Turkish Diablo fan waits 30 hours in line to buy game

A fan in costume waits in line. DHA Photo

One video game fan waited in line for 30 hours to be among the first players in Turkey to get their hands on the video game "Diablo III" before the game was released at midnight yesterday.

Diablo III was released with a special event in Istanbul's Taksim square yesterday, where gamers could buy the regular game or a special collector's edition reserved for the one-night-only event.

Computer salesman, 40-year-old Çağatay Argun, was the first in line for the game as began waiting at Taksim Square 30 hours ahead of the game's scheduled release time. A line started to form behind him 20 hours after he arrived, when the release was still 10 hours away.

“It is a 20-year story,” Argun said when asked why he began standing in line so early. “I have loved the Diablo series since I was in high school, and I have been waiting for so long for the new game.”

Real money for game items

A new feature introduced in “Diablo III” is the ‘Auction House,’ a virtual store where gamers can sell the intangible, virtual items and weapons they have found in the Diablo realm for actual real world cash. The auction system will be powered by Diablo's developer Blizzard on the company's Battle.net service.

“Diablo III” was announced for release in 2008, although its actual release came four years later. "Frankly we had no idea on the release date until Blizzard mentioned May 15. They previously told us one thing: Diablo will be out whenever it is ready. So as far as we knew, the game could come out as late as 2016," said Diablo's Turkey distributor Aral Game Group Manager Murat Acar when asked the reasons for the release delay. (ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

Turkish gamers queue up for midnight 'Diablo III' launch

The regular edition of Diablo III will be sold for 110 Turkish Liras ($60).

Gamers have formed a long queue in Istanbul's Taksim Square to get their hands on a special-edition of the long-awaited sequel to the "Diablo" franchise, "Diablo III."

The gamers were set to wait for at least 9 hours in the line - not very long considering they have been waiting for Diablo III for years, enduring frustrations as the game's release date has been repeatedly delayed. The previous installment, "Diablo II," was released 12 years ago.

The regular edition of Diablo III will be sold for 110 Turkish Liras ($60), while those who want to get their hands on the collector's edition will have to pay 240 Turkish Liras ($130).

Diablo III allows players to choose a character from among five different heroes: the barbarian, the witch doctor, the wizard, the monk, or the demon hunter, to battle the forces of evil.
(ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

Ubisoft making "Avengers" videogame

The Avengers. AP Photo

Fresh from smashing weekend movie box office records in North America, "The Avengers" are taking their moves to the world of videogames.

French videogame titan Ubisoft on Thursday announced a deal with Marvel Entertainment to create a title based on the fictional heroes as well as villains from their comic book realm.

"We are excited to team up with Marvel Entertainment to bring some of the most iconic comic book characters from the Marvel line-up to life in motion-gaming," said Ubisoft US senior vice president of marketing Tony Key.

"Fans of the Marvel universe and superhero games are going to love the extensive combinations of characters, motion-controlled moves and competitive gameplay." Ubisoft's studio in Quebec is designing the "Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth" game for play using motion-sensing control features of Xbox 360 consoles with Kinect and Nintendo's coming Wii U systems.

The videogame is slated for release later this year.

"We are confident that Ubisoft's talent matches Marvel's own commitment to making the 'Avengers: Battle for Earth' the best in the motion-controlled gaming category," said Marvel senior vice president of games Andreea Enache-Thune.

The game will feature 20 different characters including Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America, according to Ubisoft.
More information about the title was available online at AvengersBattleForEarth.com.

"The Avengers" film pummeled the competition to haul in $207.4 million on its opening weekend, box office figures showed Monday.

Directed by cult favorite Joss Whedon, the Walt Disney high-thrills action adventure made in collaboration with Marvel Comics scored the highest grossing US debut of all time.

Walt Disney said the film, which was released first abroad before hitting US shores, had already raked in some $641.8 million and reports said it was on target to join the elite club of the world's few billion-dollar movies. (SAN FRANCISCO - Agence France-Presse)

'Black Ops 2' breaks sales record 6 months ahead of release

www.callofduty.com

The next installation of the "Call of Duty" video game series, "Black Ops 2" has already tripled the 24-hour pre-order numbers of its predecessor, "Call of Duty: Black Ops."

Released in 2010 by developer Activision, Black Ops had become a huge success, becoming the "biggest entertainment launch of all time."

Pre-order numbers show that the Call of Duty franchise is heading forward full steam, with its latest installation set to set a new record in sales.

Set for release on Nov. 13, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com for $59.99. (Hürriyet)

Turks develop game inspired by funny videos on YouTube

Ark Game Studio, located in the Eskişehir Technology Development Region established under the leadership of the Eskişehir Industrial Chamber (ESO), has developed a video game called “Headfirst,” inspired by funny videos its developers saw on the Internet.

Versions of “Headfirst” are available for the iPad and iPhone, and it will also be available for Android soon. “The game can be downloaded free from the Apple Store. In the game’s storyline the player helps a character named Butch Headfirst enter the Guinness Book of World Records by smashing fruit with his head. Fruit appears on the screen, and Butch tries to smash them. Sometimes there are also cakes and bricks, and if he hits a brick, you have to wait for some time,” Ark Game Studio’s visual director, Sinan Ayyorgun, explained.

Ayyorgun said that users could also develop their character by purchasing various personalized accessories.

“There are a total of 30 animations in the 3D game. The characters have been designed according to the needs of a mobile platform. We got the idea for this game idea by watching entertaining videos on YouTube, where we saw men trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by breaking watermelons with their heads. That was our inspiration.”

Ark Game Studio General Director Selkan Kaya said that developing more Turkish games will help to decrease the outflow of money to foreign vendors. (hurriyetdailynews)