Boomtown X

Dear friends I’m sorry to say that I come here this morning to bury BoomtownX rather than to praise it. We’ve reached the end of the run - which for me began all the way back in 2004. The truth is that that BTX hasn’t managed to support my family and so I have to put my and energy elsewhere. There’s a limit to how much time and effort we can put into a site that doesn’t pay its way. And so today BoomtownX closes as an ongoing daily concern.

That’s not to say we’re going to suddenly disappear. Oh dear me no. The site will be here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and so on. But it’s unfair for publishers and developers to send us games we can’t promise to get reviewed in a timely manner due to a lack of time and resources. And so while we’re likely to still post some of the usual nonsense, we’re not going to be a commercial site anymore, nor are we going to expect to receive review code that will just pile up waiting for someone to tackle it. So dear friends in the trade, thank you so much for your support, it has meant an awful lot to us. But please delete us from your mailing list to receive your games, we just can’t promise to review them.

Let me take you back in time a little. Back in late 2004 I had been working as a professional online writer/editor for several years. At INC I’d worked on such concerns as IGN, Gamespot, Daily Radar, FGN Online, BW Vault and Racing Gamer. I then moved on to edit sites for Telefragged - including PS2Faction which was hugely successful. I then moved out of mainstream games coverage for a while editing channels for the ISP Supanet and then developing a new website for Firesoft Technologies.

In November 2004 I became the UK editor for Boomtown.net. This was one of the greatest career moves I’ve ever made. Not in terms of riches, but in terms of job satisfaction and the wonderful friends I have made over the years. Of course many of you will think that getting paid to write about games is as good as jobs get but that isn’t true. But working for Boomtown was as good as you might imagine it could be thanks to wonderful colleagues such as Jakob Paulsen, Christian Johansen, Michael Ronde and James Hamer-Morton all of whom I’ve known since the very beginning. And there are many more names I could mention who have joined the writing team since 2004 and become good friends.

During most of the time I worked for Boomtown we were owned by TDC (Danish Telecom). We were a very small cog in a very big machine and didn’t really receive the resources to do our excellent team of writers justice. But while we didn’t have a flashy Web2.0 site what we did have was integrity, honesty and a team of writers striving to put the reader first. Our aim was honesty - which often didn’t sit well with fanboys or publishers - but meant we actually reviewed games between one and ten out of ten, rather than the current tabloid site norm of nine for good games, eight for poor ones.

Unnamed sources from Team Bondi have claimed that staff are victims of a brutal working regime with employees subjected to harsh dismissals, walk outs and impossible targets. These claims have not been taken lightly as now it has emerged that the IGDA is going to look into the matter.

Former Sky pundit and long-time FIFA colour commentator Andy Gray will not feature in EA Sports' FIFA 12.

The former Scotland international player will be replaced by Alan Smith, who joins Martin Tyler, Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend in the game.

So Andy Gray gets the boot from Sky Sports and now EA Sports for being a sexist pig, but Tiger Woods doesn't get the push for being a lying, philandering dirtbag? Great double standards.

Any road up, full press release after the jump.

Dragon Age II has both its plaudits and critics. While most reviewers found a lacklustre, but solid sequel, many fans were left seething with a game they felt was rushed and a step in the wrong direction.

In a surprising move EA exec Frank Gibeau says he understand why some fans have criticised the sequel and that the publisher is listening to these comments.

Electronic Arts has announced that the Legends and Speedhunters DLC packages - already available on consoles - will be released for the PC version of Shift 2 Unleashed on June 30th.

The publisher says that unlike the console versions the content will be released free of charge and will be available for download at Origin.com.

One hopes that this doesn't mean the content is for Origin users only and that those playing a boxed retail or Steam version can join the fun.

The Legends content is particularly brilliant as it features old versions of tracks such as Monza and Hockenheim along with classic older cars.

After the break, Codemasters presents the first Delevopment Diary video for F1 2011.

Rockstar Games has just announced that a version of LA Noire will be released for PC this autumn.

Rockstar Leeds is handling the conversion and we're promised improved graphics over the console versions and 3D support.

Check out the full press release after the break.

Fans of the Battlefield series have taken to the EA forums to voice their concerns over the pre-order options available to the Limited Edition version of Battlefield 3.

Check out the very tasty new Star Wars: The Old Republic after the break.

If only the Star Wars prequel movies were this cool.

Bioware has lifted the veil off the Mass Effect 3 Collector's Edition almost nine months before the game's scheduled release.