Sunday, February 10, 2013

News::Like a Boss... Or Not - An Exploration of the Age-Old Boss Battle - AusGamers

AusGamers takes an in-depth look at the place of the age-old boss battle in games today and asks whether or not they should exist, or merely be updated. From the feature: "Team ICO avoided this pitfall by making bosses the focal point of their game, Shadow of the Colossus. Instead of making end-of-level bosses, the bosses were the levels. Colossus turned the boss-player dynamic on its head with its premise: the only way Wander can bring back his lady love is to slay these magnificent beasts. And yet the game refuses to do anything but affirm their majestic beauty. Watching these ancient giants crumble and shrink into the darkness puts the player in a unique headspace: sympathy for the devil..."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1171275/like-a-boss-or-not-an-exploration-of-the-age-old-boss-battle-ausgamers

News::Review: Dead Space 3 | Stevivor.com

Reviewer Leo Stevenson writes, "Ive had a love affair with survival horror games ever since I first played Resident Evil on my PSone. Over time, that franchise has moved farther and farther away from survival horror; Resident Evil 5 & 6 arguably arent horror games at all. Then came the Dead Space series, which stepped up to become the new face of gaming horror when the original was released. Dead Space 2, while thrilling and certainly featuring its share of scares, never quite lived up to the terror of the first. Now with the third in the series hitting store shelves, Dead Space is beginning to experience the law of diminishing returns. Dead Space 3, while ambitious, never quite achieves the same fear, thrilling action and engaging story of its predecessors. A great game is tucked away inside the code, but never gets a chance to shine, overshadowed by a bloated, overlong narrative, tedious combat and characters that are unsympathetic, have questionable motivations or exist as mer...



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1171261/review-dead-space-3-stevivor-com

News::XCOM Squad-Based Shooter Still Planned For April 1, 2013 To March 31, 2014

James Orry: ''2K's XCOM, a tactical squad-based shooter based on the sci-fi franchise, is planned for release during the publisher's fiscal year 2014, 2K has said.''



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170966/xcom-squad-based-shooter-still-planned-for-april-1-2013-to-march-31-2014

News::IGN: Which Publishers and Games Scored Best on Metacritic in 2012?

From IGN: Metacritic, the ever-useful tool for both consumers and industry-types created to aggregate game reviews into one nifty score, has released its overall 2012 ratings sorted by publisher. And the results are, not surprisingly, super interesting.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170936/ign-which-publishers-and-games-scored-best-on-metacritic-in-2012

News::Free to Play Unlimited : Ep. 28: TERA Rising, Bullet Run, Fiesta Online, C9, Vindictus, Grimlands

In this episode TERA Rising finally goes free-to-play, SOE shuts down the online FPS Bullet Run and Outspark closes its doors and moves Fiesta Online to Gamigo. The First Look is dedicated to TERA Rising, the stunning action MMORPG. In Face Off, Vindictus and Continent of the Ninth Seal battle for supremacy. The Most Wanted game of the week is Grimlands, a post-apocalyptic MMORPG that seems set to please Fallen Earth and Fallout fans.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1171182/free-to-play-unlimited-ep-28-tera-rising-bullet-run-fiesta-online-c9-vindictus-grimlands

News::March DLC Release Schedule - Expansive

Saved up some cash? Hope so. March is stacked! Heres whats coming up.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170751/march-dlc-release-schedule-expansive

News::More Gameplay Content Revealed about Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm

The upcoming expansion for Starcraft II will be out in March 12th and Blizzard Entertainment has been releasing information about the first expansion: Heart of the Swarm.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170852/more-gameplay-content-revealed-about-starcraft-ii-heart-of-the-swarm

News::The Death and Rebirth of Dante

PikiGeek: DMC is out, the dust has settled, and the critics have cast their judgement on the controversial re-imagining of Devil May Cry. DMC gives the franchise a fantastically strong reboot, with the potential to develop into what we hope will become a successful new series from Ninja Theory and Capcom.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170713/the-death-and-rebirth-of-dante

News::Light in the Darkness: Dealing With Depression in Games

GameSpot - Are games capable of meaningfully confronting the difficult issue of depression? The creators of two new games think so.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170721/light-in-the-darkness-dealing-with-depression-in-games

News::5 Questions and Concerns About Aliens: Colonial Marines

GameSpy - Next week, Gearbox's long-awaited Aliens: Colonial Marines arrives at last, and it's a challenge to not get swept up in the excitement around a game based in the legendary Aliens universe by a developer that's still hot off the release of a great game. That's why, in our Questions & Concerns feature, we're taking a deliberately skeptical look at what we know about Aliens: Colonial Marines -- and what we don't -- to make sure you can see past the hype. We hope none of this stuff ends up being a problem, and it's still way too early to declare it a good game or a bad game, but you'll definitely want to read this before you preorder.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170720/5-questions-and-concerns-about-aliens-colonial-marines

News::50 stunning Grand Theft Auto screenshots

GamesRadar - Criminal eye candy from the artists and modders of GTA.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170739/50-stunning-grand-theft-auto-screenshots

News::Gi - Genius Gila MMO/RTS Professional Gaming Mouse Review

Gi - Computer peripheral manufacturer Genius launched its GX Gaming Series in 2011 to create keyboards, mice, headsets and the like specifically for professional and enthusiast gamers. Their latest product, the Gila, is aimed at the MMORPG and RTS crowds, with an impressive 12 buttons, six 4.5 gram weights and up to 8200 DPI. Customization options are plentiful and the mouse is truly designed for those who need to tweak and adjust to maximize mouse control, but is the Gila greater than the sum of its parts or a case of diminishing returns?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170731/gi-genius-gila-mmo-rts-professional-gaming-mouse-review

News::Here and Now Indie: Mighty Jill Off

GamesRadar - How far would you go to please your queen? Thats the question posed by the retro-fashioned Mighty Jill Off, which tells the tale of a high-jumping, rubber-clad S&M heroine. After a boot-licking fiasco, Jill (who you might recognize from her Super Meat Boy cameo) is punted down a giant tower, and must slowly make her way past spikes, spiders, and blocky flames to her domineering queens loving arms.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170740/here-and-now-indie-mighty-jill-off

News::Weekly Skyrim Gallery [February 3rd - 9th] - The beauty of Skyrim

DSOGaming writes: "Today we bring you new screenshots from Skyrim users dryna, Berseneva, VictoriaG, Lordarion76, hlvrn, devona80, amw80, zilver1000, Llivia, Freddg, Kyokushinoyama, Elixsur and Aphelion78. This week we focused on scenic/panoramic/nature themes and you can find below some truly extraordinary shots that can be used as wallpapers. In addition, weve included a couple of custom-made female characters. Enjoy!"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170741/weekly-skyrim-gallery-february-3rd-9th-the-beauty-of-skyrim

News::RadioRadar podcast 025: Dead air

GamesRadar - This was a big week for gamers. Big releases, big news, big features on GamesRadar--what more could you want? Oh, a podcast? Why didn't you say so!? Here's that.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170744/radioradar-podcast-025-dead-air

News::The Brothers Behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Game Informer - If you're especially observant, you might have noticed (in this video interview) that the director and lead quest designer for The Witcher 3 have the same last name. The Tomaszkiewicz brothers started out in wildly different careers and eventually found themselves working together on the Witcher series at CD Projekt Red in Warsaw, Poland.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170756/the-brothers-behind-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt

News::Dead Space 3 launch tips - a Necromorph hunter's survival guide

OXM - Creating the best gun, beating Feeders, using Stasis.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170797/dead-space-3-launch-tips-a-necromorph-hunters-survival-guide

News::Six Reasons Why Support is Important in League of Legends

League of Legends is not only the king of multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA) but also one of the most played video games at the present time according to Riot Games, the games developer. The structure of the game previews five main roles per match: AP Carry (Ability Power), AD Carry (Attack Damage), Top Carry, Jungler and Support. The last role is normally seen as a tedious class to play; some players even classify it as useless. So why should support be played? Whats the importance of this role and how can it affect the final outcome of the game?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170854/six-reasons-why-support-is-important-in-league-of-legends

News::Real World Racing demo launches with online multiplayer beta

VVV: "On first glance, it may seem like a traditional top-down racer, but Real World Racing takes authenticity to a whole new level by using real world aerial photographs to model the in-game tracks - imagine if Google Maps was adapted into a racing game, and you get the idea. It's a nifty concept, and one we're surprised we haven't seen attempted before."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170790/real-world-racing-demo-launches-with-online-multiplayer-beta

News::Torchlight II: SynergiesMOD 1.48 Released

From Strategyinformer.com: "Adding 108 Elite monsters, 6 Rare dragons, 28 Raid dungeons, 11 unique World Bosses, 4 Sets of Legendary Armor, 16 new Tier-1 Legendary Weapons, brand new Quest lines, a new World hub for ACT5, and a whole new class: The Necromancer. "



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170896/torchlight-ii-synergiesmod-1-48-released

News::10 Reasons To Hate World Of Warcraft

WC: Ive played quite a few MMOs out there, both free and ones with a monthly subscription yet none of them have made me hate them as much as WoW has. Well maybe Vindictus has, but thats purely because it took Nexon close to 18 months to refund me for a billing error on their part. Ive worked my way through massive and difficult games like FFXI and fast-paced shooters like S4 yet Ive always ended up re-installing these games and playing for a few more hours. What is it that makes me hate WoW so much and wish it had never been created or reached such fame? Ill be telling you my top ten reasons in this article.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170893/10-reasons-to-hate-world-of-warcraft

News::Hit-Reset Review: Omerta - City of Gangsters

Hit-Reset.co.uk Godfather Gavin takes a crack at Omerta - City of Gangsters, checking to see if it should swim with the fishes.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170888/hit-reset-review-omerta-city-of-gangsters

News::Victoria II: A House Divided House of Colonialism Released

From Strategyinformer.com: "The popular Age of Colonialism mod for Victoria 2, ported to AHD".



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170884/victoria-ii-a-house-divided-house-of-colonialism-released

News::CoD: Black Ops II Review | GES

Call of Duty Black ops returns with everything and more that the avid franchise follower has been waiting for. Prepare for a high octane addictive action packed thrill ride leaving you on the edge of your seat through detailed and highly thought of scenarios. The story continues as you alternate between flashbacks of the original Black Ops character Alex Mason and his son David situated in 2025. As the lead character you pursue the terrorist leader Raul Menendez across the spanned decades.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170856/cod-black-ops-ii-review-ges

News::Hit-Reset Review: Dead Space 3

Hit-Reset.co.uk editor Gavin sits down to tackle Dead Space 3 and offers his thoughts on the closing chapter of the trilogy.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170886/hit-reset-review-dead-space-3

News::Why We Should Be Excited About The Next Mass Effect Game

Bioware have only released snippets of information for their next Mass Effect game, but theres enough to get excited about!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170872/why-we-should-be-excited-about-the-next-mass-effect-game

News::Preview: Tomb Raider | PlayFront

Take a last glimpse at the new Tomb Raider ahead of the release in this preview.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170873/preview-tomb-raider-playfront

News::Neverwinter MMO Launch Approaches

Perfect World Entertainment, one of the leading global publishers of free-to-play MMO games, have just announced the start of their latest beta event for the highly anticipated Neverwinter MMO.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170874/neverwinter-mmo-launch-approaches

News::Weekend Gaming Hardware Sales: Monitors, Cases, Laptops

GamersNexus: "Another weekend has come-and-gone, seeing the addition of many hardware sales/deals out there for us to take advantage of. This week we dug up a great variety of sales, including a large hard drive, laptop, monitor, and a couple of sweet gaming cases. Let's jump straight into this weekend's best sales we found."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170875/weekend-gaming-hardware-sales-monitors-cases-laptops

News::Hands-On Preview: Asylum - Electronic Theatre

Senscapes Asylum is a horror adventure heading to PC later this year, courtesy of the Steam Greenlight program. A long time coming, this first-person point-n-click adventure is a videogame based on prior knowledge of the genre and a burning sense of curiosity, and even in Electronic Theatres smallest of experiences with the interactive teaser, both were evident throughout.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170877/hands-on-preview-asylum-electronic-theatre

News::Dungeonland Review - AlterGamer

Dungeonland is not your typical Dungeon Crawler. Well, you do Dungeon Crawl, but it all looks and plays a bit differently. Everything is colorful, almost friendly. You have plenty of Combos to choose from. While the game is hard it is also friendly in its own way. First and fore-most it is a game that has to be played with friends.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170880/dungeonland-review-altergamer

News::Still Playing: Borderlands 2

EDGE - Why David Valjalo cant resist the mad, mad, Mad Max world of Gearboxs satirical shooter.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170752/still-playing-borderlands-2

News::WeekenDing! Episode 048

GodisaGeek: "On the 48th episode of Ding!, and the third episode of WeekenDing!, we join Calvin and Martin as they delve into the world of Forgotten Realms, specifically the new Cryptic and Perfect World MMO Neverwinter, and take a look at the games character creation system."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170857/weekending-episode-048

News::The Cave Review: Not So Fine [TheBitBag]

Double Fine have some of the best talents the industry has to offer with Ron Gilbert being one of them so when The Cave was announced of course everyone was excited.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170811/the-cave-review-not-so-fine-thebitbag

News::Portal Test Subject Costume Now Available

The continued popularity of the Portal series should not be under estimated. Along with a series of various different items of merchandise, Valve intends to let players relive their Portal fantasies by becoming a test subject themselves.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170868/portal-test-subject-costume-now-available

News::Awesome Press Paws Artwork From The Creator Of Cave Story And Paul Robertson

Cave Story creator Daisuke Pixel Amaya made this piece titled Doubutsu Monogatari. Its a pun since Cave Story in Japanese is Doukutsu Monogatari and doubutsu means animal.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170430/awesome-press-paws-artwork-from-the-creator-of-cave-story-and-paul-robertson

News::DEFIANCE Aims To Change The MMO Landscape As We Know It

"The game is a 3rd-person MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) that is playable across all platforms (PC, XBOX, and PS3) and is the only game this generation to allow cross-play across all the three platforms." - JTM Games



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170709/defiance-aims-to-change-the-mmo-landscape-as-we-know-it

News::Skyrim Unofficial Dragonborn Patch Is A Must-Have Mod For Owners Of The Latest DLC

DSOGaming writes: "Unofficial Dragonborn Patch is a comprehensive bugfixing mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Dragonborn, and its ultimate goal is to eventually fix every bug in Dragonborn not officially resolved by the developers to the limits of the Creation Kit and community-developed tools, in one easy-to-install package."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170700/skyrim-unofficial-dragonborn-patch-is-a-must-have-mod-for-owners-of-the-latest-dlc

News::Developer Spotlight: Jason West and Vince Zampella

GenGame takes a look at the history behind the founders of Infinity Ward and the things they've faced in recent years.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170666/developer-spotlight-jason-west-and-vince-zampella

News::SSE: Preview: Faeria

Scott from Screen-Shaped Eyes previews Faeria and becomes a Super Hex-a-God. You have no idea how smug he is about that pun.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170421/sse-preview-faeria

News::Swedish Students Seeking Funding for EVE Online Documentary

It's called A Tale of Internet Spaceships, and it's a movie that hasn't happened yet. A group of Swedish EVE Online players are turning to crowdsourcing in order to fund a documentary of their favorite online game, asking for a total of $6,000 through Indiegogo from fans.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170850/swedish-students-seeking-funding-for-eve-online-documentary

News::What to expect in gaming in 2013

2013 looks to be a monumental year in gaming as the transition to the next generation should begin.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170598/what-to-expect-in-gaming-in-2013

News::Elder Scrolls Uncovered Ep. 11 Live Stream - ESO Beta and Faction Balancing

Join Garbrac Hayyt, Guilo, Glandict, RapiD, and Almerish for Episode 11 of Elder Scrolls Uncovered. Tonights topics include The Question of the Week, The Elder Scrolls Online Beta, Traveling through out Tamriel and Faction Balancing.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170542/elder-scrolls-uncovered-ep-11-live-stream-eso-beta-and-faction-balancing

News::Indiegamer #27

This week: Project Awakened, Shadowrun Returns and Hammerwatch.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170528/indiegamer-27

News::FarmVille Game To Television -Coming Soon

Technology Raise-Facebook most popular game FarmVille is a farming Simulation social network game developed by Zynga in 2009 has about 10,000,000+ monthly active users on both FarmVille and FarmVille 2 and Facebook page of these games has about 60 million likes .



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170515/farmville-game-to-television-coming-soon

News::The Meanest Boss in Final Fantasy History

FruityGamers: Huzzah for the alliterative majesty of that sentence! I shall clandestinely touch myself later, to celebrate that glorious wordplay. But generally, youd have to input your credit card details into the more sordid depths of that internet for THAT kind of talk; lets disregard it and move on. To business, then, and to todays topic.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170431/the-meanest-boss-in-final-fantasy-history

News::Rise Of The Triad Video Confirms The Return Of Secret Areas

Old-school gamers will remember that in old FPS titles there used to be these things called hidden areas or secret areas. You would normally strafe the walls pressing the Space key in hopes of uncovering this clandestine location. Well, even though that features has been removed from modern shooters, Interceptor Entertainment is bringing it back in their Rise of the Triad reboot.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170414/rise-of-the-triad-video-confirms-the-return-of-secret-areas

News::Non-targeting Action Onigiri Online(JP) Started Final Test

In case you don't know, non-targeting Onigiri Online developed by Cyberstep, the Japan-based company behind GetAmped, GetAmped2, Cosmic Break and C21 Online, started its final test on Feb. 5th.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170843/non-targeting-action-onigiri-online-jp-started-final-test

News::USA Pre-Order Chart Week Ending 02nd Feb 2013

1. BioShock Infinite (X360) 286,115 2. Grand Theft Auto V (X360) 235,089 3. Dead Space 3 (X360) 231,684 4. Grand Theft Auto V (PS3) 202,755 5. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (PC) 196,085 6. God of War: Ascension (PS3) 195,863 7. Fire Emblem: Kakusei (3DS) 174,502 8. BioShock Infinite (PS3) 173,798 9. Aliens: Colonial Marines (X360) 155,019 10. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS) 146,440 11. The Last of Us (PS3) 135,878 12. Dead Space 3 (PS3) 126,208 13. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3) 119,463 14. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS) 116,762 15. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PS3) 115,292 16. Gears of War: Judgment (X360) 92,431 17. Tomb Raider (X360) 85,993 18. Aliens: Colonial Marines (PS3) 82,984 19. BioShock Infinite (PC) 81,141 20. Crysis 3 (X360) 75,321



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170783/usa-pre-order-chart-week-ending-02nd-feb-2013

News::Project C.A.R.S : 71 Stunning New High-Def Screens

Believe it or not, all shots show purely in-game footage that has not been made in any special photo mode with no post-processing or filters that arent available during the actual gameplay What you see below is what you experience while driving!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170848/project-c-a-r-s-71-stunning-new-high-def-screens

News::Grave Prosperity Review (PC) | VGU.TV

LDC Studios' free-to-download Grave Prosperity has a spirit hearkens back to the tense, fixed-camera, early days of survival horror. It also has gameplay and control issues that inspire their own sorts of horror. Check out a review of the first two parts at VGU.TV.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170825/grave-prosperity-review-pc-vgu-tv

News::The Witness - New Screens Of Jonathan Blow's First-Person Puzzler

GameInformer: "Braid creator Jonathan Blow and his team at Thekla, Inc. are making strides with The Witness, and you can get a taste of the areas and puzzle that await you in these exclusive screens."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170637/the-witness-new-screens-of-jonathan-blows-first-person-puzzler

News::Battlefield 3: End Game Dropship Spotted in Latest Test Video

MP1st - A viewer of YouTuber TheEnd004500 spotted something interesting in a test video featured in the latest Battlefield Blog post about the some of the new maps and vehicles featured in Battlefield 3s End Game DLC.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1170806/battlefield-3-end-game-dropship-spotted-in-latest-test-video