Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Mercenaries 2 co-op developer walkthroughhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/mercenaries-2-co-op-developer-walkthrough/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/mercenaries-2-co-op-developer-walkthrough/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/mercenaries-2-co-op-developer-walkthrough/#commentsFiled under:


We'll be honest: most of the staff at Joystiq has a serious medical condition that makes us physically unable to resist good co-op gameplay. We can't do it. It's a serious condition. There's only two known treatments: 1) massive amounts of mind-altering pharmaceuticals or 2) co-op video games. Sometimes, we're forced to seek out the former when there aren't any co-op games on the ol' release calendar while other times there are games like Mercenaries 2: World in Flames that would appear to provide enough co-op gameplay to keep us drug-free for a long time.

Above you've got another Mercenaries 2 developer walkthrough, this time sharing the wonders of the game's co-op functionality. Don't mean to brag, but we've already played it. That means you'll want to pay attention, lest you miss things like "drop-in," "drop-out," "campaign," and "explosion." Say, does anyone have an early copy of Castle Crashers, we're really hurting over here ...

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]]>co-opEAElectronic-ArtsMercenaries-2PandemicChristopher Grant2008-08-21T18:28:00+00:00Joystiq hands-on: Mercenaries 2 online co-ophttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/13/joystiq-hands-on-mercenaries-2-online-co-op/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/13/joystiq-hands-on-mercenaries-2-online-co-op/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/13/joystiq-hands-on-mercenaries-2-online-co-op/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click to enlarge blow up
So many things in life are just that much better when enjoyed with a friend. Ice skating, canoeing, inline skating ... grappling a helicopter to escape the blast of a nuclear bunker buster strike you've just called in. That last scenario - and more! - is exactly what we experienced during a recent game of Mercenaries 2 online co-op with developer Pandemic Studios.

Unfortunately, there's no "Hi-Five!" peripheral (yet) for the 360 or it would have gotten plenty of use during our brazenly over-the-top cooperative mass destruction of a virtual Venezuela.

Gallery: Mercenaries 2 (8-13-08)


We started out by getting our feet wet - quite literally - thanks to this sequel's pleasant you-don't-die-if-you-touch-water play mechanic (that sort of stifled the first game). Our Pandemic playmate, Marty, invited us to grab a waverunner and follow him to an island where we'd be, er, "borrowing" some guided missiles from a bunch of military folks he assured us had plenty to go around.

That might have been the case, but they were nevertheless displeased by our obvious lack of saying "please." Our first firefight was upon us. Marty was taking heavy fire, so he asked if we'd please save his skin by hijacking a mobile surface-to-air missile launcher. We questioned the effectiveness of a SAM unit in an infantry skirmish, but he assured us it would be quite effective. Seeing as he's, y'know, making the game, we were compelled to comply. (We also didn't want his pixelated blood on our hands.)



After charging the SAM and executing a quick (but stylish) timing mini-game to commandeer it, we found out why Marty was so insistent on us doing so - a squeeze of the trigger and we were mowing down everything in our path: soldiers, guard towers, palm trees, small shrubs, you name it.

"He flew in close so we could grapple his landing skiff and catch a ride to our next target."
We eventually fought our way to the missile caches, careful not to accidentally detonate them, then called in our helo pilot to extract them. His presence attracted other, less friendly helicopters. Marty asked if we'd kindly hold off the arriving ground reinforcements while he "took care of something."

The next thing we knew, he had fired a grappling hook onto an enemy copter and we could see him slugging it out with the pilot. We watched as his character tossed the pilot out, and we tracked his plummet onto the rocks below. After using his new ride to take out the advancing soldiers on the ground around us, he flew in close so we could grapple his landing skiff and catch a ride to our next target, a heavily guarded bunker.

Our little "army of two" tackled this scenario by hijacking a tank and simple blowing holes through the compound's fortress-like concentric walls. This gave us a clean line of sight for the laser designator we'd need to drop the aforementioned bunker buster and a clear escape route. We got the pleasure of setting off the fireworks - and oh, were they pretty.


"We got the pleasure of setting off the fireworks - and oh, were they pretty."
We wrapped up our session by tracking down pieces of a crashed U.S. spy plane and destroying them using satellite guided bombs before Chinese forces could retrieve them. All the while, Marty provided covering fire and took out soldiers radioing for backup. One of the pieces of wreckage had already been loaded onto a ship, which sank into the briny deep once our air support punched a whole in it.

We have to say, Mercenaries 2 is more impressive (and explosive) every time we see it. This co-op experience only served to up the already over-the-top action, and provide plenty of headset hooting and hollering. Factoring in co-op specific Achievements (no word on Trophies yet) this could turn out to be one of the most-played XBL and PSN titles when it rolls out next month.

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]]>eahands-onjoystiqfeaturesmercenaries-2pandemicRandy Nelson2008-08-13T21:40:00+00:00Rumor: Dark Knight to prowl GTA-style cityhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/rumor-dark-knight-to-prowl-gta-style-city/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/rumor-dark-knight-to-prowl-gta-style-city/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/rumor-dark-knight-to-prowl-gta-style-city/#commentsFiled under:


In the category of things that are not surprising, you're certain to find the existence of a video game based on a stunningly successful superhero film. You'll also find Kotaku's report on the alleged first details of said game, which see the titular Dark Knight roaming the GTA-style streets of Gotham City, racing about in the Batmobile and swinging through the urban jungle on the hunt for society's less reputable elements.

But it's the game's unusual failure to release -- or even be officially acknowledged by anyone other than Commissioner Gordon -- that you might file in the less crowded category of surprising things. The report attributes Batman's no-show to the developer's continued struggle against a dodgy camera system and repetitive combat, the latter of which is no doubt a challenging side effect of film director Christoper Nolan slamming our hero's cape in the door of reality.

There's hope for a successful outcome (Vigilante's Creed, anyone?) within such a vaporous release schedule, but we're already concerned by the game's supposed adoption of the now-standard "Superhero + GTA = Video Game" formula. EA, we know you ignored us when we pleaded with you to put the Tumbler into Burnout Paradise as an unlockable, but listen to us this one time: People want to be Batman -- all of him. We want to be a billionaire playboy, the world's greatest detective and Gotham's Dark Knight. Don't make us beat up petty thugs in generic alleys all game long, okay?

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]]>BatmanDark-KnightEAPandemicRumorThe-Dark-KnightLudwig Kietzmann2008-08-12T18:00:00+00:00The AP asks: Where's the Dark Knight game?http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/08/the-ap-asks-wheres-the-dark-knight-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/08/the-ap-asks-wheres-the-dark-knight-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/08/the-ap-asks-wheres-the-dark-knight-game/#commentsFiled under:


We don't know about you, but we've been doing a little internal happy dance that a crummy video game version of The Dark Knight wasn't rushed to shelves, sullying in some way our love of the film. But The Batman's absence was apparently enough to get under the skin of the AP, which tried to dig up any dirt they could on the Caped Crusader's video game incarnation.

The general consensus? No one expected The Dark Knight to do as well as it did, meaning EA didn't feel a rush to get the game out day-and-date with the film, a miscalculation that analyst Michael Pachter estimates cost the company $100 million. Of course, it's mainly guesswork and speculation at this point, what really happened is anybody's guess. But make no mistake: Though we're happy there's no botched Dark Knight title on the market, we do want one. We just want the right one.

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]]>batmandark-knighteapandemicJustin McElroy2008-08-08T10:45:00+00:00Watch as Oldman spills The Dark Knight game detailshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/24/watch-as-oldman-spills-the-dark-knight-game-details/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/24/watch-as-oldman-spills-the-dark-knight-game-details/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/24/watch-as-oldman-spills-the-dark-knight-game-details/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Like a Batarang, this story didn't come back - it stuck. We're talking about our original report on G4's interview with actor Gary Oldman, in which he specifically speaks about an upcoming game based on the smash hit movie The Dark Knight. G4 had pulled the video, but, like a boomerang, it's back.

Oldman, who plays the role of Gotham City police lieutenant Jim Gordon in the film, reveals during the interview that he's "seen a tiny little piece of [the game]" and that its developer (rumored to be the now EA-owned Pandemic) is focusing a lot of effort on realistic, seamless gliding sequences. Meanwhile, his interviewer looks more uncomfortable and confused than enthused about the fact that she's sitting across from a film legend. Why so serious?

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]]>batmaneaelectronic-artspandemicthe-dark-knightRandy Nelson2008-07-24T18:45:00+00:00Oldman confirms Dark Knight game, G4 pulls videohttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/22/rumor-oldman-confirms-dark-knight-game-g4-pulls-video/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/22/rumor-oldman-confirms-dark-knight-game-g4-pulls-video/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/22/rumor-oldman-confirms-dark-knight-game-g4-pulls-video/#commentsFiled under: ,


[Update: Now with video (thanks, VVP)! Watch Gary Oldman spill the beans after the break. And hey, G4 - you guys totally got that story fair and square, so why pull the video?]

Far be it from us to tell Electronic Arts how to run its business, but one would think that announcing a long-since-leaked game based on a hugely anticipated movie which just so happened to premier the very same week of the industry's largest press event would be - what we in the video game blogging business call - "a no-brainer." But, then again, we're not Electronic Arts so, despite being first rumored and then leaked by IGN over a year ago, Pandemic's totally secret adaptation of The Dark Knight did not make its debut during the serendipitous collision of E3 and Batman-mania last week.

As if EA's counter-intuitive marketing plan wasn't funny enough, an interview on G4 with Commissioner Gordon himself, Gary Oldman, revealed - surprise! - that a game was indeed in development. Oldman stopped short of naming developer Pandemic or EA, but we all know the score; in response, G4 had the video removed from YouTube as well as their own site. Our favorite part from the interview teaser reel? When Oldman says, "It's hard to make a movie like this under the radar." You know what, we were just thinking the same thing about games ...

Source - IGN forums
Source - YouTube video (since pulled by g4 Media, Inc.)

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]]>BatmanEAG4PandemicThe-Dark-KnightChristopher Grant2008-07-22T20:59:00+00:00Joystiq interview: Mercenaries 2 senior producer Jonathan Zamkoffhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/joystiq-interview-mercenaries-2-senior-producer-jonathan-zamkof/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/joystiq-interview-mercenaries-2-senior-producer-jonathan-zamkof/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/joystiq-interview-mercenaries-2-senior-producer-jonathan-zamkof/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

We spent some time with the eagerly awaited Mercenaries 2: World in Flames at Electronic Arts recently, and we can safely say that it's a lot of fun blowing crap up in this game. In fact, if they dropped the storyline (you're chasing a druglord) altogether and called this game Blowing Sh*t Up!, we'd still buy it.

Senior Producer Jonathan Zamkoff answered several of our questions about the game after we took a breath to check for scorch marks and shrapnel wounds. We'll be spending a lot more hands-on time with this one at E3, so look for more coverage next week. In the meantime, check after the break to find out why they hope driving won't suck in this one... although they don't explain why this screenshot looks like Motorstorm 2: Save Your Own Ass.

Gallery: Mercenaries 2: 7/10/2008


The first Mercenaries was published by LucasArts, and now the sequel is coming out from EA. Has that transition been odd at all?

Actually it's been great. We have all of the resources of the worlds biggest publisher (marketing, PR, QA, asset libraries) with none of the creative constraints. Those guys have been good on their word of letting the labels run their own show.

What are the biggest differences (besides the graphics) between the two titles?

The overall scope is remarkably bigger; this includes asset complexity, world size, draw distance, number of vehicles and airstrikes, missions, game length, etc. And of course there's the drop-in-and-out anytime Co-op, which is a first for any open world game.

What will you be showing off at E3? New levels? Multiplayer? Campaign mode (i.e., is there one)?

C'mon, I wasn't born yesterday! :) You're going to have to come by our booth to check out the latest and greatest, but it will be sweet- and hands on!

What challenged your team the most on this, being a next-gen title?

I think the exponential jump in complexity from last gen. Everything has become bigger, better, and higher resolution and the knock-on effect has been a huge leap in asset pipelines, team sizes, outsourcing, tools, computer specs, development budget, all of it. There's nothing we've done on this game that was just ported over from the original Mercenaries, all of it has been built from the ground up with blood, sweat, and tears.

Will there be any extras down the line, like downloadable weapons, vehicles, character skins/outfits?

Mercenaries 2 is the kind of game that screams for PDLC and we're all about doing it...but we haven't committed to anything yet and we want to focus on making the shipped version as strong as possible. Then take a nap. Then work on PDLC.

The vehicle play was both fun and frustrating in the first Mercenaries. Will there be more vehicles (anything flying?) and have you addressed that in this new version?

Over 130 in total ranging from land, air and sea. Motorcycles, helicopters, jet skis, patrol boats, tanks, APCs, sports cars, gun trucks, the works. We've got a designer who's spent the majority of the last year just tuning vehicle physics, so yeah, I can say with absolution that the vehicle play in Mercenaries 2 is a huge step forward.

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]]>Blowing-Stuff-UpInterviewJonathan-ZamkoffLucasArtsMercenariesMercenaries-2PandemicKevin Kelly2008-07-10T21:00:00+00:00Mercenaries 2 delivers the goods with 'Improvise' trailerhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/09/mercenaries-2-delivers-the-goods-with-improvise-trailer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/09/mercenaries-2-delivers-the-goods-with-improvise-trailer/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/09/mercenaries-2-delivers-the-goods-with-improvise-trailer/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


After what feels like countless delays, the new trailer for Mercenaries 2 rekindles our hope that the latest release date of Aug. 31 for the game actually sticks. The video gives examples of a couple different ways to complete missions within the game, from being all stealth-like to just going in guns blazing.

There's something disturbingly satisfying about the idea that, if a mission goes south while trying to sneak through it, the option of just flipping out and destroying everything is still on the table. Check out the video after the break.

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]]>mercenariesmercenaries-2mercenaries-2-world-in-flamespandemicAlexander Sliwinski2008-07-09T02:00:00+00:00Mercenaries 2 developer walkthrough previews different 'approaches'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/05/mercenaries-2-developer-walkthrough-previews-different-approach/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/05/mercenaries-2-developer-walkthrough-previews-different-approach/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/05/mercenaries-2-developer-walkthrough-previews-different-approach/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Those who enjoyed the economics-meets-explosions gameplay of Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction will no doubt get a kick out of the latest trailer for the title's upcoming sequel. The three ExOps personalities we came to know and love in the first Mercs are making a comeback, and in the above video, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames lead designer Scott Warner gives us a sneak peek at how these well-trained operatives, you know, operate.

The gameplay looks solid, but for those of us too busy to watch a five-minute video on a Saturday afternoon, we'll briefly break it down using A-Team archetypes: Jennifer Mui is Templeton "Faceman" Peck, Mattias Nilsson is "Howling Mad" Murdock, and Christopher Jacobs is an amalgam of John "Hannibal" Smith and B.A. Baracus -- only he doesn't pity fools. He hastily shuffles them off this mortal coil using their own grenades.

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]]>a-teamdeveloper-walkthroughmercenariesmercenaries-2-world-in-flamespandemicpandemic-studiostrailerworld-in-flamesGriffin McElroy2008-07-05T13:30:00+00:00Lord of the Rings: Conquest debut trailer depicts battles, oliphant violencehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/21/lord-of-the-rings-conquest-debut-trailer-depicts-battles-oliph/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/21/lord-of-the-rings-conquest-debut-trailer-depicts-battles-oliph/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/21/lord-of-the-rings-conquest-debut-trailer-depicts-battles-oliph/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Pandemic just released the first trailer for their Star Wars: Battlefront-esque take on Tolkien's beloved fantasy world, Lord of the Rings: Conquest, and despite a few framerate issues, we're as pleased as Miruvor-flavored punch. Though past titles have tried to capture the grand scale of Middle Earth's climactic battles through various methods of interactivity, we've never really felt the exhilaration associated with cutting through swathes of Orcborn adversaries with our trusty Andúril. The familiar Battlefront gameplay formula looks to be just what the doctor ordered -- though PETA might have a few unkind words to say about the Proboscidean homocide apparently featured in the title.

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]]>battlefrontconquesteaelectronicartslord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-conquestlotrmiddle-earthpandemicstar-wars-battlefronttolkienGriffin McElroy2008-06-21T20:30:00+00:00EA: Saboteur, Dragon Age to miss '08http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/20/ea-saboteur-dragon-age-to-miss-08/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/20/ea-saboteur-dragon-age-to-miss-08/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/20/ea-saboteur-dragon-age-to-miss-08/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Delays are never good, but in the case of two titles emerging from EA's acquisition of BioWare and Pandemic, it's nice to see the publishing giant giving its studios the time they need to get the job done right. In particular, we're talking about BioWare's all-new original RPG title, Dragon Age, and Pandemic's WWII action game, Saboteur, both of which EA boss John Riccitiello revealed are now 2009 titles during a speech Tuesday.

BioWare, hot off the PC release of Mass Effect, has been crafting its first fantasy RPG since Neverwinter Nights for some time. Saboteur showed substantial promise when we saw it last year; it's a third-person action game set in Nazi-occupied France, starting off in black & white, with color appearing as Nazis are driven out of areas of Paris.

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]]>biowaredragon-ageeapandemicsaboteurRandy Nelson2008-06-20T00:30:00+00:00Pandemic announces Lord of the Rings: Conquest [update]http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/pandemic-announces-lord-of-the-rings-conquest/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/pandemic-announces-lord-of-the-rings-conquest/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/pandemic-announces-lord-of-the-rings-conquest/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


click to enlarge

Just how many people are working at Pandemic anyway? Not only are they still finishing up Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and (maybe) making the next Batman game, but news has come from IGN today that the Lord of the Rings game the studio is currently crafting (called Lord of the Rings: Conquest) will arrive on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this fall. By the developer's own admission it's an unabashed mash-up of the fantasy property and its own Star Wars Battlefront (read: huge fights in Middle Earth).

The game will incorporate every battle from the movies, a few from the books and some from whole cloth. Conquest's large-scale battles, which will sport up to 150 characters on screen at once, can be waged by eight players online [update: It's apparently 16] against one another or with four players teaming up on the main campaign online or via split screen. Frankly, we got a little burnt out on Lord of the Rings games when a glut of them arrived with Peter Jackson's films, but this sounds like the kind of meaty experience that justifies a return to Middle Earth.

Gallery: Lord of the Rings: Conquest

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]]>breakingnewsealord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-conquestlotrpandemicJustin McElroy2008-05-08T07:50:00+00:00Mercenaries 2 blowing up August 31http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/03/mercenaries-2-blowing-up-august-31/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/03/mercenaries-2-blowing-up-august-31/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/03/mercenaries-2-blowing-up-august-31/#commentsFiled under: , ,


We already knew that Mercenaries 2: World in Flames was headed for a delay, but now we know exactly how long we're going to have to wait. IGN is reporting today that the new date is August 31. We know! That seems like forever! They might as well make the date Nevervember the 37th.

The waiting isn't made any easier by this new trailer, which caters to that facet of our personalties games so often ignore: The part of us that likes to blow stuff up. ... Listen, we're sorry we got so upset earlier, we don't know what came over us. Just, please, for our sake, no more delays, OK? Please?

[Thanks, Jonah]

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]]>eamercenaries-2pandemicrelease-dateJustin McElroy2008-04-03T16:25:00+00:00IGN says Pandemic making Batman 'for sure,' then pulls storyhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/03/ign-says-pandemic-making-batman-for-sure-then-pulls-story/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/03/ign-says-pandemic-making-batman-for-sure-then-pulls-story/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/03/ign-says-pandemic-making-batman-for-sure-then-pulls-story/#commentsFiled under:


Last night, eagle-eyed members of NeoGAF spotted a story on IGN about developer Pandemic working on a new Batman game, moments before the story was then pulled. We're betting it was an exclusive let slip a bit too early, but that's just a guess. If you'll remember, this partnership of Bat and studio was rumored all the way back in May.

IGN didn't have details on the game but we're inclined to agree with the assumption that it's a Dark Knight tie-in meant to drop alongside the movie in July. As for the choice of Pandemic, best known for Destroy All Humans and Mercenaries, we're amiable enough. They're at least qualified to hurdle over the bar set by previous devs, so low as to be in danger of being melted by the Earth's molten core.

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]]>batmanpandemicthe-dark-knightJustin McElroy2008-04-03T11:45:00+00:00Pandemic Studios developing new Lord of the Rings gamehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/13/pandemic-studios-developing-new-lord-of-the-rings-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/13/pandemic-studios-developing-new-lord-of-the-rings-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/13/pandemic-studios-developing-new-lord-of-the-rings-game/#comments
An EA analyst report and meeting (via ShackNews) has revealed that Pandemic Studios is developing a new Lord of the Rings title. The studio, which was recently acquired by EA along with BioWare, continues to work on the twice-delayed destruction-fest, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

Little is known about Pandemic's journey to Middle-Earth, save for EA CEO John Riccitiello's announcement that it will release during the publisher's 2009 fiscal year -- somewhere between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. You'll know more when we know more.

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]]>BreakingNewsEALord-of-the-RingsLordOfTheRingsLOTRMercenariesMercenaries-2PandemicPandemic-StudiosLudwig Kietzmann2008-02-13T09:30:00+00:00Mercenaries 2: World in Flames delayed (again)http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/mercenaries-2-world-in-flames-delayed-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/mercenaries-2-world-in-flames-delayed-again/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/31/mercenaries-2-world-in-flames-delayed-again/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Shacknews reports that Pandemic Studios' action-packed Venezuela-wrecking shooter, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, has been struck with another delay, this one sending it careening into publisher EA's 2009 fiscal year. Though the game "is likely to ship this year," the official release period now stretches from April 2008 to March 2009.

The news follows several rumors which suggested that EA would show gamers no Mercenaries until August. We'll let you know as soon as official release date debris details come hurtling through our office window.

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]]>BreakingNewsEAMercenariesMercenaries-2Mercenaries2PandemicPandemic-StudiosShooterWorld-in-FlamesLudwig Kietzmann2008-01-31T19:35:00+00:00BioWare, Pandemic creating 10 new franchises for EAhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/bioware-pandemic-creating-10-new-franchises-for-ea/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/bioware-pandemic-creating-10-new-franchises-for-ea/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/07/bioware-pandemic-creating-10-new-franchises-for-ea/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Electronic Arts has dropped a cold, emotionless reminder of its late-2007 acquisition of both BioWare and Pandemic Studios, announcing that the pair have now been officially digested by the EA collective. While we remain cynical of the whole affair - it is, after all, what we do - EA has announced that the pair has been tapped to create a whopping ten new franchises for EA, based on six different "wholly-owned" properties. 10? Seriously? BioWare alone hasn't touched that much code in nearly a decade, though to be fair EA hasn't laid out a time line for how often these games will emerge.

Both BioWare and Pandemic will be overseen by EA Games' top cheese Locutus...erm, Frank Gibeau, and according to the executive the acquisition will broaden EA's game portfolio in the RPG, action and adventure genres. A cloud of mystery continues to hang over the bulk of these new projects, though EA has confirmed that BioWare remains hard at work on Dragon Age and the DS Sonic RPG, while Pandemic is chugging along developing Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and Saboteur. At least it seems as though the assimilation hasn't freed the developers of independent thought, though granted it does take some time before the implants take hold.

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]]>biowareDragon-AgeDragonAgeeaElectronic-ArtsElectronicArtsFrank-GibeauFrankGibeaumercenaries-2mercenaries2pandemicsaboteurSonic-RPGSonicRpgJason Dobson2008-01-07T12:00:00+00:00Mercenaries 2 viral videos = Tough guy + The Officehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/mercenaries-2-viral-videos-tough-guy-the-office/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/mercenaries-2-viral-videos-tough-guy-the-office/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/04/mercenaries-2-viral-videos-tough-guy-the-office/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Pandemic put together a small set of viral videos promoting its mercifully delayed Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. The mockumentary is The Office-esque and follows the exploits of Jim Holston, a "real" mercenary who visits the Pandemic studios to "check out the game."

There is no Mercenaries 2 gameplay footage or launch announcement in the videos that we can see, the first episode is above with the other three found after the break. If you like cringe-humor created by awkward situations then you may find a few moments of laugh-out-loud humor in the videos. We'll never view motion capture technology the same way again after seeing what Holston does to the Pandemic receptionist.



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]]>merc2mercenaries-2mercenaries2pandemicAlexander Sliwinski2008-01-04T20:05:00+00:00EA: BioWare, Pandemic purchase 'mutually beneficial,' studios to remain distincthttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-bioware-pandemic-purchase-mutually-beneficial-studios-to/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-bioware-pandemic-purchase-mutually-beneficial-studios-to/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-bioware-pandemic-purchase-mutually-beneficial-studios-to/#commentsFiled under: ,


With the gaming world still reeling over this afternoon's purchase of BioWare and Pandemic by EA, the major publisher/developer held a conference call discussing its plans for the studios, calling the acquisition "mutually beneficial" for all parties.

Says EA CEO John Riccitiello, "We bring a lot to the table ... we simplify the process of courting publishers, basically taking it to zero." He adds that EA, being the publishing giant that it is, can "reach places where [BioWare and Pandemic] don't get to so we can build their properties bigger." As for what EA itself gets out of the deal, the exec noted matter of factly that EA is "not in the open world action-adventure business. These guys are the leaders ... this strengthens us where we need to be stronger."

Added EA CFO Warren Jenson, "We are getting a very well cost managed developer into the organization."

Of course, much of the worry over the purchase resides in the feeling that these two specialized devs would suffer by being absorbed into some kind of homogeneous blob; however, according to EA, the reality will be "quite the opposite."

"Both of these are strong studios with rich cultures," said Riccitiello. "Inside our label structure they will maintain their autonomy ... and will reap the benefits of EA's scale and structure." He clarified that EA will also be able to "better monetize" titles from both studios, while allowing them to be "treated separately."

Finally, in looking to the future, EA notes that it plans to release 10 titles from the studios "fairly evenly" over the next 4 years, with BioWare's highly secretive MMO project getting a release "more towards the back end" of this schedule, most likely in 2011.

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]]>acquisitionbiowarebreakingnewselectronic artsElectronicArtsmmopandemicJason Dobson2007-10-11T18:04:00+00:00EA to acquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studioshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-to-acquire-bioware-corp-and-pandemic-studios/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-to-acquire-bioware-corp-and-pandemic-studios/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/11/ea-to-acquire-bioware-corp-and-pandemic-studios/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Monolithic publisher EA has today announced an agreement with Elevation Partners to purchase VG Holding Corp. -- a move which sees EA becoming the owner of both BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios. A shocking move to be certain, but one that should make complete sense to a publisher looking to strengthen its lineup of role-playing games and action titles. BioWare, currently finishing development on November's Microsoft-published Mass Effect, has proven itself to be one of the leading developers in the genre, and Pandemic Studios' Mercenaries franchise has shown an alarming propensity for blowing things up.

Closing January 2008, the purchase will cost EA up to $620 million in cash payment to the stockholders of VG Holding Corp., with another $155 million in equity going to "certain employees" of VG Holding Corp., "subject to time-based or performance-based vesting criteria." EA has also agreed to lend VG Holding Corp $35 million through the closing of the purchase. Ray Muzyka, Co-founder and CEO of BioWare Corp, thinks it's all money well spent. "This vision is consistent with BioWare's focus on crafting the highest quality story-driven games in the world," he says. "It will enable us to further the careers of the passionate, creative and hard working teams at BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Austin."

EA will hold a conference call later today to discuss the acquisition. Oh, and here are all the exclamation marks we wanted to put in the headline: !!!!!!!!!!

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]]>BiowareBreakingNewsEAMass-EffectMassEffectMercenariesPandemicPandemic-StudiosLudwig Kietzmann2007-10-11T16:36:00+00:00