News::The League Of Legends World Champs Looked Incredible

News::Let's Play Pokemon Yellow Part 15 (DigiBytes)

As Sparky nears Victory Road and the Elite Four that awaits beyond, he must first challenge the mysterious final gym for his 8th Gym Badge, which will grant him access to the Pokemon League. To make things more complicated a visit from his rival goes south as Sparky is challenge with a 6 vs 6 Pokemon Battle.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369415/lets-play-pokemon-yellow-part-15-digibytes

News::Strider looks nice when it's being played by a pro

Even without a deep-rooted sense of nostalgia for Strider -- okay, I do love the ridiculous Blue Dragon and always will for obvious reasons -- the remake in development at Double Helix is enough to bring about feelings of uneasiness. It's tough to know how these things are going to pan out and to that end, it's easy to assume the worst these days.

We just heard that the game will be playable at New York Comic Con, and now Capcom's got some fresh screenshots and a trailer. The price has also been locked down at $14.99.

To see this game botched would be such a disappointment and it stinks that the default reaction is to worry. But we've been burned enough in the past -- it's justified. I'm crossing my fingers for you, Strider. Please be worthy of that name.

Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/strider-looks-nice-when-it-s-being-played-by-a-pro-263243.phtml

News::First person brings emotional impact to Elder Scrolls Online | GRTV Interview

GRTV talked to creature combat designer Maria Aliprando about first person view, combat and post-launch plans for TESO. "But what's really interesting in first person is, when you zoom in the world just kind of, the perception gets really close. And it feels just more visceral when you're up to close to everything. And you kind of just get lost in picking up bottles, opening chests, picking through somebody's drawer in their house. And it really drove home that feeling of an Elder Scrolls game and we knew it was vitally important. But we didn't realise until we started playing it the huge not only perception that it gives but the emotional impact that it brings to the game."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369554/first-person-brings-emotional-impact-to-elder-scrolls-online-grtv-interview

News::Asta: The War of Tears and Winds Open Beta finally announced

First revealed back in 2010, Asta: The War of Tears and Winds will finally enter Open Beta in Korea on 16th October, just a little over a week from now. Powered by CryEngine 3, it will launch with a level cap of 40, 18 maps, 18 instanced dungeons, and a 15 vs 15 battlefield.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369556/asta-the-war-of-tears-and-winds-open-beta-finally-announced

News::Hearthstone Support for MacBook Pro Retina Display?

A recent Blizzard Entertainment forum thread listing the Hearthstone closed beta known issues reveals Blizzard is currently working on Macbook Pro Retina display support. The iPad Retina display might be a candidate as well considering Blizzard plans to launch Hearthstone for iPad in 2014.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369557/hearthstone-support-for-macbook-pro-retina-display

News::Beyond Eyes Preview | The Indie Mine

Ever stopped to think how the world looks through the mind of someone who is blind? That's exactly what's on offer in Beyond Eyes. The Indie Mine previews this upcoming PC title.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369564/beyond-eyes-preview-the-indie-mine

News::If You Like Space Operas, You'll Love Yamato 2199

News::The King of the Hill Pokemon crossover no one asked for

Thanks, Internet. Thanks.

via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/the-king-of-the-hill-pokemon-crossover-no-one-asked-for-263200.phtml

News::Boss Dungeon Slaughtember: A Dual Feature Review of Amnesia and Outlast

Boss Dungeon's Zack Furniss attempts to emulate the writing styles of both Amnesia and Outlast in a dual feature review: "And what surroundings they were! From an exceedingly sumptuous manor, to a caliginous, clockwork machine, I found myself in awe of my immediate environment." "September 13th, 8:00 PM- Outlast is ready and waiting for me. Time to dig in, see what I can find out about Mount Massive. Taking my camera with me, just in case."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369361/boss-dungeon-slaughtember-a-dual-feature-review-of-amnesia-and-outlast

News::Foul Play: A Dapper, Cane Swinging Good Time- Rebel Gaming Review

The art direction is brilliant. I love the colors, the designs, and the take on all the daemon creatures. Mr. Dashforth looks like the monopoly guy, or if the monopoly guy and Scott Pilgrim had a baby. Yeah. He can kick some serious tail, and I love everything about him.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1368932/foul-play-a-dapper-cane-swinging-good-time-rebel-gaming-review

News::Hands-On Preview: Wolfenstein: The New Order Blazkowicz Runs This Town - Electronic Theatre

Bethesda Softworks are set to launch the highly anticipated Wolfenstein: The New Order early next year across both current-generation and next-generation consoles, and with that comes a great deal of expectation. Many of you will have already read Electronic Theatres decidedly mixed response to the preview build, but what was it that lead us to the opinion that we need to see more before we can truly judge the worth of what will be many peoples first taste of Wolfenstein? Today, Electronic Theatre brings you the lowdown on just what this early introduction to Wolfenstein: The New Order entailed.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369530/hands-on-preview-wolfenstein-the-new-order-blazkowicz-runs-this-town-electronic-theatre

News::Throwing Digital Sheep- F1 2013 Review

Aaron Stone writes: "F1 2012 was a hallmark of brilliance in regards to the racing experience, it was a finely tuned game that nailed the thrill of racing but failed to captivate the glamour of the sport, it was something that I hope would be in F1 2013 along with improvements to the career. Unfortunately this is not the case; the content seems to have been recycled from last year as the main focus this year has been to focus on adding classic cars and drivers to the series"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369521/throwing-digital-sheep-f1-2013-review

News::Cabelas African Adventures Screenshots Revealed

Activision has today revealed brand new screenshots from the forthcoming Cabelas African Adventures, the upcoming third-person hunting videogame. Hitting shops in just under two weeks, Cabelas African Adventures players and hunters everywhere will come face to face with Africas most ferocious animals as they journey across its vast untamed terrains terrains that are five times the size of any previous Cabelas console videogame.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369504/cabelas-african-adventures-screenshots-revealed

News::Air Conflicts: Vietnam Review (Strategy Informer)

From Strategyinformer.com: "It's clear to me now that I'm an awful pilot. Like Denzel Washington in "Flight" I'm a woozy, drunken, and slightly disinterested helmsman. What should be encouraging displays of "shock and awe" turn increasingly into unfortunate Kamikaze tactics as my jet ploughs nose first into the mud some way off of enemy combatants. For inspiration I've tried to invoke a 60s themed Top Gun, Tom Cruise, and Iceman but to no avail."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369505/air-conflicts-vietnam-review-strategy-informer

News::Battlefield 4 campaign has a great story to tell, says DICE Creative Director

Guide4GameS: DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson says, we have a great story to tell and it will also make you feel smart.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369500/battlefield-4-campaign-has-a-great-story-to-tell-says-dice-creative-director

News::Marlow Briggs and The Mask of Death Review - The Digital Fix

Catchy title right? Well no, but dont be too hasty to judge this little hidden gem of an Xbox Live Arcade game which was released last week to little or no fanfare. Developed by Zootfly and published by 505 Games, Marlow Briggs is that rare little game that strives to rip off a famous franchise, knows full well it is doing so, does not take itself at all seriously and is hell bent on the player simply having fun



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369501/marlow-briggs-and-the-mask-of-death-review-the-digital-fix

News::Project: Velyria - an upcoming browser-based, sci-fi MMORPG

Project: Velyria is an upcoming browser-based, sci-fi MMORPG from MADSOFT Games, inc. that revolves around traditional dungeon-crawling and turn-based battles with 4 base classes and 36 class advancements. You play as a colonist abandoned on a savage planet, forced to fight a never-ending onslaught of alien creatures. Interesting and exciting missions send you deep within the caverns that sprawl beneath the surface of Velyria. The gameplay is dungeon-crawling at its finest, with randomly generated maps for each floor in Velyria's vast subterranean network. Battles follow a turn-based battle system, creating a balance between intense strategy and hack-n-slash fun.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369424/project-velyria-an-upcoming-browser-based-sci-fi-mmorpg

News::Bulletstorm’s Energy Leash, a signature weapon that broke a host of FPS rules – and worked

Bulletstorm is a gutsy, brash yet intelligent firstperson shooter, combining a sniggering, juvenile sense of humour with thoughtful ideas about how to encourage, incentivise and reward creative, extravagant carnage. It’s a shooter about shooting, so focused in its appreciation of all the many ways bullets can tear through flesh that it’s easy to forget that its signature weapon – the glowing, whiplike Energy Leash – has been snatched from an entirely different genre of game.

The Energy Leash is Bayonetta’s whip, it’s Dante’s Demon Pull and Angel Lift abilities, it’s Nero’s Devil Bringer arm. In thirdperson brawlers, grapple tools like these provide a snappy way to instantly negate the gap between you and your enemies, chain combos together, and look controlled and cool while doing so.

Bulletstorm has Skillshots, not combos, and a firstperson perspective doesn’t lend itself to admiring your savage attack strings. Still, an FPS built around earning points for murdering NPCs in stylishly inventive ways (knocking them into the air, say, then hitting them with an explosive round to send them sailing another 50 feet) needed a more tactile verb sheet than the abilities offered by Call Of Duty. You can’t set up the perfect Skillshot if you can’t reach out and grab, can you?

The Energy Leash’s two moves are the connective material that hold the Skillshot system together – as fundamental to setting up high scores and stringing together tricks as the manual was in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. The first ability lets you snatch an enemy and tug them towards you where they’ll float, temporarily suspended. The second grabs your victim and slams him to the ground, causing all nearby assailants to bounce into the sky.

Dozens of Skillshots require one of these steps, and others are more easily achieved using them. As well as giving Bulletstorm’s combat a dynamic, bouncy rhythm unlike other shooters, the Leash gives players control. Without it, the Skillshot system would force players to wait for opportune Skillshot moments to appear. With it, players carve out opportune moments of their own. In

fact, the Energy Leash wound itself so tightly around the Skillshot system that when we ask Bulletstorm’s creative director, Adrian Chmielarz, which came first, he can’t even remember.

“Was it first? Goddamn it, I can’t recall. It’s so connected to the Skillshot system that I actually cannot say,” he begins. “I can say that the Skillshot system itself was introduced well after preproduction. The problem we faced with it was that you’re fighting these enemies and, yeah, you’d expect them to take cover. It makes them believable, not just standing in the open. But [we wanted] players to have fun with all the Skillshots. That’s hard when all you see is a couple of pixels sticking out behind cover. You can do the stop-and-pop gameplay. But that’s it.”

The Leash was the perfect solution. It meant that Bulletstorm’s enemies could be as cowardly as they like and still discover they had nowhere to hide. Tellingly, in the finished game the brutes that charge straight at you pose a greater threat than those that just duck behind cover. As useful as the Leash is, however, and as much as it resolves Bulletstorm’s potential design pitfalls, People Can Fly’s novel weapon seemed sure to raise problems of its own. Not least because the studio had handed players a tool more useful, versatile and powerful than anything else in the game – and offered unlimited uses for its standard attack.

“It was very counterintuitive to us to offer such a powerful weapon, that can basically grab every single enemy in the game and expose them. To give that to the player, for free, with no limits – during testing we were like, ‘Dude, no, it’s too powerful, the range is too high. I can just abuse it!’ We tried to stop it, actually. We were going to overheat the leash if you were using it too often. We were going to have munitions. But we realised that when it was unlimited, the game was just an insane amount of fun. On the surface completely wrong, like unlimited ammo for a gun. But it worked!”

The Leash works because Bulletstorm is, frankly, an easy game, but one in which players effectively set their own difficulty level. The challenge here isn’t surviving, it’s utilising the Leash to ratchet up hundreds of points via inventive Skillshot combinations. Coming out of an encounter unscathed doesn’t feel like victory; it feels like the bare minimum expected of you. Still, this poses a question of its own. Without Skillshots the Leash is merely an overpowered weapon. But once they’re there, how do you weave such an overt points mechanic into the fiction of the game? Questions relating to immersion and ludonarrative dissonance are important to Chmielarz.

“Sometimes I think we made a mistake,” he says, “trying to incorporate the Skillshot system into the game, trying to make sure the Leash and Skillshots were part of the story. We had this story, and we had this great idea, and we knew the game was better because of it. But it made the story a little bit convoluted. We had a cool, simple story, and suddenly there was another layer.”

For us, part of the Energy Leash’s guilt-free thrill can be found in the way the surrounding story and upgrade systems justify its use as a tool of cruel and unusual punishment. We’ve played plenty of games that ask us to kill things – but few that invite us to have quite so much fun doing so.

The post Bulletstorm’s Energy Leash, a signature weapon that broke a host of FPS rules – and worked appeared first on Edge Online.

via Edge Online http://www.edge-online.com/features/in-praise-of-bulletstorms-energy-leash-a-signature-weapon-that-broke-a-host-of-fps-rules-and-worked/

News::DLC: Splinter Cell: Blacklist Homeland Trailer

Ubisoft trailer appeared additions Homeland for Splinter Cell: Blacklist, which went on sale in late September. This DLC contains 2 new missions on maps Dead Coast and the Billionaires Yacht, 4-piece, 4 suit and 1 weapon.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369496/dlc-splinter-cell-blacklist-homeland-trailer

News::PC game release list for the week of 10.06.2013

The following is a list of PC games released for the week of October 6th, 2013.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369492/pc-game-release-list-for-the-week-of-10-06-2013

News::Blue Estate Preview | GamingLives

GamingLives takes a look at the upcoming video game adaptation of the Eisner Awards-nominated Blue Estate comic by Viktor Kalvachev. "It looks to be a very fun game mixed with a lovely art style and the subtlety of a brick, which is something I am always a fan of. While being pitched as a killer app for the LeapMotion, Blue Estate should also be finding its way to home consoles at some point in the future."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369489/blue-estate-preview-gaminglives

News::Battlefield 4 Beta: Siege of Shanghai Trailer Revealed

Electronic Arts has issues a short trailer enticing gamers to join the ongoing Battlefield 4 beta and play the Siege of Shanghai map. The beta testing phase is now live on PC, PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, and Battlefield 4 will also launch on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this winter.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369486/battlefield-4-beta-siege-of-shanghai-trailer-revealed

News::Retro Review: 5 Days a Stranger

oprainfall writes: "The gentleman thief known as Trilby is an expert at sneaking into the most impossible places, stealing everything of value, and slinking off into the night, leaving behind only his signature card. So when his informant tells him about the DeFoes, who conveniently died out and left their manor behind with no heirs, the case seems pretty open-and-shut."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369487/retro-review-5-days-a-stranger

News::New Battlefield 4 PC Beta Win 7 vs Win 8 Comparison, Massive Performance Difference On Same Specs

Yet another comparison of Battlefield 4 PC beta has arrived. It compares the performance of Battlefield 4 beta on PC running Windows 7 and Windows 8.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369457/new-battlefield-4-pc-beta-win-7-vs-win-8-comparison-massive-performance-difference-on-same-specs

News::Strider reboot blends the series into a Metroidvania melting pot | GamesRadar

GamesRadar: "People seem to arrive at the Strider franchise in a multitude of ways. Some vividly recall the original arcade version, and the stunningly accurate Genesis port. Others remember Strider on NES, a large-scale platforming adventure that was completely different but just as awesome as the first. Maybe you know him primarily as a Marvel vs. Capcom character, or perhaps you're among the lucky few who played Strider 2. Whatever the case, the new, downloadable Strider reboot seems like it'll have something for everyone."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369408/strider-reboot-blends-the-series-into-a-metroidvania-melting-pot-gamesradar

News::You can fly a tank in Battlefield 4's beta...kind of

It's more like falling with style.

Battlefield 4 is in beta. This means a lot of things aren't working right. And some are working too right. Take this collapsed building, for example. It's one heck of a wreck, but its elevator keeps on chugging, freighting passengers up to the top floor and letting them off.

Some enterprising beta testers have already used this to their advantage. See below. Some beta testers more in line with my train of thought -- or should I say tank of thought? -- had an extra idea. Let the tank ride the elevator. Oh, yes.

Excellent Battlefield 4 Beta Elevator Shoots Players Into the Sky [Kotaku]

Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/you-can-fly-a-tank-in-battlefield-4-s-beta-kind-of-263197.phtml

News::EGX 2013: Game of the Show (Eurogamer Expo)

Counting down the top 10, as voted for by showgoers. 10. Killzone: Shadow Fall 9. Forza Motorsport 5 8. Batman: Arkham Origins 7. Dark Souls 2 6. Beyond: Two Souls 5. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag 4. The Elder Scrolls Online 3. Call of Duty: Ghosts 2. Battlefield 4 Game of the Show: Titanfall



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369343/egx-2013-game-of-the-show-eurogamer-expo

News::Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag has an optional five hours modern day content to explore series

Guide4Games: Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag features an optional modern day content to explore the Abstergos office as an historical researcher



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369447/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-has-an-optional-five-hours-modern-day-content-to-explore-series

News::Spy Party Getting a Graphics Overhaul

Spy party is a strategy game were the sniper has to spot a spy in a crowd. The game used to have a very basic graphics style but is currently going under a complete graphics overhaul.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369475/spy-party-getting-a-graphics-overhaul

News::Assassins Creed IV Director: Ocean in our game is fully physics simulated, fully controllable

Assassins Creed IV is the next entry in the popular Assassins Creed series. It is perhaps the first time we have gotten a giant, open world Assassins Creed game with a Pirate Assassin and it is mostly set on a ocean. Assassins Creed IV Director Ashraf Ismail calls the ocean their greatest achievement and explains that it is fully physics simulated ocean that they have full control over.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369435/assassins-creed-iv-director-ocean-in-our-game-is-fully-physics-simulated-fully-controllable

News::Bionic Dues Launch Day Livestream

Leviathyn writes: "Interested in taking part in a launch day livestream for indie developer Arcen Games? Bionic Dues is, well, its due out today and were bringing you live coverage of the game with developer and CEO, Chris Park! Partake in the madness at 11am EDT!"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369479/bionic-dues-launch-day-livestream

News::GP Picks 10-4-13

This week's GP Picks includes an update to a recent classic, a water drenched platformer, a RPG from a baseball player, and some good old fashioned beat-em-ups.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1368832/gp-picks-10-4-13

News::AMD Radeon R9 and Radeon R7 Review Roundup Officially Available In Retail Stores Around the Globe

The AMD Radeon R9 and AMD Radeon R7 series graphic cards are now officially available around the globe from various AIC partners of AMD. The AMD Radeon R9 and Radeon R7 feature impressive price to performance ratios and deliver amazing gaming performance with the robust GCN architecture from AMD.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369448/amd-radeon-r9-and-radeon-r7-review-roundup-officially-available-in-retail-stores-around-the-globe

News::Top 10 Selling Call of Duty Games

"Welcome to the Top 10 weekly feature. Each week we will be taking a look at the top 10 selling games in a particular genre, platform, most recent month, even sprinkling in the top 10 selling games from a past year. All sales specified will be worldwide, unless stated otherwise. If there is a particular top 10 you want to see leave a comment and it may be featured in a future top 10. As a note all sales figures are retail only. This week we will be looking at the top 10 selling Call of Duty games. Last week we looked at the top 10 selling Microsoft games (Updated through the week ending September 21) and the week before that the top 10 selling games Sony games (Updated through the week ending September 14)."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369127/top-10-selling-call-of-duty-games

News::James Pond - Pond is Back

As revealed last week, Chris Sorrell, who came up with the idea for James Pond when he was just 18, is helping out. He's in on the campaign and is producing a high end concept document for the game, but his full involvement is a flex goal - that is, he will sign on good and proper if an additional £30,000 is raised.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369000/james-pond-pond-is-back

News::Indie dev shares thoughts on Steam Controller after getting hands-on

Dan Tabár, the game designer behind Cortex Command, got his hands on a prototype of the recently announced Steam Controller and says he has no qualms with the ergonomic feel of the controller and is surprised how well it worked.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369441/indie-dev-shares-thoughts-on-steam-controller-after-getting-hands-on

News::Review: F1 2013 (DarkZero)

"Last years F1 2012 from Codemasters began to suffer from the plague that infests yearly franchises. I didn't knock the game in my review for this, as I felt that it did just enough to be a worthwhile investment, but I stated that the series needed to begin tapping into the history of F1 because releases were becoming too similar - especially so this time, with the sport not changing locations or machines. F1 2013 is here, and, like what I wanted them to do, they have managed to convince the FIA to allow them to add classic tracks and racing cars, but sadly, not without compromise that hampers the true potential of having the history of F1 celebrated in a video game."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369432/review-f1-2013-darkzero

News::Smug Lady Mocks Robot, Will Surely Be The Death Of Us All

News::Are Steam Machines Dead On Arrival?

Prototype specs have been released & if this is indicative of it's price well... No bueno!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369430/are-steam-machines-dead-on-arrival

News::PSA: Dragon's Crown is 10 dollars off this week

The much-fun Dragon's Crown is on sale at participating retailers until October 15. It might just be Vanillaware's crowning achievement, so you might want to buy it if you haven't. Maybe not. I don't know you. No word yet if the PlayStation Network will be matching that discount, but, hey, you like discs and carts, right?

Dragon's Crown launched at $50 on PS3, $40 on Vita. Not a bad point of entry, as it were. But now you penny pinchers can nab it at $40 and $30, respectively. Not bad. Unless you can find it way cheaper used, I guess. I played the heck out of it on my Vita until I busted open the level cap and everything got hard again, breaking my spirit.

Play as the Elf. She's the best.

via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/psa-dragon-s-crown-is-10-dollars-off-this-week-263193.phtml

News::AMD Reveals Specs on Five Upcoming Radeon R7 and R9 Series Graphics Cards

Maximum PC: AMD has some big plans for its Radeon graphics cards, details of which have been trickling out over the past couple of weeks. As a primer, we highly recommend checking out our Live Blog coverage of AMD's GPU14 Tech Day 2013 along with Maximum PC Online Editor Jimmy Thang's photo gallery from his visit to Hawaii where the event was held (work can be so grueling sometimes!). Unfortunately those pesky NDAs prevent us from sharing details of AMD's R9 290X and 290 video cards, but in the meantime, we have full specs on no less than five other Radeon R9 and R7 Series parts. Let's get to it!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369440/amd-reveals-specs-on-five-upcoming-radeon-r7-and-r9-series-graphics-cards

News::Two Companies Go To War Over A Neo Geo Handheld

News::State of Decay PC DLC is coming shortly after final release

Undead Labs confirm State of Decay PC DLC is coming as the 360 version heads to Microsoft for certification.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1369450/state-of-decay-pc-dlc-is-coming-shortly-after-final-release

News::I For One Welcome Our New Robot Overlords. Because They Look Hot.