KILLZONE

Billed as the Halo-killer prior to launch, Killzone 1 on the PS2 couldn’t even kill a fly. It was a beautiful looking game, but was dragged down by stupid AI, timid shooting, and a bland campaign. A whole lot of people gave in to the enormous hype surrounding it, and a whole lot of people were immensely disappointed with the investment they made in its purchase.

Good news: The developer behind Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is working on the multiplayer for Gears of War 4. The bad news? The same studio, Splash Damage, was also responsible for Brink. So there are mixed feelings after the recent announcement in Game Informer by The Coalition.

Studio head Rod Fergusson said the studio’s extensive experience with multiplayer in the Gears universe was a strong motivator and that it was brought on to help with “a lot of the level design stuff.”

“Especially with meshing of multiplayer maps, we’re tapping into the expertise they got from Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. They also have a lot of expertise with online systems, in terms of matchmaking from Ultimate Edition…They basically had to rewrite for Xbox One.”

The Coalition is also focused on training its own team in the meantime. “When you get a strategic partner like Splash Damage, we talk about training up our own team on Gears, but when you have another team that’s trained up on Gears, we definitely want to work with them.”

Gears of War 4 will have a multiplayer beta on April 18th for those who played Gears of War: Ultimate Edition while “qualifying” Xbox Live Gold members will have access on April 25th. Thoughts on Splash Damage being involved? Let us know below.

Splash Damage is apparently working on a new AAA title for the PC, Xbox One and PS4 based on a “well known and highly popular” game. The developer is responsible for Brink and the multiplayer component of Batman: Arkham Origins.

On a LinkedIn listing for a Graphics Programmer, the developer wrote, “We are about to engage in a very well known and highly popular AAA title with next gen technology and we’re looking to recruit multiple disciplines to fill our ranks. As a Splash Damage’s Graphics Programmer, you will be responsible for implementing and optimizing rendering features for our games on PC and consoles (Xbox One and PS4).”

A listing for an Engine Programmer also revealed requirements for Unreal Engine 3 experience. Could this new title run on Unreal Engine 4, which is exclusive to the next gen consoles? That remains to be seen. Stay tuned for more details as they arrive and let us know what you think this new title could be in the comments.

Last year’s online focussed shooter Brink, developed by Splash Damage, has sold 2.5 million units worldwide since it’s release in May.

“With Splash Damage, we finished Brink, and it’s estimated to have sold more than 2.5 million units worldwide, which at retail would mean that it’s generated around $120-140 million in revenue,” said Splash Damage’s CEO Paul Wedgwood in an interview with Gamasutra.

Brink got a 7/10 here at GamingBolt. Author George Reith called it a “fun addition to the ever increasing library of online shooters”. While he praised it for having “decent gunplay and customisation in a tasty graphical coating”, he also pointed out some cons, saying it has “repetitive gameplay and a poorly structured single player component.”

Read our full review here.

Stay tuned for more info.

Splash Damage, developers of last year’s (disappointing) title Brink, have announced the hiring of Marc Fascia, who previously worked as the gameplay programmer at Ninja Theory for Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.

“We’re hugely impressed by Marc’s combination of insane technical ability and project management skills,” said studio boss Paul Wedgwood. “In particular its Marc’s obsession with fun gameplay and his personable nature that makes him the perfect person to lead our army of awesome programmers.”

“I’m really happy to be trusted with this incredible responsibility at Splash Damage,”  Fascia said. “We’re working on some great things, and managing such a big and talented programming team, across multiple varied and challenging projects, is a wonderful opportunity. I love multiplayer and Splash Damage suits my passion perfectly.”

[VG247]

Bethesda have announced that the latest downloadable content for Brink: Agents of Change is now available on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Steam.

Secrets, lies, and double agents. No one and nothing is at it seems as the arrival of a mysterious ship from the outside world shatters the tentative peace reached between the Resistance and Security factions. The revived battle spreads to two all-new districts of the Ark – the futuristic, underwater Labs facility and Founders’ Tower, the iconic spire housing the island’s wealthy elite. Unleash fury on your enemies with new lethal abilities as your work your way towards the newly raised level cap of 24 and customize your character with brand-new outfits and additional weapon attachments. 

Agents of Change will be free to download for the first two weeks. After the two weeks, the downloadable content will be available for purchase for 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99.

The first DLC for Brink has been given a release date.

The free ‘Agents of Change’ DLC for Brink will arrive on August 3 on Xbox Live and Steam and the following day on PSN. I say free, but it will only be available for free for those who download it within the first two weeks of its availability.

The DLC’s achievements and trophies have also been revealed:

Science Maven:
Win Labs as both factions in Campaign Mode
50G Bronze

Towering Achievement:
Win Founders’ Tower as both factions in Campaign Mode
50G Bronze

A Burning Thing:
Kill an enemy with a Napalm Grenade
20G Bronze

Pyromancer:
Kill an enemy with a Pyro Mine
20G Bronze

Remote Control:
Kill an enemy with a UAV
20G Bronze

Mutual Support:
Have a Field Regen Unit buff more than 3 players simultaneously
30G Silver

Ark King:
Reach Level 24
60G Gold

The Brink DLC ‘Agents of Change’ was set for a July release and was suppose to be free but we have not heard anything about until now.  The Achievement list just popped up, and the DLC will be available July 30th.  Here are the added Achievements.

Science Maven – 50G
Win Labs as both factions in Campaign Mode
Towering Achievement – 50G
Win Founders’ Tower as both factions in Campaign Mode
A burning Thing – 20G
Kill an enemy with a Napalm Grenade
Pyromancer – 20G
Kill an enemy with a Pyro Mine
Remote Control – 20G
Kill an enemy with a UAV
Mutual Support – 30G
Have a Field Regen Unit buff more than 3 players simultaneously
Ark King – 60G
Reach Level 24

The Brink Blog has announced it will DLC is on the way this July for the game and will be entitled ‘Agents of Change’.  For the first two weeks it will even be free.. we love you Splash Damage! The DLC will give you two new maps, five new player abilities, two new outfits and two new weapon attachments, which can be seen in our detailed post of the DLC here. Brink will also get an update which will fix a bunch of things, including the improvements of the AI… thank goodness.