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Sega Rally Fan Recreates Franchise's Signature Vehicle

Posted: March 4th, 2010, 11:30am PST

Tags: news

The passion of gamers knows no bounds. The latest labor of love to make its way on the Internet is a replica of Sega Rally's Celica ST205-GT-Four, which began life as an ordinary 1995 Toyota Celica (via Jalopnik).
An AtariAge user transformed the ordinary vehicle using roughly $300 in decals and some used parts. It's not a real race car by any means, but it sure looks like one.
Sega fans will fondly recall the developer's domination of the racing genre during the mid-nineties thanks to Sega Rally Championship, Virtua Racing and Daytona USA. It was one of the Sega Saturn's prime selling points, and as it happens, the fan wants to install a Saturn in the vehicle's center console.

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Capcom COO Mark Beaumont Passes Away

Posted: February 24th, 2010, 9:06am PST

Tags: news

Capcom Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mark Beaumont passed away suddenly yesterday morning, suffering a heart attack, reports MCV. Beaumont started at Capcom in 2005, rose to senior vice president and executive vice president, and was promoted to COO in April of 2008. He had previously worked at a variety of other game developers, including Midway, Warner Interactive, Activision, Data East, Mindscape, Psygnosis, and Atari. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.
The Capcom Unity Blog mourned his passing with its own note. "We're all still recovering here at Capcom, and his loss has left us with a deep sadness," the entry read. "Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will remember him for his humor, passion and commitment to Capcom and our industry. He was a great leader and visionary and his spirit will carry on in everything we do. Please join us in our memory of Mark."

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Atari Priming Missile Command for Film Adaptation

Posted: February 20th, 2010, 11:52am PST

Tags: news

In what will surely challenge their own Asteroids for the title of Most Inane Choice for a Videogame Film Adaptation, the LA Times now reports that Atari is currently "in active discussions" with film studios to convince them acquiring Missile Command for a film adaptation is a good idea, too.
Evidently the property is likely to end up at Fox, and the film would almost certainly be shot in 3D. Answering the bigger question of how the hell you would make a movie out of a game entirely about shooting missiles at bigger incoming missiles, however, has not yet been addressed.
Then again, if a studio can take Asteroids and turn it into (according to the film's producer) "two lead characters -- two brothers -- who have to go through a seminal experience to figure out their relationship, against this huge backdrop," then we suppose anything's possible in this crazy awesome world we live in.

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Atari Offering a Lifetime Subscription for Star Trek Online

Posted: January 15th, 2010, 11:05am PST

Tags: news

If you find yourself enjoying the Star Trek Online open beta that just recently kicked off, you may want to get in on the lifetime subscription offer that Atari is offering for a limited time. Anyone who pre-orders a copy of STO will be eligible to sign up for either a $240 lifetime subscription or a $120 per year annual subscription. Either way, you'll end up saving money if you plan to play the game long term -- plus, you'll also get some unique bonuses.
Annual subscribers, in addition to the discount of roughly $60 per year (you'd be paying $180 each year if you go the $15 per month route), will get two additional character slots. Lifetime subscribers will get the two additional character slots and, more significantly, a playable Borg race. Of course, this comes at a hefty upfront fee of $240 (which works out to the same amount you'd pay over the course of 16 months at the usual $15/month price).
The Liberated Borg begins with the following two traits:
Borg Nanites: +10% Health RegenerationDescription: Ground Trait. Constantly regenerates shields and health.

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Top 10 PC Games of 2010

Posted: December 29th, 2009, 12:37pm PST

Tags: FEATURE

Top 10 PC Games of 2010

By 1UP Staff

For all of the people who like to bleat "THE PC IS DYING," well, they're just plain misinformed. Not only will the PC be seeing some strong multiplatform releases (hello there BioShock 2, Mass Effect 2, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2!), but there's also a host of damn fine PC-only titles. Games like the Blizzard Blast of StarCraft 2 and World of WarCraft: Cataclysm, the two science-fiction MMO behemoths (Star Wars: The Old Republic and Star Trek Online), and APB in addition to the numerous smaller titles help keep the PC relevant. Also, if we could make this a list of 11 or 12 or even 13 games, then we'd also be adding titles like Command & Conquer 4, Supreme Commander 2, and even the slim hope of some version of Diablo 3 (a beta, please?!?!).

10. --> StarCraft 2

Dev: Blizzard | Pub: Blizzard

The game that just can't get here soon enough and proof positive that Blizzard still sticks by its "the game ships when it's finished" adage. There's a ton of us around the office who still play the ten-plus year old original game, and it's still great -- so a improved version with modern visuals is okay with us. While a lot of people (we're looking at you, Korea) are looking forward to the online play most, some of us are story-nuts and want to see what Kerrigan has cooking or if there's an even bigger threat to the galaxy than the Zerg. Come this summer (that's our informal guess), we'll all have a chance to find out.

10. --> Star Wars: The Old Republic

Dev: Bioware | Pub: LucasArts

The Star Wars name already commands an amazingly large fan base. Couple that with BioWare's much-respected role-playing game cred and know-how, and you've got a recipe for mouth-lathering anticipation. Now, toss that all into the online world of MMOs and our loved ones have already begun to steel themselves against our eventual departure from this world to a galaxy far, far away. Could this be the game to carve out a spot next to the ubiquitous genre leader, World of Warcraft?

10. --> Star Trek Online

Dev: Cryptic Studios | Pub: Atari

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Jack Thompson Sues Facebook Over 'I Hate Jack Thompson' Group

Posted: October 1st, 2009, 12:48pm PDT

Tags: news

Disbarred Florida lawyer Jack Thompson is making legal news again, and while this time he's playing a different role in the courtroom, it is, you will probably agree, no less unusual. Thompson -- well known for his self-described "crusades" against game violence over the years -- is now suing Facebook over their refusal to remove an "I Hate Jack Thompson" group, and is seeking $120 million in damages (via Bloomberg).
According to the lawsuit, the "I Hate Jack Thompson" group was started in 2006, following an interview Thompson did with 60 Minutes where his battles with the gaming industry were highlighted. Evidently Thompson faxed a request to remove the group to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, which went unanswered. This prompting Thompson to accuse Facebook of "intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and failure to supervise the site."
As Bloomberg's story notes, the group has allowed members to post messages such as, "Jack Thompson should be smacked across the face with an Atari 2600." No other examples were cited, so whether that comment is in fact the worst of the worst ever produced by the group is uncertain.

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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Review

Posted: August 6th, 2009, 3:27pm PDT

Tags: Review

I've wanted a G.I. Joe videogame that drops me into the eternal struggle between Joe and Cobra forces ever since my days playing with the awesome "A Real American Hero" toys and watching the accompanying animated show in the '80s and early '90s. Now that that game exists in the form of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, it's made me realize that successfully pulling off a proper G.I. Joe title requires a lot more than a quick movie cash-in can deliver.
It's a step up from the Atari 2600 and NES versions that came out over 10 years ago. But rather than channel the classic cartoon, Double Helix Games bases their third-person shooter on the 2009 live-action G.I. Joe movie of the same name -- so the iconic characters' likenesses, histories, and hardware reflect those of the film. That isn't inherently bad; the game still includes most, if not all, of the characters I would want to see in a G.I. Joe game (even throwing in some that don't appear in the movie). The Rise of Cobra's biggest problems aren't in the way it uses the license -- the problems are that, on anything but the lowest difficulty setting, the game is unnecessarily unforgiving and uses a completely counter-intuitive health regeneration system.

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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Review

Posted: August 6th, 2009, 3:27pm PDT

Tags: Review

I've wanted a G.I. Joe videogame that drops me into the eternal struggle between Joe and Cobra forces ever since my days playing with the awesome "A Real American Hero" toys and watching the accompanying animated show in the '80s and early '90s. Now that that game exists in the form of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, it's made me realize that successfully pulling off a proper G.I. Joe title requires a lot more than a quick movie cash-in can deliver.
It's a step up from the Atari 2600 and NES versions that came out over 10 years ago. But rather than channel the classic cartoon, Double Helix Games bases their third-person shooter on the 2009 live-action G.I. Joe movie of the same name -- so the iconic characters' likenesses, histories, and hardware reflect those of the film. That isn't inherently bad; the game still includes most, if not all, of the characters I would want to see in a G.I. Joe game (even throwing in some that don't appear in the movie). The Rise of Cobra's biggest problems aren't in the way it uses the license -- the problems are that, on anything but the lowest difficulty setting, the game is unnecessarily unforgiving and uses a completely counter-intuitive health regeneration system.

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Champions Online Pricing Details Announced

Posted: August 5th, 2009, 12:30pm PDT

Tags: news

Champions Online is fast approaching its planned September release date, so Cryptic Studios and Atari have decided to clear up one of the last big mysteries about the game: Pricing. The superhero MMO will set you back $49.99 when it arrives next month, and it will carry a fairly standard $14.99 monthly subscription fee.
That's not your only option, however. They're also offering subscriptions in six-month blocks for a discounted rate of $59.99, as well as lifetime memberships for $199.99 -- both of which entice players with exclusive rewards. Lifetime members get guaranteed access to the beta for Cryptic's next big MMO, Star Trek Online, plus an exclusive "Mirror Universe" outfit for their Star Trek character. Other in-game benefits for lifetime subscribers include eight additional character slots for Champions Online, an exclusive Foxbat pet, a "Retro-Future" costume set, and an "Art Deco" costume. Those who choose the six-month option will only gain access to the Star Trek beta and "Retro-Future" outfit.
We're still waiting to hear back from Cryptic if the retail box will include a free month of play, but it seems like a pretty safe bet that it will. We'll let you know for sure as soon as possible.

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