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New Doom 3 For Xbox 360 And PlayStation 3 Supports Head-Mounted Displays 
Far Cry 3 And The Stranger In A Strange Land The developers behind the episodic KumaWar series are once again capitalising on deadly real-world events, putting players in the shoes of the plundered with Somali Showdown: Pirates on the High Seas.
The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association rings in the new year with news of their first anti-piracy raid of 2009, in which they seized computers and more than 1,000 illegally copied games.
The Entertainment Software Association issued a press release today that for once wasn’t scolding a U.S. state for pursuing unconstitutional game legislation. Instead, they take a moment to applaud the sentencing of two convicted software pirates – Kevin Fuchs of New York and Kifah Maswadi of Florida, both of whom received prison terms for their efforts at taking away money from hardworking developers and publishers. “We commend the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of North Carolina and the Eastern District of Virginia and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their work in bringing these criminals to justice,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA… “These decisions illustrate, once again, that game piracy will not be tolerated and the extent at which these criminals will be prosecuted. The ESA and its members will continue to support law enforcement’s efforts to protect the intellectual property of our industry.”
It’s just another friendly way of saying don’t f*** with the ESA.
Nothing will have me running to check out a new game like the promise of pirates so when it was announced that a game called Plunder would be playable at Capcom’s Digital Day I made my way to the room as soon as I could. Plunder, developed by Certain Affinity (Whose lead designer is Max Hoberman of Halo 2 and 3 multiplayer fame), is a real time multiplayer strategy game inspired by titles like Settlers of Cattan. On a hex tile board, players take control of their own pirate ship and attempt to gain domiance over the ports that are placed around different spots on the map. Capturing various areas will yield spoils that will allow you to upgrade your ships with faster speed, stronger shields and better firepower. Pointing and clicking on a hex area will start moving your ship to that space and passing by an enemy will initiate automated cannon fire between the two ships. The game is won when one player or team gains control over the majority of ports.
A lone ninja terrorises Staten island New York, and it takes an entire bad of outrageously overacting pirates to track him down. Mind you they don’t actually find him until he wants to be found. As far as effective ways to uncover a ninja go, popping out from behind trees en masse and shouting “Ninjas!” generally ranks pretty low. That shit might work on robots and zombies, also teams in Blazing Lizard’s upcoming Pirates Vs, Ninjas Dodgeball for Xbox Live Arcade, but on us stealth assassins? Ninja please.
Russian developer Akella are the closest thing gaming has to pirate specialists. They’ve got titles like Pirates of the Caribbean (Xbox), Age of Pirates, and Sea Dogs under their belts already, and they’ve just announced a new game for 2008, City of Abandoned Ships. It’s a pirate RPG that allows you to take the role of the pirates themselves or any of the usual suspects: England, France, Spain, or the Dutch. You’ll get ship=to=ship combat, meet historical figures, and explore land-based locations throughout the Caribbean. They’re so pirate they’ve even come up with a nifty anagram for their advancement system: P.I.R.A.T.E.S – Power, Impression, Reaction, Authority, Talent, Endurance and Success. They might be going a little overboard here, but years at sea will do that to you. City of Abandoned Ships is due in the first quarter of 2008, most likely for the PC.
Pirates of the Burning Sea, the only pirate MMO that I’ve liked to date, is scheduled to go live on Jan. 22, Sony Online Entertainment announced today.
“We are eagerly anticipating the day we can raise the anchor and set sail with Pirates of the Burning Sea. Our team’s hard work and dedication, and that of our partners at SOE’s Platform Publishing group, is going to result in a fantastic gameplay experience for PC gamers,” said Russell Williams, CEO, Flying Lab Software. “We are looking forward to bringing this game to fruition, and appreciate the support from our dedicated community in helping us to develop a top-notch game.”
Pre-orders or the game are set to kick off on Oct. 23. Gamers how buy early will get access to the pre-boarding party which kicks off 15 days prior to launch. During that time those lucky few get to level up to 20 with characters they can keep when the game officially launches. Better still, pre-orderers get a free virtual parrot, a weapon and an original game soundtrack CD. That parrot sure as hell better say “Fuck you one eye!”
It’s September 19th, ladies and gentlemen, and you all know what that means. Whether you are a Pirate of the Burning Sea, a Pirate of the Caribbean, a Puzzle Pirate, or one of Sid Meier’s stalwart band of buccaneers, today is your day. Break out the eye patch, cut off your leg and replace it with a wooden stump (do NOT actually do this), and crack open the rum, for International Talk Like A Pirate Day is upon us, may god have mercy on our souls. It’s a special day for Kotaku, as it is a well documented fact that we are captained by the notorious dread pirate Crecente, whose exploits and bird shirts are the stuff of nautical legends. How are you planning on celebrating this day? As a ninja, I am going into hiding, though to be honest that’s pretty much what ninja do anyway when they aren’t killing pirates. Maybe I’ll toss in a silent yar for the occasion.
Pirates of the Burning Sea has become the official video game of International Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19th), and to celebrate they are raiding the coastline of Seattle, causing a right ruckus in the streets, and hanging about the Seattle Aquarium looking swarthy and unkempt. Local Seattle pirate group SeaFair Pirates will be on hand, offering tours of the waterfront on their pirate ship, and you’ll get a chance to meet the devs and get some hands-on time with Pirates of the Burning Sea. There’ll even be an appearance by Talk Like A Pirate originators John “Ol’ Chumbucket” Baur and Mark “Cap’n Slappy” Summers, commemorating the game’s official pirate status. You can hit the jump for more details, though I would suggest hitting the official RSVP page first, as spots are limited. The event runs from 7-10PM, leaving you plenty of time to get home and lock your doors before September 20th – Unofficial Kill Pirates Like A Ninja Day. Only kidding. Locking your doors won’t help, silly.
