Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Nvidia GameWorks Features Revealed for Killing Floor 2

Today, Nvidia went ahead and revealed some brand new GameWorks features for the upcoming Tripwire game, the hyperviolent (as the name implies) Killing Floor 2, due out on PC some time next year, followed by a release on the PlayStation 4.
Nvidia confirmed that features such as NVIDIA’s HBAO+, NVIDIA’s Motion Blur D3D Advanced Sample and PhysX Flex will be supported in Tripwire’s zombie shooter. In addition to all of this, Killing Floor 2 will feature advanced graphical features such as  sub-surface scattering based on Jorge Jiminez’s screen space sub-surface scattering , bloom effects, depth of field and screen space reflections.
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Former Star Wars 1313 Developers Working On Brand New Action Game for Xbox One, PS4, PC

Star Wars 1313 remains a tragedy- it looked like a highly promising and ambitious action adventure/third person shooter game set in the Star Wars universe, and might have been a great big success for LucasArts, had they not been gutted, their games in development all canceled. It was also one of our earliest looks at just what we could expect from the new generation of consoles, back before the new generation of consoles was even a thing.

But all that talent is not lost- after doing some digging, we found out that the developers of Star Wars 1313 (not all of them, obviously) are a part of 2K Games’ newest development studio, Hangar 13, which was announced just a while back.

Bravely Default, Chrono Trigger Music Comes to Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy Curtain Call

Even as the Final Fantasy series has seen its ups and downs over the last few years (… and decades), one thing has remained consistent- the incredible and consistent quality of all of its music. The 3DS exclusive Theatrhythm series celebrates this proud musical heritage by giving players a Final Fantasy rhythm game with RPG trappings.
Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy Curtain Call, released earlier this year on 3DS, is the ultimate expression of that, standing as a celebration of the series’ exemplary musical history. Now, its about to get a bit more diverse, as new DLC coming to the game will see the addition of music from Final Fantasy Type 0, and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn to the game.
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Sifteo’s intelligent cubes go open-source after disappointing commercial run

Sifteo, a system of intelligent gaming cubes launched with significant fanfare in 2011, has gone open-source.

Founded in 2009 by MIT Media Lab graduates David Merrill and Jeevan Kalanithi, Sifteo set out to promote a vision of computers being ubiquitous and on every possible surface. Now, the software behind the cubes is available to anyone.

Designed to be a bit like dominos with video displays, the cubes were meant to form unique interactions when moved, tilted, rotated, or placed together.

Originally sold in sets of three for $150, the cubes were interesting and even exciting in a way, but Sifteo never took off as a commercial product. The company sold itself in July to 3D Robotics, the drone company that former Wired magazine editor-in-chief Chris Anderson founded.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The Legend of Korra Co-Creator Explains the Finale and Korrasami

Over the past few days, since The Legend of Korra finale aired, everyone has been talking about that final scene, as Korra and Asami walked into the spirit world together, hand in hand, and then looked lovingly at one another. For many, this was the show firmly ending the series with the two together – as in romantically, making official the idea of “Korrasami” (a much-beloved fan pairing). But there was plenty of debate. The two never kissed, never said “I love you”, and some fans said there was no definitive answer on how the end was meant to be interpreted.

Well, one of the show's creators has now gone on record about what occurred.

Nintendo hires new lobbying firm to convince Washington to take more action against piracy

Nintendo is about to put its money to work in the United States capital.

The publisher has officially hired Washington lobbying firm Choe Groves Consulting, according to Politico. Nintendo wants the federal government to get tougher on intellectual property laws, international trade, and piracy, and Choe Groves will try to convince the people in Washington, D.C. to take up that cause. These are issues that plague all kinds of entertainment companies, and Nintendo has an obvious interest in seeing legislators add more protection for content creators.

Halo: Master Chief Collection Patch Adds Halo 4 Spartan Ops Mode

Microsoft continues its work to improve Xbox One game Halo: The Master Chief Collection, on Monday releasing a new patch, which, among other things, finally adds Halo 4's Spartan Ops mode.

Spartan Ops is a multi-mission, episodic co-op mode for Halo 4. Microsoft announced in October that the mode wasn't going to be available at launch in November, saying it would be released in December so that developer 343 Industries could make "technical enhancements."

Battlefield Hardline trailer shows new tools and non-lethal takedowns

Battlefield Hardline is looking to amp up the speed and double down on the cheesy cop cliches, if today's new trailer is any indication. EA and Visceral's new trailer shows more of what to expect from the Battlefield, both in terms of tools and in terms of the campaign narrative.

The new trailer furthers the atmosphere of the 1980s/90s crime drama, right down to the over-the-top dialogue. It also shows some new tools of the trade, including the zipline, SWAT tools, and grappling hooks. It also offers a glimpse at non-lethal takedowns, which will be used to detain and interrogate suspects.

Grand Theft Auto 5: Rockstar May Be Working On Story Driven DLC

In 2013 while Rockstar were talking about Grand Theft Auto V, they brought up the matter of Heists and DLC, amongst other things. They were talking about new downloadable content that would include the Heist DLC and new story missions. But now that the Heists DLC is on its way, so where are we on the story DLC?

At the time, Rockstar said ““For those ready to jump back into the story of Grand Theft Auto V,”…“we have big plans for substantial additions in 2014 continuing Michael, Franklin and Trevor’s action, mayhem and unexpected adventures in Southern San Andreas.”
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Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Item Customization Detailed

Are you ready to bring your game to the next level, purely from an aesthetic point of view? Then by all means read on. The official Call of Duty Advanced Warfare customisation Items trailer has been revealed to the masses and it brings with it all the flash cuts you would expect.

The new customisation items on offer are, four premium personalisation packs that include a new weapon theme, three new reticles, a player card + emblem and a matching exoskeleton & helmet. Four premium personalisation packs that include a weapon theme, three reticles, a player card & emblem item.
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EA Sports UFC Players Get Bruce Lee Free

Legendary fighting celebrity Bruce Lee, considered to be the father of mixed martial arts though he never actually fought competitively, is now a free character for all EA Sports UFC players.

All five version of Lee (see below) are now free to download through January 5, 2015 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network in North America, while all other regions get him tomorrow.
 

Friday, November 1, 2013

10 zombie games where the undead are the least of your concerns

Zombies are powerful and terrifying enemies. They’re also an endless source of cannon fodder — and sadly, most games with zombies tend to use them for this very reason.

It’s easy to see why people can get tired of that. But we shouldn’t write off the undead just yet. A new wave of games are showing us that zombies have more to offer beyond the cheap thrills of slicing off their limbs. Some of these titles examine how humanity would cope under such stressful circumstances. Others try to replicate the survival experience with detailed gameplay systems built around growing food or making weapons and tools. You still have to kill plenty of zombies along the way, but they’re no longer the focus of these adventures.

Original Call of Duty working title was "MOH killer"

Activision's Call of Duty franchise has not always been the industry-leading series that it is today. That designation was previously with Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor series. Speaking with MCV, former Infinity Ward artist Justin Thomas, who also worked on Medal of Honor: Allied Assault for EA, recalled the first days of what would become 2003's Call of Duty.

"The project was actually named 'MOH killer' until an official name could be found," Thomas said. "We were focused more on fun than success, with the idea that if it was fun, it would be successful. We were just going to make a great game, and do the things better than we did on previous projects. The great thing is that a team learns from previous projects."

Thomas explained that one of the challenges associated with building Call of Duty was making sure it did not too closely resemble the Medal of Honor series.
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Pokemon X & Y hacker discovers unobtainable new creatures

As a series built entirely around finding and capturing rare creatures, Pokemon is the perfect avenue for hidden secrets and surprises. If there's one thing the Internet is great at, though, it's ruining surprises before they're even gift-wrapped. A little digging into Pokemon X and Y seems to have uncovered some Pokemon that aren't otherwise accessible, likely to be given out during special events.

As uncovered by the hacker Smealum and shown on Serebii, the Pokemon are numbers 719-721: Diancie, Volcanion, and Hoopa (above). He also found new Mega Evolutions called Latias and Latios. These are likely event Pokemon, to be given out similar to the current Torchic distribution. Keep in mind, of course, that since these are the product of a hacker, they're not officially confirmed.

Rocksteady's next game aiming for 2014

The latest Batman: Arkham game was not developed by series creator Rocksteady. But, of course the studio is working on something. And whatever it is, it's coming in 2014.

Internet supersleuth Superannuation discovered several job postings matching text of Rockstead's career openings for what is "tipped to be one of the most successful games of 2014." If all goes according to plan, it looks like Rocksteady's next will be ready next year.

It's likely Rocksteady is working on a proper sequel to Arkham City. As clearly labeled by the title, the recently-released Origins was a prequel. Kevin Controy, the de-facto voice of Batman said he was working on an Arkham game--but he doesn't appear in Origins.
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People Can Fly renamed Epic Games Poland

Epic Games subsidiary People Can Fly has been renamed Epic Games Poland, the company has told Pixel Enemy.
Epic also confirmed that the studio behind Gears of War: Judgment and Bulletstorm is currently working on Fortnite, Epic's first Unreal Engine 4 game.

"We've changed the studio's name from People Can Fly to Epic Games Poland," Epic said. "We're a global company with talented people working toward one goal across the world. We think this helps better reflect that. Multiple Epic studios, including Epic Games Poland, are working on Fortnite."

In April, Epic Games VP Mark Rein told CVG that Fortnite - first unveiled in December 2011 and rarely seen since - "might be the best thing we've ever done".
The PC exclusive is described as "a co-op sandbox survival game" that has players scavenging for resources to build fortifications as they battle for survival against hordes of monsters.

GTA Online stimulus package now expected end of next week

Grand Theft Auto Online players are going to need to wait for at least another week to receive the first half of their promised $500,000 GTA$ stimulus package.

Rockstar Games announced today that the next title update for GTA Online (1.05) addressing player progress loss issues will be available early next week. After this, the developer said "we hope" to be able to deliver the GTA$ Stimulus Package by the end of the week.

"A big thank you to GTA Online players worldwide for your continued patience and understanding and we will continue to keep you all updated," Rockstar said.
When Rockstar originally announced the $500,000 of in-game cash for players (to be delivered in two deposits of $250,000) earlier this month, the company said it would not dole out the money until the game was stable.

Grand Theft Auto V has shipped 29 million copies to date, though it is unclear how many have been sold to consumers.

Ryse: Son of Rome gets a multiplayer DLC Season Pass

Did you know that Crytek's upcoming Xbox One exclusive Ryse: Son of Rome has a co-op multiplayer mode? And because it has multiplayer, of course there's going to be a DLC Season Pass.

For $20, you'll be able to score four add-on packs at a discounted rate of more than 25 percent off. The Season Pass will include a total of 14 multiplayer maps, a new mode, six player skins, new level events, and access to a new tier of weapons and armor. In addition, Season Pass holders get an exclusive in-game sword and shield with bonus attributes.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Exploring the deep themes in Beyond: Two Souls

When I went to play Beyond: Two Souls for the first time, I didn’t know much about it. I tried to stay away from the trailers so I could be surprised. All I knew was that it was made by Quantic Dream, the people behind one of my favorite games, Heavy Rain, and that it was about a girl named Jodie Holmes who has a link with an entity. Little did I know the story was going to affect me emotionally as much as it did.

The reviews for Beyond are mixed, with people on one end of the spectrum saying that it’s one of the best games ever made and those on the other end saying that it’s a complete mess. I’m one of those people on the positive side. I wasn’t so sure about it at first as the anachronistic storytelling threw me off, but I really came to love it.

Titanfall will remain exclusive to Xbox, PC

Zampella was also asked if Respawn Entertainment will make a PlayStation 4 game some day. He replied, "Of course we will, just not the first Titanfall."

The original story is below.
PlayStation and Nintendo fans hoping to play Respawn Entertainment's first-person shooter Titanfall on their consoles appear to be out of luck. The game will remain exclusive to Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC "for the life of the title," Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen said today during an earnings call.

Titanfall is the first product from Respawn Entertainment, the studio founded by numerous former Call of Duty developers, including Infinity Ward cofounder Vince Zampella. "For the life of the title" suggests that a potential Titanfall sequel could be released on a non-Microsoft or PC platform, though this has not been announced.

Microsoft featured Titanfall prominently in its recently launched Xbox One advertising campaign, rolling out on TV, the Web, and on billboards this month in the lead-up to the Xbox One launch on November 22.
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