Thursday, January 9, 2014

News::Son of Nor partners with SteelSeries and Tobii for "revolutionary eye-tracking"

Austrian developer Stillalive Studios has announced they've teamed up with SteelSeries and Tobii to introduce their "revolutionary eye-tracking device" as part of the Son of Nor experience. Already they support Oculus Rift and the emotiv EPOC brain-computer-interface, as Stillalive see their game as a "great case study" because of telekinesis and terraforming.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432091/son-of-nor-partners-with-steelseries-and-tobii-for-revolutionary-eye-tracking

News::Ten Things You Should Know About PlayStation Now

News::Lonehorn Review | Free Indie Games

Lonehorn is a platform/adventure game set in a universe inhabited by horned black minions that eat souls. The game was developed for the New Years Jam 2014 game competition which also means that it was developed within 48h or less.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431807/lonehorn-review-free-indie-games

News::Blizzard: Reaper of Souls pre-loading "targeting this month if all goes well"

Diablo III expansion Reaper of Souls is scheduled to start pre-loading to game clients "this month if all goes well," reveals a Blizzard community manager. It's more-or-less an automated process and needs little input. In fact the pre-expansion patch (2.0.1) will actually contain "all of the expansion data" from the game disc, however expansion-only content won't be playable until March 25th.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432068/blizzard-reaper-of-souls-pre-loading-targeting-this-month-if-all-goes-well

News::Steam Machines: overhyped, overpriced, over-complicated

Matt Martin of VG247 writes: "Valve revealed 13 Steam Machines this week, the latest move in its quest for accessible PC gaming. But the pitch is worryingly complex, argues Matt Martin, and Gabe Newell should be putting his money where his mouth is."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431308/steam-machines-overhyped-overpriced-over-complicated

News::Rust Newbie Guide: Cook Your Chicken

Rust drops you in a field with a torch, a stone and some bandages. There's no tutorial or objective marker to follow. So, what the hell do you do?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431798/rust-newbie-guide-cook-your-chicken

News::The first Xbox One update will focus on social features

Xbox One jumped out the gate by moving three million units. That's impressive and all, but there's always room to improve. Microsoft plans on bettering the Xbox One in the near future with its first major update, and the primary focus will be addressing the social side of the Xbox Live platform.


Speaking with Engadget, Xbox's Marc Whitten commented on the "Live experience" and where there are seams in the Xbox One's infrastructure. "The feedback we've gotten is pretty valid; some of the social stuff is hidden or harder to use than it was on the Xbox 360. So, you're gonna see us come out with an update where, well, we're going to fix those things," he said. "I take it pretty seriously when people say it's harder to get into a party, and the defaults aren't right. Let's take an update and really go through a big list of what we're hearing from customers, what we know is broken with the architecture, areas that we want to improve or complete," he continued.


Whitten remarked that he thinks the update will roll out sooner rather than later, because that's Xbox's vision for revising the platform. Unsurprisingly, Xbox One was designed around the knowledge Microsoft had gleaned from working on the Xbox 360, including how to push more regular updates. "You're gonna see the box get better faster than you did in the past," Whitten concluded.


Xbox One's first big update will address 'the Live experience," expect streaming before E3 [Engadget]


The first Xbox One update will focus on social features screenshot






via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/the-first-xbox-one-update-will-focus-on-social-features-268700.phtml

News::Dungeon of the Endless Video Preview | Entertainment Buddha

Ray Porreca of Entertainment Buddha writes: "There are few things more entertaining than a game that prides itself on being challenging and carrying an air of mystery. Amplitude Studios rougelike meets dungeon defense game, Dungeon of the Endless does both of these things, and it does them very well."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432041/dungeon-of-the-endless-video-preview-entertainment-buddha

News::Space Engineers Early Access Review | Calmdowntom

"If you know of or have played the game, then me saying it is a Lego/Minecraft style game might annoy you but bear with me here. This is for the folk who havent had the joy of seeing this. The developers Keen Software House have a similar game out that is fully playable and with its own MMO called Miner Wars all available on Steam already. Space Engineers is a shining polish of this game, as it were, with the game slowly taking shape into something that will be truly epic. While you can play the game now it is only an Alpha release with patches coming quickly to update little tweaks and new functions. Since it is an Alpha, people will think not to try and wait till a full release is out. Frankly I would be happy as it stands now and not miss a full release if it didnt happen. So please, please keep reading so I can wet your appetite for this glorious little gem in the Steam catalogue." says Calmdowntom



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431977/space-engineers-early-access-review-calmdowntom

News::Depression Quest review [Player Attack]

Adelaide writes for Player Attack: "Video games have a wonderful way to make people go on great adventures and have new experiences. Often, people use video games to escape something going on in their life. As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, I use video games as a way to vent my feelings in a safe way that doesnt cause anyone any harm. Turns out, I am not alone."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431896/depression-quest-review-player-attack

News::Cities in Motion 2 now available for Linux, Marvellous Monorails add-on launches

Paradox Interactive announces that as of today Cities in Motion 2 now supports Linux, alongside Windows and Mac. Also now on offer is the Marvellous Monorails DLC from series developer Colossal Order. This adds monorail tracks and trains to the list of transportation options to help ferry a cities populace. Five all-new vehicles are included with the new elevated rail.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432034/cities-in-motion-2-now-available-for-linux-marvellous-monorails-add-on-launches

News::No plans for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on next-gen

During our session with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 back in December, we got the chance to sit down and talk with the game producer Dave Cox about the expansions and innovations the sequel has made over the original. We learned that MercurySteam created a brand new engine to tell their epic conclusion to the Lords of Shadow saga that pushes the power of the PS3 and Xbox 360 to their limits.


Unfortunately, we also learned that Konami and the developers at MercurySteam are content with keeping the Lords of Shadow series away from next-gen. "We have no plans to release this game on next-gen," said Producer Dave Cox rather bluntly.


No plans for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on next-gen screenshot


Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/no-plans-for-castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-on-next-gen-268648.phtml

News::DayZ, As Told By Steam Reviews

News::Mysterious Bethesda Announcement Sparks Fallout 4 Rumours (Updated)

Whether wishful thinking or blind hope, the feel of the image is distinctly Fallout-like, but does it point to Fallout 4? (Updated - Hoax)



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431969/mysterious-bethesda-announcement-sparks-fallout-4-rumours-updated

News::Battlefield 4 Multiplayer Review - The Happi Campers

The Happi Campers review Battlefield 4's multiplayer segment. Have EA and Dice polished the game enough by getting rid of the numerous bugs and glitches?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431930/battlefield-4-multiplayer-review-the-happi-campers

News::Medal of Honor: What happened to the series?

Unfinished buggy games, games no longer being supported because the developers have moved on or closed their doors. This is what happened to the Medal of Honor franchise, a franchise that once was one of the best and most popular games. If you look at how the franchise has become, you can easily say that they have a step backwards from what the series used to deliver back in the days.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431339/medal-of-honor-what-happened-to-the-series

News::Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Hands-On Preview | Dealspwn

Dealspwn: "There's plenty of promise here, but also a number of questions to be answered that will only come out towards the end of the month when we're able to play this thing in its entirety. The question of just how open? still remains. Our demo ended with an enormously tense fight against a cursed and angry Medusa, but where was the idea of trotting about the rain-soaked Gothic city that had seemed central to the ideas underpinning the sequel when it first emerged? The only hint of that came all too briefly at the start as old, decrepit Dracula found a nearby soul to feast upon. We never got to turn into a bat and flutter over to Bioquimek or anything like that, all we got was a loading screen. The game might open up into an Arkham City-esque landscape, but not in the first five hours as things stand. Excitement, then, but tempered with caution."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432021/castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-hands-on-preview-dealspwn

News::Here Is How Project CARS Is Different From DriveClub and Forza

GamingBolt speaks to Slightly Mad Studios creative director Andy Tudor on how the upcoming racing simulator will differ from the bigger names in the industry.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432009/here-is-how-project-cars-is-different-from-driveclub-and-forza

News::Diary of the Volunteer (XCOM: Enemy Within) (Twinfinite)

This diary was found in the Volunteer's room during the collection of his possessions to send home to his family - those who survived, that is. It includes daily entries from the day the alien attacks began up to the day of the final operation against the alien mothership. Most of the entries are ommitted; however, those which divulge the important aspects of the Volunteer's character are replicated here. Perhaps this will provide some insight into the mind of the man who sacrificed himself for humanity. - Central



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431961/diary-of-the-volunteer-xcom-enemy-within-twinfinite

News::Review: Darkout Beauty in the Darkness

MWEB GameZone reviews Darkout, a a 2D sandbox survival game based on mining and crafting.The game lives up to its name by creating a dark, yet stunningly beautiful world as it is, in terms of graphics, head and shoulders ahead of genre behemoths Minecraft and Terraria.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431951/review-darkout-beauty-in-the-darkness

News::Alien: Isolation "very much" single player, "got to have those breaks" from fear

Creative Assembly is developing Alien: Isolation and they us in a room with a big bad xeno with no guns, maybe a wrench, and a whole lot of panic. It's not enough to just 'pile-drive' us into the ground in fear though. The team recognise for that true survival horror experience we need to catch a break now and then, and they soon saw testers give a "sigh of relief when they got to the airlock."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431981/alien-isolation-very-much-single-player-got-to-have-those-breaks-from-fear

News::Update for Stronghold Kingdoms adds strategy cards and other player-requested features

There's a new community-led update for free-to-play castle builder Stronghold Kingdoms available, which adds various features that have been requested by players.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431987/update-for-stronghold-kingdoms-adds-strategy-cards-and-other-player-requested-features

News::Most Anticipated: Dragon Age: Inquisition

Eurogamer: I've always enjoyed the mystery and menace of the Fade, Dragon Age's twisted ethereal plane. It offers magical power, but it bites, fangs shaped as malicious demons ready to entice and deceive ambitious minds. And they do, and so the world fears magic for the corruption and destruction it tempts. Templars police the study and practice of magic but tensions, strained to breaking point, have snapped - torn by the events of Dragon Age 2 and the events of novel Dragon Age: Asunder. In third game Dragon Age: Inquisition, the world is at war. And the Fade is at the heart of it all, its demons threatening to spill through a great tear in the belly of the world of Thedas. Who's to blame? What is the real evil at work here? Your job, as founder and leader of the Inquisition, will be to find out.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431999/most-anticipated-dragon-age-inquisition

News::Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 takes a second bite of Konamis franchise - VG247 preview

VG247: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 sees MercurySteam refusing to rest on its laurels as it attempts to respond to criticisms of the first game.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432003/castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-takes-a-second-bite-of-konamis-franchise-vg247-preview

News::Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Hands-On: A Fitting End? | VideoGamer

VideoGamer: "MercurySteam's final Castlevania game is being touted as a swansong for a generation. Can it live up to the hype?"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432004/castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-hands-on-a-fitting-end-videogamer

News::Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - Freedom Cry review | Eurogamer

Eurogamer: Remember those "very special" episodes of a TV series where everything becomes serious for a show? Freedom Cry feels a little like one of those - a familiar franchise tackling a particularly difficult topic. That's not to say the approach is jarring - the change befits Freedom Cry's slavery storyline - it's just surprising to find such a markedly different tone in the coda of Black Flag's swashbuckling adventure. But while Freedom Cry differs from the main game's story and themes, it remains technically reliant on the Assassin's Creed 4 mothership for everything else, and this is where its gameplay flaws remain.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1432005/assassins-creed-4-black-flag-freedom-cry-review-eurogamer

News::Kingdoms of Amalur: Never Forget

What can we learn from the only game to come out of 38 Studios?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431277/kingdoms-of-amalur-never-forget

News::The Brilliant, Profitable Stunt Pulled in the Tenth Humble Indie Bundle

BNR: Unless youve been living under a video game rock, youve likely heard of the Humble Bundles- they started off as a way for indie developers to both gain exposure and make money, all while raising funds for charity. In case youre not familiar with the model, heres how it works: for a period of two weeks on HumbleBundle.com, developers will have their games available to purchase- but theres a clever catch: people can pay whatever they want for the games. At least, thats how it started. Later, Humble added a $1.00 minumum for Steam keys in order to cut down on the number of people who would only pay a penny. When people did that, itd wind up costing the developers money on account of transaction fees.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430915/the-brilliant-profitable-stunt-pulled-in-the-tenth-humble-indie-bundle

News::League of Angels Review | DotMMO

League of Angels admittedly looks good, but it doesn't blow the competition out of the water and its never so good that you would play it just for the visuals. Honestly, the best praise I can give to LoA is its playable and at least the combat system isn't quite as terrible as some other games.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431840/league-of-angels-review-dotmmo

News::Alien Isolation interview we keep scaring ourselves | GameCentral

GC - "If youve already read our hands-on preview of Alien Isolation youll know how impressed we were by the experience, but as we admit weve really only played a very small segment one which gives little clue as to how the game as a whole is structured and what other gameplay elements it includes."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431735/alien-isolation-interview-we-keep-scaring-ourselves-gamecentral

News::Call of Duty: Ghosts Infinity Ward Outlines Incoming eSports Improvements

MP1st - Infinity Ward aims to improve competitive Call of Duty with a number of incoming updates to hit Call of Duty: Ghosts in the coming weeks.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431797/call-of-duty-ghosts-infinity-ward-outlines-incoming-esports-improvements

News::My Breakfast With Blackguards| Spiderduck Network

Trevor spent some time during breakfast checking out Blackguards, a turn-based strategy RPG from Daedalic Entertainment.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430884/my-breakfast-with-blackguards-spiderduck-network

News::Titanfalls 6v6 player cap is nothing to worry about opinion

VG247: Titanfall matches will be capped at 6v6, and its got many gamers cancelling pre-orders and spitting internet acid all over Respawns shooter. VG247s Dave Cook explains why you really shouldnt be worried.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431988/titanfalls-6v6-player-cap-is-nothing-to-worry-about-opinion

News::Assassins Creed IV- Black Flag Review - The Happi Campers

Richard from The Happi Campers gives his view on this pirate themed classic, AC4.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431932/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-review-the-happi-campers

News::Hitman Absolution - Over Six Million People Have Played It

IO Interactive revealed today that over six million people have enjoyed its latest Hitman game, Hitman: Absolution.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431985/hitman-absolution-over-six-million-people-have-played-it

News::In Another World, Japan Got the PS4 First

News::10 Most Anticipated Indie Games of 2014

SegmentNext - "Check out our most anticipated indie games of 2014 so that you can't miss on the best from the Indie industry this year".



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431928/10-most-anticipated-indie-games-of-2014

News::Nvidia unveils a new game streaming 'ecosystem'

Nvidia yesterday revealed that it has partnered with a number of custom PC and router manufacturers to develop PCs and Wi-Fi routers optimized for GameStream



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1430939/nvidia-unveils-a-new-game-streaming-ecosystem

News::PvZ: Garden Warfare would rather make you smile than wow with big set pieces

Multiplayer console games have become rather serious affairs as players compete to win in increasingly realistic environments and large set piece events. Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 will largely eschew trying to impress with skyscrapers falling by going for laughs instead.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431557/pvz-garden-warfare-would-rather-make-you-smile-than-wow-with-big-set-pieces

News::CES 2014: OmniGamer - Mionix's new inductively charged gaming mouse

Mionix shows off their latest inductively charging wireless gaming mouse and accompanying charger/mouse pad.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431609/ces-2014-omnigamer-mionixs-new-inductively-charged-gaming-mouse

News::Duke Nukem For Never: 5 Ways To Save The Franchise

WC - Hail to the king, baby. Hearing those immortal words now is just annoying when compared to the conviction we first heard them spoken with back in 1996. Upon its release Duke Nukem 3D was one of the most popular video games ever made. Much of the success was thanks to the games iconic anti-hero, alien-slaying protagonist, Duke.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431719/duke-nukem-for-never-5-ways-to-save-the-franchise

News::Forced Review | Z-Giochi

Forced is a one to four-player co-op arcade action RPG with puzzle and tactical elements. You are cast as slaves in the toughest fantasy gladiator school of them all, condemned to fight to the death, all the while attempting to win your freedom.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431918/forced-review-z-giochi

News::PvZ: Garden Warfare producer on 30 fps versus 60 fps in games

Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare runs at 60 frames per second (fps) on the Xbox One and 30 fps on the Xbox 360. PopCap Games Producer Brian Lindley spoke exclusively with Examiner.com about what he thinks.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431745/pvz-garden-warfare-producer-on-30-fps-versus-60-fps-in-games

News::Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - How to Find Metal

Bryan Dawson (Prima Games): If you've been playing a lot of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, youve probably come to realize that upgrading the Jackdaw is very important. With that realization came another interesting fact, you need a lot of metal to get the upgrades you want. You probably looked around and spotted a few ships here and there with some metal, but when you checked the upgrade list to see just how much metal you needed, it was probably a bit disheartening to see you had nowhere near enough.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431629/assassins-creed-4-black-flag-how-to-find-metal

News::14 in '14: Most Wanted Games

SuperPhillip Central writes, "It's the start of a new year, and while all of us have already failed at our new year's resolutions, we're taking the beginning of 2014 in stride anyway. Why? Because our first feature for the year is a look at our most anticipated games from now until December 31st. From Xbox One to PlayStation 4, Wii U to Nintendo 3DS, this list of 14 games for 2014 has it all. After we've made our handpicked games known, feel free to share what your top desired titles are!"



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431813/14-in-14-most-wanted-games

News::Mionix to launch new gaming headset

Swedish gaming accessory maker Mionix today announced plans to release the Nash 20, a new headset geared toward high-end computer users.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431087/mionix-to-launch-new-gaming-headset

News::Pathfinder Online's Ryan Scott Dancey defends MMO subscriptions

Ryan Scott Dancey, project leader on the upcoming Pathfinder Online MMO and former GM for CCP, has defended subscription models for online games in a guest post on MMORPG.com. Speaking out after recent criticism of The Elder Scrolls Online's model, Dancey highlighted the continued success of subscription plans, emphasising the need to combine traditional models with micro-transactions.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431943/pathfinder-onlines-ryan-scott-dancey-defends-mmo-subscriptions

News::How to Make Alien: Isolation a Great Game

CraveOnline: "This week (January 7th) it was revealed that there would be a new game based off of the Alien franchise. Alien: Isolation is going to be the game that Alien fans have been asking for, it has been said, and we'd love to believe the hype."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431805/how-to-make-alien-isolation-a-great-game

News::Hitman: Absolution gets three brand new contracts

Hitman: Absolution might be more than a year old, so you'll forgive fans a little for being surprised that it's just been given some brand new content! One new contract has been added to each platform - PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 - and all three are available right now.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431789/hitman-absolution-gets-three-brand-new-contracts

News::Tengami Preview | The Indie Mine

Adventure/puzzle game Tengami by Nyamyam is shaping up nicely with a beautiful art style and mechanics inspired by pop-up books.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1431954/tengami-preview-the-indie-mine