Monday, May 6, 2013

Shadow of the Eternals crowdfunding campaign goes live

 A crowdfunding campaign for Shadow of the Eternals, a spiritual successor to Eternal Darkness, went live today. Developer Precursor games is asking for $1.5 million through its website to develop the pilot episode in the series, slated to launch during the second half of 2014 for Wii U and PC.

At press time, funding stands at $14,530 from 185 backers with 30 days remaining.

"Featuring an ensemble cast, Shadow of the Eternals will span over 2500 years of human history. Players will question their own perception of reality as they progress through this mind-altering psychological horror," Precursor Games said in a statement.

Worms: The Revolution Collection Trailer and Screenshots Released

You can just never get enough of the Worms. Team 17′s multiplayer title wherein the invertebrates battle it out via rocket launchers, swords, nukes and much more across many dangerous environments is still going strong even after 18 years. To celebrate this fact, Team 17 has announced Worms: The Revolution Collection for Xbox 360.

This collection packages Worms 2: Armageddon along with its five DLC packs and Worms Revolution and its three DLC packs. That’s indeed a ton of content for such a price – though given the amount of variations we’ve seen on the Worms formula to date, it’ll be interesting to see whether Xbox 360 players indeed take the bait.

Valve experiments: sweat-based Left 4 Dead, eye-controlled Portal

Valve has a history of experimental hires, like when it brought on an economist to examine in-game economies. The company has now taken in Mike Ambinder, an experimental psychologist who is tasked with researching biofeedback.

VentureBeat reports that Ambinder talked at a session during the NeuroGaming Conference and Expo last week. He said that the company has conducted experiments that measure factors like players sweat, player calmness, and eye tracking. The sweat levels fed data into Left 4 Dead to modify the game experience, while the player's calmness might impact how much time they have to complete an objective. It also created a version of Portal 2 that you could control with your eyes, since they can move faster than your hands.

The Sims 4 launching in 2014

 Electronic Arts today announced The Sims 4, coming to PC and Mac in 2014. Series creator and EA subsidiary Maxis is developing the game.

No further details about The Sims 4 were divulged, though EA said additional information about the game will be revealed later today. The simulation game series has sold over 150 million units life-to-date.

The Sims 4 is a follow-up to 2009's The Sims 3. That game originally launched for PC and Mac before later coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and DS. It is not clear if The Sims 4 will remain exclusive to PC and Mac.

Devs create Oculus Rift guillotine simulator

 A group of developers have created a guillotine simulator using the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. As demonstrated in the video below (via Kotaku), players bend over as if they were to be executed by decapitation as they watch a blade fall and their virtual head roll around on the ground.

The simulator was made in two days during the recent Exile Game Jam by Erkki Trummal, André Berlemont, and Morten Brunbjerg. It is not clear if the developers are shopping the demo around of if it was made simply as an exploration of the Oculus Rift technology.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist Spies Vs Mercs Gameplay Revealed

A new trailer for the upcoming Splinter Cell: Blacklist, releasing this August for Xbox 360, Wii U, PS3 and PC, featured the return of one of the more compelling modes of play in the entire Splinter Cell franchise – Spies vs Mercs.

In this game mode, one group of players takes controls of the stealthy Spies while another group controls the heavily armed Mercs. While the former must assault an objective, the latter must defend it.

The trailer showcases a big shift in how the gampelay is handled – while Spies still navigate based on the usual Splinter Cell third person mechanics, playing as Mercs will be like a first person shooter.

Injustice: Gods Among Us 'Batgirl' DLC confirmed by NetherRealm

Batgirl was leaked as the second downloadable content for Injustice: Gods Among Us last week, and NetherRealm has copped to the addition. Admitting "the bat's out of the bag," it provided a picture of the Injustice iteration of the character, complete with some pretty vicious looking weaponry.

The word came from an official tweet (via Joystiq). The shock of red hair points to this being the (most famous) Barbara Gordon iteration of the character.

Shortly after Lobo was announced as the first DLC, a rumor (via Kotaku) started circulating that the remaining three would be Batgirl, General Zod, and Scorpion from Mortal Kombat. Zod makes sense, as it ties in nicely with the upcoming Man of Steel, and Scorpion would continue the Mortal Kombat trend of borrowing from another franchise for the fourth piece of DLC. So far 1/3 of the rumor has panned out, so we'll have to wait to see about the other two.
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