Ragnar’s Realms

Today,  

Hans Zimmer is a pretty prominent composer on the Hollywood circuit, winning awards for his music for such films as Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean and As Good As It Gets. He’s even worked on a game before, contributing original material to The Simpsons Movie: The Game.

If the composer’s listing (PDF link) at GSA Music is to be believed, he’s also composing the score to surefire multi-billion seller, Modern Warfare 2. We’ve reached out to Infinity Ward for comment and will get back to you as soon as we can.

[Via Kotaku]

Source - Hans Zimmer’s profile at GSA Music (PDF link)

Talent agency lists Hans Zimmer scoring Modern Warfare 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not long after announcing that they’d be opening up three new Home space per month, Sony announced in conjunction with Activision today that “Backstage with Guitar Hero” would open up tomorrow in Home. It’s a Guitar Hero-themed space (dur) that looks slightly like the stage at the House of Blues merged with a backstage area. Equipment cases are piled up all over the place, and it’s cavernous enough to house plenty of rhythm-based music fans.

You’ll be able to watch trailers for upcoming titles in the Guitar Hero franchise, as well as access “Behind the Scenes” footage” on a separate screen. There’s also a VIP space in the back which is sealed off by a velvet rope, and Activision wants your feedback about what exactly should be behind it. We imagine there will be scads of votes for “champagne room” and/or “strippers.

Besides hobnobbing with your thrasher buddies, you can also play RockGod… a Simon-esque “match the chord” minigame, which you play by mashing the buttons along a to series of notes. Compete for top spots on the leaderboard, and sneer at your fellow Home-dwellers. Rock on! Check out video of the new space behind the break.

Continue reading GDC09: PlayStation gets new Home space, Backstage with Guitar Hero

GDC09: PlayStation gets new Home space, Backstage with Guitar Hero originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been around the World of Warcraft community for any length of time you’ve probably found and participated in some of the myriad of different game related communities. If you go to the blog search page and search for Warcraft you’ll see over 8 million related entries. There are also tons of additional podcasts on iTunes other such services. And then there are the forums. Besides the official forums, you have other sites that have created forums. There are forums like MMO Champion, WoW Raid, Elitist Jerks to just name a few.

We haven’t even touched the Facebook fan sites or Twitter #wow or #warcraft discussions.

But yet, now we have another way to talk about our favorite game. Google has a new collaboration tool out for use (by invitation only at the moment), Google Wave. Right now it’s still in Alpha and is full of bugs and performance issues, but it’s a tool that seems to have a lot of possibilities.

For example, if you search for waves by using “with:public Warcraft” you a number of public waves ranging from general wow discussions to server or class specific debates.

Personally, I’ve seen it used for Instant Messaging about patch 3.3, collaborating on documents, and even being used by people to play a role playing game. Basically, it seems like a tool that has a ton of potential. (Please understand that none of us here at WoW.com have any wave invitations to hand out.)

So here’s what I’m wondering. What communities do you participate in? Do you participate in the WoW related Twitter, Facebook, blog or podcast community? Which ones?

How about Wave? Are you using Google Wave to talk about Warcraft?

We’d love to know what communities you’re using and think people need to use also. So grab a cup a coffee and let’s talk about it.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Breakfast topics

Breakfast Topic: Catching the perfect Warcraft wave originally appeared on WoW.com on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click image to apply mass effect
BioWare has apparently changed its mind about the Mass Effect 2 box art, as the developer announced today that it has revealed the “final” image for the game’s standard edition release — the Collector’s Edition box art was shown off a couple weeks back.

The new box differs from the original version in that the characters and guns are more prominent, the Wrex-lookin’ Krogan is replaced by Thane the Assassin, Miranda Lawson is trying harder, but still failing at a solid Dead Space Girl impression, and Default Shepard from the original Mass Effect cover is again the sorry stranger of the bunch. Who is this cookie-cutter mancake BioWare insists cramp its covers? We’ve never seen him in our game!

Mass Effect 2 box art affected by massive change originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today,  

Filed under: News, Halo Wars

Microsoft has announced that Halo Wars, the Halo-themed RTS from Ensemble Studios, will launch in February 2009. Furthermore, the company has announced that a limited edition version of the game will be released and detailed its contents. Retailing for $79.99, the limited edition of Halo Wars includes:

• Three new Halo 3 (not Halo Wars) multiplayer maps. The maps include Assembly, Orbital, and Sandbox. You might recognize those maps as the upcoming Mythic Map Pack.
  
• Halo Wars: Genesis — A graphic novel by Phil Noto, Ensemble’s own Graeme Devine and Halo novelist Eric Nylund. The novel details the first human conflict with the Covenant and “centers around the Spirit of Fire on a mission to discover why the Covenant are so interested in the world of Harvest.”
  
• The “Honor Guard” Wraith in-game vehicle
  
• Six “Leader Cards.” Trading cards, we’re guessing, or something like them.
  
• Spirit of Fire Patch. You know, the iron-on kind. Have fun explaining what it means to your non-gaming friends.

The press release also notes that those who pre-order at certain (unannounced) retailers will get a code to unlock a Warthog vehicle with flame decals.

While we’re intrigued by the graphic novel, we have to admit the inclusion of the Mythic Map Pack is a pretty crafty move. The announcement says that those with the Halo Wars LE will be among “the first to experience the Mythic Map Pack,” which implies that they can get their hands on the maps before they become available to the general public. We get the feeling that a lot of Halo players are suddenly very interested in RTS games.

Halo Wars releases in Feb, LE comes with Mythic Map Pack originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs

Hellgate: London will apparently continue on as a free-to-play title according to IP owner HanbitSoft, reports Gamasutra. Namco Bandai planned to pull the plug on the servers January 31, but HanbitSoft asserts the game will push forward. Forward and upward, allegedly, as the Korean publisher plans to update the game and strengthen community features.

The first patch HanbitSoft plans to release “soon” will combine the game’s two modes, along with balancing game and class issues. Could the title that helped bring down Flagship Studios find an audience in the nurturing arms of the Korean developer?

Hellgate: London staying open as free-to-play game originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a written response to allegations from Fidgit that Electronic Arts had forced developer BioWare to remove features in Dragon Age: Origins with the intention of selling it as future DLC, BioWare lead systems designer Georg Zoeller says the parent company has “nothing” to do with the decision. At the crux of the argument is the game’s launch DLC, Warden’s Keep, which gives players a “storage chest” to help expand the in-game inventory, among other additions. Fidgit claims the DLC was pre-planned to “bilk users for more money.”

According to Zoeller, Dragon Age originally featured a small storage chest in the game’s party camp, but quickly became an issue due to story elements in the game that would change the camp’s environment; so the storage area was removed. “We decided that it was not really necessary anyway since the item limitation was rather generous compared to the initial designs at least,” Zoeller wrote. Later — during a brainstorm session — the team decided to include the chest in premium DLC, which was then made available at launch.

Zoeller claims “storage limitations” were never pinpointed as problems by the game’s quality assurance team, because “after all, it was part of the design.” While the Bioware designer doesn’t have an issue with anger toward the decision, he vehemently denies EA was involved for the sole purpose of getting more money out of players. With the DLC already available across all platforms (560 / $7, or free to deluxe edition players), it’s up to players to make their opinions heard by voting with their wallets.

Don’t blame EA for Dragon Age’s inventory (or paid DLC) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today,  

Doing yard work? Put down the rake. In the middle of intense litigation? Drop it. Giving birth? Hold it in. Whatever you’re doing, you need to stop right now and listen to the Nintendo Mixtape. Created by New York hip hop group, No Question? (warning: MySpace link), the Got Game? album sets all of its tracks to mixes of 8-bit Nintendo music and phat beats. And it’s awesome. We suggest you start with “Double Dragons” — we’ve embedded its video after the break. For those at work, keep in mind that the video and some lyrics are a tad inappropriate. That said, if your boss hears this and does anything other than give you a promotion on the spot, he has no soul.

Oh, and the entire album can be yours for the reasonable price of nothing. Yeah, you’re welcome.

Continue reading Stop what you’re doing and listen to the Nintendo Mixtape

Stop what you’re doing and listen to the Nintendo Mixtape originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gnomes, Polls, Humor, Screenshots, Comics

This week we have a new comic up for scrutiny concerning Blizzcon, a comic depicting the humorous side of the Midsummer Fire Festival, and some pretty aggressive battle strategy.

1. A new comic has sprung up about the adventures of two ‘durids’ attempting to get to Blizzcon. It makes use of a bit too much lol-speak for my tastes, but what do you guys think?
2. The fellows of Dark Legacy Comics are going to require a Plan B if they hope to reclaim their place on the top of the hierarchy. Also, I am jealous of their murloc action figure.
3. On LFG, the gnomes are coming to save the day! This episode actually stands well on its own.
4. When stealth goes wrong. NoObz.
5. Episode 21 of The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf is A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Are you ready to vote?

Continue reading Sunday Morning Funnies: Of edible size

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Today,  

There’s not a lot of meat here, so roll with us: Activision Blizzard has classified a previously unannounced game titled “Bloodhunt” with the Australian Ratings Board, giving it a MA 15+ rating for “strong violence.” Also, we know Activision is starting up a new San Mateo-based studio, headed up by former Visceral Games exec Glen “Dead Space” Schofield. That studio - which may be called “Sledgehammer Games” - is reportedly working on an action title.

No, really - that’s all we’ve got. We’ll file “Bloodhunt” here, so you can keep an eye on this story as it grows.

[Via Eurogamer]

New Activision title ‘Bloodhunt’ revealed by Australian Ratings Board originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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