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Reuters - God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.

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We were totally content to simply leave "Lead Tribes designer now working on a new FPS and it also has jetpacks! Commence with the freaking out!" as our whole post. At the last moment, however, we were told that, apparently, people might want more information (though we're not sure what more you'd need). So! Firefall is a "team-based action shooter" featuring "hundreds of players" completing objectives and battling to the death in a "dynamic open world."

The title is free-to-play and relies on an in-game marketplace for profit. We might normally balk at such a monetization system, but we were thoroughly impressed by the game's debut gameplay trailer, not to mention the pedigree behind Firefall. If you're as enticed as we are, you'll be glad to know that Red 5 is accepting applications for the game's beta starting right now.

Continue reading Red 5 Studios reveal Firefall, coming to PC 'near the end of 2011'

Red 5 Studios reveal Firefall, coming to PC 'near the end of 2011' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During a presentation at the CESA Developers Conference on Wednesday about the art of animation, Team Ico head Fumito Ueda brought up some shots from Ico as illustrations. Except the images projected don't look exactly like the PS2 game: the aspect ratio is different, the textures are better, and the character models are sharper -- and that's just what can be picked up from looking at pictures of a projector showing the images. NeoGAF's Gribbix and SolidSnakex posted direct comparisons between the CEDEC presentation and the PS2 Ico.

With the persistent rumor of a God of War Collection-style remake of Team Ico's PS2 games, and with TGS around the corner, it's tempting to take these images as evidence. It seems just as likely, however, that Ueda mocked up nice illustrations of iconic scenes for his presentation. In any case, they're lovely and can be seen at GAME Watch.

Team Ico shows off cleaned-up Ico shots at CEDEC awards originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poor ol' Hideo Kojima has apparently been on the receiving end of a plethora of demands from his rabid fanbase, all crying out for the integration of some of the PS3's patched-in features into Metal Gear Solid 4. The idiosyncratic developer took time out of his busy schedule of eating bizarre-looking foodstuffs to respond by saying, "I wanted to make a 'Complete Version' with trophy support and 3D, but if I did that I wouldn't be able to work on a new game. I wonder if someone else would make it for me."

Well, gang -- any takers? It really shouldn't be too hard. Just drop a trophy in for completing each boss fight, one for beating the game on its hardest difficulty, and one for beating the game using only your wits and a pornographic magazine. Give them some clever names ("I Only Read It For The Articles," for instance), and baby, you're good to go.

Kojima wants a 'Complete' edition of MGS4, if someone else makes it originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shin'en, developer of the DS shmup Nanostray and its sequel -- and, most recently, WiiWare platformer Jett Rocket -- has begun to tease its next project for Wii's digital platform: FAST Racing League. Only a single piece of promotional art (pictured) has been revealed so far, but this image is worth at least a couple dozen words. Like, for example, the game looks to be a futuristic racer and the ship design bears an uncanny similarity to those of a certain Sony racing franchise.

It's too soon to hope for an F-Zero style racer on Wii (where is the Wii game in that series, anyway?) but at least those of us who like our racing fast and future-focused have something to put on our radar.

Futuristic 'FAST Racing League' due on WiiWare from Jett Rocket dev originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Super Giant Games opened its doors during GDC earlier this year, it revealed it was working on a digital title to be released in 2011. This week, Giant Bomb unveiled that title -- it's called Bastion and should be available for public consumption by next summer.

Supergiant explains Bastion as an "action role-playing game set in a lush imaginative world, in which players must create and fight for civilization's last refuge as a mysterious narrator marks their every move." The "mysterious," somewhat lyrical narrator makes his first appearance in the game's trailer -- which we've dropped after the break. Considering Supergiant's pedigree (ex-EALA Command & Conquer devs) and how beautifully detailed this initial media is, we have high hopes for Bastion.

The game will be playable at PAX Prime this weekend as part of the "PAX 10."

Continue reading Bastion is Super Giant Games' first title, playable at PAX

Bastion is Super Giant Games' first title, playable at PAX originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The bump in cost for a Gold membership on Xbox Live is just the tip of the iceberg, according to game industry seer Michael Pachter. Predicting a $100 plan as the next evolutionary step in subscription options soon to be available to Xbox Live consumers, he told IndustryGamers reports that while the initial extra $10 "translates to around $100 to 150 million per year in additional revenue for Microsoft," the company will "reinvest at least this much in developing other new applications, and will roll out a premium service with $100 to 200 million worth of enhancements. If they can get 2 million users to switch from the $60 plan to the $100 plan, they'll make an extra $80 million a year, and can keep investing to try to grow that business."

It makes sense: Xbox Live is easily one of the biggest draws of the console and consumers have already shown they're willing to pay a premium for it. But even if Microsoft were to offer a "Platinum" service, what could justify what is comparably such a heftier price tag?

"For all I know, the Platinum plan might include virtual goods credits for various Microsoft games," Pachter posits. "If members could get specialized Halo armor or weapons worth the extra $40, they might be more willing to sign up, and it doesn't really cost Microsoft anything to offer things like that." You know what? We may know a few people willing to pay for something like that.

[Thanks, Mark]

Pachter predicts $100 'Platinum' Xbox Live membership originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two has reported that net revenue for its third fiscal quarter, which ended July 31, 2010, reached $354.1 million -- an increase of $259.2 million over the same period last year. The company attributed the rise primarily to Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption, which has shipped more than 6.9 million units life-to-date. And while several older games, including Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, NBA 2K10 and Borderlands, contributed to overall sales at retail, Take-Two highlighted digitally distributed content as a "meaningful component" of this quarter's outcome.

Operating income for the quarter landed at $12.4 million, a big turnaround compared to the $58.3 million loss suffered in the same quarter during 2009, and a minor dip from Q2 2010's $16.9 million. Take-Two's fourth quarter won't benefit from Red Dead's landing impact, but the company already has an extensive lineup of DLC planned for the coming months.

Red Dead Redemption pushes Take-Two Q3 revenue up to $354.1 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Ubisoft first revealed Outland for PSN and XBLA earlier this week, the company didn't provide many details. Now, thanks to a preview on IGN, we've got a much clearer picture of the title. Outland is being developed by Housemarque, the studio behind the PSN shooter Super Stardust HD and the upcoming Dead Nation. According to IGN, the game is essentially "a cross between retro platformers like Prince of Persia or Out of This World and the color-switching of shoot 'em up Ikaruga."

If just the thought of those two play styles combined has you short of breath, we wouldn't blame you. Like Ikaruga, players can switch the protagonist between two forms, white and black, rendering him impervious to bullets of the same color. At the same time, players must navigate jungle settings on branching pathways looking for secrets and, of course, boss fights. Outland isn't scheduled for release until next year, but rest assured we'll be taking a closer look during PAX.

Outland developed by Housemarque, gameplay detailed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not long after hearing about Call of Duty: Black Ops' multiplayer options, I grabbed a controller and tried to shoot fellow press as best I could in the new Wager Match modes. I got to play three of the four new modes at the Activision reveal event: "One in the Chamber," "Sticks and Stones," and "Sharp Shooter."

As you might have read, Call of Duty: Black Ops not only rewards XP in multiplayer, it also rewards CP ("CoD points"). CP is your main currency for unlocking gear and content. Everything in multiplayer costs CP to unlock -- killstreaks, new guns, even layers and symbols that can be used to create your own emblem and logo. So CP, while plentiful (especially when you're good), is important. Losing it in wager matches puts you further away from getting whatever items or unlocks you want.

Continue reading Call of Duty: Black Ops Preview: Put Your Money Where Your Multiplayer Is

Call of Duty: Black Ops Preview: Put Your Money Where Your Multiplayer Is originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It feels so weird to be telling you this, but Ubisoft has made an advergame based on Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 and ... it's kinda good! It's a pretty basic shmup with an 8-bit theme, though it's a bit more forgiving than most traditional games in the genre. (Your plane can actually take more than one hit before going down.)

Everything else is pretty much what you'd expect: a rad soundtrack; several weapon types; and an endless supply of enemies to blast into oblivion. Don't believe us? Hit up the link and check it out.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Tom Clancy's HAWX 2: The 8-bit Game has a missile lock on our heart originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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