Monday, January 6, 2014

News::Go Make Your Own Game of the Year Post

What happens in the comment sections of these sorts of postsand the absolutely infuriating habits of people who seem to think gaming journalism owes them validation.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430155/go-make-your-own-game-of-the-year-post

News::Square Enix Montreal's Hitman reportedly canned

Square Enix Montreal was working on a new Hitman game that was said to be a re-imagining, though we never saw much of anything about the title. It's since been discovered that the project was canceled last year, according to the LinkenIn profile of senior game designer Richard Knight which was noticed by Video Gamer. Okay then.


The plan, previously, was to have both Square Enix Montreal and IO Interactive work on the property in a sort of back-and-forth, Treyarch/Infinity Ward fashion. It seems that now Montreal is handling an unannounced Hitman game for iOS and Android, while IO will -- last we heard, anyway -- "focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new AAA Hitman project."


As curious as I was to see what Square Enix Montreal could come up with for the IP, I can't say I felt particularly hopeful about the quality of the game. It was a big unknown. Suppose it'll stay that way.


Square Enix Montreal's next-gen Hitman title confirmed cancelled [VideoGamer]


Square Enix Montreal's Hitman reportedly canned screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/square-enix-montreal-s-hitman-reportedly-canned-268497.phtml

News::The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 1 Review- Gameondaily

Gameondaily's The Marb reviews The Walking Dead Season 2, Episode 1



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430028/the-walking-dead-season-2-episode-1-review-gameondaily

News::A New Version Of Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headset Would Be Showcased At CES 2014

Several different versions of Oculus Rift with slight changes have been tested during its development and eventually it seems that Oculus VR has developed a proper latest version of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. Tom Forsyth, the Software Architecture at Oculus VR and former Valve employee, confirmed via his Twitter account that the latest version of Oculus Rift virtual reality headset would be showcased during this years Consumer Electronics Show. Forsyth also said that the feedback of demo participants would be really helpful for the company.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430122/a-new-version-of-oculus-rift-virtual-reality-headset-would-be-showcased-at-ces-2014

News::NHL Team Seeking Suggestions for Chiptunes to Play During Fights

News::Microsoft sold three million Xbox Ones last year

According to Microsoft, more than three million Xbox One consoles were sold in 2013 worldwide. The system was available in 13 countries and, as you may remember, sold over a million units within the first 24 hours after launch back in November.


Now that the console has been out for a while, how has it been treating you? Same goes for PlayStation 4 owners. Are you finding yourself running out of games to play and if so, does that even matter much at this point? I've still got a couple more Trophies in Resogun to earn.


Thank You for an Epic 2013 [Xbox]


Microsoft sold three million Xbox Ones last year screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-sold-three-million-xbox-ones-last-year-268495.phtml

News::Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag Freedom Cry DLC Review | IncGamers

Adéwalé gets a stand-alone tale in Freedom Cry. But is it a case of Caribbean there, done that?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430148/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-freedom-cry-dlc-review-incgamers

News::Talking Trek: Cryptic Studios on Star Trek Online | Gamereactor UK

GR-UK writes: "Star Trek Online has been offering sci-fi inclined MMO fans a chance to live out the fantasy of captaining their own starship for almost four years now. Since it's launch in 2009 the game has undergone some significant changes, via regular content updates and a shifting financial model. We talked with the game's lead producer, Stephen Ricossa, to find out more about the game, its recent history, and what's coming in the future of the MMORPG."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429950/talking-trek-cryptic-studios-on-star-trek-online-gamereactor-uk

News::Knytt Underground Review : And Then There Was an Explosion | Laser Lemming

Laser Lemming Writes "Knytt Underground is one of the finest games on the eshop, an intelligent and thoughtful exploration of the nature of blind faith wrapped in an incredibly slick, enjoyable and rewarding Metroidvania style platformer. "



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430114/knytt-underground-review-and-then-there-was-an-explosion-laser-lemming

News::Metal Gear Rising Region Locks Being Looked At

The developer of the game is looking into the PC region locks that has many gamers concerned.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430089/metal-gear-rising-region-locks-being-looked-at

News::Violent Serenity, a fighting game with two camera angles


If you're looking for something different, check out this video for the indie Kickstarter Violent Serenity: Battle for Discord . Long story short, it's a fighting game that involves both 2D and 3D camera angles, which switch when you've "edged yourself far away enough towards the edge of the screen."


All of this is in "very rough, proof of concept" territory, but the idea is fairly intriguing. I don't know how serious a fighting game can get with an engine like that, but I'd easily give it a shot.


Violent Serenity [Kickstarter]


Violent Serenity, a fighting game with two camera angles screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/violent-serenity-a-fighting-game-with-two-camera-angles-268471.phtml

News::Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages Review - Hungry for a Peanut Butter Cup [Twinfinite]

Twinfinite looks at the PC RPG/Shooter Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430127/ring-runner-flight-of-the-sages-review-hungry-for-a-peanut-butter-cup-twinfinite

News::Predictions for 2014: VR Changes Everything, Microsoft Strikes Back, Nintendo is a Magikarp

Dealspwn's Matt Gardner predicts Steam Machines, a resurgent Microsoft, more Nintendo floundering, and the year of Oculus in his crystal ball for 2014.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430098/predictions-for-2014-vr-changes-everything-microsoft-strikes-back-nintendo-is-a-magikarp

News::Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag Review | GES

There is one type of game that we dont see too often and that is a game based on the golden age of sailing and pillaging the seven seas as a cut-throat pirate. There are a few unwritten rules when making a pirate game that every developer should follow. You need a beautiful open world to explore, a ship to sail and call your own, and a blade juggling pirate as the lead character that loves only two things, rum and treasure, and lots of it. So has Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag followed these maritime gaming rules? or has it shipwrecked itself trying?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430022/assassins-creed-4-black-flag-review-ges

News::Is Bitcoin the future for eSports?

Recently, Bitcoin has began to mesh with the eSports industry more that anticipated. MMO-Play asks if we are ready for the age of cryptocurrency.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429798/is-bitcoin-the-future-for-esports

News::Overview of Valve's 12 Steam Machine Partners

GameRanx, by Ryan Parreno Other sites already reported on the 12 PC boutique makers expected to reveal their Steam Machines this week. We take a look at each PC maker one by one.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430068/overview-of-valves-12-steam-machine-partners

News::Blinding Dark Preview | The Indie Mine

Get chased around an abandoned mansion by spiked cultists, rat men and even your own ghost in Blinding Dark, a first person horror game currently in development.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429974/blinding-dark-preview-the-indie-mine

News::Top 10 Most Anticipated Action Games of 2014

2014 is looking bright for action game fans; with both big budget titles and smaller, indie titles waiting impatiently to keep your blood pumping and your trigger fingers itchy. This list will run down our top ten most anticipated action games of 2014, did you favorites make the list?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430094/top-10-most-anticipated-action-games-of-2014

News::Steam OS and Steam machines may bring me back to PC gaming.

The last time I really could call myself a proper PC gamer was back in 2004/2005 when Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising, Battlefield 2, Americas Army and Counter Strike: Source filled my nights. Solid games that helped dilute the existence of factory work during the day. Clan gaming was me and my mates thing, clan gaming that went by the tag =B2K=. What remains today is an internet footprint of good times and bad, the bad times seeing a group of mates argue to the point of lost friendship, simply because of sore losing (getting spanked on BF2 by pro-gamers) and beer fueled hate talk over TeamSpeak.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429697/steam-os-and-steam-machines-may-bring-me-back-to-pc-gaming

News::The controversy facing YouTube and video game channels now sees this broadside, by Clash (180,000 su

News::Could 2014 Mean The Return of Need for Speed Underground?

BlackPanthaa writes: There are a lot of things pointing to the next instalment of Need for Speed being a return to the most popular era of games. From comments made by Ghost Games themselves, along with possibly Easter eggs hidden in the game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429851/could-2014-mean-the-return-of-need-for-speed-underground

News::Most Anticipated of 2014 - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 | OnlySP

OnlySP: The Castlevania series stretches back almost thirty years, with a huge number of titles having been released over that time. As a whole, it is considered a classic and is widely held as one of the parents of the Metroidvania subgenre of adventure games. But time brings change. Although the series was a veritable powerhouse in the 2D era, the transition to 3D was not kind, slowly diluting the name and sinking it ever closer to an ignoble grave.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430073/most-anticipated-of-2014-castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-onlysp

News::Loveshack’s Framed is a narrative puzzler with the feel of a digital comic book


Games always give us control over the action, but what happens if we can only control the order in which those actions occur? Australian indie Loveshack attempts to answer that question in Framed, a mobile/PC crime caper which through its interconnecting story panels is pitched somewhere between digital comicbook and narrative puzzler.


Its creators are development veterans Joshua Boggs, Adrian Moore and Ollie Browne, who between them have credits on The Movies, Populous, Theme Hospital, Syndicate Wars, Rolling with Katamari and more recently Real Racing 2 and 3. Before going setting up as Loveshack, Boggs and Moore shared the lead development role on Firemint’s Spy Mouse before leaving the Australian studio after EA acquired it in 2011. They later lured Browne along for the ride and their indie debut as Loveshack is something of a departure for the trio given their previous work, one intended to break free of the conventions and linearity so prevalent in story-driven games too.


“We aren’t dealing with branching stories in the conventional way,” co-founder Boggs tells us. “People who play Framed will each experience something different depending on the order they play it in. Basically, each set of levels sets up a context for the following events and levels, which means that players are viewing events based on a context they have inferred from the order they’ve played the game in. What we’re really trying to do is make a game where the player can create the story for themselves.”



Having gained financial help at first through a government grant and later through the Indie Fund, Framed has already picked up awards from IGF China and Freeplay Festival. It is currently in the process of being polished up in time for a spring release, and is expected to be a “a movie-length experience.”


Mystery is the prevailing theme, from the narrative down to character design. Framed contains no dialogue, written or verbal, and its cast is deliberately comprised of faceless silhouettes. “It’s part of a Tabula Rasa treatment that renders their place in the story and the details of their personality as largely open to the players of the game to define,” says Boggs.


It’s a game which also invites two distinct styles of play, says Boggs. Careful players can study each of the game’s ‘pages’ and arrive at a preferred solution to the puzzle or sequence within before setting it all in motion. Others will make it up as they go along, exploring each of the possibilities. And there are a lot of possibilities. “We make sure every panel can connect with every other panel and still work, adds Boggs. “It’s a massive design challenge.”


The post Loveshack’s Framed is a narrative puzzler with the feel of a digital comic book appeared first on Edge Online.






via Edge Online http://www.edge-online.com/features/loveshacks-framed-is-a-narrative-puzzler-with-the-feel-of-a-digital-comicbook/

News::First Trailer Released for Daylight

ATLUS have released their first trailer for their upcoming PC / Playstation 4 psychological horror "Daylight".



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430014/first-trailer-released-for-daylight

News::PC Gamer's ultimate guide to the PC games of 2014

PC Gamer round up over 300 games in 11 genre categories to provide a one-stop look at the most exciting PC games of 2014 and beyond.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430041/pc-gamers-ultimate-guide-to-the-pc-games-of-2014

News::DayZ standalone sales having 'a very positive effect' on development roadmap

GameZone writes, "The newly released DayZ standalone, a full-fledged retail version of the former Arma 2 zombie-survival mod, has already sold more than 800,000 copies. Not bad for a game that's still in Alpha as part of Steam Early Access."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430051/dayz-standalone-sales-having-a-very-positive-effect-on-development-roadmap

News::No plans for Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition PC update

Crystal Dynamics has no plans to update the PC version of Tomb Raider with the new features included in the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One release.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430058/no-plans-for-tomb-raider-definitive-edition-pc-update

News::Top 5 Games of 2013 | Farrel Nobel

Here at GON we allow our contributors the free will to write about anything they like as long as it refers to geek culture. So now that the end of the year is here we have all been doing our top 5 games of 2013. Here is Farrel's best games.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429663/top-5-games-of-2013-farrel-nobel

News::ITF Gamings Worst of 2013: Shame of the Year

Bracken Lee-Rudolph from ITF Gaming writes: Games differ vastly in quality, some are incredible and immersive, while others can be described simply as shovelware. Today, we deal with the latter category, focusing on the worst titles our writers have had the displeasure of playing and finding out yours.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430008/itf-gamings-worst-of-2013-shame-of-the-year

News::'DayZ' passes 800k in sales but creator suggests waiting a month to buy

XMNR: The stand-alone edition of DayZ is not even close to complete but its sales on Steam are off to a phenomenal one-month start with more than 800,000 copies sold. Despite this, creator Dean Hall gave a fan a suggestion Sunday that he's better off waiting until the end of January before buying the survival-horror game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430036/dayz-passes-800k-in-sales-but-creator-suggests-waiting-a-month-to-buy

News::Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army could come to consoles

Rebellion could bring team-based shooter Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army to console, the studio has suggested.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429987/sniper-elite-nazi-zombie-army-could-come-to-consoles

News::Faction-free Pandaren hits Level 80 in World of Warcraft

Blizzard introduced the first faction-free race to World of Warcraft in 2012 with Mists of Pandaria, but most gamers ultimately choose Alliance or Horde within just a few levels. Not this guy: The appropriately-named Doubleagent has just hit level 80 without choosing a faction.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429855/faction-free-pandaren-hits-level-80-in-world-of-warcraft

News::Five Early Contenders For GOTY 2014

Richard Bailey Jr. of TheKoalition writes: Last week marked the ending of a phenomenal year for game releases and the beginning of an exciting new year filled with endless possibilities. Now that both the Xbox One and PS4 are on the market, many developers will be spending the next several years creating breakout games for each respective platform.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430001/five-early-contenders-for-goty-2014

News::Gomo - Indie Point'n'Click Adventure Review | Indie Cake

Review of Gomo - a point'n'click exploration game by Fishcow Studio, published by Daedalic.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429965/gomo-indie-pointnclick-adventure-review-indie-cake

News::Mew-Genics Caturday"Help the Kitten!"

Mew-Genics, from Super Meat Boy creators Team Meat, is all about collecting things. Yesterday, in its weekly 'Caturday' blog, Team Meat revealed that cat diseases will be one of those collectibles.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429709/mew-genics-caturday-help-the-kitten

News::Games You should Play in 2014: The Ultimate

Continuing the glorious tradition for the New Year. Here are the games that you should play in next twelve months, which is worth waiting for! For your convenience, games are divided it into several parts.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429924/games-you-should-play-in-2014-the-ultimate

News::How to Become The Elder Scrolls Online's Emperor

Developer explains how to become Emperor of Tamriel and what it means.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429999/how-to-become-the-elder-scrolls-onlines-emperor

News::New Player Enters The Scene: AORUS - A Super Slim Gaming Notebook and Gaming Peripheral Company

What Smokes the Razer Blade Pro and Alienware M17X and is still super slim? The AORUS X7. Equipped with Super Slim Gaming Notebooks, Gaming Peripherals and killer aesthetics, AORUS is set to debut on CES 2014 on 7th Jan.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429727/new-player-enters-the-scene-aorus-a-super-slim-gaming-notebook-and-gaming-peripheral-company

News::PrioVR, A Full Body Motion Controller Suit Demoed With Oculus Rift VR Headset At CES 2014

When YEI Technology first announced its Kickstater campaign in October 2013 for production of full or half-body motion game controller suits named as PrioVR, the suits did not attract the expected attention and the Kickstarter campaign failed. However, YEI Technology did not choose to give up and decided to take a fresh start by presenting a demo of PrioVRs working prototype at CES 2014 and it seems like the company finally succeeded in getting everyones attention.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429996/priovr-a-full-body-motion-controller-suit-demoed-with-oculus-rift-vr-headset-at-ces-2014

News::Top 5 Games of 2013/Kenley

Here at GON we allow our contributors the free will to write about anything they like as long as it refers to geek culture. So now that the end of the year is here we have all been doing our top 5 games of 2013. Here is Kenley's best games.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429664/top-5-games-of-2013-kenley

News::Microsoft's Throne Together Revealed as Windows 8 Title

Microsoft's Throne Together has been revealed as a free-to-play puzzle game designed for use with Windows 8.1.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429982/microsofts-throne-together-revealed-as-windows-8-title

News::Is the Steam Controller Enough to Convert Console Gamers to Steam Gamers

SteamFirst: With the latest news regarding the upcoming Steam controller, many feel that masses of console gamers will be converting into Steam gamers. Do we think this will be enough to convince console gamers to make the switch? I think so Heres why.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429964/is-the-steam-controller-enough-to-convert-console-gamers-to-steam-gamers

News::Diehard GameFAN's 2013 Gaming Awards

DHGF: When choosing our games to award this year, our thought process going in considers a few major points when doling out awards. Any game thats considered for nomination needs to have been reviewed on the site itself going in, and while we love remade versions of our favorite games as much as the next person, remakes generally arent considered for major awards, as a category should be able to stand on its original releases, no matter how amazing a remake is. Like all awards, there are those that will most likely agree with us, those that will most likely disagree with us, and those that will display an amazing lack of maturity and respect for opinions other than their own. With that in mind, please remember that these are awards from the Diehard GameFAN staff. We all discussed what were the best possible choices, and in the end, these are the games that won.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429998/diehard-gamefans-2013-gaming-awards

News::N4G Radio 01/06/2014

This is the beginning. The first show of the new year is full of resolution. Hosts: Ken McKown Ryan Wombold Justin Testa Drew Leachman Jae Lee Games Covered: Halo: Spartan Assault Max: The Curse of Brotherhood Battlefield 4 Bravely Default Resident Evil 4 And more



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430003/n4g-radio-01-06-2014

News::PS4 exclusives absent from top 20 in UK software sales chart

A new year, and a new chart but there's an absence of PS4 exclusive games hitting the upper regions of the UK Software Sales Chart.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429957/ps4-exclusives-absent-from-top-20-in-uk-software-sales-chart

News::Tegra K1 VCM Puts a Graphical Super Computer In Your Car - Many Times Faster than PS3 and Xbox 360

An Onboard Gaming System which is faster than the PS3/XBOX 360, Virtual HUDS, Virtual Gauges and Even Virtual Dashboards, Nvidia's Tegra K1 VCM will transform your car into the vehicle of the future.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429967/tegra-k1-vcm-puts-a-graphical-super-computer-in-your-car-many-times-faster-than-ps3-and-xbox-360

News::Was Naruto Ripped Off By a Chinese TV Show?

News::One Company Is Dominating Chinese Internet Cafes (Apparently!)

News::Wacky Wheels To Make A Return

Indie developer Cascadia Games has snapped up the license to the classic 1994 MS-DOS game Wacky Wheels, one of the first genuinely fun post Super Mario Kat entries into the then new pint-sized racer subgenre.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429884/wacky-wheels-to-make-a-return

News::Frostbite "truly takes advantage" of next gen, say developers - "it'll never 'run out', per se"

"We're still, I would argue, one of the best looking next gen games," claims Battlefield 4 producer.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1429986/frostbite-truly-takes-advantage-of-next-gen-say-developers-itll-never-run-out-per-se