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Games Disguised as Work Gaining in Popularity
Computer games disguised as Excel and Word documents which allow office workers to waste time without attracting the attention of their bosses are taking off on the web.
The suite of “hidden” games draw strong inspiration from early arcade and PC titles but are played against the backdrop of what appear to be genuine office applications.
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About Final Fantasy XIII’s Linearity Issue
Scan most reviews of Final Fantasy XIII and you’ll find a single accusation binding most of them: that Square Enix’s action-roleplaying game is stiflingly linear, undeviating for too long, and restrictive to a fault.
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Hackers Bypass WoW Authenticators
Last week reports of a “man-in-the-middle-attack” surfaced in regards to Blizzard’s MMORPG. World of Warcraft. Apparently hackers have created a tool that grants them access to accounts protected by an authentication tool. Once they are in control of the account, hackers can thus steal virtual gold and possessions until the account password is reset.
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Ubisoft’s DRM System is Shot to Pieces
Games publisher Ubisoft has suffered the inevitable embarrassment of having not only its anti-piracy measures cracked but the ignominy of its servers at the heart of the policy brought down.
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Steam Distribution Platform to Allow PC-Mac Cross-Platform Play
In one of the biggest boons for Apple computer gaming in years, Valve has announced that its Steam distribution platform will be coming to the Mac in April, with Portal 2 set to be the first simultaneous PC-Mac release.
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Cap on Online Game Time may be Introduced in South Korea
A system encouraging online gamers to moderate their playing time has been proposed in order to fight game addiction. For instance, in role-playing games, a popular genre, heavy users would see their characters penalized after a time limit has passed.
This and other measures are part of a package introduced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday, together with some leading domestic online game makers.
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Guild Software Announces NAOS Engine
Guild Software has announced the upcoming launch of a new MMO middleware product: the NAOS Engine. Developed to power the company’s long-running MMORPG, Vendetta Online, the engine provides “a complete and multi-platform solution, with native client build targets for Windows, Mac and Linux.”
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Ubisoft’s New DRM System Falls Down, Locks Out Paying Customers
Hey, Ubisoft: when you force users to maintain an internet connection even when playing a singleplayer game offline, you’d damn well better make sure you hold up your end of the bargain.
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The Making and Unmaking of Infinity Ward
The implosion of Infinity Ward, one of the best videogame studios ever founded, is the latest chapter in a long saga intertwined with the history of intense combat video games.
A lawsuit filed by the studio’s co-founders last week against parent company Activision Blizzard was a sad milestone at a studio that has come to be cherished by millions of hardcore game fans.
Read the story here.
Sony Plans Game Demos with Eroding Functionality
Future game demos released by Sony Computer Entertainment may reduce in functionality as players spend more time with them, coupled with a shareware-like purchasing model.
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