Friday, March 29, 2013

Unreal Engine 4 shown off in Infiltrator trailer

Epic Games showed off all the bells and whistles of its Unreal Engine 4 at GDC this week, giving developers an up close look at the ease of use of the tools and just how realistic the technology can make game look.

To emphasize the point, Epic's Mark Rein closed the presentation with a fairly long "Infiltrator" trailer showing a spy making his way into a factory of sorts. The spy has a cool gadget that reflected images to hide his location. The trailer showed off quite a bit of the tools that had been showed previously. At the end, the dropped some of the pretty art to show the trailer in a wire mesh that was so complicated that even the highest end graphics card had trouble processing it in real time.

GTA: Liberty City, Vice City Stories coming to PSN

 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City and Vice City Stories are coming to PlayStation Network next week for $9.99 / €9.99 / £7.99 each, Rockstar Games announced today.

Both games originally released on PSP, before later being ported to PlayStation 2.

Rockstar has brought a number of its classic games to PlayStation Network recently, including Grand Theft Auto III, GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas.

The stream of releases doesn't seem to be coming to a close, as Rockstar told gamers to "stay tuned" for information about additional Rockstar games coming to PSN. None of these were named. 

'Rebuilding' the future in Cyberpunk 2077

It's the year 2013. That means the world of Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk 2020 is only seven years away. With the way the future is shaping, it's clear that the world of Cyberpunk must be changed for CD Projekt RED's upcoming game.

CDPR managing director Adam Badowski told Shacknews that adjusting the game is one of the biggest challenges right now. "We need to refresh the world, since Cyberpunk was from the 1990s," he said. "This is where we have to do a lot to create a new level of story, and we will be working with [Cyberpunk 2020 creator] Michael Pondsmith to do that."

Badowski said that creating Cyberpunk 2077 will present a bit of a reversal from what they faced when they first started working on The Witcher series. "In The Witcher, we had a story and had to build gameplay from scratch," he said. "In Cyberpunk 2077, we have the gameplay, but we are going to rebuild the story. Cyberpunk had great classes and we will keep all that, along with the mechanics."

MechWarrior Online to launch in 'late summer'

Developer Piranha Games has been releasing regular updates for MechWarrior Online since the game went into open beta in late October. But now, Shacknews has learned of three new features that will be rolling out leading up to the game's official release late this summer.

According to Piranha president Russ Bullock, the maximum size of matches will increase from the two-lance 8v8 to three-lance 12v12, with a planned rollout in 60-90 days. In addition, coming in June or July, UI 2.0 will be released, making it less cumbersome for newer players.

Minecraft XBLA sells 6 million

 Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has sold more than 6 million units, developer 4J Studios has announced through its Twitter account. This is up from 5 million at the end of 2012.

The game sells for $20, meaning it has generated $120 million since its original launch in May 2012.

Sales are likely to increase further, as a disc-based Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition is coming to United States retailers on April 30. This will be followed by launches in Australia, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan in early June.

Microsoft Studios Narrative Writer: “Women Are The New Core”

In the midst of controversies in the gaming industry (Dontnod Entertainment’s ordeals, for example) and several outspoken developers and writers talking about the importance of female protagonists, with non-typical characteristics, in video games Microsoft Studios narrative writer Tom Abernathy spoke out at GDC 2013 about how women are no longer on the fringe of the gaming population. In fact, they make up a healthy portion of it.

As GIBiz reported, “Our audience is leaving us behind. The world is changing, it has already changed, and we have not been doing a very good job of keeping up with it.”

More Destiny at E3

 Today during a Game Developers Conference panel, Bungie teased it will share more information about its new action-shooter Destiny at the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo, which runs June 9-11.

"See you at E3," Destiny writer and director Joe Staten said.

Bungie also shared a host of Destiny concept art images today during the panel, as part of a discussion regarding the company's world-building techniques. Staten and art director Christopher Barrett explained how Bungie's goal for Destiny was to create a world that mattered and that lasted, while also being flexible and accommodating to anything the community creates.

Papo & Yo developer's next game is Silent Enemy

Papo & Yo was a game that took the issues of child abuse and substance addiction head-on. For his next game, creator Vander Caballero is exploring another difficult aspect many children have to deal with: bullying.

Digital Trends reports that the upcoming game, Silent Enemy, is about a child (The Boy) living in an endless winter. A group of "crows," bullies with crow face masks, hold the scant resources for themselves. The Boy attempts to find spirits of springtime so he can keep the seasons turning.

Did Valve show Half-Life 3 at GDC?

Game journalists and industry guys are tweeting cryptic things about Half-Life 3 and how gamers should be expecting something mind blowing from Valve, and the only thing that can do that is Half-Life 3.

Now Twitter is an absolutely stupid medium for discussing all this but considering every Half-Life 3 rumour has proven to be fake, and people have still shown interest for almost 9 years now, maybe Valve will actually show the game?

Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain two different games

 Hideo Kojima yesterday officially announced Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, suggesting the game was The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes combined.

As it turns out (via Siliconera), they are two distinct titles.

"Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are two separate games," a Konami representative told GameSpot today. "Ground Zeroes will actually be a prologue to The Phantom Pain, and that's all we can share at this time."

1 million play Diablo III every day

 Diablo III logs around 1 million unique players per day, former game director Jay Wilson revealed today during a Game Developers Conference panel titled "Shout at the Devil: The Making of Diablo III."

Wilson also noted that over 3 million unique gamers play Diablo III every month. After spending six years on Diablo III, Wilson announced in January that he is transferring to a new team within Blizzard Entertainment.

As of December 31, Diablo III has sold in (that is, shipped) 12 million copies.

‘Programmers loathe’ developing games for Android, says Geomeric founder

Those in the mobile gaming industry, whether developers, publishers, or investors, are at odds about whether Android is a good platform to develop on and whether it will grow.

“Today, I think 26 percent of developers prefer working with Android,” said PlayJam founder Jasper Smith during a panel on the future of mobile gaming today at the Game Developers Conference. “My prediction is in a couple of years, that’s going to be 60 percent.”
Android currently has the most marketshare around the globe in terms of the smartphone market. Because phones are a huge element in the gaming market, anyone who has a smartphone is a potential customer, as Nizar Romdan, the director of ecosystem and media processing division at ARM, noted. It only makes sense that mobile game developers would want to tap into that market.
Read more (Sourse) >>

Total War: Arena announced as free-to-play MOBA

UK developer Creative Assembly has announced Total War: Arena, a free-to-play spin-off of the popular Total War series coming to PC.
 Lead designer James Russell announced the team-based game today as part of a panel at GDC 2013, detailing that it will be an online-only free-to-play title that mixes elements of both the real-time strategy and MOBA genres.

According to publisher Sega, Total War: Arena will allow players to pit history's greatest military commanders and their armies against each other. No other details were given.

OUYA available to buy on June 4th, Kickstarter units shipping now

OUYA, the Android gaming box that took Kickstarter by storm, will be available to purchase on June 4th for $99.99. Early systems are being shipped today for qualifying pre-purchasers. However, if you missed the crowdfunding storm, you'll be able to buy a system from Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and on ouya.tv. Additional controllers for the system can be purchased for $49.99 each.

Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman says that there are already 104 published games on the platform, although very few recognizable names. Perhaps the biggest: Final Fantasy 3. There are also a few entertainment apps, including XBMC, Flixster, and TwitchTV. "And developers are releasing new games for OUYA everyday. Eight thousand developers have created developer accounts with us so far," Uhrman said on the official blog.

Warface: Crytek Partners With Level Up! Games for Brazil Release

Though the free to play shooter will see a release in Western markets soon enough, Warface is currently readying to launch in Brazil as Crytek partners with publisher Level Up! Games to announce the same. Level Up! has been responsible for bringing over a decade’s worth of games to places like Brazil, India and the Philippines and will act as co-publisher for Warface.

General Manager of Publishing at Crytek Dirk Metzger stated that, “Level Up! boast unparalleled experience in delivering great online games to players in Brazil.

Xbox Live Rewards kicks off 'MyPunchcard' promotion in April

Microsoft is expanding its Xbox Live Rewards program, with a "Play to Earn" initiative that tracks a virtual punchcard of purchasing progress. April's focus is strictly on Arcade games. Three separate rewards are being introduced, and gaining all three on your "MyPunchcard" will also grant you a spot as a "VIP," which earns extra rewards and drawings for more bonuses.

The rewards were announced on the Major Nelson blog. Playing 20 hours of any combination of Arcade games will net you a free item for your avatar. Purchasing any four Arcade games for $5 (400 MSP) or more grants you a month of Xbox Live Gold. Finally, spending $40 (3200 MSP) on games during the month will get you $10 (800 MSP).

Suda 51 Explains the Appeal of Assassins as Protagonists

So far, Grasshopper Manufacture head Goichi Suda aka Suda 51 has featured some kind of assassin in every single game he’s worked in. But given the impressive track record his company has had with No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned, Killer7 and the upcoming Killer is Dead, it’s becoming hard not to see a pattern.

When quizzed about this by Siliconera, Suda simply responded jokingly, “I think going back to the core essence, I used to be an assassin and that really reflects on what kind of games I want to make.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Terraria Surfacing on PlayStation Vita This Summer

505 Games, which has recently brought Re-Logic’s hit indie title Terraria to PS3 and Xbox 360, announced that it will also be arriving this Summer for PS Vita. Porting duties will be handled by Engine Software.

SCEE Senior Business Development Manager Shahid Ahmad said that “We are tremendously excited about bringing Terraria to PS Vita. It’s fantastic news for fans who have been begging for the game to be available on PS Vita and it’s fantastic news for us too, we are delighted about the addition to the platform.

“For us this is a real coup, the opportunity to bring such a loved game to one of our platforms is really exciting. We are also really confident about how much fans are going to love the PS Vita version; the touch screen will ensure a totally unique experience.”

Breaking down Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

As many had suspected, The Phantom Pain was just a ruse. At GDC yesterday, Hideo Kojima revealed Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, accompanied by a lengthy five-minute trailer, one packed with clues as to where the franchise will go.

There's the obvious: the game starts in the 1970s, shortly after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. At least, the portion of the game that's referred to as Ground Zeroes. But what other tidbits are hidden in the game's official debut?

Original Sin turns to Kickstarter for polish

Larian Studios announced Divinity: Original Sin in May 2012, and there was much rejoicing. Almost a year later, and after two years of actual development, it's shuffling back a little sheepishly to ask if maybe we could help pay for it. Larian wants $400,000 to apply a bold spit-shine to the RPG prequel, and is hoping we can crowdfund it.

"We want to increase the development budget so we can increase the size of our development team. This in turn will allow us to further increase the amount of gameplay present in our game world," Larian says of the Kickstarter campaign. "We are convinced that we are very close to making a great RPG and we want to rise to the occasion by investing everything we can into it."

Ubisoft Toronto collaborating on next, next Assassin's Creed

Ubisoft is positioning its new-ish Toronto studio as one of the big ones, giving the team one of its biggest franchises to play with in Splinter Cell Blacklist. It still has to do the Ubi grunt work of helping with other studios' annual sequels, though. Managing director Jade Raymond confirmed it'll be collaborating with Ubisoft Montreal on a future Assassin's Creed game, one after AC4: Black Flag (pictured).

"As we're wrapping up Splinter Cell, we're also looking to expanding, so we're going to be working on five different projects," Raymond told IGN.

"One of the franchises that's very near and dear to me, Assassin's Creed, is one of the ones we're going to be collaborating on in Toronto, as well as one other big franchise which we're not going to announce yet. But we're going to be doing two other big collaborations also with Montreal."

Company of Heroes closed beta begins April 2

Sega announced today that the closed beta test for Company of Heroes 2 will kick off next week, on April 2. The first phase will only include customers who pre-ordered, but a second and more inclusive phase will be following in the coming weeks.

The beta test will include multiplayer and skirmish modes, across six maps that you can play against AI bots or in 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 competitive matches. You'll also be able to reach level 40, and customize your loadout accordingly.

Broken Age debut trailer is lovely

Gosh, the artwork Double Fine used when revealing its crowdfounded adventure game as Broken Age was so nice, if only the game could actually look like that. Oh! My my, it actually does. The first trailer debuted during the Game Developers Choice Awards last night and yes, it's looking quite delightful.

Broken Age tells the parallel stories of a girl reluctant to be sacrificed to a monster and a boy living on a spaceship who wants to get away from his computer care to go do good. Their dual adventures are thoroughly charming and lovely, the trailer would suggest.

You can still pre-order Broken Age for $15, which nets you beta access too. For $30, you gain access to 2 Player Productions' behind-the-scenes documentary series too. It'll come to PC, Mac and Linux whenever Double Fine fancies releasing it.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)