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read moreUGO Entertainment Acquires 1UP/EGM Being Shut Down? [Updated]
Looks like a lot of staff and the 1up show and possibly the best podcast on the internet 1up Yours have been cancelled. I’m very sad to here this, how will I know if it’s the weekend?
Here is a list of 1up/EGM staff that have been let go.
Adrian Frieg
Amy Mishra
Amy Moran
Andrea Garcia
Andrew Fitch
Andrew “Skip” Pfister
Anthony Gallegos
Cesar Quintero
Christina Rosa
CoyLou Steel
Derek Chinn
Doug Parsons
Eric Ellis
Giancarlo Varanini
Greg Ford
James “Milkman” Mielke
Jason Bertrand
Jason Wilson
Jervilyn Jaramillo
Justin Frechette
Leslie Gelfand
Marci Yamaguchi
Matt Chandronait
May Tong
Meredith Stowe
Michael Donahoe
Monique Convertito
Ndubuisi Madu
Nick Suttner
Norris Boothe
Philip Kollar
Rey Serrano
Robert Bowen
Rosemary Pinkham
Ryan O’Donnell
Ryan Scott
Shane Bettenhausen
Simon Cox
Tammy Ross
Tipler Ubbelohde
Source Joystiq. Find out more here
Hopefully this doesn’t affect any of the 1up staff as they have some tredmenous talent over there.
Here is the offical statement from the 1up Staff.
You may have heard the rumors in the past, but today the announcement we?ve all been waiting for has officially come: UGO Entertainment and parent Hearst Corporation have acquired 1UP and its associated sites GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com, and GameTab.com. 1UP and its sites now join UGO’s network of gaming properties that will reach over 40 million monthly unique visitors. UGO and 1UP representatives commented on the deal:
“Since we started UGO 11 years ago, we have served the gamer community and built a world-class online publishing platform,” said J Moses, CEO of UGO Entertainment. “The acquisition of 1UP, with its authentic voice, tenured editorial personalities and bustling user community, allows us to expand our base of quality content and represents a major step forward in UGO’s mission to become the leader in the games space.”
“We are extremely excited to join the UGO team,” said Sam Kennedy, editorial director and creator of 1UP. “Relying on UGO?s publishing platform will allow us to focus on what we do best?creating great content and ‘owning the conversation’ among gamers through our unique, authentic and definitive voice and community.”
Obviously, there are sure to be many questions as to what this deal means for the day to day of 1UP and its sites. To those, we can only say that we’ll continue to produce the very best gaming content and support the very best gaming community as we always have, only now we’ll have the backing of a fantastic publisher like UGO. Please join with us in celebrating this major news for 1UP.
Source 1up.com. More information can be found here
EGM to get the axe due to this acquisition by UGO Entertainment ?
Media business website paidcontent.org posted a story this morning with the headline “Ziff Davis sells 1UP digital network to Hearst, shutters EGM” but has since removed the piece from its website. The original content of the text is still visible using an RSS reader, and it stated,
Looking to conserve its resources for its PC Mag Digital business, Ziff Davis Media has sold off the 1UP Digital Network, its collection of video game sites, to Hearst Corp., which will fold it into the UGO Entertainment division, the companies said. In conjunction with the sale, the related print mag Electronic Gaming Monthly will publish its last issue this month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Since finishing up its Chapter 11 proceedings last summer, Ziff Davis has sought to devote more energy to building up the PC Mag online network. Before this, Ziff Davis’ biggest step in the streamlining process involved the shuttering of PC Mag as a print product in November. As for Hearst’s UGO, the addition of 1UP’s sites is designed to further consolidate its efforts to build up content for gamers since Hearst bought the 11-year-old male-centric entertainment company in July 2007.
Source : Whattheyplay.com more information can be found here
read moreGears of War 2 title update coming later this month
From Mark Rein at Epic Games
First of all I hope all of you had a safe and happy holiday season.
As I mentioned before the break we’ve been working on a major title update for Gears of War 2. This update will address bugs and exploits as well as add some new achievements related to downloadable content. We don’t have an exact date for it but all indicators are it will go live within January. If that changes we’ll let you know.
We’re fixing a whole bunch of online exploits. For example we’ve fixed the ability to wield an invisible shield, melee through some walls, gain infinite Lancer ammo and equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously plus many more.
We’re also making several small changes to improve the overall online gameplay experience. A few of the ones that might interest you are; increased penalties for quitting matches early, adding additional spawn protection against planted grenades and chainsaw attacks, and adding the ability to see the Submission flag carrier destination by using Tac/Com.
We know you folks love achievements so on the achievement side we’re adding achievement progress numbers to the War Journal, increasing the frequency of in-game Achievement progression notifications and adding some new Achievements for DLC.
This is just a very small list of some of the things that will be in the next title update but one more item which has been talked about a lot in our forums deserves a special call out…
About that shotgun…
We fixed the client side hit detection on the shotgun so that in a high-latency (i.e. “laggy”) match, the shotgun will be more reliable. We’ve also fixed another bug whereby shotgun and boomshot rounds could strike the ground when firing from the hip.
So there’s a brief status report on the next title update. At some point I expect we’ll post a more detailed list but I assure you we’re working hard to get this out the door and once it’s done we’ll start working on the next update. We’ll try to do a better job keeping you informed of our progress on future updates and we’ll try to be a little more active in the forums once this update is released.
Source Epic Games – More information can be found here.
read moreHappy New Year and Our Game Of The Year !!!!!
Ah yes, the obligatory BEST OF 2008 list. It must be New Year’s Eve.
Flakes and I looked back on all the games we’d played this year to see if we could pick a favourite. Last fall we saw one of the busiest release seasons ever. With so many great games it was hard to pick one winner. Flakes and I ultimately couldn’t come to a unanimous verdict.
Here then are our Top 2 Games of the Year. We’ve put up a poll so that you can weigh in and cast your vote. Who got it right: Flakes or Darth
Tehflakes’ GOTY:
Metal Gear Solid 4 – Playstation 3
Released earlier this year, it may not be the “savior” Sony Executives were hoping it would be, but it did help sell some PS3 consoles and did rank well in the sales charts. MGS4 was by far the best game both in the franchise and for the PS3 this year. The controls were “westernized” which added to the overall experience. The game play was very intense and challenging as Snake showed signs of old age. There was a lot of talk regarding the cut scenes, both good and bad. Overall, there were a lot of cut scenes that told the story and wrapped up the story brilliantly. Metal Gear Solid 4 can be summed up by saying you were treated to great game play and a fantastic cinematic experience.
DarthAlbert III’s GOTY:
Fallout 3 – PS3
With its expansive terrain, detailed stats building, in depth leveling system, and unique characters, Fallout 3 plays more like an excellent D&D quest than anything else. You can go (almost) anywhere and do (almost) anything. Want to kill the Sheriff of Megaton? Do it! Want to help survivors? Go for it. Want to extort them and kill them anyway? Up to you. But Fallout 3 is more than making decisions; it’s an epic moral battleground.
I’ve played morality based RPGs before (Knights of the Old Republic is one of my favourite games) but Fallout 3 is the first game that has forced me to question my own morals and stray from the light. In games like KotOR, there are clear distinctions between black and white, good and evil. Also, there’s the knowledge that no matter what path you choose, you’ll still have plenty of money and allies to buy and fight your way out of trouble. Not so in Fallout. When wandering a post apocalyptic world can one afford to lose the credits he or she is offered for performing good deeds? I walk the path of ultimate good (despite my name) in all morality based games. At least, I did before Fallout. Now, stealing a clip of ammo or hacking into a restricted computer could be the difference between life and death for my character. Morals be damned, I’m surviving over here.
Yes, Fallout has great graphics and sound. Yes, Fallout has engrossing environments and unique item systems. Yes, Fallout has an amazingly laid out story with strong characters. Fallout has all these things, but so do other games. Fallout wins for me because it does what every videogame strives to do. It firmly places the player in the shoes of the main character and creates an immersive, unbelievably realistic world where anything can, and will, happen. I just can’t get enough.
read moreMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Thank You!
Scott and I just wanted to say thanks to all our readers and supporters during the first few months of our existence. I look forward to the New Year where we will continue to provide you with gaming reviews that are honest and to the point. We will resume postings in the New Year.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.
Tehflakes aka Ryan and DarthAlbert III aka Scott
3 Games Guaranteed to Entertain/Embarrass Your Family
3. Scene It? Box Office Smash – Break the ice with this fast-paced trivia extravaganza. Hold on to your buzzers because this one is going to get competitive. Scene It? BOS is fast-paced fun that anyone can get into. You don’t have to be a movie buff to play, but it certainly helps. If you have more than four players, form teams of two. Bonus points if you get your bratty cousin to cry because “YOU’RE CHUH-EATING!”
2. Lips – Once everybody is warmed up (and had a glass or two of wine), break out the karaoke. There aren’t many songs included in the game, but it will play your MP3s too. Load up the holiday carols and start a sing-a-long… or, you know… don’t. Whatever. Bonus points if you get through the carols without singing “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells”. Seriously. I hate that frakking song.
1. Rock Band 2 – Time to make the room jump! Okay, so it’s not the newest game. Still, when it comes to group gaming with the family, how can one go wrong with Rock Band? I know it’s not classic rock, but I will be downloading No Doubt’s “The Singles” song pack. For 1600 MS Points, you get 13 of No Doubt’s hits. This one is fun for the whole family, especially after some eggnog. Bonus points if you get Grandpa to sing “One Way or Another” or “You Oughta Know”.
read moreTop 5 Titles That Should Be Played This Holiday Season
Gears of War 2 – With almost 3 million copies sold worldwide. GoW2 has already dropped DLC in the form of the Combustible Map Pack. It costs 800MS points and contains 3 maps: Flood, Gold Rush, and Fuel Station. Need I say more? If I have to summarize in 2 words, they are: Horde Mode.
Fallout 3 – This was one of the most anticipated games of the year and I barely made into Megatron before I stopped playing. I owe it to myself to go back and finish it.
Little Big Planet – This game has been out for awhile and the hardcore level creators are starting to shine. The single player campaign is just fun. LBP is the perfect game to pick up and play in small intervals between holiday events.
Resistance 2 – The first game was a launch title for PS3, so in theory this game should be leaps and bounds better. 60 player multiplayer just sounds cool.
Shaun White Snowboarding – Well the last snowboarding game I played and enjoyed was back in the original PlayStation days. It was the CoolBoarders franchise. I know this game has received mixed reviews and scores on metacritic but I still want to play it!
read more