Episode 539: Two Plus Hours

The previous week’s episode had too many technical issues to post, so this week’s episode overcompensates by being over two hours long. The Gaming Flashback this week is none other than 2009’s Minecraft, which is still going strong well into 2019.

This week’s news includes:

  • Microsoft explains Xbox Game Pass for PC, selling games on Steam (from GameWatcher)
  • The Avengers game is being revealed at E3 2019
  • Super Mario Maker 2‘s lack of costumes and online matchmaking with friends upsets fans
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood to feature ray-tracing technology

All this and Listener Feedback.

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Call of Duty: World at War Beta – Coming SoonCall of Duty: World at War Beta – Coming Soon

I don’t know anyone that can’t pass up a good beta, Call of Duty: World at War is no exception to the rule, especially for those gamers that pre-ordered the title already. It’s a great opportunity when you’re able to buy a game ahead of time because you’re a fan and get into the beta early.

Santa Monica, CA – October 13, 2008 – The dogs of war are being unleashed today, as Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and developer Treyarch announced the launch of the multiplayer beta for Call of Duty: World at War on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.  Console players can guarantee themselves a token by pre-ordering the game at North American GameStop retail locations,* or online at http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71812. Call of Duty fans that register to become members at www.callofduty.com are also eligible to receive a token, but these tokens are limited in supply, so register today.  Windows PC fans can expect a multiplayer beta soon.  For more information about either beta and the opportunity to secure a beta token or key, fans can also visit www.callofduty.com/beta.

The Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer betas will provide players with an opportunity to play as U.S. Marines, German Wehrmacht, Japanese Imperial Army and Russian Red Army factions in a variety of game types (Team Death Match, Free-For-All, Capture the Flag and War), across three different maps:

  • Castle: The Imperial Japanese Army faces off against the Marine Raiders in a daytime battle, located on the grounds of an ancient, Japanese castle.
  • Makin: The U.S. Marine Raiders square off against the Imperial Japanese Army in a nighttime fight, set in an outpost on the Makin Atoll in the Pacific.
  • Roundhouse: The Wehrmact will fight the Red Army to the bitter end in a daytime struggle that features tank and infantry combat, set in a desolate, war-torn European train depot.

The betas will last for a few weeks; however, the full battle will commence on November 11, 2008 when Call of Duty: World at War is released to retailers nationwide.

Call of Duty: World at War is in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo® Wii™ and Nintendo DS. The title has been rated M for Mature for blood and violence by the ESRB. The Nintendo DS version has been rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

For more information and exclusive updates about Call of Duty: World at War, visit www.callofduty.com

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.  More information about Activision Publishing and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

Xbox 360’s Fallout 3 Not Safe From PiratesXbox 360’s Fallout 3 Not Safe From Pirates

Just last week in our gaming podcast we were talking about how Gears of War 2 wasn’t going to make a PC debut because it has a bit of a problem with piracy. We were afraid this movement was going to cause game developers and publishers to stick with console’s “big can of DRM” over the PC for many future releases.

Turns out, Fallout 3 was stolen before it was announced as finished and has begun to show up on torrents around the Internet. This, of course, has lead folks to believe the leak took place at the manufacturing plant given the obvious circumstances behind the event. Sure, the title could have been leaked at the developers studio, but who would want to cause their products sales to suffer? Perhaps a hacker broke into the studio and stole the raw images?

There are plenty of possibilities, but the fact of the matter is this is the “DRM” console version of the game. It has been stolen and downloaded by thousands of people who are going to actually take the time to make it work on their ‘tweaked’ console. Just when we said “it’s too hard to hack the Xbox 360 and its games,” some pirate comes out and does it!

While the pirates set sea with the glorious booty that is Fallout 3, Bethesda’s staying hush about the incident for now. In odd timing, Ubisoft came out, prior to this event, talking in respect to Tom Clancy EndWar saying:

“To be honest, if PC wasn’t pirated to hell and back, there’d probably be a PC version coming out the same day as the other two.” (gamasutra)

Perhaps, the pirates want to bring some attention to the console market in terms of piracy so developers continue to produce PC titles? If nobody is safe, there will be no one safe-haven console to run to when pirates are stealing “potential sales.”