conflict-denied-ops posts (Subscribe to this feed)

As was mentioned previously when it was initially scheduled for release on April 22nd, a new Conflict: Denied Ops Eagle Pack is now available for purchase off the Xbox Live Marketplace. Joy! But before Denied Ops fanboys (all eight of you) get too excited, know that this DLC isn't cheap.

For 800 Microsoft points ... ahem, 800 Microsoft points this 727MB download will add five new multiplayer maps to the mix including Lost City, Tank Yard, Sanctuary, Killing Zone, and Adrift. And did we mention that this Denied Ops DLC will cost 800 Microsoft points? Heck, it doesn't even come with an update to make the game fun ... humph to that!

Spotted over on Xbox.com UK comes word that new downloadable content for Conflict: Denied Ops is planned and ready for release next Tuesday, April 22nd exclusively through the XBLM. The Denied Ops Eagle Pack DLC will expand the game's multiplayer fun by adding five new multiplayer maps including Lost City, Tank Yard, Sanctuary, Killing Zone, and Adrift. The article makes no mention of DLC pricing, but if we had to take a stab in the dark, we'd say it'd either be cheap (250 MS points) or free (0 MS points). Not that you cared about Denied Ops DLC anyway ...

[Thanks, Marcin]

GameTap brings us into conflict and then denies our operations this week with Conflict: Denied Ops. Yup, still one of the most foolish game titles in the past year. Beyond that there's a puzzle game involving flowers and a hardcore naval strategy game. This week's odd offerings are diminished by last week's new Sam & Max adventure.

• Conflict: Denied Ops (Windows) - Playing as a "deniable operative" you ... ohhh, now we finally get it.
  
• Fire Flower (Windows) - The only way out of the magical labyrinth in this puzzle game is to move flowers around.
  
• Fleet Command (Windows) - A hardcore naval strategy simulator.

After the break we've posted GameTap's list of free games. New additions this week are Ball 7 and Qix. Still waiting to read some academic paper about Qix being a metaphor for claustrophobia and a person's struggle to break free.

Rut roh. Don't look now, but today's update is really rather bad. It's been a while since we've come out and said that a PSN update has been dire, because the quality has improved drastically over the last six months. Still, unless you're a fan of developer diaries, or demos that have been on the US Store for two weeks, then there's not a lot here for you. Here's the full release list:

• Lost Planet online demo (free)
• Conflict: Denied Ops launch trailer (free)
• Conflict: Denied Ops Dev Diary 3 video (free)
• Assassin's Creed Dev Diary trailer: Altair (free)
• 7 Devil May Cry 4 wallpapers (free)
• Sports theme (free)

It seems that SCEE have put Snakeball back on the front page, even though it came out in December. Our guess is it's their attempt to pad out today's update, but it hasn't really worked. Oh well, the long wait until next Thursday starts now.

OK, so, we've just about had it with the colons. Just recently, we've been assaulted with Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, Universe at War: Earth Assault, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men and we're sure we're forgetting several dozen others. If you're the sort that needs to actually play these games to help yourself keep them straight, a single-player/co-op demo for Conflict: Denied Ops has just arrived on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

You could always save yourself some time, we guess, and read our hands-on of the game which ... well, let's just say it was less than "glowing." But honestly, where's the fun in that? It's free, go try it for yourself, then come back and let us know what you think. Just take it easy on the colons when you do ... they're a finite resource, you know.

Read -- Demo: Conflict: Denied Ops (single player and co-op)
Read -- PSN Thursday

Arriving this morning on the Xbox Live Marketplace to all regions (except Germany and Japan), is a new Confict: Denied Ops demo. And, as an added bonus, the 736MB demo features not only single play, but also online co-op as well. So, even if Conflict: Denied Ops doesn't turn out to be a shooter of the year caliber game, you'll at the very least have a friend close by to share in the pain of it all. Which, we're sure, is comforting to know. Anyhoo, the demo is available right this moment, so download ... download away!

Just a few months ago we brought you impressions of an early build of Conflict: Denied Ops. As the newest chapter in the perpetually-lackluster Conflict series, our opinion then was that the game was following in the footsteps of its 4.0 kindred. We were frustrated with the flat look, boring linear gameplay and the use of a needless buzzword – "Puncture-Tech" – to describe destructible environmental elements.

In checking in on the game's progress in a near-release state today at CES, we found that many of these same concerns are still applicable. Eidos and Pivotal Games have stopped using that meaningless marketing buzzword and thrown in a few twists on the A-to-B gameplay, but Denied Ops is basically the same flawed game we saw in October.

So what's the solution for a game company that has an overly-linear title on their hands? Apparently, you start calling it a casual game. That's right: Conflict: Denied Ops is now a "casual first-person shooter." You know: for all those grandmas who have been itching to break into the 'killing things' genre.

In another CES 2008 announcement, Microsoft has highlighted nine new additions to its Games for Windows endeavor, promising to "continue the momentum for Windows-based gaming in 2008" and "revive" the PC gaming space. The titles due to be dressed in Microsoft's colors include:

• Alone in the Dark (Atari)
  
• Bionic Commando (Capcom)
• Conflict: Denied Ops (Eidos Interactive)
• Empire: Total War (SEGA)
• LEGO Indiana Jones (LucasArts)
• Microsoft Train Simulator 2 (Microsoft Game Studios)
• Sins of a Solar Empire (Stardock)
• Space Siege (SEGA)
• Tomb Raider: Underworld (Eidos Interactive)

The list not only cements the "Underworld" subtitle to Eidos' next Tomb Raider, but provides reassurance as to the longevity of Microsoft's initiative. Games for Windows is sure to be around for quite some time if Alone in the Dark manages to arrive under its banner. Microsoft's polite press release is also keen to remind us that other expected 2008 titles -- Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Borderlands, The Club, Fallout 3 and Frontlines: Fuel of War -- will stand beneath the flapping emblem.

No doubt in a rush to get a new game – any new game – on store shelves so it can wash its hands of the whole Kane and Lynch debacle, Eidos has announced that it will release Conflict: Denied Ops for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 12, 2008.

The game is the latest from the "conflict" obsessed folks at Pivotal Games, and will allow one or two players to simultaneously control a pair of gun-wielding supermen, not unlike the aforementioned Kane and Lynch. Pivotal's Conflict series of games are not exactly known for overwhelmingly positive scores, and if our earlier impressions hold true, the same fate awaits Denied Ops, though hopefully once reviews begin rolling in no writers will find themselves on the business end of a pink slip. If so, perhaps Gerstmann needs a roommate?

Two people against the world. This is the premise of a lot of upcoming games, including Eidos's own Kane & Lynch -- but they don't all turn out the same. Kane & Lynch's sleek presentation and meticulous attention to detail remind us that in its current state, Conflict: Denied Ops falls flat.

Players take control of two members of the CIA Special Activities Division, or the Denied Ops. If captured, any link with the US government will be denied, hence the name. The game takes place in Venezuela, as a new government regime is threatening to deploy nuclear weapons against the US. Just in case you didn't know, this is a bad thing.

You'll have to use two-man tactics to get through each level. In single-player, players will be able to swap control between the two soldiers at the press of a button, but in multiplayer, two players will be able to play simultaneously (online and off). The fundamental concepts of the game are solid: one player is a sniper while the other has access to a louder arsenal of weaponry. A standard tactic to use would be to have one gunman draw the attention of your enemies, while the other sneaks around and flanks the enemy. We can see this being great fun in multiplayer, especially if you have friends that specifically prefer to play as a sniper, or as a run 'n gunner.