DCEmu Featured News Articles

In writing about the "controversy" surrounding Medal of Honor's multiplayer and the subsequent name change of one faction from "Taliban" to "Opposing Force," we've heard from two sides, primarily -- EA corporate and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. But we've never heard directly from the folks developing MOH -- Danger Close Games. Earlier this week at an EA event in New York City, we talked with Danger Close marketing director Craig Owens. Owens spoke to why he believes the name change occurred, what it will accomplish, and how internal reactions have been at Danger Close.

In his eyes, it wasn't a result of AAFES-based GameStop stores not carrying Medal of Honor -- as he points out, the change hasn't affected the AAFES' sale embargo of MOH. "The objection was, kind of from an older generation that doesn't understand games, that the soundbyte was 'Play as the Taliban and kill US soldiers,'" though he admitted "There still is, it seems, a group that's still a little bit leery of a game taking place around an active conflict."

Owens further clarified, adding that "Really the big thing was playing as a Taliban killing US troops. So we basically just changed it to 'Opfor' -- which is a term they [the US Armed Forces] use, some of our competitors use -- more out of respect." The AAFES, he contends, didn't factor into the decision whatsoever. He also pointed out that during the beta earlier this year, there were "about 500,000 people playing it, as the Taliban, killing US troops," without a single complaint. He further lamented the nefarious "soundbyte" that lead to the seemingly inevitable controversy, adding "Later that soundbyte kinda caught wind and got taken out of context, really."

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/11/me...liban-removal/ ...

First, the Super Mario Collection Special Pack was confirmed for Europe after being announced for Japan. Today, the special edition Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary DSi XL and Wii systems have been announced for the region as well, with each red system bundled with a Mario game.

The red Wii set, in stores October 29, includes Wii Sports and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. However, instead of the special version of Super Mario Bros. packed with the Japanese system, the European version includes the "original" Donkey Kong. This is probably just the NES game on Virtual Console, but the "original" terminology suggests it could be the arcade game. The red DSi XL bundle includes a copy of New Super Mario Bros. and will be out October 22.

None of this has been announced in North America. Happy birthday, Mario!

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/11/su...ing-to-europe/ ...

First, the Super Mario Collection Special Pack was confirmed for Europe after being announced for Japan. Today, the special edition Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary DSi XL and Wii systems have been announced for the region as well, with each red system bundled with a Mario game.

The red Wii set, in stores October 29, includes Wii Sports and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. However, instead of the special version of Super Mario Bros. packed with the Japanese system, the European version includes the "original" Donkey Kong. This is probably just the NES game on Virtual Console, but the "original" terminology suggests it could be the arcade game. The red DSi XL bundle includes a copy of New Super Mario Bros. and will be out October 22.

None of this has been announced in North America. Happy birthday, Mario!

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/11/su...ing-to-europe/ ...

It may have "Windows" in the branding, but Windows Phone 7 is not the desktop PC experience shoehorned into a cellphone. Microsoft tried that with Windows Mobile... and we all know how that turned out. Today, eight months after the Windows Phone 7 OS unveiling in Barcelona, we're finally seeing the official launch of the retail hardware: nine new WP7 handsets available October 21 in select European and Asian markets and early November in the US. The phones will find their way to over 60 cellphone operators in more than 30 countries this year. Microsoft tapped Dell, HTC, LG, and Samsung to deliver the Snapdragon-based handsets with a carrier list that includes AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Vodafone, TELUS, América Móvil, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, and Telstra. And that's just for the first wave -- Microsoft has even more handsets coming in 2011 including the first for Sprint and Verizon in the US. Here's the lineup of 480 x 800 pixel (WVGA) phones announced today:
HTC 7 Surround -- The 3.8-inch T8788 with slideout speaker for AT&T and Telus
HTC HD7 -- Schubert comes of age as a 4.3-inch HD2 cousin for T-Mobile and beyond
HTC 7 Trophy -- the 3.8-inch Spark headed to international carriers
HTC 7 Mozart -- another heavily leaked int'l player with 3.7-inch display
Dell Venue Pro -- 4.1-inch portrait QWERTY slider for T-Mobile we broke as Lightning
Samsung Focus -- AT&T's 4-inch Super AMOLED slate we broke as Cetus
Samsung Omnia 7 -- the i8700 is a 4-inch Super AMOLED jobbie for Europe
LG Optimus 7/7Q -- the E900 is the official 3.8-inch global workhorse
LG Quantum -- AT&T's 3.5-inch landscape slider first seen as the C900
HTC 7 Pro -- a 3.6-inch QWERTY slider for Sprint (2011)
"Glance and Go," is the slogan Microsoft is using to differentiate itself from an already crowded smartphone market. Something we've already seen alluded to in that leaked AT&T ad. As Ballmer notes, "Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience - one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a 'glance and go' format." He's referring to WP7's customizable Live Tiles, of course. Xbox Live integration is another biggie with EA Games just announcing its first Xbox Live-enabled wares coming to Windows Phone 7 in the fall including "Need for Speed Undercover," "Tetris," "Monopoly," and "The Sims 3." The other big differentiators are the slick Metro UI, integrated support for Zune media and Zune Pass subscriptions, Bing search and maps, Windows Live including the free Find My Phone service, and Microsoft Office Mobile.

Now quit stalling and jump past the break for the full list of handsets per carrier and country.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/m...r-30-countrie/ ...

Well, it looks like AT&T has a few surprises of its own today -- it's just announced that U-verse Mobile will be heading to Windows Phone 7 this fall and -- get this -- you don't even have to be a U-verse customer to use it. Non-customers will have to shell out $9.99 a month to get their mobile TV fix, however, while current U-verse users will be able to take advantage of the service for free -- it's also available nationwide, a first for a U-verse service. In other U-verse news, AT&T has also now confirmed earlier reports that you will be able to use your Xbox 360 as a U-verse receiver, although you'll obviously have to be a U-verse customer for that. New U-verse customers will be able to order a $99 Xbox kit that includes installation (but not the actual Xbox 360) starting October 15th, while existing customers will apparently have to buy the kit and shell out an additional $55 for installation. Head on past the break for the full press release and a quick video of the Windows Phone 7 app.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/a...ne-7-xbox-360/ ...

So, maybe Microsoft meant "people don't do that in 2010." At the mega-corp's UK-based Windows Phone 7 launch event, we were just informed that its hot-off-the-presses mobile OS will be blessed with a software update that'll add copy and paste functionality in "early 2011." That's according to one Andy Less, and while details beyond that are scant, it's possible that said update will also bring other magical makeovers into the fold. We're still a little baffled that the company would leave such a seemingly vital part of the software out at launch, but we guess certain corners always have to be cut in order to get something out before a sure-to-be-profitable holiday quarter. And hey, it's not like we haven't seen another major mobile OS player pull this same stunt before.

Update: CNET's Ina Fried got a quick look at an early implementation of copy and paste in Windows Phone 7, and says it works fairly well: You start by clicking on a single word, then drag your finger across the rest of the passage you'd like to transmit to expand your highlighted selection. When you let go, a paste button appears. Sound about right to you?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/c...in-early-2011/ ...

Call of Duty: Black Ops DS developer n-Space "is down, but definitely not out" after the rug was pulled from under it by a "licensor" that had a change of heart.

CEO Dan O'Leary had to take "drastic action" and sent all but a core team home. He attributed the studio's near-closure to a number of factors, including an industry that is "frankly, a mess", and Wii and DS markets that have "nearly collapsed".

"After supporting 70-90 employees for several months without funding, Friday's lay-offs were unavoidable," O'Leary explained on the n-Space blog. "If all goes as planned, we'll be calling people back before the end of the week."

"Life as an independent developer is often a painful hand-to-mouth exercise of love," he elaborated. "This has never been more true than in the last few years. The games industry is, frankly, a mess. The economy has robbed customers of disposable income, reducing the number of titles that purchased per year. Huge-budget titles have to sell massive numbers to return a profit and the App Store has disrupted our industry in the same way iTunes changed consumer expectations for music.

"People that used to buy many games every year now buy a few AAA titles, supplementing their need with games that are free or cost less than a pack of gum. Anything in the middle is struggling.

"The Wii and DS markets have nearly collapsed," he said, "and 3DS is a brave new world the publishers are excited about but also very cautious to enter. Even for an extremely successful Wii/DS developer like n-Space, with a long history of delivering quality titles on time and on budget, this creates a very challenging business environment."

O'Leary said n-Space had several games on the slate for 2010. Among them were DS games COD: Black Ops and 007 GoldenEye for Activision, and Tron: Evolution (Wii, DS) for Disney.

One of these was finished and "several" were "soon to follow". "Then," O'Leary added, "with a last-minute change of heart from the [unnamed] licensor, that deal was dead.

"When the week ended without commitments from other publishers to offset this setback, I was forced to take drastic action."

O'Leary concluded: "Since 2008 the n-Space family has faced and overcome a number of tremendous challenges, and it seems our work is not yet done."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...wn-but-not-out ...

It looks as though popular film rental service Lovefilm is heading to PlayStation 3.

According to a video posted on the PS3 YouTube channel and since withdrawn, the service is due to go live this autumn and will allow you to stream films to your PS3.

There will be free trials and incentives for people who don't already use Lovefilm, plus Pick of the Week, Most Watched and Highest Rated categories for filtering content.

The video's gone but Everything PlayStation screen-grabbed the section of the video which shows the Lovefilm app on the PS3's XMB (thanks VG247).

We've contacted Sony to clarify the details. (Update: Sony UK declined to comment.)

Lovefilm subscribers select a range of films they want to watch and the company posts them the first one. Once they've watched a film they send it back and receive the next one, although users don't always get the film they really wanted immediately.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-playstation-3 ...

Junction Point's Warren Spector has lavished praise on Disney for the quality of support he has received putting together ambitious Wii-exclusive title Epic Mickey.

"I've told every publisher, and I told Disney, I don't do budgets, I don't do schedules, and I make the games I want to make. If you don't want that, let's part ways now and we'll stay friends. Don't think you can change me because you can't. I think Disney found that out. And they've been hugely supportive, I've got to say," Spector told IGN at New York Comic-Con this weekend.

"There are not a lot of publishers who'd have the courage to stick with us. I mean Mickey Mouse with choice and consequence on the Wii - if this isn't the biggest budgeted, most serious third-party Wii title in the history of mankind I don't know what is. And only Disney would have supported that."

Spector also said that fans of his past work would still find a lot to their taste if they decided to join him for the Epic Mickey ride on 26th November.

"If Deus Ex fans give this a shot I think they'll find Mickey is quite a hero," he said. "Although they're making different kinds of choices and seeing different kinds of consequences the gameplay philosophy that is the underpinning of Deus Ex, Thief, System Shock, and the multiple games I've worked on, it's still right there. It's just different. There you go, it's not good or bad, it's just different."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...of-epic-mickey ...