Hold onto your bucks — we’ve got some Xbox LIVE deals to share!
Between now and April 7th, we’ve slashed prices on id’s DOOM II (400 points) and Quake Arena Arcade (800 points). Additionally, on Friday, you’ll be able to get New Vegas’ first game add-on, Dead Money, for only 400 points!
More exciting news for RAGE!
Following up our announcement about Dark Horse’s comic book series, we’re also pleased to announce we’re working with Del Rey on a novel based around the game’s world and characters. The novel, also titled “RAGE”, releases on August 30th and will be written by author and game writer Matt Costello.
As more details on the novel surface, we’ll let you know. For now, read our press release…
BETHESDA SOFTWORKS AND DEL REY BOOKS ANNOUNCE NOVEL BASED ON HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED RAGE VIDEO GAME
NEW YORK, NY – March 29, 2011 – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, and Del Rey, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that Del Rey Books will publish a novel based on the upcoming RAGE® video game. The novel, also entitled “RAGE”, will be written by author and game writer Matt Costello and will release in North America on August 30, 2011. The novel will be published simultaneously in the UK and British Commonwealth by Ebury Publishing, part of the Random House Group.
RAGE is the latest game from id® Software, the acclaimed designers of such classics as the Wolfenstein®, DOOM®, and QUAKE® series. Eagerly awaited by the gaming community, RAGE is already being touted as one of the industry’s most innovative first-person shooters, winning numerous awards at E3 2010, including ‘Best Overall Game of Show’ from IGN and three ‘Best of E3’ Game Critics Awards including ‘Best Console Game’. Set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, you emerge into a vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as bandit gangs, mutants, and more.
It’s been a busy month for RAGE. In addition to our interactive panoramic, free mp3 download, and announcement of a Dark Horse comic series, we’ve got new previews from PAX East and GameTrailers TV.
Above we’ve embedded the GameTrailers episode filmed at id’s offices.In it, Geoff Keighley catches up with Tim Willits and Matt Hooper and features exclusive gameplay at the beginning of the show (about 5o seconds in), as well as at the 6:15 and 11:00 marks. Additionally, at the 16:00 mark, you can get a first look at the look of RAGE’s comic book series that’s in the works from Dark Horse Comics.
Moving to PAX East coverage, be sure to check out the following impressions following our weekend presentations in Boston…
Rest assured, we’ll have plenty more on RAGE soon.
A new update for Quake Live is up this week — including two new maps for premium subscribers. Details, courtesy of Quake Live community manager Adam Pyle, are below…
This week’s update, QUAKE LIVE Premium Pak 7, introduces 2 new Premium Arenas to QUAKE LIVE, adjustments to our hit detection, expansions to our social networking features, the ability to assign your own country flag (for use on profile and in-game), tier info displays on player profiles, and due to popular request – a fun killBeep option for premium & pro users.
Premium Maps Added:
Created by Alexander Mader, Toxicity is an enclosed Duel map with a distinctive look. Twisting halls and teleporters provide ample escape, as long as you watch out for the namesake pools of toxic acid in the main rooms of this arena. Own the world, or at least your opponent, and spread disorder by knocking them around with some rockets. Bounce them well, and you can treat yourself to a Red Armor, while they suffer some unfortunate burns.
Formerly known as the perennial favorite Silent Night, we’ve torn down the Christmas decorations as to not look like that weird house down the street lit up well into March. Thankfully, it hasn’t warmed up enough to melt the ice that covers vast swathes of the level, allowing massive acceleration throughout the frozen tundra terrain. Everything else is still mostly as you remember it, from the grenade traps to the secret button that dispenses health. Wait, that’s supposed to be a secret…
Learn more about Premium Pak 7 after the break…
This morning we updated the official RAGE website — adding an interactive panoramic tour showcasing numerous areas found within the game world. The panoramic also features plenty of info on weapons, gadgets, and vehicles. And for your viewing pleasure, the panoramic includes plenty of new gameplay clips!
Additionally, we’re excited to provide a free mp3 of Mark Lanegan’s new track, Burning Jacob’s Ladder. The track was used in the Untethered trailer we released last month, and the song will also appear in full release of RAGE.
On Sunday, we’ll be exactly six months away from the release of RAGE — id’s all-new, open-world FPS. To celebrate the occasion, here’s some new coverage from around the web.
This evening IGN’s Charles Onyett has a new feature on RAGE’s weapons. Read the preview on their site and watch gameplay footage above.
Last week USA Today’s Game Hunters ran a feature titled Five Things you didn’t know about ‘RAGE’. The article includes details on driving, the game’s story, and even a Hollywood actor that voices one of the game’s characters. Learn who it is here.
Senior Producer Jason Kim and Design Director Matt Hooper recently appeared on several episodes of the Jace Hall Show. In Episode 16, the pair discuss id’s storied history and also includes a hilarious clip of John Carmack beating down Jace. Episode 17 focuses more on RAGE — featuring gameplay footage starting at the 50-second mark and more at the 4:30 mark. Word has it Kim and Hooper will return to show more of the game in the next episode, which premieres this Friday.
Finally, Game Informer subscribers can turn to pg. 66 of the latest issue (April) for a two-page spread that discusses five ways the game separates itself from other FPS titles.
We’ll have more news on RAGE very soon… stay tuned!
Education is paramount. So are video games. In recognition of these two great things, we’ve today announced that Bethesda developers will soon be lending their wisdom to the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.
Developers from studios like Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, and Arkane Studios are set to lecture students in the school’s Interactive Media Division, giving them a taste of what it’s like to work full-time in the gaming field. These sessions will include both guest lectures and smaller seminars.
Said ZeniMax CEO Robert Altman: “As the video game industry experiences continuing worldwide growth, there is an increasing need to support the education of the brightest minds who are interested in a career in our industry. We are pleased to be a part of that effort.”
Hit the jump for the full story.
We’ve released a new trailer for RAGE, the highly anticipated shooter from id Software. The trailer features an original track, Burning Jacob’s Ladder, by singer Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Gutter Twins).
Enjoy the trailer, and stay tuned to Bethesda Blog and RAGE’s official site for more on the game.
And in case you missed them, after the break, check out some RAGE gameplay videos featuring creative director Tim Willits. The interviews and gameplay were captured at E3 last year.
This… this IS history!
And by this, I’m referring to The Art of Video Games — a new exhibit coming to the American Art Museum in 2012. To prepare for it, Smithsonian is letting you vote for the games that will be on display.
It might take a second to load, but Fallout 3 can be found in Era 5′s Modern Windows category, while Oblivion is categorized under Xbox 360. Meanwhile, id’s DOOM II is listed in Era 4 under DOS/Windows.
Voting runs between now and April 7th. To get started, register here.
RAGE design director Matt Hooper joins John Carmack and Tim Willits in having a new interview up on Bethesda Blog.
What do you do at id Software?
My title is Design Director, which would imply that I handle the design direction. However, like most folks at id, I’m allowed to apply my skills beyond my title’s scope into other areas that benefit the team as a whole.
So, while my main passion has always been design and I do work closely with our group of talented designers, I’ve also been responsible for collaborating with the core technology group. I’ve always been excited by our cutting edge directions we take at id, and one of my tasks has been to help focus the practical application of our technology. With industry leading engineers like John Carmack, Robert Duffy, Jan Paul Van Waveren, and many more, I consider that a fun and exciting endeavor more than just a task.