games posts

Earlier this year it was announced that developer Timegate Studios was working on a sequel to its 2009 released sci-fi shooter Section 8. The sequel, Section 8 Prejudice, will be self-published by Timegate for digital distribution sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

Today we can finally reveal that Section 8 Prejudice will have a price point of just $14.99 when its released via download. That's for a game that contains more content than the original game which was priced at $50 for the PC version when it was first released. Section 8 Prejudice will have a full story-based five hour single player campaign along with the Conquest multiplayer mode with a full selection of maps, the new Swarm multiplayer co-op mode, bot support for both multiplayer modes, dedicated server support and a web portal where players can display their stats and in-game achievements. While the game will be using Games For Windows Live for things like achievements, the PC version of Section 8 Prejudice will be made available for purchase on other download services like Steam, Direct2Drive and Timegate's own online store (for console owners the game will also be released for the PS3's Playstation Network for $14.99 and for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft points).

Keep reading after the jump for more info on the game including hands-on impressions of the game's Swarm mode.

While there hasn't been any official word from either parties, the All Things Digital web site is reporting that the game retailer GameStop is partnering with the IGN web site network in several different ways. One of them is having IGN's content show up on GameStop.com while GameStop will run ads on IGN. The traffic of IGN's web sites will also be combined with GameStop.com.

The report does not, however, go into detail on how this new partnership might affect IGN's Direct2Drive PC game download service which competes with GameStop.com's own PC game download options. Also GameStop owns the Game Informer magazine and web site which also competes with IGN's content.

A national poll which surveyed managers in 150 large U.S. companies found that "seventy percent of major employers utilize interactive software and games to train employees," according to the Entertainment Software Association. A majority of those companies plan to continue their use of training games, and a majority of companies that aren't yet using them plan to start within the next five years.

The founder of a company called Games2train (which has produced over 50 workplace video games) said that the games are better than traditional training methods because employees "find them more engaging," and thus are more likely to process the demonstrated information.

The computer game medium has expanded far beyond its original function as an empty diversion. Education? Check. Art? Check. Now we can check off "work" too.

Speaking at the GameHorizon Conference, Film Producer Todd Eckert lauded the games industry for speeding toward its destination of "greatest artistic medium," but also issued a warning: don't repeat the film industry's many mistakes.

"Games should become the world's dominant medium," Eckert said. "The film industry sees itself as a funnel channelling[sp] pop culture down the throats of the masses. For some reason the game industry still seems completely enamoured with the film industry. And if we're not careful we'll become like they are - little more than a marketing tool."

Eckert went on to say that every person involved in the games industry has been saddled with the responsibility "to make games the greatest artistic medium they can be and we can. I know some of you are here to make money, that's fine, but without the fundamental soul of the game the medium is nothing."