).
If you're the sort who can tell your GPU from your PPU (doesn't that fit into the SKU?), you should be pleased to note that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky will feature support for both DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 chipsets. You'll be wanting those hideously deformed mutants to look their best when they tear your throat out.
You and a friend can now join in the SOCOM Confrontation beta just by bullying some other friend to pre-order the game from Gamestop. According to an email sent out to the PlayStation Underground members, a Confrontation pre-order will net you participation in the public beta and the ability to invite two friends for free. If you read the fine print, however, the deal is rendered immediately null and void should either party decide to end the friendship. Sony keeps a very strict "friends only" policy. The public beta begins September 1 for pre-orders and September 8 for Qore subscribers.
While not yet open to all those Qore subscribers, a select group of PlayStation Underground members have been sent invitations to the Resistance 2 private beta test. To find out if you're in, check the email linked to your PSN account or hit up the Resistance 2 beta page and try to log in with your PSN name under the Beta Info tag. Qore subscribers will have to wait until that ever-so-descript "late September" start date.
Those of you whose computers e-cowered in fear at the system requirements for Crysis will get another chance to enter the game's world when Crysis Warhead lands in Europe on Sept. 12 and Sept. 16 in North America. More than just a side story to Crytek's excellent game, Warhead purports to actually be a touch less system-intensive than its burly predecessor.
Special side note for those of you who love bargains as much as throwing bad guys into oceans with your cyber-muscles: You can pre-order the game right now in the EA Store for $24.99, a five-dollar savings for you, the consumer.
The perpetually patched Team Fortress 2 is about to get its "largest update ever" (dare we say heaviest?) next week on August 19. In the lead-up, Valve is releasing new information and screenshots about the patch each day, as well as a "special installment to the 'Meet the Team' series of video shorts," according to the press release. The community map cp_steel was revealed on the first day.
Besides new weapons and achievements for the Heavy class, the next update will include new multiplayer maps and a "brand new gameplay mode," possibly related to the new type of environment we heard about earlier this month. As with the other updates, Valve is offering a free Team Fortress 2 weekend starting August 22 at 2pm ET.
Bungie could have strutted all the way back to home base with the "2nd Annual Halo 3 award for Interactive Innovation" without saying a word, but the developer was graceful enough to record an extremely cool acceptance video taped somewhere within the Halo universe. And it looks like it's filled with some new Halo goodness.
Are these some teasing tidbits about a possible Map Editor? Check out that last shot when our soldier pal lobs a plasma grenade towards the camera. Verrrrrrrry interesting. It's definitely a lot more robust-looking than Halo 3's Forge editor. Also, those look like new AI models of past cast members ... including Cortana. Playable models? In-game NPCs that'll be on your squad? Cats and dogs, living together? Who knows. What's for sure is that Bungie is saying "the ride isn't over yet."
From a list of runners-up that included the likes of Grand Theft Auto IV, Portal, Super Mario Galaxy, and Wii Fit, UK games magazine Edge has awarded Halo 3 its 2008 "Edge Award for Interactive Innovation" with four months left in the year. The decision itself seems to lack a certain degree of, well, innovation, as Edge previously selected Halo 3 as the "Best Innovation" in games for ... 2007.
Upon bestowing this honor upon the game last year, Edge's staff stated, "[Bungie] built Halo 3 to express what its fans dreamt it could be: four player online co-op, a level editor, screenshots, and the best matchmaking system in the world." Eight months later, the game has garnered nearly identical equal praise, "From its Theater mode to Forge, and the way a party playing through Live can seamlessly manoeuvre between them, here is an experience that demonstrates an unparalleled understanding of the potential for console online play."
Could we be due for a Halo Three-peat in '09? Perhaps, if the trailblazing likes of Madden NFL 2009 orSoul Calibur IV don't make the short-list for this coveted honor.
Poor James Bond. The guy's been passed around so many times by so many companies that no one seems to know what to do with him any more. Activision was so open to ideas that they actually surveyed fans on what perspective they'd like to see in the next double-o adventure.
According to MTV, the community was divided, with 60 percent wanting a first-person view and 40 voting third-person. We know how Activision responded (including both perspectives in Quantum of Solace), but we're curious how you will: Is your perfect Bond game through the agent's eyes ... or the back of his head?
When we think back on our proudest achievements throughout our video gaming careers, a few notable moments come to mind -- for instance, the first time we caught 'em all. Or when we topped our friends' high scores on Pac-Man Championship Edition. The first time we beat the wretched wind tunnel level in Battletoads. Oh, and how could we forget -- that time we shuffled robo-Hitler off this mortal coil in Wolfenstein 3D. That guy was a jerk.
Unfortunately, the satisfaction one feels after putting the kibosh on a genocidist won't be present in Id Software and Raven's next installment in their Nazi-stomping franchise, Wolfenstein. In an interview with Eurogamer, Id lead artist Kevin Cloud confirmed that the Fuhrer will not be present in the upcoming title, claiming that the developer needs to "save something for future Wolfensteins." Who could possibly replace him as the game's nefarious evil boss, though? Eva Braun? Bowser, perhaps?
Ubisoft has revealed the minimum and respectable suggested system requirements for its upcoming FPS / wildfire simulator, Far Cry 2. Let's just say that if your current rig had trouble running Crysiswell, it's a far cry from being able to handle FC2.
Oh, and just because previous series-dev Crytek is currently designing Crysis Warhead to run well on $600 systems doesn't mean that its new caretakers at Ubisoft are giving up the war against two-week-old PC components. You'll find the full shopping list rundown of requirements after the break.
The 2008 Penny Arcade ExpoOmegathon V lineup has been revealed and it feels surprisingly casual. There's no Doom or Quake title like we've seen in every previous Omegathon. Also new: starting the first round with a non-board game (Jenga has been pushed to round 5). Here's the list:
Round 1: Peggle
Round 2: Boom Blox
Round 3: Pictionary
Round 4: Rock Band (Our guess is Rock Band 2)
Round 5: Jenga
Final Round: *** TOP SECRET ***
The 20 Omeganauts have already been chosen (congratulations to any Joystiq readers who made the cut!); first prize this year is a trip for two to the Tokyo Game Show with all expenses paid and $5,000 in "walking around money."
While last year's Omegathon skipped the previous tradition of using a classic retro title (Pong, Combat, Tengen Tetris), every year has featured an id Software shooter. With Rage, Doom 4 and the new Wolfenstein looking unlikely, we're trying to think of another potential, unreleased FPS that could top last year's surprise Halo 3 inclusion. If Tycho and Gabe are looking to make our heads explode, maybe they can get Duke Nukem Forever. We won't find out until minutes before the final round on Sunday, August 31 at 4:30 PM PT.
In the meantime, check out the list of past Omegathon lineups, and feel free to make your own and play along at home.
_thumbnail.jpg "i am 8-bit: 2008")
