Dukes Digital Domain…

Last night we were due to meet up at the Captain’s Cabin located in Haymarket but due to the bomb threat I had to change the venue location at the last moment. Gareth suggested The Cheers Bar on Regent Street so I quickly updated the event page on Facebook and mass mailed everyone.

I got to the bar for about 5pm and I didn’t have long to wait before I was joined by Jon (Centralan UK). Within the hour we were joined by Ben, Gareth, Keri, Sharan and Paul then a few minutes later Jonnie, Chris, Emma, Matt and Rhianna arrived with some other people. It was good catching up because I haven’t seen them in ages. I’ve posted up a load of photos via Facebook but totally forgot to record any videos, doh!

Overall last night was a lot of fun and I’m now looking forward to the next epic gathering

Worthplaying.com published an interesting Q&A with the developers of Massive Entertainment. The interview is generic as a few other online media outlets have published the same interview but it is an interesting read as it covers the technical aspects of World in Conflict.

This week was pretty crazy. So many things going on its unreal but tomorrow we’ll be having a little gathering in the West End. I’ll be meeting up with a lot of people that I haven’t seen in AGES. Like always, I’ll take plenty of photos and may possibly record some embarrassing, drunken behavior using the N95.

In other news:

I’ve booked the flights for my Hawaii holiday and I’m really looking forward to this break as it covers Christmas and the New Year celebrations.

Everything with World in Conflict is going really well. There are a number of awesome things in the pipeline but those projects will be revealed at the later date. I’m working on a dedicated WiC page at the moment and I hope to get it finished this weekend. If I’m not blogging about World in Conflict then I’ll be writing about it on the official website.

I’ll be traveling across the UK on business during July. Just looking at my schedule… I’m in and out of my office every other day for the ENTIRE month.

The Book of Games Volume Two (BoGV2) is well underway and I’ve submitted the first article. I’ve got a few more to write within the next few weeks and I’ve got to write down some solid ideas for a feature article and email that over to the chaps at gameXplore. There is a lot to do before the book goes to print in September but the support we’ve gained within the games industry over the past eight months or so, it’s very positive in the UK, Europe and further afield.

Oh, one last thing. I’ve started up a new feature for my blog. It is called “On the Spot”. You’ll get a good idea of what is all about this weekend… stay tuned.

Hey folks, I’m thinking about buying the Toshiba 42C3030DB 42″ HD Ready LCD TV because it is time I got with it and upgraded my TV. The TV’s price is good and I’m going to order it over the weekend. I just want to gather some feedback from you because I know a lot of you will be able to provide the best advice. If you have any comments, please leave one below.

I’ve had to scrape this post because a friend of mine that works at Sony has just offered me an awesome deal on a HD telly!

I’ve achieved a milestone with my online gaming, in particular on Xbox Live as I’ve acquired 16,175 gamerscore points. That means I’m leading Gunit by 2451 points so let’s wait and see if he posts up another entertaining blog post or even tries to beat my score!

Emma will probably kill me for posting this but a long time ago, just up the road Emma was born and today she is celebrating her twenty third birthday!

Have a good one Emma and see you at your birthday celebration on Friday

At work recently things have gone from hectic to extremely mental. I can’t say anything about what we’re doing at the moment but there are a number of cool things in the pipeline. I’m taking things easy this weekend mainly because the next two months are going to be insanely busy but it’s going to be good fun.

I haven’t really done much this weekend apart from play games. I was pissed with Halo 2 (Vista) because I played through some levels and not gained the level completion achievements.

I’ve spent a lot of time playing The Darkness* - it would be pretty cool if a studio turned this game into a movie. Watched the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer movie but it wasn’t as good as the first movie. The game is interesting though but it has easy achievements - Gareth will like those as he is currently lagging behind in our gamerscore race!

I briefly played Armored Core 4, Tenchu Z*, Project Sylpheed* and Vampire Rain*. I’ll post more about these games later but Project Sylpheed is visually stunning. If you like space shooters then pre-order or pick it up next Friday.

(Denotes: * indicates the game(s) are due to be released on the 29^th June 2007).

A friend sent over this picture of him playing Forza Motorsport 2 on a three screen HD set up.

Please note the picture below was edited for obvious reasons:

Chris G playing Forza Motorsport 2 on three screens!

You could potentially do this yourself but it would cost a few quid as you’d need three HDTV’s, three Xbox 360’s and three copies of Forza Motorsport 2!

Yesterday, Sierra Entertainment officially announced and confirmed World in Conflict for the Xbox 360 and to go along with the release I’ve uploaded a number of screenshots:

Awesome news has just hit the gaming grapevine. World in Conflict has finally been confirmed for the Xbox 360. I’ve known about this news for ages but couldn’t confirm anything until the official announcement was released and good job it came out today because 360 - Gamer has World exclusive coverage in the magazine. Anyhoo, here is the official announcement in full:

WORLD IN CONFLICT TO BRING WORLD WAR III
TO XBOX 360 THIS AUTUMN

Action-Strategy Game from Massive Entertainment Coming to Xbox 360

READING (21^ST June, 2007) – Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced that World in Conflict - the upcoming action-strategy game that blurs the line between traditional strategy gameplay and fast-paced shooters - will be available for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft this fall. The game is being developed for Xbox 360 by Sierra’s own Swordfish Studios, in conjunction with Massive Entertainment, also a Sierra-owned studio, to optimise gameplay for the Xbox 360 controller
and implement a new heads-up-display (HUD) that is more functional and appealing for console gamers.

World in Conflict represents the next-generation of strategy games, pitting Cold War-era superpowers against one another with completely destructible 3D battlefields, blistering visuals, and a narrowed gameplay focus that removes traditional resource-gathering and base-building in favor of non-stop combat, tactical decisions and an FPS-like addiction to intense action.

“World in Conflict is the natural fit for Xbox 360, as it effectively blurs the lines between strategy, action and first-person shooter, making controlling units and issuing orders quick and easy on the console controller,” said Al Simone, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, Sierra Entertainment. “With the game coming to Xbox 360, next-generation console gamers will be able to enjoy the next-generation of strategy games. Fans of action games and strategy fanatics alike will find that World in Conflict’s unique gameplay and advanced multiplayer combat will provide a fresh game experience not yet available on consoles.”

World in Conflict presents a chillingly authentic Cold War scenario where the Berlin Wall never fell. Created by Cold War authority and best-selling author Larry Bond, the story begins in 1989 as the Soviets, fearing certain collapse, boldly advance into Europe. NATO responds in force only to be met on a second front - a full-fledged invasion of the American homeland. Players take on the role of field commander, leading the era’s most powerful military machines in the campaign to retake America’s cities and suburbs.

Features in World in Conflict include:

Super-Powered Warfare: Unleash the arsenals of the great military superpowers in the gripping single-player story created by Larry Bond

Bleeding-Edge Graphics – The latest version of Massive’s proprietary Masstech engine allows for a full 360° range of camera control and features advanced lighting and physics effects

Complete Destructibility – As the battle rages, the world environment pays the price -every object in the game will crumble under the force of war, including cars, buildings and forests

Deep Multiplayer Modes: World in Conflict will support up to 16 players for head-to-head and team-based battles in Domination, Assault and Tug-of-War gameplay styles

Real World Units: Players will take control of the most devastating arsenal of military weaponry ever created, including Soviet, American and NATO tanks, planes, trucks, troops and helicopters as well as nuclear weapons

Player Roles – Players will choose to play as Infantry, Armor, Support Forces, or Aerial specialists; multiplayer teams will need to master each role for maximum effectiveness World in Conflict is expected to be available at retail stores worldwide this fall for the Xbox 360. The game will also be available on personal computer in September. For more information on World in Conflict, please visit www.worldinconflict.com.

About Sierra Entertainment

Sierra Entertainment (www.sierra.com), a division of Vivendi Games, creates and publishes innovative, high-quality interactive entertainment for personal computers, videogame systems and handheld gaming devices. Sierra features a strong portfolio of titles based on original IP and popular licenses from industry-leading content partners. Sierra has four integrated internal studios providing top-notch creative talents, development capabilities across multiple genres and a global perspective: High Moon Studios in San Diego, CA; Massive Entertainment in Malmo, Sweden; Radical Entertainment in Vancouver, B.C.; and Swordfish Studios in Birmingham and Manchester, England.

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Oh and Xbox websters drop me a line when you can