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EA's 'The Sims 3' is scheduled for a June 2 release on the PC. Versions for the Mac, iPhone and iPod Touch will come later in the summer.

(Credit: Electronic Arts)

Electronic Arts said on Tuesday that The Sims 3, the third full iteration of one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, will hit store shelves on June 2.

The game will be released for PCs first, and versions for the Mac, iPhone, and iPod Touch should come later in the summer, EA said.

The original version of The Sims, which launched in 2000, quickly became the best-selling PC game of all time. In the years since, the franchise has surpassed 100 million total units sold, counting The Sims 2 and all of the expansions for both full iterations.

Originally developed by legendary game designer Will Wright's Maxis studio--which is now focused on Spore--The Sims has since become its own division within EA. As such, it is run out of the company's Redwood Shores, Calif., headquarters, while Maxis is based in Emeryville, Calif.

On Tuesday, EA also announced its third-quarter earnings and said it would be laying off about 1,100 employees--about 11 percent of its total staff--and closing 12 facilities worldwide.

We've already covered Nvidia's news this morning announcing that game makers Electronic Arts and Take Two Interactive have adopted Nvidia's PhysX hardware physics acceleration technology in upcoming titles. A demo video, linked below, highlights a PhysX-enabled demo of the PC version of EA's Mirror's Edge. The video demonstrates the physics accelerated PC version side-by-side with the non-physics accelerated console version.

(The fine print below the video tells us that the frame rate has been slowed to better showcase the added effects.)

As we've said from the time when PhysX was still the property of original developer Ageia, PhysX, and hardware physics acceleration in general, has potential. The free PhysX showcase title CellFactor: Revolution (commissioned by Ageia) demonstrated some very cool, new ways to interact with a gaming environment, none of which we'd seen before.

The difficulty is that PhysX has a chicken-and-egg problem. Game developers can't devote significant resources to a technology supported by only a few customers, but gamers may be reluctant to purchase specially designed hardware if few titles will take advantage of it.

By including PhysX support in all of its new 3D cards, Nvidia certainly helps increase the size of the supporting user base, but given the fragmented nature of PC hardware, ATI users and other non-PhysX capable customers will continue to place limits on just how widely game developers can support a proprietary physics acceleration engine.

The solution, should the market eventually demand one, is likely Microsoft, whose DirectX programming framework is the best positioned to develop a physics standard, similar to the way in which Direct3D unified the various 3D graphics standards.

In any case, it's probably best to consider hardware physics similar to touch-based desktops, an early-stage, visually impressive technology waiting to catch on en masse. And like Hewlett-Packard and its TouchSmart all-in-one PCs, we're glad to see companies taking a chance on the early development and marketing work with accelerated physics. And if we can't say that we find a handful of extra glass shards (as featured above) a compelling enough reason to upgrade a 3D card, anyone who does will also be contributing to the greater cause of more substantial game-changing physics down the road.

Update:

On a related topic, Blues News has wrapped up a few stories today regarding DRM-related installation issues with the PC versions of Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3. It seems that alternate installers are required in some cases. While we remain grateful to Ubisoft for helping us out, it's plain that current DRM methodologies continue to place an undue burden on legitimate consumers.

Original post:

For providing us with the means to use Far Cry 2 as a PC gaming benchmark for the next year or so, we'd like to give game publisher Ubisoft and its Ubisoft Montreal development division a quick shout-out today.

The game's DRM limits you to installing the game on only three systems out of the box, but we run our gaming tests on roughly 120 desktops and laptops each year. Ubisoft graciously worked with us to find a way to accommodate so many installs. You can expect to see the first reviews using Far Cry 2 as a benchmark next week (Crysis, Unreal Tournament 3...it's been a good run, sort of).

Far Cry 2' amazingly useful benchmark software.

(Credit: CNET)

We'd also like to point out that unlike pretty much every other graphically advanced PC game of the last year, Far Cry 2 does indeed include an extremely robust, easy-to-use benchmarking tool. Dig into the bin directory in your Far Cry 2 folder and you'll find the .EXE file. The game comes with three fly-throughs of various lengths, and it also lets your record your own runs. The settings options also provide all of the necessary toggles for adjusting the image quality, the physics, and the enemy AI. It's also well-designed enough so that any curious PC gamer can play with it

So again, thanks Ubisoft, both for enabling us to adopt Far Cry 2 as a test, and also for making the tool so easy to work with. DRM may remain an annoying reality for consumers, but for review purposes you've set an example for other PC game makers (and yes, Electronic Arts, that means you).

Based on a post on the Ubisoft forum today (via Blue's News), it sounds like the French game publisher is trying harder than its Electronic Arts to make digital rights management less cumbersome on its customers. An Ubisoft forum manager outlined the DRM plans for the PC version of its upcoming shooter Far Cry 2. Assuming it works as described, you'll get a bit more freedom to reinstall the game at your leisure than EA has offered with Spore and Crysis: Warhead.

According to the Ubisoft Forum Manager:

• You have five activations on three separate PCs.
• Uninstalling the game "refunds" an activation. This process is called "revoke", so as long as you complete proper uninstall you will be able to install the game an unlimited number of times on 3 systems.
• You can upgrade your computer as many times as you want (using our revoke system)
• Ubisoft is committed to the support of our games, and additional activations can be provided.
• Ubisoft is committed to the long-term support of our games: you'll always be able to play Far Cry 2.

The biggest difference between Ubisoft's and EA's DRM is that EA lacks the "revoke" function. Once you've installed one of its games on three systems, you need to contact EA's customer support and ask for authorization for future installs.

Far Cry 2 will feature a forgiving DRM scheme.

(Credit: FarCryGame.com)

Interestingly, EA CEO John Riccotello was quoted yesterday by PaidContent saying, "We implemented a form of DRM and it's something that 99.8 percent of users wouldn't notice." That speaks to the question, who needs to load a game on more than three systems? We suspect that Riccotello is correct, and that install limits on its games won't affect the majority of its customers.

Still, we applaud Ubisoft for taking the extra step and empowering PC gamers to, in effect, manage their own digital rights. We'll also confess a personal interest, in that we've had our eye on Far Cry 2 as a new PC gaming benchmark. We still need to learn more about how it really works, but what we've heard so far sounds promising.

Electronic Arts is bringing its new creature feature to the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The game giant's EA Mobile unit announced Friday that it will offer Spore Origins for Apple's gadgets, starting later this month. The variation on EA's new Spore game is designed to take advantage of the motion-sensing technology in the iPhone and the iPod Touch so that players can tilt and angle their way through a digital take on evolution.

The full-fledged Spore goes on sale Sunday in North America. Players get to design their own creatures before beginning on an evolutionary quest through the game's many levels.

EA had said at the E3 game conference in July that it planned to build a number of games that would take advantage of the accelerometer built into the iPhone, along with its Wi-Fi capabilities.

For those whose video-gaming tastes run to more traditional fare, EA Mobile said Friday that it has nine other games in development for use on the iPhone and the Touch, including Yahtzee Adventure, EA Mini Golf, Monopoly: Here and Now (world edition), SimCity, and The Sims 3.

The company also has versions of Spore Origins for other iPod models and non-Apple mobile devices.

Apple has scheduled a music-related event for Tuesday that's widely expected to involve iPod news.

'Spore,' the new evolution game from Electronic Arts and 'SimCity' and 'The Sims' creator Will Wright, started with a series of small prototyping systems.

(Credit: Electronic Arts/Maxis)

Electronic Arts' much anticipated evolution game, Spore hits store shelves Sunday in North America, and for those that have been on the project since the beginning, it has been a long road from concept to completion.

The game's creator, Will Wright, who is famous for previous games like SimCity and The Sims said recently that the game has been seven years in the making, meaning the project was getting under way not long after The Sims launched and became the best-selling PC game of all time.

Wright has talked at length about how Spore's origins lie in the SETI project and other flights of his fancy.

"The original concept was sort of a toy galaxy you could fly around and explore," Wright told me last month. "As we thought about, it became apparent that evolution was a very important component. Some of the very first prototypes involved how you would move around and visualize the galaxy."

In the highly anticipated lead-up to the Spore's release from EA studio Maxis, in Emeryville, Calif., almost all the attention has been on the game itself or on its Creature Creator, which gives users an easy and sophisticated way to create complex beasts and which was made available in June as a free download.

But for many people, an equally exciting element has been the series of prototypes available for free download on the Spore Web site, each of which provides a look at the origins of a small piece of the larger game.

In fact, the prototypes were a crucial part of making Spore a reality. For example, since the procedural animation of the creatures in the game is one of its most-heralded elements, it's notable that before the system was ever built into the game, it started as a prototype.

"The earliest prototypes were making strange topology creatures and seeing if we could teach the computer to make them move plausibly, and later, show emotion and behavior," Wright said. "We had to find out whether the project was doable or not, or if some part of it wasn't doable, where we have to scale it back."

The first programmer on the Spore team was a Maxis veteran named Jason Shankel. Prior to joining Wright on his evolution project, he'd been working on a project known as SimMars, which was essentially a Mars terraforming game that was supported financially by NASA before the plug was finally pulled.

Electronic Arts has announced that the third installation of The Sims, that game that rivals World of Warcraft in the "I got so addicted my boss almost fired me" department, will be debuting on February 20, 2009.

(Credit: EA)

That's a worldwide release date for both in-store purchases and digital downloads. EA has famously devoted an entire division (or "label") to the blockbuster Sims franchise, in which players create their own families of virtual characters (or "sims") and let their lives unfold. The game was designed by Will Wright, whose new game Spore is hitting stores next month.

New to The Sims 3 are more advanced customization features (including personality traits like kleptomania, paranoia, and clumsiness) and smarter "neighborhoods" that can more extensively affect the outcome of the game.

In addition to The Sims 3, EA will also be releasing a "collector's edition" with a number of bonus features--including an in-game Italian sports car.

Electronic Arts may be hoping that it can someday license the movie rights to its much-anticipated evolution game, 'Spore.'

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)

After several years of waiting, video game fans will soon be able to get their hands on the long-awaited new title from legendary designer Will Wright, Spore.

But if the game's publisher, Electronic Arts, has its way, a much wider audience of fans may someday be exposed to the game. Or at least a version of the game.

That's because, according to a Reuters report Wednesday, EA is hoping that it may one day be able to license the film and/or TV rights to Spore.

Country crooner Keith Urban tackles the slalom in EA's Celebrity Sports Showdown.

(Credit: Electronic Arts )

If you've ever dreamed of watching a Mia Hamm/Sugar Ray Leonard beach volleyball smackdown (and who hasn't, really?), Electronic Arts' upcoming Celebrity Sports Showdown (PDF) could bring a new level of fulfillment to your life. The title lets you play as (a sometimes odd-looking version of) select celebrities battling their way through outdoor games including smash badminton, rapid-fire archery, wild-water canoeing, inner-tubing, and hurdle derby.

Fergie jousting with Keith Urban? Reggie Bush locked in an arena dodgeball deathmatch with Kristi Yamaguchi? Don't even get Perez Hilton started on the possibilities here.

The game, which will be the first Wii title to launch under the new EA Sports Freestyle brand, "explores the lighter side of sports and pulls inspiration from the entertainment spectacles that are so prevalent in pop culture today," said Dave McCarthy, the title's executive producer.

Celebrity Sports Showdown ships to retailers this holiday season with a suggested retail price of $39.99. In addition to the aforementioned stars, other celebs who've (presumably) agreed to virtual combat include LeAnn Rimes, Nelly Furtado, and Paul Pierce. Maybe the screenshots in this blog will help open your imagination to the world of possibilities about to be at your fingertips.

Who ever said rocker Avril Lavigne couldn't play a mean game of smash badminton?

(Credit: Electronic Arts)