gdc-2009 posts

Those that have been following the development of Dragon Age: Origins won't really find anything new in this video, which was shown at GDC 2009. However, it shows off a good deal of gameplay and combat action to keep people looking forward to the fall release.

Download HD Dragon Age: Origins GDC 2009 Gameplay Video (43 MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads

This gameplay demonstration video for Earthrise uses all real-time in-game footage. Earthrise is a new sci-fi themed MMO currently in development that takes place in a post-apacolyptic earth. The trailer debuted at GDC 2009.

"In the aftermath of a catastrophic third world war, Earth lies in ruin, and mankind is all but extinct. In a small corner of the world a new society has risen in the years following, populated mostly by the clones of those stored in a massive DNA database compiled at the end of the war. A corporate government has created a seemingly Utopian civilization, but its heavy-handed control over society, its resources, and even life itself has forced a substantial opposition. These rival factions accuse the government of crimes against humanity in its rampant willingness to abuse the cloning process to its own gain. It is at this crossroads that players will find themselves: fight as a champion of the new world order, or take up arms with Noir, the shadow government sworn to overthrow the totalitarian rule."

Download HD Earthrise GDC 09 Gameplay Trailer (70 MB)

Gallery: Earthrise

This 6 minutes video is an extended version of the Batman: Arkham Asylum presentation video from GDC 2009. It focuses specifically on the invisible predator "Silent Knight" challenge mode, where Batman must subdue all enemies without attracting too much attention. The henchmen will dynamically change their behavior as Batman progresses, forcing players to change up strategy.

Download HD Batman: Arkham Asylum Silent Knight Challenge Extended Video (160 MB)
Check out all Batman: Arkham Asylum downloads

This trailer may interest all those aspiring developers and modders interested in working with the Unreal Engine 3. Although the video is pretty straightforward, it showcases a number of new features that recently got added on, such as Unreal Content Browser, Unreal MCP, and Unreal Lightmass. This video was shown at GDC 2009.

Download HD Unreal Engine 3 Demo Trailer (169 MB)

This trailer for Battlestations: Pacific was shown at GDC 2009 and showcases the different modes and highlights features players can expect from the game. The game is currently scheduled to release in May for the PC and Xbox 360.

Download HD Battlestations: Pacific Trailer #4 (39 MB)
Check out all Battlestations: Pacific trailers

The month of March may be the start of spring but its also the time that the game industry also seems to come out of its shell. Believe it or not game publishers are already prepping their marketing and PR efforts for the holiday season and March is usually when they begin to announce new game titles that will be released this fall.

This past March has turned out to be no exception to that rule. Thanks in part to the annual Game Developers Conference there were plenty of new games and projects revealed in the past 31 days. However the biggest announcement wasn't a game at all. Big Download decided to look back at March as we go over our picks for the top 10 biggest news events of the past month.

Click on the image above to continue reading The Top PC Game News Stories of March 2009

As expected, the Game Developers Conference has a slight downturn in the number of attendees for the annual gathering of game industry professionals. According to GDC's parent company Think Services, the 2009 edition had over 17,000 people show up. That's down from an estimated 18,000 attendees from 2008.

Some might blame the economy for the small drop in attendance but it's also possible that the smaller amount was due to GDC's decision to make the event invite only for journalists who attended the event. The dates for the 2010 GDC have already been announced. It will be held on Tuesday, March 9 to Saturday, March 13 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Aside from the great single-studio games I saw at GDC this year, I also got a chance to visit with the great people behind Paradox Interactive, and the games they're bringing to America from foreign shores. I've already talked about Mount & Blade and Majesty 2, and now I'd like to give some room to the other titles I was shown, each of which offers something worth your while. Read on to learn more about East India Company, Elven Legacy, and Hearts of Iron 3!

We've all heard comments from game industry reps saying how "cheap" PC and video games are compared to other entertainment media. However the fact is that no matter how many hours you may spend with a game you still have to deal with higher prices up front compared to renting or buying a DVD or downloading music.

Legendary game developer Warren Spector (currently head of Junction Point Studios) says it's time that the game industry take a good hard look at the pricing of their products. Gamesindustry.biz reports that Spector, speaking at GDC last week, stated, "We've been a niche medium that over-charges for its product and therefore generates a lot of revenue which makes us a little bigger than Hollywood, which is crazy."

Spector says the industry should go after the impulse entertainment market for its prices. He says in the article, "If I've got a 20 dollar bill in my pocket I can go buy a book, go to a movie, but I can't buy a game. I can buy a CD, I can do so much even now, but you cannot buy a game." To be fair you can in fact buy some games for $20 out of the box or wait until their prices go down months or even years after release. However it's clear that Spector's comments go after the vast majority of retail game products that are priced at $40, $50 and $60 (even more if you talk about collector's editions).

People love them some Bioware. Ever since the days of Baldur's Gate and Knights of the Old Republic, the good doctors have redefined the importance of Story in video games. Known for their branching storylines, multi-choice conversation interface, and belief in the power of multiple pathways through a plot, gamers eagerly await the next thing to come out of Bioware's offices in the chilly North.

Citing a desire to return to their fantasy-themed roots, Bioware have been working on a new IP -- Dragon Age: Origins, a "spiritual successor" to the Baldur's Gate series. They very kindly offered a look at the game during GDC 2009, and I braved the journalist hordes just for you, O Learned Audience.