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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363758/doom-piano-hands-on-thunderbolt

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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363974/elder-scrolls-online-see-cyrodiil-the-user-interface-and-the-maps

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."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363853/egx-how-the-witcher-3-blends-complex-storytelling-with-an-immersive-open-world-us-gamer

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."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363522/preview-predestination-combat-beta

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.






via Edge Online http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-making-of-harvest-moon/

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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363814/forced-preview-the-geek-link

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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363907/21-hours-10k-to-go-neverending-nightmares-cutting-it-close

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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363856/eurogamer-2013-duty-called

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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363553/pathfinder-online-pvp-preview

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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363771/competitive-battlefield-can-defuse-create-competitive-play

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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363625/the-expectations-for-the-elder-scrolls-online-player-housing

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.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363686/valves-steam-controller-has-the-potential-to-change-games-in-the-living-room

News::Why Steam Box Wont Matter

Game Tangents editorial - Why Steam Box Wont Matter - examines the reasons why Valve's recently confirmed video game console may not be able to crack into the competitive gaming market. (Valve, Steam, Steam Box)



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363848/why-steam-box-wont-matter

News::Laikes PC Download Deals 9/28/2013

Jamie Laike from Capsule Computers wrote: "My pick for this editions best deal is 70% off Mass Effect 3 at GamersGate. For those looking for the Digital Deluxe edition, its 75% off right now. If you havent played any of the Mass Effect games, then you must absolutely purchase the trilogy at 75% off!..."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363901/laikes-pc-download-deals-9-28-2013

News::Crowdfunding Spotlight: River City Ransom: Underground

oprainfall writes: "Back in 1990, a NES classic was born: River City Ransom. It was one of the seminal beatem ups on the NES, featuring a leveling system never before seen in the genre. While the game has been ported and re-released a few times now, there has never been a true follow up to it. Conatus Creative intends to change that."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363875/crowdfunding-spotlight-river-city-ransom-underground

News::'Project Spark' demos creating loot drops, 2D platformer and new terrain

XMNR: Team Dakota was back Thursday with a new livestream of its game creating game, Project Spark for the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows 8 PC. The latest demo features Creative Director Henry Sterchi, Community Manager Mike Lescault and Designer Rob Poerschke show how to put together an inventory system and random loot drop, a 2D side-scrolling platformer and reveals a new terrain that will be in the game. There's also a little about how the beta will roll out.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1363871/project-spark-demos-creating-loot-drops-2d-platformer-and-new-terrain