Friday, April 22, 2016

News::'Tekken X Street Fighter' is on hold for now

There's a chance Tekken X Street Fighter will never see the light of day. Or it could, but not anytime soon. In a recent interview with GameSpot, Tekken's game director Katsuhiro Harada revealed that development for the highly anticipated crossover is on hold until further notice. "When we develop fighting games, we try to keep the core community in mind as well as the wider audience that wants to play these games," he explained the circumstances behind the decision.

Source: GameSpot



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News::Step inside the artistic algorithms of 'No Man's Sky'

Even if you haven't played it yet, one thing is clear about No Man's Sky: It's stunning. The entire game hinges on the idea of procedural generation on a massive scale, meaning when artists at Hello Games create a patch of grass or a fluffy animal tail, these elements are mixed and matched in nearly infinite combinations across the entire in-game universe. But, it isn't all left to random chance -- there are complex algorithms working behind the scenes to make sure every planet is aesthetically pleasing in some sense. Controlled chaos, if you will.

Source: PlayStation on YouTube



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News::Twitch transforms into a social network with new 'Friends' feature

It's been happening in subtle increments, but the transformation is nearly complete. After launching private messaging, Party Chat and profile updates to Twitch, Amazon's livestreaming service will finally become a niche social network with today's announcement: Friends. Twitch users can add up to 500 friends to a list that shows who's online and allows them to send Whispers (private messages) with a click.



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News::The Xbox One revisited: Microsoft's console has gotten better with age

Engadget is re-reviewing the current generation of game consoles, each of which has benefited from major firmware updates, price drops and an improved selection of games. We're kicking off this series by revisiting the Xbox One. Though we've changed our minds on some things and raised the score to 84, you can still find our original review here, if you're curious to read what we said at launch.

The Xbox One is the product of two different Microsofts. The console debuted in 2013 following a disastrous six-month-long PR campaign that ultimately led to then–Xbox head Don Mattrick leaving the company. Initially Microsoft said that the Xbox One would require an internet connection even for single-player, store-bought games. The company backpedaled on that ahead of the console's release, cobbling together bits of code to ensure that games played at launch. Even then, the Xbox One arrived with a sizable day-one patch.

Months of incremental post-launch updates added Twitch streaming, a controller battery-life indicator, custom wallpapers, party chat and some much-needed UI improvements. The biggest changes, though, have come since Phil Spencer assumed Mattrick's old position. The Kinect sensor is no longer a requirement for the system, nor is Microsoft packaging it with every console sold. Because of that, the Xbox One is now priced lower than its most obvious rival, the PlayStation 4: $299 with an included game and 500GB hard drive. At launch it cost $500 with just the 500GB console, a controller and Kinect in the box.



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News::We're updating our console reviews starting with the Xbox One!

It's rare -- unprecedented, even -- that Engadget re-reviews the same product. But game consoles are a curious exception. Though the hardware stays the same, these machines receive myriad firmware updates, sometimes long after launch, that make them even more valuable. That's especially true of the Xbox One, whose interface became much, much easier to navigate after a major software update last year. With our coverage of the actual games still going strong, we thought it high time we revisit the devices themselves. As such, we'll be rewriting, re-scoring and even re-photographing our original write-ups of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. (With news that the Wii U might not live past this year, an obituary might be more appropriate than a fresh review.)



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News::Amazon locks top games behind a Prime paywall

For many, Amazon is the go-to place to buy video games. Now, the company is using that influence to incentivise Prime by requiring a subscription for select game orders. As VideoGamer reports, this applies to top titles such as FIFA 16, Far Cry Primal and Battlefield Hardline on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the UK. Similar restrictions are also live in the US -- we've spotted the Amazon Prime label on Grand Theft Auto V, for instance. The requirement is only in place, however, if you want the order to be fulfilled by Amazon. At the moment, you can sidestep the problem by selecting a third-party merchant on the site instead.

Via: VideoGamer

Source: Amazon



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News::'Ark: Survival of the Fittest' brings dinosaur combat to PS4

What would happen if you combined The Hunger Games with Jurassic Park? That's the idea behind Survival of the Fittest, a standalone game based on ARK: Survival Evolved. The so-called "Multiplayer Online Survival Arena" title launched on PC last month, and now it's headed towards the PlayStation 4. Starting on July 19th, console players will be able to fight for supremacy using the resources on an ever-shrinking arena. The aim is to quickly collect materials, craft better gear and, if you're lucky, tame some dinosaurs to ravage your opponents. It's a whacky concept, for sure.



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News::Blood flows in PS4's 'Shadow of the Beast' on May 17th

You'd be forgiven if you didn't play Shadow of the Beast when it first came out on the Amiga in 1989, but don't make the same mistake with the upcoming PlayStation 4 version. The absolutely brutal side-scroller looks like a throwback to beat 'em ups of yore like Streets of Rage, however the combat appears to have a fair bit of depth to it. Protagonist Aaraborn may start out in chains but he's far from helpless: there are a pair of positively massive claws attached to his hands he uses to rip enemy creatures apart. Combat is heavily timing-based and, well, vicious.

Source: PlayStation Blog



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News::Make your own ladders and leagues with Gfinity's Xbox One app

Gfinity is backing eSports heavily: if it's not a gaming arena, its an app that lets you arrange your own tournament, ladder or league. It's a first for consoles (and it's just Xbox One for now), but it lets you create and manage tournaments from the Microsoft game box. The company is hoping it'll see use both at the professional level as well as to settle scores in the office and at home.

Source: Gfinity



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