Monday, September 30, 2013

News::Xbox One's indie program is timely, says Microsoft

Even if Microsoft took its sweet time to announce the ID@Xbox self-publishing program for independent developers, I was just happy to see it happen. To see the importance of these games validated. A curious quote from the person heading up the initiative, Chris Charla, caught my eye. Speaking to MCV, he said that "The origins of this goes all the way back to Xbox One's architecture. We've been planning this for a long time.


"You can see where this started with 360's indie titles," Charla continued. "We haven't even released a system yet, so I'd say it's not a late announcement, it's quite a timely one." Which, if true, makes the company's communication strategy for Xbox One all the more confusing.


At any rate, it's the games themselves that matter most -- and we likely won't get those at launch, according to corporate VP Phil Spencer. "It's reasonable to expect in early 2014 we'll start seeing the first [independent] games come through," he told Games Industry International.


Xbox: 'Indie games can sell systems' [MCV]


Xbox One's indie program is timely, says Microsoft screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-s-indie-program-is-timely-says-microsoft-262719.phtml

News::Octodad: Dadliest Catch Preview | Awesome Games

Illiya from Awesome Games writes: 'You wouldnt think Octopuses would make for very good husbands, let alone be suitable fatherhood material. But with Octodad, youll find that being an octopus can have certain advantages in life. The humble, suction grabbing mollusc had me smiling from cheek to cheek, with both myself and other Tokyo Game Show onlookers giggling in pure delight at the onscreen antics.'



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364429/octodad-dadliest-catch-preview-awesome-games

News::Maxis to support SimCity modding but with restrictions

When SimCity launched the community were unsure what Maxis stance would be on modding and theyve been rather quiet on whether they would actively support it or not. Today they broke silence.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364902/maxis-to-support-simcity-modding-but-with-restrictions

News::Interview with Michael Gnade, of IndieGameStand

A Flash-Sales microstore, IndieGameStand, has recently made a milestone as they have opened their new store. They aim to get the Indie games further into the community, along with some fantastic deals. We now have Michael Gnade here, who has kindly answered some of our questions about his latest creations. He will discuss about the stores range of games and procedures, as well as his future plans.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364899/interview-with-michael-gnade-of-indiegamestand

News::Killzone: Shadow Fall is a 50GB download

Sony UK's Fergal Gara sat down with Eurogamer to discuss all things PlayStation 4 where it was revealed that Killzone: Shadow Fall is coming in at nearly 50GB. Specifically Gara was talking about the PlayStation Network and growing demand of downloadable games.


"First of all, it is definitely going to grow as a means of consumption. And there are big innovations in the PS4 to make it more attractive and more easy gamer wise to want to download. The Play as you Download functionality, for example, means you don't need the whole file before you go. This is a little bit counterbalanced by the fact the files themselves are getting bloody big. Killzone: Shadow Fall is an uber file - I think it's cracking on for 50GB. It looks it, too, when you see it."


I was a bit shocked at first at (understandably) how big the file was, but big downloads like this shouldn't be too much of an issue thanks to the Play as you Download feature Sony is rolling out with the PlayStation 4. Hopefully this feature works as promised.


Sony on PS4: "the format war is a marathon, not a sprint" [Eurogamer]


Killzone: Shadow Fall is a 50GB download screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/killzone-shadow-fall-is-a-50gb-download-262744.phtml

News::Wii U 4.0.0 update allows Wii Mode off-TV play

Alright! The long-awaited summer fall Wii U firmware has arrived! We've been patient, and now we finally have our unified account system! Thank you for answering our cries, Nintendo!


...


Wait... where's our unified account system!? RACKIN' FRACKIN' VARMINT!


So we didn't get the one thing that we all really wanted. What did we get? Well, we can use USB keyboards, for one. Headsets plugged into the GamePad can now be used in Wii U Chat, a Friends List icon has been added to the main menu, and Wii software now supports Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound.


But the big new feature is the ability to play off-TV while in Wii Mode. Unfortunately, you still can't use the buttons on the GamePad, so you'll have to fish out a Wii Remote even for games that use classic controls. You have to stand the GamePad up against something and point the Wii Remote at the sensor bar built into the controller, making sure that the GamePad is far enough away from the TV so that the main sensor bar doesn't pick up your signals. Long story short, it's got potential should Nintendo finally allow GamePad button mapping, but right now it's just a thing to tolerate.


Check out the full list of additions below.


Wii U System and Feature Updates [Nintendo]


Wii U 4.0.0 update allows Wii Mode off-TV play screenshot


Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/wii-u-4-0-0-update-allows-wii-mode-off-tv-play-262751.phtml

News::Mega Man 2 composer Takashi Tateishi joins Mighty No. 9 project

Keiji Inafunes Mighty No. 9 project has secured Mega Man 2 composer Takashi Tateishi.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364478/mega-man-2-composer-takashi-tateishi-joins-mighty-no-9-project

News::Players and Deavors Ep 8: The Steam Age

This week Blake and Dustin discuss and speculate the future of the Steam Box and Steam OS. We look at how this is going to affect the industry, and what we think of Valves plan. We are using a higher quality microphone this week, so tell us what you think of the new sound quality!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364563/players-and-deavors-ep-8-the-steam-age

News::ACIV's Lead Writer Explains Why There's No Plans for a Modern Day Assassin's Creed

Since the very first Assassins Creed, weve been treated to short glimpses of a modern day/near-future world, but an Assassins Creed game has yet to be fully set in a modern day location. - PSLS



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364873/acivs-lead-writer-explains-why-theres-no-plans-for-a-modern-day-assassins-creed

News::FIFA 14 Review | SpawnFirst

Mark Hanratty of SpawnFirst covers the Xbox 360 version of FIFA 14 in this detailed and informative review.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364850/fifa-14-review-spawnfirst

News::Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - GameRevolution

"As the resident ninja at GameRevolution, I have a natural inclination to stab pirates whenever they come within my squinty purview. It's an allergic reaction that has endangered the lives of many GameRevolution coworkers as well as my allotment of paid days off for bereavement. Most pirates aren't difficult to spot, what with their bandanas, voluminous clothing, penchant for over-accessorizing their heads, awkwardly anachronistic white hoodies, and extreme lack of personal hygiene." ~ Nick Tan, GameRevolution



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364874/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-gamerevolution

News::Bucking the MOBA trend: Why S2 Games takes storytelling seriously in Strife

GamesBeat: Do players care about a MOBAs story? S2 Games thinks so, and it wants to prove that with Strife.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364772/bucking-the-moba-trend-why-s2-games-takes-storytelling-seriously-in-strife

News::Buyer Beware: The Piston PC Console Isn't Remotely As Powerful As Xi3 Wants You To Believe

Xi3 has revealed the release date for the Piston, the companys modular PC-based gaming console. Unfortunately, a mixture of questionable marketing terminology and lack of crucial system specifications adds up to one thing: Potential customers should arm themselves with the facts before they spend what is arguably a very inflated price for an under-powered machine.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364832/buyer-beware-the-piston-pc-console-isnt-remotely-as-powerful-as-xi3-wants-you-to-believe

News::Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag New screenshots released

Ubisoft has released a batch of new screenshots for Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364642/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-new-screenshots-released

News::Cherry Pop Games on Pool Nation FX: A perfect fit for next-gen

A British indie studio that is becoming known for their outlandish publicity stunts and quirky sense of humour, Cherry Pop Games is currently working hard to bring Pool Nation to PlayStation 4 under the guise of Pool Nation FX. While the idea of virtual pool may not be the most thrilling to many gamers, theres no denying that physics based gameplay is set to experience a quantum leap on the next-generation of consoles. This, Cherry Pop Games assure, is not a simple port.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364344/cherry-pop-games-on-pool-nation-fx-a-perfect-fit-for-next-gen

News::Dildos, Candles In The Ass And Nintendo In The 1990s

News::'You'll never see the same zombie twice' in Dead Rising 3

While each and every building and interior is said to be "hand made and hand crafted" in Dead Rising 3 , a different approach was used to design the game's undead. According to Capcom producer Mike Jones, "It's all procedurally generated: hair styles, clothing, colors, textures. And the gore is too: missing jaws, missing eyes... it's all totally dynamic.


"That's a whole system that we built," he told CVG. "We didn't just model the zombies, we had to model the pieces and the system puts them together." As a result, we'll apparently "never see the same zombie twice." And there's your back-of-the-box bullet point, Capcom.


This brings me back to that quote about Dead Rising 2 having as many as 6,000 on-screen zombies. Speaking of which, Jones believes "You can have rose-colored memories of DR2, but until you go back and look you don't realize that it's so flat, there's no lighting and there are barely any zombies on screen." Here's an old gallery, for reference.


Dead Rising 3 to feature procedurally generated zombies; handcrafted world [CVG]


'You'll never see the same zombie twice' in Dead Rising 3 screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/-you-ll-never-see-the-same-zombie-twice-in-dead-rising-3-262727.phtml

News::Petition for GTA V on PC passes 500,000 signatures

Yes, Read Dead Redemption never came to PC and thinking about its absence reopens old wounds. But I'd be shocked if Rockstar didn't bring Grand Theft Auto V to at least PC, if not to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as well. There's certainly the desire -- that petition we covered before has gone on to become Change.org's largest gaming petition ever.


Upwards of 560,000 people bothered to fill out the site's form to give the potential PC port a nod of approval. With the game's GTA Online component launching this week, I'd expect another sizable bump in signatures. Assuming people ever take a break from playing.


While it's a technological feat that a game like GTA V can run on current-gen platforms, it doesn't take much energy at all to imagine how much better it'd be on an even moderately capable PC.


Petition for GTA V on PC passes 500,000 signatures screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/petition-for-gta-v-on-pc-passes-500-000-signatures-262718.phtml

News::FIFA Men Still Love Each Other Very Much

News::Pokemon grave stone fills me with all the feels

Among the readers here, I'm sure there are a few who are so engaged in videogames that they've effectively become your identity. Will your game-playing habits be what you are remembered for long after you've passed on?


A man in Lund, Sweden, is fascinated by a particular grave statue at a nearby cemetery. It belongs to Joakim Stambolovski -- if I'm reading the engraving properly -- a five-year-old boy who was apparently quite the Pokémon player while he was still around. He loved the game so much that his parents commissioned a statue of young Joakim playing Pokémon on a Game Boy Advance. You can make out Graveler on the screen, and there's even a second Graveler holding the top screen open for all eternity.


Sweet and sad at the same time, it makes my heart do cartwheels.


paramorgue's album [Imgur via At7addak]


Pokemon grave stone fills me with all the feels screenshot


Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/pokemon-grave-stone-fills-me-with-all-the-feels-262723.phtml

News::Here's our first look at Mighty No. 9 in action

Mighty No. 9 is slowly approaching its final day so to commemorate the occasion, Comcept have released their first actual gameplay footage for Mighty No. 9 running on Unreal 3. It's still in early development, as clearly indicated in red text, but it still looks exceptionally good.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364469/heres-our-first-look-at-mighty-no-9-in-action

News::'One Finger Death Punch' Review | Indie Games AAA

Indie Games AAA: "Haste makes waste, so the saying goes. Ive never believed in that. Haste makes Ludum Dare games. Haste makes your Magic: The Gathering creatures much better. Haste is what makes games like One Finger Death Punch."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364457/one-finger-death-punch-review-indie-games-aaa

News::NBA 2K14 Trophies Revealed

Ahead of the games release, the entire trophy list for NBA 2K14 has been revealed. The entire list, of which there are no secret trophies, pertains to achievements and accolades that an be attained in both on and offline play.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364685/nba-2k14-trophies-revealed

News::New EverQuest Next and Landmark Gameplay Videos Show Heroic Movement and Timelapse Building

ony Online Entertainment just released two new gameplay videos of EveryQuest Next and of its world-building spin-off EverQuest Next Landmark, the first shows the games heroic movement that will basically turn characters into parkour professionals, able to jump around and over obstacles instead of just walking like losers. The second video shows what you can build in about 50 minutes in EverQuest Next Landmark, basically from a barren landscape into a terraformed lava-themed environment.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364865/new-everquest-next-and-landmark-gameplay-videos-show-heroic-movement-and-timelapse-building

News::Ian Livingstone to leave Eidos after almost 20 years

Ian Livingstone, one of the UK games industry's leading figures, is stepping down from from his duties at Eidos Interactive, a company he joined in 1995. GamesIndustry International is reporting Livingstone has stepped down but will continue his mentoring with the Ian Livingstone Foundation and the Next Gen Skills campaign.


With Ian on the board, Eidos was responsible for some of the '90s most seminal titles: Tomb Raider, Hitman, Legacy of Kain, and two of my personal favourites, Deus Ex and Thief. When Eidos was purchased by Square Enix in 2005, Livingstone was the only member of the board to remain and was made Eidos president for life in 2009.


Livingstone was also one of the creators of both the Final Fantasy book and Games Workshop, both were featured heavily in my youth. Whilst Livingstone has other projects lined up, I'd be interested to see if Ian ever took on a direct design role again, something he's not had in a long time, not since his days at Games Workshop.


Ian Livingstone leaves Eidos [GamesIndustry International] [Image source]


Ian Livingstone to leave Eidos after almost 20 years screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/ian-livingstone-to-leave-eidos-after-almost-20-years-262735.phtml

News::What you need to know to start playing GTA Online

Rockstar's ambitious Grand Theft Auto Online launches tomorrow for those that have Grand Theft Auto V . How will you access it? First you'll need to download a Title Update that will be released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live tomorrow around 7AM Eastern time if things run smoothly. Once the update is installed, you'll boot up the game as you normally would and then pull up the character select wheel to select the newly unlocked fourth character slot. This will take you straight into GTA Online.


There's a big narrative in GTA Online with an initially offering of 700 missions on top of racing, deathmatches and the like. As far as the narrative is concerned though, it takes place a few months prior to the events in GTA V.


What you need to know to start playing GTA Online screenshot


Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/what-you-need-to-know-to-start-playing-gta-online-262689.phtml

News::BLESS' Character Creation Is Actually A Make-up System

Korean developer Neowiz's big-budget BLESS showed its character creation feature at KCG 2013. Unlike most MMORPG, BLESS replaces the traditional option-based system with makeup tools, allowing you to use things like lipstick, lip gloss, pencil, eye linear and others to customize the facial details for your character.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364225/bless-character-creation-is-actually-a-make-up-system

News::The Crew: The Days Of A Loading Screen Are All Gone

One of the features of the PS3/Xbox 360 generation of games has been the prolonged loading or initial install times. Games like Heavy Rain, The Last of Us and most recently GTA V. At Eurogamer Expo 2013, Nick Silversides from The Average Gamer asked Serkan Hassan, lead designer of The Crew, Ubisofts upcoming PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC open world racer about the amount of game loading the player can expect.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364040/the-crew-the-days-of-a-loading-screen-are-all-gone

News::Prepare the funeral ship - Wake Up w/ Volgarr the Viking


When last we left off in Volgarr the Viking, I had successfully navigated my way through to the game's first checkpoint. That may not sound like much of a feat, but it certainly made me feel like a mighty warrior with the gods on his side. Watch today's installment to find out if I retain their favor.


Prepare the funeral ship - Wake Up w/ Volgarr the Viking screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/prepare-the-funeral-ship-wake-up-w-volgarr-the-viking-262700.phtml

News::China Lifts Their Console Ban... But There's Strings Attached

News::Edge Of Eternity's Developer Makes A Worrying Amount Of Promises

The game promises to be a classic style turn based RPG that is reminiscent of the Final Fantasy VII era, likely no coincidence that the developers are named Midgar Studio, with the city of Midgar being centre stage in Final Fantasy VII its self. VR is something we really like then we added support for Oculus Rift! said the development team, although this one sounds completely ridiculous given the multi-format save game support and play style. Edge Of Eternity will be one of the first AAA mobile games : redefining the technical limits of mobile platforms with stunning graphics and featuring an amazing story with more than 20 hours of gameplay for the main quest. again, another tall order and wild claim, lets hope the developers can get their heads out of the clouds and make a modern RPG title worthy of a studio that calls its self after one of the most famous cities in RPG gaming history.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364045/edge-of-eternitys-developer-makes-a-worrying-amount-of-promises

News::Eurogamer Expo Day Three The Lowdown

Chris takes in his third day at the Eurogamer Expo by playing Elder Scrolls Online, Forza 5 and a whole lot in between.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363846/eurogamer-expo-day-three-the-lowdown

News::Steam Modder Brings Starcraft to Civilization V

Escapist Magazine "If you're anything like most of us at The Escapist, you may have put a few (hundred) hours into Sid Meier's Civilization V and its expansions. After so many turns of war, diplomacy, and establishing trade routes, perhaps the game is getting a little stale. So what better way to spice up a three-year-old game than by adding Starcraft II units, as Steam modder Epic has done?"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363820/steam-modder-brings-starcraft-to-civilization-v

News::Batman: Arkham Origins to introduce I Am The Night Mode

Usually when you complete a game, a New Game+ mode is unlocked to increase replay value and introduce a more challenging version of the campaign. Arkham Origins is taking this a step a further and placing a third game mode after completing New Game+ which provides the ultimate challenge as the caped crusader.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364281/batman-arkham-origins-to-introduce-i-am-the-night-mode

News::This Weeks New Releases 9/29 10/5: NBA 2K14, rain, Wind Waker HD retail

With the upcoming holiday season approaching, there isnt much surprise that we once again have a very weak lineup of new releases this week.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364025/this-weeks-new-releases-9-29-10-5-nba-2k14-rain-wind-waker-hd-retail

News::FIFA 14 Achievements Guide

Guide4GameS: Looking to beat the score of your friends in FIFA 14, for that you need to complete all the 43 Achievements in the game. Need help how you can complete all these challenges, here we have the full list of all these challenges with the guide detail.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363912/fifa-14-achievements-guide

News::FIFA 14 Tips and Skills Guide

Guide4GameS: In FIFA 14 Career Mode will likely keep you playing well into 2014, so its important you get off to the best possible start. To help you in your Career Mode we have some very important and useful Tips and Hints which will help you a lot in your Career game. As well as these tips will increase your skill level in any match you play.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363934/fifa-14-tips-and-skills-guide

News::What happens when heroes fall? Latest CastleStorm DLC, The Warrior Queen, answers the call

Pieter at El33tonline writes: "CastleStorm is one of the most unique and fun games Ive played this year, and a contender for best download title of 2013. The exciting thing is that the game just received another piece of downloadable content called The Warrior Queen!"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364263/what-happens-when-heroes-fall-latest-castlestorm-dlc-the-warrior-queen-answers-the-call

News::Playable Risky Boots is a go for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

It's been slow goings ever since the Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Kickstarter met its base goal last week, but no need to lose hope just yet! The $500K Risky Mode has been funded! As the sexy pirate villainess Risky Boots, you'll be able to play an alternate storyline, effectively doubling the length of the game.


There are four days left until the campaign ends, so unless there is a sudden surge, we won't be hitting any of those other tantalizing stretch goals, which include bonus chapters, new playable characters, and even voice acting! And to kick us in the nuts even harder, WayForward has also pulled the curtain back on the final stretch goal: fully animated cutscenes at the $1.3 million mark! Why isn't the money just raining down!? Damnit!


There's a silver lining, at least. WayForward is accepting PayPal donations, which will remain open after the Kickstarter ends. So even if we don't hit many more goals in the next few days, we'll be good as long as that PayPal button stays up.


Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Risky Mode funded, Final Stretch Goal revealed! [Kickstarter]


Playable Risky Boots is a go for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/playable-risky-boots-is-a-go-for-shantae-half-genie-hero-262688.phtml

News::Finding beauty in GTAV’s ugly world through the art of the selfie


GTA isn’t just humping dogs and UFOs, strip bars, BAWSAQ and a mouse pointer with an erected middle finger. It’s not just lowball humour, nihilistic violence, misongyny and a seething pool of crass satire that seems to sneer at everything and everyone.


That’s all there in GTAV, of course, but we’re talking about a game with the scale of a state here. For all of the ugliness there’s beauty, too.


I’ve always loved GTA for its details – its ability to capture the sense of a place and animate it into somewhere that almost feels alive. I remember driving over the uneven and kinked roads of GTA III’s Liberty City and realising it was striving to capture a form of reality, not just live up to the standards games had tried to reach so far.


I don’t think any developer other than Rockstar North makes open worlds as rich and fully observed. It can be through some sort of modelling of the way things behave in the real world or it can be through a little art flourish; either way, I find these acknowledgements of reality exhibit a kind of beauty. They speak to the thoughtfulness with which Rockstar North’s developers have looked at reality and considered how to represent it.


The thing is, this stuff is often so well realised that it tends to get completely overlooked, while GTA’s big, bad, lurid side gets all the attention. But if you care to look it’s far more important. For me, it’s in how GTA V’s cars have slightly differently coloured headlights, the way you can light petrol trails with the backfire flames from your exhaust, and how each of the three protagonists have different smartphones (it’s so delicious that Trevor should have what looks like a Windows Phone).


And so I took out my camera, sporadically functional as it can be, and tried to record some of these details through the medium of the selfie. Because, well, why not.


Stuff like this:



Rain falls only where there’s a clear line through to the sky, and the road is wetter there, too. Every game should have this in it, because they help a downpour feel like a downpour, with shelter actually feeling like respite.


This isn’t meant to be some sort of exhaustive haul. These photos are simply some of the things I’ve seen that tickle my verisimilitude gland and there is so very much more I’ve yet to notice. Yeah, verisimilitude. I went there. But there really is no better word. Let’s celebrate it.



This must be one of the best-rendered road surfaces in the history of videogames. Cracked, pitted and shining against an evening sky, it’s up in the Vinewood Hills. I love that a manhole cover has helped cause the tarmac around it to have worn away down to its bedding layer. This is a road with history.



This is so wonderfully incidental – a drainage channel running down the side of the Great Ocean Highway still bears the stumps of trees that were cut down as it was being dug.



The characterisation of Trevor’s Los Santos safehouse is pin-sharp, sporting a nautical theme and cute phrases – the shit that’s soon smeared all over its walls are almost an improvement. In plan it’s actually based on Melanie’s apartment in Jackie Brown, though in effect it’s a very different place.



Michael’s house is filled with aspirational details, the most cutting for me being a copy of a thick book called Millennium on his living room shelves. It’s a clear nod to Century), an excellent 1,224-page book of photography covering the 20th century that’s found in any upwardly mobile household worth its salt (and probably idly thumbed through no more than twice).



GTA V’s dynamic car damage modelling is fantastic. Ever since Destruction Derby I’ve loved smashing up videogame cars, and GTA V’s auto sadism has raised standards higher than ever. I have spent ten minutes punching and kicking a car into crumpled submission, only stopping because some ped decided to punch me to death.



San Andreas Gallery of Modern Art (SAGMA) is really well observed, with its banners’ use of the art-stalwart typeface Gill Sans and situated in a building with precisely no architectural interest whatsoever, a nod, I like to think, to Los Angeles’ dearth of great public architecture, considering its significance as a metropolis. That said, it’s curious Rockstar North hasn’t attempted a crazy Frank Gehry-like edifice in Los Santos.



Franklin’s Vinewood Hills apartment is brilliantly empty and contemporary, deserving of an entry on the excellent Fuck Your Noguchi Coffee Table blog. Around his dining table sit Charles and Ray Eames’ Eiffel Base Shell chairs, a fine design cliche, sitting on what looks like a Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Tibetan Carpet ($4,500).



On Michael’s bedside table lies a copy of the Kama Sutra. It’s maybe not the subtlest detail, but his expression here, caught just after the mission in which his family ups and leaves him, is so plaintive it just had to go in.


GTA V is a game about hundreds – thousands – of details like these, each crafted by Rockstar’s artists. And every single one is worth it, allowing every player to notice something relevant to themselves and helping to pop San Andreas into widescreen focus just for them. They make somewhere so awesomely and gloriously sprawling ours.


The post Finding beauty in GTAV’s ugly world through the art of the selfie appeared first on Edge Online.






via Edge Online http://www.edge-online.com/features/finding-beauty-in-gtavs-world-through-the-art-of-the-selfie/

News::A TDS Retrospective: Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun

Enjoy this trip down memory lane as TDS takes a look back at Westwood Studios Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, and the impact it had on one of their writers. Welcome back Commander.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364248/a-tds-retrospective-command-and-conquer-tiberian-sun

News::Dark Souls Gets Even Tougher in Dark Souls II | gamrReview Preview

gamrReview's Arthur Kabrick: "To put this into context, you could win a free t-shirt if you defeated the final boss. One of the developers informed me that 18 of the roughly 400 people who had tried the demo had managed to do that. I was not one of them."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364193/dark-souls-gets-even-tougher-in-dark-souls-ii-gamrreview-preview

News::Rise of the Triad Review: All Guns Blazing - Pixels for Breakfast

Pixels for Breakfast writes: Interceptor Entertainments remake of Rise Of The Triad is a love letter to FPS games of the 90s, and this makes the game truly unique. Although single player has numerous shortcomings, it will appeal nonetheless to nostalgic gamers and fans. Guts, guns, explosions and everything you loved of the old game, its all included in the package. If you are willing to look past any frustrations, then this game is definitely worth a try.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364217/rise-of-the-triad-review-all-guns-blazing-pixels-for-breakfast

News::Meet fourteen of South Africas top indie game developers at rAge 2013

El33tonline writes: "If you happen to be attending rAge 2013 this week anytime from October 4th through to the 6th, while you may want to check out the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to get some hands-on time with these next generation console you definitely wont want to miss your chance to meet fourteen of the very best independent game developers of South Africa and see fifteen locally made games while youre at it."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364280/meet-fourteen-of-south-africas-top-indie-game-developers-at-rage-2013

News::Battlefield 4 Beta Preload Now Available

(GDiNews)For those who are qualified, the Battlefield 4 Beta is now available for download through the Origin client. It will require 5,646.51MB of space.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364088/battlefield-4-beta-preload-now-available

News::FIFA 14 Game Guide

Welcome to the FIFA 14 game Guide page, here on this page we will cover the extra content like Tips, Hints, Cheat Codes, Match Moves etc. with that you can play the game easily and beat your opponent with tricks. Below you will find all of this:



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363921/fifa-14-game-guide

News::Battlefield 4: Current Gen vs. Next Gen Whats the Difference? [TheGameHeadz]

Battlefield 4 will be available for all five main FPS platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Fans of the game have a crucial decision ahead of them as to which version of Battlefield 4 they should buy. Here's a comprehensive comparison of the different editions of Battlefield 4, as well as a look at what's changed from the previous game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363889/battlefield-4-current-gen-vs-next-gen-whats-the-difference-thegameheadz

News::Damned: Steam Early Access Playthrough

Check out Slasher JPC as he and a guest try out Damned, an innovative new Steam Early Access horror game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363796/damned-steam-early-access-playthrough

News::The Scene Cut From Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Is Even Worse Than You'd Guess

Hardcore Gamer: The next time you play through Amnesia, just remember you were only saved from the terror of pig corpse desecration because the developers thought it looked a bit too much like rape and were turned off.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363791/the-scene-cut-from-amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-is-even-worse-than-youd-guess

News::Teenage Developers start KickStarter campaign for funds to develop Predator Realm

A group of teenage developers, ShiftJoy, have just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their first major release for Mac, PC and Linux (possibly iOS/Android too, according to their kickstarter), Predator Realm (an arcade-style zombie shooter).



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363675/teenage-developers-start-kickstarter-campaign-for-funds-to-develop-predator-realm

News::Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Risky Mode Funded

oprainfall writes: "With funding for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero reaching the $500,000 stretch mark, WayForward has gladly announced that their goal for a secondary playable campaign called Risky Mode, where you get to play as Shantaes arch-nemesis Risky Boots, can be realized."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364236/shantae-half-genie-hero-risky-mode-funded

News::Gone Home Review | Press Start Australia

Diego at Press Start Australia writes: "I have never played a game like Gone Home before. I went into the game completely oblivious as to what it would be about, and at first I even thought that it could have been a horror game, just because right in the start, the house was empty and had no lights on. Im happy to say that the experience has completely blown me away. The game touches on some pretty controversial subjects and shows us just what the videogame industry is capable of, in terms of story and narrative. Videogames have clearly ceased to be merely toys for children for quite a while now, and Gone Home definitively proves this once more. Gone Home is a profound and touching experience."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364251/gone-home-review-press-start-australia

News::The New Multiplayer Modes Of Call Of Duty: Ghosts

Game Informer writes: "With Call of Duty: Ghosts, Infinity Ward is branching off and creating an entirely new universe for the series. In order to make a clean break from the past, the team also threw away multiplayer modes from previous games and focused on creating new experiences for seasoned players."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364274/the-new-multiplayer-modes-of-call-of-duty-ghosts

News::Hearthstone Update - Account Wipe Incoming

Blizzard writes: "Thank you for stopping by to read this important closed beta test update. At the start of the beta, we mentioned that we would reset information at some point, wiping all progress and cards in the process."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364258/hearthstone-update-account-wipe-incoming

News::Rayman Legends PC update now available, patch notes inside

El33tonline writes: "Ubisoft has released a small patch for the PC version of Rayman Legends which updates the game to v1.2. The update weighs in at 11 MB and fixes a couple of graphical issues which a small number of users experienced."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364282/rayman-legends-pc-update-now-available-patch-notes-inside

News::Shadow Warrior Review first person slicer | Metro

Metro: "For a game obsessed with OTT violence and knob gags this is a surprisingly charming and likeable shooter, if an unavoidably shallow and repetitive one."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364241/shadow-warrior-review-first-person-slicer-metro

News::Reviving Survivial Horror | New Details on The Evil Within Emerge

Bethesda Softworks has finally released a roughly 12 minute-long gameplay trailer highlighting just a few of the terrifying experiences avid horror aficionados can expect from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikamis and Tango Gameworks upcoming survival horror game, The Evil Within. After viewing the video multiple times, we deliver the highlights of the recently released gameplay trailer for The Evil Within while also incorporating some of our own personal opinions into the mix as well.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363980/reviving-survivial-horror-new-details-on-the-evil-within-emerge

News::Orbitor, a very pretty game we've looked at previously, has been signed to a console publishing deal

News::The Weekend Hotness: I'm reading the sh*t outta One Piece

Despite its being the best-selling manga in Japan, I never jumped aboard One Piece. The weird, noodly art style had always turned me off, so I never bothered giving it a chance. Then one day I said to myself, "Stop being a little punk," and began the arduous task of catching up on all 700+ chapters as quickly as I could.


I started roughly a week and a half ago and have just finished the Thriller Bark arc. The art, while still quite goofy, has really endeared itself to me. The whole series is pretty amazing -- I can understand why it's so popular. Even though each arc follows a similar formula, there's always enough room for fresh experiences, with some of the zaniest fights I have ever seen. I should have started reading years ago.


This weekend, Jim descends into Cookie Clicker madness, Sup Holmes? remembers the good ol' days with former Dtoider Leigh Alexander, EA gets kicked in the pocketbook, and the Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter hits the nitrous.


Destructoid Originals:

We're playing The Legend of Dungeon live!

Cookie Clicker - Now Bloody Playing

Sup Holmes finds sexy videogame land with Leigh Alexander

Welcome to the Slam, We're playing Space Jam on Rad Show


Community:

Community blogs of 9/28 & 9/29

Forum thread of the day: Your Verbosity is Superfluous: Big Word and Syntax Thread


The Weekend Hotness: I'm reading the sh*t outta One Piece screenshot


Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/the-weekend-hotness-i-m-reading-the-sh-t-outta-one-piece-262684.phtml

Sunday, September 29, 2013

News::ArcheAge RU Free To Play with Premium Account

As expected the Russian version of ArcheAge will be free. Mail.ru announced today during Moscow press event that their future business model for ArcheAge will be free-to-play



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363726/archeage-ru-free-to-play-with-premium-account

News::Impressions State of Decay Early Access: Game-Modo

As we are all quite aware, zombie games are a rare breed in modern times. Even rarer than a zombie game is a truly great zombie game. In that latter category weve recently had Day Z, The Walking Dead the good adventure one, not the shitty action one, Project Zomboid and a newcomer in State of Decay. Does that give away my impressions? Possibly so, but its not all freshly reincarnated roses.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364105/impressions-state-of-decay-early-access-game-modo

News::First Screenshot of Warhammer 40,000 Armageddon

One of a trio of upcoming titles set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe Armageddon is a much anticipated return to turn based combat. While titles used to be relatively common within the genre, with XCom clone Chaos Gate among others, the success of Dawn of War made RTS releases more commonplace. How well Slitherine handles Armageddon and its success could see a true return to the genre with full armies, and today weve been given our first glimpse of the game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364152/first-screenshot-of-warhammer-40-000-armageddon

News::Terraria 1.2 changelog

The Terraria 1.2 changelog has been released. Currently the changelog is a work in progress, so expect more updates to it. The much anticipated 1.2 update will be released on October 1st 2013 for PC.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364192/terraria-1-2-changelog

News::Indie Game Insider | Assault Android: Cactus Preview

Assault Android: Cactus is a wild ride through a world of gun-toting androids, swarms of robots, and the bullets they spew.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364209/indie-game-insider-assault-android-cactus-preview

News::Rocksmith 2014 Confirmations from Eurogamer Expo

Small update from UK Rocksmith fan, Craig Munn! "The songs Machinehead By Bush and Every Breath You Take by The Police are on disc. Rush and Deftness ARE on disc too. My Own Summer (Shove it) and Spirit Of The Radio to be exact. Thats all.youre getting. You guys can be patient! :P" Well, its not Freewill, but theres always DLC! Also, it has to be pointed out that this will be the first game to have the non-live version of Spirit of Radio!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364198/rocksmith-2014-confirmations-from-eurogamer-expo

News::The Maul Squad | Dishonored Review

Dishonored is a strong game that does some things quite well, but with the advantage of playing it outside of the hype bubble Sorvah of the The Maul Squad finds the experience somewhat underwhelming.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363977/the-maul-squad-dishonored-review

News::Face-Off: Final Fantasy 14

Final Fantasy 14's initial launch was something of a disaster for Square Enix, temporarily tarnishing both a much-loved brand and the reputation of its developers with a product that felt unfocused and incomplete.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363990/face-off-final-fantasy-14

News::Children's Games Deserve Your Attention

Gaming Union: "I was walking through a store that sells video games (you probably know the one) when I happened to overhear a conversation had between an employee and a mother, looking to purchase something for her son. They discussed a few different games, eventually settling on a children's title that was pretty standard for the industry. A platformer, which for the sake of conversation will not be named. When the mother asked how the game was the employee responded that it was alright."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364091/childrens-games-deserve-your-attention

News::Frozen Endzone hands-on preview | Thunderbolt

Shane Ryan, Thunderbolt writes: From the creators of Frozen Synapse, Frozen Endzones goal is to combine the strategic depth of the aforementioned with a new, creative core mechanic wrapped up in a futuristic sport skin. On its surface this is a futuristic sports title that takes heavy inspiration from American Football as well as 90s videogames such as Speedball 2. This angle was a clear choice to avoid appearing too much like a straight sports title, as well as one that was aesthetically particular and appealing to the team, avoiding any perplexity on its genre roots and leaving an interstice for newcomers.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364108/frozen-endzone-hands-on-preview-thunderbolt

News::Heroes of StarCraft mod adds hero units to Civilization V

I love mods, probably way more than I should, and it is always amazing the things that creative people can come up with. The Heroes of StarCraft mod for Civilization V, along with a partner mod by the same modder, adds hero units to Civilization V.


These hero units include Jim Raynor, Kerrigan, and Zeratul. Along with these hero units there are also the Protoss, Zerg, and Terran Civilizations and all of the units that you would expect. To install this mod just subscribe to it on the Steam Workshop.


In the comments section, the mod's author, epic, says his eventual plan is for the mod to have heroes from other Blizzard games like Diablo II and Warcraft III. Sounds good to me.


Heroes of StarCraft mod adds hero units to Civilization V screenshot


Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/heroes-of-starcraft-mod-adds-hero-units-to-civilization-v-262648.phtml

News::TitanFall Hands-on Impressions Falling For Respawn - The Koalition

Gary Swaby at The Koalition writes: There was never a time where I doubted that Titanfall would be good. Saying I had doubts about it would be false, because I had every faith in Respawn Entertainment's first title being every bit as fun to play as their Call of Duty contributions with Activision. Thankfully they haven't let us down, and after getting the chance to play a match at the Eurogamer Expo I'm heavily excited for Titanfall to land in stores next year.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363973/titanfall-hands-on-impressions-falling-for-respawn-the-koalition

News::Neverending Nightmares Kickstarter wakes from funding nightmare to funding success

Neverending Nightmares, the semi-autobiographical horror game about depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder from Retro/Grade creator Matt Gilgenbach, has been funded on Kickstarter, but not before a financial mishap caused a fan to pledge $9,000 more than he intended.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364175/neverending-nightmares-kickstarter-wakes-from-funding-nightmare-to-funding-success

News::Shadow of Eternals is Officially "On Hold"

"Precursor Games has had a couple of stabs at crowdfunding Shadow of the Eternals, which is pitched as a spiritual successor to the GameCube classic Eternal Darkness and was aiming for a Wii U release." -Andy Green, Nintendo Life



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364148/shadow-of-eternals-is-officially-on-hold

News::Nival Games Interview - OmniGamer

OmniGamer interviews Nival Games, the company behind the F2P MOBA, Prime World.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364101/nival-games-interview-omnigamer

News::History Lesson: Castlevania

When Bram Stoker sat down in 1897 to write Dracula, did he know he was penning the first ever video game design document?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363991/history-lesson-castlevania

News::TDS Games Cast 14 The Incredibly Overpriced Edition - Steam News, Indie Games and their Prices!

In the latest TDS Games Cast, Todd, Kyle, Blane, and Karen talk about the pricing of games and what defines value. Also everything Valve and Steam related, Star Wars AND Star Trek, and the impact of all the superhero shows that are apparently coming.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364121/tds-games-cast-14-the-incredibly-overpriced-edition-steam-news-indie-games-and-their-prices

News::Watch Dogs' Aiden is closer to Dexter than to Batman, says Ubisoft

According to Ubisoft, Aiden Pearce, the main character of Watch Dogs, is closer to Dexter than to Batman.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364118/watch-dogs-aiden-is-closer-to-dexter-than-to-batman-says-ubisoft

News::Interview with Megan Fox, Developer of Hot Tin Roof

BNR: A little while ago, we reported on Hot Tin Roof, an awesome metroidvania mystery platformer thats currently in the last day of its Kickstarter campaign- it looks awesome, and we decided it would be nice to sit down for a chat with Megan Fox, the games lead developer. We wound up having an excellent discussion on her game, the game design and development process, as well as the future of the industry, monetization, and her personal history as a game developer.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364004/interview-with-megan-fox-developer-of-hot-tin-roof

News::Will Shinji Mikamis Evil Within rejuvenate the Survival Horror genre? | GearNuke

Survival Horror in current mainstream games is dead. It has been long dead now. Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil, is finally trying to bring it back through his latest game. He is finally trying to rejuvenate the long dead Survival Horror, which has now been replaced by more action-oriented titles with elements of so called Horror thrown in the mix, and the Survival Horror of these titles is long gone.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363989/will-shinji-mikamis-evil-within-rejuvenate-the-survival-horror-genre-gearnuke

News::Kotaku 'Shop Contest: No-Stick

News::Mighty No. 9 reaches yet another Kickstarter stretch goal, game will have intro stage with boss

In just 24 hours, Mighty No. 9 has smashed through another Kickstarter stretch goal.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363888/mighty-no-9-reaches-yet-another-kickstarter-stretch-goal-game-will-have-intro-stage-with-boss

News::Configuration File For Steam Controller Suggests That It Was Present In Steam Accounts For Weeks

It's only been a few days since Valve announced its revolutionary Steam Controller along with Steam OS and Steam Machines, but apparently the configuration file for the Steam Controller was present inside everyone's Steam accounts (those who keep Steam updated) for at least weeks. NeoGAF user "iosefe" found the configuration file on his computer inside the folder where Steam was installed. (\Steam\controller_config). The configuration file mentions the touchscreen buttons and the triggers along with the trackpads.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364082/configuration-file-for-steam-controller-suggests-that-it-was-present-in-steam-accounts-for-weeks

News::EGX Hands-On: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number | Brutal Gamer

BG - "The original Hotline Miami was bloody, violent, challenging and, most importantly, huge fun. So naturally, it was great news to hear that a sequel was in development, which will see you play through events both before and after the events of the first game. Heres what we thought of our return to Miami."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364039/egx-hands-on-hotline-miami-2-wrong-number-brutal-gamer

News::Cookie Clicker - Now Bloody Playing


People keep talking about Cookie Clicker like it's the most amazing game yet, but don't get it.


I don't get it.


I don't get it.


I don't get it.


Click.


Cookie Clicker - Now Bloody Playing screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/cookie-clicker-now-bloody-playing-262657.phtml

News::3 Kickstarter Video Games You Should Pay Attention To

Forbes - "Ive been remiss in my Kickstarter blogging lately. Partly this is due to Kickstarter burn-out on my part. Once upon a time, there were only a few games seeking funding on the site. Now its a near constant flood."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364024/3-kickstarter-video-games-you-should-pay-attention-to

News::LoL Mid-lane Champions Guide

Mid Lane is arguably one of the most difficult and skill intensive roles in all of League of Legends because you are effectively dueling a player from the other team. It is also one of the most important.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364020/lol-mid-lane-champions-guide

News::GTA V PC Release

A petition to Rockstar asks for a GTA V PC release, a Reddit user claims to be Beta Testing a PC build already with supporting screenshots. Rockstar keeps tight lipped as per usual.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363996/gta-v-pc-release

News::Call of Duty: Ghosts Multiplayer Preview | GamersPad

The year is almost coming to a close and people are anxiously waiting for the new line of next-generation consoles. Its also that time of the year when the next iteration of Call of Duty is going to hit the market and after months of pure fanboyist hatred from the outreaches of space Im here to tell you why Call of Duty Ghosts has taken the biggest step in the series...



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363976/call-of-duty-ghosts-multiplayer-preview-gamerspad

News::Ironclad Tactics Review | GameGrin

"Lead an army of killer deathbots" is a good way to introduce a game. It's not the official slogan of strategy card battler Ironclad Tactics, but it sums up the game quite well. The title may suggest a dry and dreary precision focused game, but this is actually a pleasantly fast paced experience made for more than just hardcore strategy fans.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363703/ironclad-tactics-review-gamegrin

News::MechWarrior Online devs talk launch, future of new game

Piranha Games' free-to-play MechWarrior Online is little more than a week old following its official full launch on September 17, but the game's development team is already looking towards the future.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363886/mechwarrior-online-devs-talk-launch-future-of-new-game

News::Blood Knights: new screenshots

Here are some new screens from next Kobalt Games action/RPG



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364001/blood-knights-new-screenshots

News::Review: FIFA 14 - MKGaming

MKGaming - "Its time once again for EAs yearly offering in the footballing world, FIFA 14. If I was asked to sum up FIFA 14 in one word, that word would be, patience, because even though the changes from FIFA 13 arent huge, theyre enough to change the way you play the game. Still, not all changes are for the better and the same as it is with football, its sometimes a good idea not to change a winning formula too much."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364013/review-fifa-14-mkgaming

News::MMO-Play previews Elder Scrolls Online

Bethesda's most anticipated MMO, elder Scrolls Online, has picked the interest of the gaming world lately. MMO-Play got their hands on the game at Eurogamer Expo and lived to tell their tale!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363941/mmo-play-previews-elder-scrolls-online

News::League of Legends worlds: Royal Club vs. Fnatic

The second semifinals match-up pitted the Chinese champions against the European favorites. Nate and Marc summarized the games.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363852/league-of-legends-worlds-royal-club-vs-fnatic

News::Frostbite 3 Will Support Both AMD Mantle and NVIDIA NVAPI APIs For PC Optimizations

A few days ago during their GPU 14 event, AMD showcased their latest Mantle API built for Frostbite 3 based Battlefield 4 which is the blockbuster AAA FPS to be released next month. We detailed AMDs Mantle API in our previous post which can be found here but left some key details behind so we will try to cover them in this specific article.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363867/frostbite-3-will-support-both-amd-mantle-and-nvidia-nvapi-apis-for-pc-optimizations

News::Chaos on Deponia Review | 6aming

6aming's Mitch solves the puzzle of Chaos on Deponia. Find out what he comes up with within.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1364003/chaos-on-deponia-review-6aming

News::Finding The Audience For The Steam Machine

Forbes - "Ive sat back and let the rest of Forbes gaming tackle the various Valve announcements this week from the SteamOS to Steam Machines to now their odd-but-innovative thumbstick-less controller. They all add up to one obvious whole: Valve has its own console, and that could potentially change everything."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363689/finding-the-audience-for-the-steam-machine

News::Invisible Walls Episode 273: Free to Pay?

GT - "Microtransactions go under the microscope, TGS reactions, Metal Gear mysteries, and early Steam OS conjecture. Plus, are we still down with Deep Down?"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363680/invisible-walls-episode-273-free-to-pay

News::ARMA III | CheatMasters

By avoiderdragon:Bohemia Interactives ARMA series is not for casuals, so lets get that out of the way right now. However, even such a game catered to hardcore aficionados can be a hotbed of developments that would then be good for more mainstream audiences. For instance, ARMA II gave us DayZ, which is now getting its own standalone game due to the success that the mod had garnered. With the release of ARMA III, it could be the best way yet to slap that Call of Duty-playing kid right in the face. This is a real military shooter, not that watered-down cash cow.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363697/arma-iii-cheatmasters

News::Shadow Warrior Review - PCGMedia

Shadow Warrior is a good example of how to bring a 90's shooter back. With great weapons, nice sword-play, a ridiculous sense of humor and a modern upgrade system, iterations are sensible, managing to leave behind some of the problems seen in traditional shooters.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363694/shadow-warrior-review-pcgmedia

News::Team Meat's Tommy R. previews the Steam controller

[Photoshop by CJ Melendez]


While we've had a few goofs at the expense of Valve's newly announced controller, but that doesn't mean we're not going to give it a fair shake. On one end, it's easy to take one look at it and say "No analog sticks? Ow my butt!". On the other end, Valve's understanding of their audience and history of quality products instills a confidence that's hard to shake.


Ultimately, a controller isn't something you can assess by looks or by reputation. Playing is believing, and Super Meat Boy programmer Tommey Refenes has had some time to do just that. His write-up on the new controller is about as fair and critical as one could ask for. It left me feeling like finally understood what Valve's going for here, while all the more excited to check the thing out for myself.


My Time with the Steam Controller [Tommy Refenes]


Team Meat's Tommy R. previews the Steam controller screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/team-meat-s-tommy-r-previews-the-steam-controller-262651.phtml

News::Archeage Western Version CBT 2014?

During yesterdays stream, Trion Worlds decided to break the silence for like one minute and told their fans that they are still working on ArcheAge, but the current state of the game doesnt allow them to share it yet.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363659/archeage-western-version-cbt-2014

News::Need for Speed: Rivals - more than an Xbox One take on Hot Pursuit? | OXM UK

OXM UK - "We'd say we've been dumped in the deep end, but Need For Speed Rivals seems to pretty much be all deep end. A sudden drop into an Olympic-sized swimming pool filled with thousands of litres of racing, chasing and vehicular carnage."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363998/need-for-speed-rivals-more-than-an-xbox-one-take-on-hot-pursuit-oxm-uk

News::AN Indie Stash Cast Interview: WarMachine Tactics.

In the latest Indie Stash Cast we talk with Matt Wilson, one of the heads of Privateer Press, about their game WarMachine Tactics. From their start as a simple table top game ten years ago, to the concept of making this a video game, the arrival of White Moon dreams and how they helped turn their game into something more!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363647/an-indie-stash-cast-interview-warmachine-tactics

News::Doom Piano hands-on | Thunderbolt

Shane Ryan, Thunderbolt writes: Built as part of the Virgin Media Game Space, the explanation is in the title: its Doom in a piano. A £30 left for dead piano.



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News::Elder Scrolls Online: See Cyrodiil, The User Interface, And The Maps

Check out these albums of Elder Scrolls Online images, including a preview of the entire user interface, screenshots of Cyrodiil, maps for the Daggerfall, Aldmeri Dominion, and Ebonheart territories.



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News::EGX: How The Witcher 3 Blends Complex Storytelling with an Immersive Open World | US Gamer

US Gamer: "CD Projekt Red's upcoming final chapter to the Witcher trilogy is the developer's most ambitious project yet. Lead quest designer Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz explains the challenges open-world presents."



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News::Preview: Predestination - Combat Beta

"An early peek at some straight to-the-point combat that makes Predestination something to keep on the lookout for."



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News::The Making Of: Harvest Moon


Given that it was released for Nintendo’s SNES shortly after both the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 made their Japanese debuts, Harvest Moon shouldn’t be an instantly recognisable name. Other top-down, sprite-based games of that time (with the rather noticeable exception of Pokémon Red and Green) struggled to make themselves heard among the clamour of the new. Harvest Moon was different, and not just because of its unlikely success. It was and is unique for its playful, earnest synthesis of action-RPG and slow-burning simulation – and, most enduringly, its gentle good nature.


The game presents a comforting alternate reality in which cows smile, friendships are sealed with gifts of dairy produce, and hard work always has its rewards. It paints an idyllic picture of the simplicity and essential goodness of rural life, an idea that has proven especially appealing to the inhabitants of urban Japan. The concept for Harvest Moon blossomed from creator and, later, director Yasuhiro Wada’s first years working in the videogame industry in Tokyo – a city to out-sprawl all cities – where it first occurred to him to make life in the countryside into a game. “I was raised in the country town of Miyazaki in Kyushu,” he tells us, “and I think that it has influenced me greatly.”


Wada had always loved games as a boy, particularly the original Legend Of Zelda, whose open-world influence can be seen in Harvest Moon’s presentation. He had never worked on an original title before Harvest Moon, spending two years in advertising after university and his first years in the game industry in production. “After working as a production assistant on PC Engine games, I produced several,” he explains. “During that time, I really studied the whole structure of games and the gameplay at their core, working out the logic for myself.”



The original draft for Bokujou Monogatari – or Ranch Story – was complete in 1993, but it spent three years in development. Developer Pack-In Soft hardly had a glittering reputation at the time. “Before I started there it was known as a pretty crappy game developer,” laughs Wada. “But during the time I was there there it was properly reorganised, and while we didn’t have that many people, everyone was there for the same purpose, and the result was being able to work freely. It was a very good environment.”


Making a top-down, 16bit SNES title at a time when 3D gaming had just entered the mainstream market was at the very least extremely brave, but Wada felt that it had its own advantages. Unfazed by the almighty fuss that the 32bit and 64bit consoles were making in the Japanese media, he was confident that Harvest Moon could reach a wider audience on established hardware. “I believed that if we could make something new and interesting then it would still be a success,” he says. “When a new console is released, the attention of both the media and gamers is inevitably focused upon it, but the SNES was being distributed around the world, and a lot of people had one.”


Pack-In Soft endured several shake-ups during Harvest Moon’s development, including a restructuring and, most dramatically, the dissolution of Harvest Moon’s entire eight-person development team near the end of the development cycle, leaving Wada almost alone to ready the game for release. “During development, the team broke up. We were working with an external developer on production, and that developer went bankrupt,” he explains. Despite these difficulties, though, Wada refused to let the project fall apart. “It was always my intention to finish and release it… I ended up putting the finishing touches to the game as a director. In the latter half of the final year it was three people, including myself, who completed it,” he recalls. Wada worked most closely with just two other staff, Tomomi Yamatate as a main programmer and Setsuko Miyakoshi as a planner and designer, retaining a large measure of personal creative control – something more recent Harvest Moon games, created by much larger teams, no longer enjoy.



Aiming to create a game that conveyed the gentleness and wellbeing of a farming life was unusual in an industry that Wada felt was dominated primarily by violence. “When we started making it no one could imagine what it would look like when it was finished, and as there was no precedent we didn’t think it would be very popular,” he says. “It had to be a game with no fighting, a game like no other, and a tactile realtime action game. Those were our three starting principles, and remain our enduring ethos.”


The moment that Wada and the rest of the development team realised that the concept was working is the same moment that hooks most of Harvest Moon’s players: “[It was] the moment when, in the first playable version, we watered a seed and, after a day, a sprout came out. We felt that there was no other game that conveyed this kind of pleasure. The joy of growing things is the same across the world.”


Watching the farm evolve from a single sprout to its own agricultural economy is the simple reward at the heart of Harvest Moon. Patience is a dying virtue in videogames, but it is the chief trait that Harvest Moon both asks of and cultivates in the player, making them wait for plants to sprout, friendships to grow, animals to mature and funds to accumulate. Harvest Moon’s gameplay systems bear almost no resemblance to those of any other title released at the time – Wada was adamant that it should be “a game like no other” – but there are some clues to his childhood favourite. “I got a lot of hints about game design from The Legend of Zelda,” he acknowledges. “For example, In the version of Zelda released on the Famicom Disk System, you could set fire to any tree; in the same way, you can cultivate every piece of land in your ranch. I also think that the gameplay, when you’re pulling up grass or smashing stones, was influenced by it.”



There is perhaps a nostalgia for a less urbanised Japan of the past in Harvest Moon. Its green meadows, mountain expanses, farmland and crumbling old houses are not a million miles away from the wistful environmentalism of Hayao Miyazaki films. But Wada doesn’t see appreciation of nature necessarily as a longing for the past. “The difference isn’t between now and the past; it’s between rural and urban,” he says. “In other words, it’s not that the past was good, it’s that the countryside was… The ideology that the past was better is a belief that we should all stop going forward into the future, and I don’t like that very much. Saying that the country is ‘good’ is probably the natural feeling of those who live in cities, in the same way as those who live in the country are drawn to the city. I like them both.”


Though Wada never thought his first game would be published overseas, Harvest Moon came late to the US in 1997 and to Europe the following year, becoming one of the last ever SNES releases in PAL territories, and one of the rarest. Localisation problems, largely as a result of the sheer amount of text involved in all the dialogue and random incidental moments between the farmer and various townspeople, still plague the series today, often resulting in year-long gaps between Japanese and western versions. Although most of Harvest Moon’s Japanese flavour remained intact for its overseas release, it did not go entirely uncensored – all references to alcohol were replaced with the word ‘juice’ in North America.


Subsequent games in the series have built upon and expanded the social life and agricultural options of their virtual farmers, largely based on player reactions. Ever since the first Harvest Moon, the games have shipped with a customer questionnaire in the packaging asking for feedback – a tradition that Marvelous’ current development team reputedly still upholds in Japan. In the past 14 years, though, Wada feels that the core principles of the original game haven’t changed beyond recognition. “Out of our three starting principles, it’s still a game with no fighting, and one with a real tactile nature,” he muses.


“It’s no longer a game unlike any other because we’re living in a world with FarmVille in it!” It’s perhaps proof of the strength of Harvest Moon’s concept, though, that millions went onto play a farming game. That’s quite a legacy for a simple 2D RPG released at the very tail-end of a console’s lifespan.


The post The Making Of: Harvest Moon appeared first on Edge Online.






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News::Forced: Preview - The Geek Link

The Geek Link writes - PAX Prime 2013 allowed for an overabundance of indie gaming. On the last day, while making a last pass through the Indie Megabooth I met Kenneth Harder, CTO of BetaDwarf Entertainment. Graciously, he invited us to give their first full-fledged title, Forced, a try. Forced brought to the table a fun and polished multiplayer experience, the likes of which have not been seen on the PC gaming stage in a great long while.



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News::21 hours, $10k to go, Neverending Nightmares Cutting it Close

Hardcore Gamer: The clock is running down for it to meet its funding goals. If you like horror, deeply personal storytelling, unique visuals, and seeing incredible promise develop into a fully-fleshed gaming experience, now would be the time to head over to the Kickstarter and take a look.



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News::Eurogamer 2013 - Duty Called

It's hard to anticipate walking into an expo packed with next generation software. I say software as this is ultimately how we judge todays hardware, by it's visual representation. We set our sights on Earls Court, leaving a misty Manchester mid-evening after the inevitable M6 rush-hour. It felt like a small island trip as we hit London in a mere two and a half hours, bedding down for the night in the quarters of Clapham Junction.



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News::Pathfinder Online PvP Preview

In the latest blog post Ryan Dancey and Tork details Pathfinder Online PvP system. The first part describe the overall PvP concept and why it must play an important role in any MMO, while the second part takes a closer look to the system itself. Finaly someone got it right.



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News::Competitive Battlefield Can Defuse create competitive play?

We learned this week the various game modes that Battlefield 4 will release with the game in October. The one hope many Battlefield gamers have is that we will see true eSports arrive in Battlefield 4. Defuse seems to be where they feel it will be located.



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News::The Expectations For The Elder Scrolls Online Player Housing

Although weve known for some time that The Elder Scrolls Online player housing will not feature at launch, it hasnt stopped some of us discussing the importance of this iconic feature from throughout The Elder Scrolls franchise.



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News::Valves Steam Controller has the potential to change games in the living room

The Steam Controller is arguably the most important part of the Steam in the living room concept, because it deals with interface; the thing you touch. Its also the bit that Valve has never done before. Steam and Big Picture prove it can do software and service, so that covers Steam OS. It can make partnerships to make computer hardware thats reasonably straightforward. But industrial design? Thats new. And difficult. Especially when youre trying to invent a whole new way of interacting with games on a TV.



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