cryengine-2 posts

Blue Mars, the CryEngine 2-powered virtual world from developer Avatar Reality, is getting out of PC development. On Friday the company announced that it will no longer add new content to the PC version aside from bug fixes. The servers will remain on but technical support for the PC version will no longer be offered. Instead the company will be switching its development to have Blue Mars run on Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices.

The company itself is also restructuring which means an unknown amount of its team members will be laid off. That includes the CEO of Avatar Reality Jim Sink. The above screenshot was taken on Friday as Sink held a virtual meeting with Blue Mars' residents about the changes. As you can see, the meeting was sparsely attended.

[Via Massively]

In one of the most unexpected game announcements in recent memory, word has gotten out of a planned MMO game based on the late singer Michael Jackson. The game, titled Planet Michael, is scheduled for release in late 2011 and according to the game's press release will offer "an innovative, first-of-its-kind interactive gaming and social experience that truly celebrates Michael Jackson's extraordinary life as an artist and humanitarian."

The game itself will be a planet that's part of the Entropia Universe MMO that's developed by Mindark and uses Crytek's CryEngine 2 graphics engine. Gameplay details are still vague but the press release claims players of Planet Michael "will feel at home as they find themselves in places that seem familiar and yet unknown at the same time, and new generations will discover and experience Michael's life in a way never before imagined."

We know that Crytek makes solid single player first person shooters so when Crysis 2 was first announced in 2009 we naturally got excited. When we learned it was going to be using CryEngine 3, the next generation version of Crytek's already impressive game graphics engine, we got even more excited. Finally when we learned that the sequel to the sci-fi FPS would leave the islands and jungles behind for the urban skyscrapers of New York City ... well, let's just say we were more excited to see this game for ourselves than any other shooter game at E3 2010.

Publisher Electronic Arts apparently showed the console versions of Crysis 2 at previous press events. However, at their E3 2010 behind-closed-doors live demo of the title they showed the PC port of the game for the very first time to the outside world (on a massive 110 inch plasma screen, no less). In summary, the demo did not dissapoint and made us want the game even more.

Last year, NCsoft successfully launched Aion, their fantasy MMO with Crytek's CryEngine as its basis. Now another Korean based publisher has announced plans to release Project E:st, a fantasy MMO from publisher NHN that will used the second generation version of the CryEngine. The game will launch first in Korean and the plan is to release the game later in the US and Europe.

There's little info on the game itself in the press release other than it will be developed by Polygon Games. However a gameplay trailer will be shown next week at the Game Developers Conference at Crytek's booth. The game will enter closed beta testing in Korea later this year.

A number of years ago an MMO called Project Entropia was launched. The sci-fi themed game was different at the time as it supported by real world money in its economy rather than a monthly subscription fee. Now the game has gotten a massive revamp; in fact its so big that the name of the game itself has changed to Planet Calypso.

The biggest part of the revamp is a total change in the game's graphics engine. It is now using Crytek's CryEngine 2 technology (the same engine Crytek used on its own games Crysis and Crysis Warhead). The game still retains its free-to-play model with real world money used to buy and sell items and even property.

Several weeks ago, indie developer Paleo Entertainment released the CryEngine 2 based FPS Merchants of Brooklyn. The game gained some fame for releasing a buggy alpha version as the final product first before the actual finished game was released via Steam.

Now a post on the Paleo Entertainment message board has revealed plans for a free multiplayer update to Merchants of Brooklyn with the rather interesting title of Drug Wars. As the post describes, "Find the drugs, stash the drugs, defend the drugs, kill everyone and take their drugs! YOU MUST HAVE DRUGS!" Well, they seem to be going for the Jack Thompson audience with this one. The expansion will be shown at Paleo's booth at E3 in June but no release date has been announced.

[Via Shacknews]

Less than a year ago a Russian based developer called Panzar announced with little fanfare their plans for Forged by Chaos. The CryEngine 2-based multiplayer oriented fantasy game hasn't been heard much of since but this week the game's official web site has exploded with a ton of new screenshots showing the game in action

Specifically the shows come from a demo level showing a couple of the game's fantasy factions battling it out in an arena. While there's a strong Warhammer influence in the designs of the characters, Forged By Chaos is being designed as a mix of RPG with classic multiplayer with support for up to 64 players. You can check out the over 100 new screenshots from the game in our just established gallery.

Download HD Forged by Chaos Tech Demo Video (133 MB)

Earlier today we reported that Paleo Entertainment had released their CryEngine 2-based action game Merchants of Brooklyn via Steam. Well, the first time game developer did something in that release that we have seen few, if any, companies do. It actually released an earlier version of the game via Steam instead of the final completed gold build.

Complaints about the game have hit the Steam forums as well as the developer's own web site. Paleo has now issued a statement on their message boards, saying, "We are fully aware of the problems that occurred with the initial release of M.O.B. Unfortunately, the incorrect version went up on Steam. The Alpha version was released initially, this has been corrected. Please log in/log out of Steam to receive the correct version of M.O.B. We will be patching this game periodically to correct any issues that arise, as well as new and exciting features and multiplayer modes! We apologize for any inconvenience, and appreciate any input that you have." We imagine the input consists of, "Don't do that again!"

[Via Shacknews]

Paleo Entertainment's unusual looking and playing first person action game Merchants of Brooklyn has now officially been released via Steam. The game, which uses Crytek's Cryengine 2 technology, also has a nice intro starting price on Steam.

From now until March 24 the game is available for just $15.99. After that date the game will revert to its normal price of $19.99. That gets you a game where you play a cloned Neanderthal fighter in the year 3100 who has a biomechanical arm. As you can see above, things tend to get bloody whenever a bionic arm is used. This game is apparently the first chapter of a series of Merchants of Brooklyn games but so far details on future installments have not been released.

We've been following the progress of a rather interesting looking first person action game called Mechants of Brooklyn for some time. Developed by Paleo Entertainment the game uses the CryEngine 2 graphics engine from Crytek. They released a trailer and screenshots from the game last November and we we very impressed with the unique art style and the melee-like action.

Today Paleo Entertainment announced they planned to release the "first volume" of Merchants of Brooklyn via Valve's Steam service on March 17.As we have reported before the game's backstory tells the tale of an Earth in the year 3100 where you play a cloned Neanderthal fighter. You have to compete in bloody gladiator style matches for the amusement of the upper class. Oh, and you and pull a man's head off and charge it up somehow to turn it into a grenade. Cool. Pricing for the game has yet to be announced.