Archived News:

Saturday, Jan 25, 2014

Blizzard Layoff Rumor Addressed

Updates on onGamers follow up on a rumor they reported of layoffs at Blizzard's San Francisco office (thanks GameInformer). Their original story quoted anonymous sources reporting layoffs, but after hearing from Blizzard, the only part of the story that's confirmed is the departure of David Ting, the former president of the IGN Pro League that Blizzard acquired last year. Apparently Blizzard's decision to relocate 10-15 employees inspired Ting's decision to leave. "Due to the relocation of major portions of the SF team to Irvine, I have decided it is time for me to pursue other opportunities within the Bay Area," reads Ting's statement on the matter. "I will be staying with Blizzard for a period of time to help with the transition as well as continue working on a few corporate initiatives. I have enjoyed my time at Blizzard as an employee and as an avid player of their games, and look forward to more exciting games to come."

Dungeonforge Kickstarter

A Kickstarter campaign has commenced for Dungeonforge, Collective Dream Studios' upcoming action/RPG where one of the players acts as the dungeon master. The game had an unsuccessful Indiegogo campaign last summer, but now they are hoping to build on the momentum of their recent Steam Greenlight approval. Their goal is $60,000, and they are promising backers a Special Edition with a unique look for all the characters.

The Repopulation Alpha Trailer

A new teaser trailer shows off more of The Repopulation, showing alpha gameplay footage from the upcoming post-apocalyptic MMORPG. Word is: "It includes footage of the newly introduced Mounts, Sniper Scopes, and Melee Combat, along with an assortment of combat and fly bys of various areas that were not seen in earlier footage." The already-funded Kickstarter campaign is heading into its final day, and there are still additional stretch goals in play. Continue here to read the full story.

PlanetSide 1 F2P Transition Continues

The Revised SOE All Access Program FAQ has details on Sony's new unified subscription system. As noted on Polygon, this includes word that this will soon include the next step in their plans to make the original PlanetSide a free-to-play game. Here's word on the future of their MMOFPS:
Q: I don’t see PlanetSide 1 mentioned anywhere, are they eligible for this program?
A: We will offer PlanetSide 1 as free to play game for everyone when the new program rolls out, on or about April 2, 2014 (or sooner!). Please note that PS1 has no Marketplace and will not see further game development. We know that a large number of people have played it in the past, and we hope you’ll enjoy it again, on us.

Game Reviews

Hardware Reviews

  • ADATA DashDrive HD650 External HDD on TweakTown.
  • AMD Kaveri A10 7850K Overclocked - IGP Gaming & OpenCL Performance on HCW.
  • CM Storm QuickFire TK Stealth on Technic3D. German.
  • Corsair AX1200i Modular Digital Power Supply on eTeknix.
  • Corsair CS Series Modular 650W Power Supply on PC Perspective.
  • Dynatron G199 1U Xeon Server Heatsink on FrostyTech.com.
  • GamerStorm Lucifer CPU Cooler on eTeknix.
  • Gigabyte R9 290X WindForce OC 4GB Graphics Card on eTeknix.
  • Patriot Viper 3 16GB 2400MHz Memory Kit on eTeknix.
  • Raidmax Agusta Case on ThinkComputers.org.
  • TRITTON PRO+ True 5.1 Surround Headset on Nikk Tech.
  • Xigmatek Vector P700 700-Watt 80 PLUS Gold Power Supply on TweakTown.

etc.

Out of the Blue

I caught up with the first three episodes of the second season of Banshee last night. I don't know if it really qualifies as great TV, but I sure do enjoy it, and I think it does a pretty impressive job as one of those dramas that manages to succeed without any sympathetic characters and a minimum of comic relief, making it a very unconventional show, in spite of its reliance on formula.

Link Like a Banshee: Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play: Dead Vault.
Truck Monsters.
Above Average Guy.
Links: A browser plugin to turn hyperbolic viral headlines into what they really mean. Thanks Cutter.
North Korea confirms it has landed a man on the Sun. Thanks The Flying Penguin.
Her father kept this secret for 13 years. When he finally revealed it, it was amazing.
Stories: Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight script likened to 'tense stage play'.
Seahawks mascot a Microsoft employee on a mission.
Science: Stephen Hawking: 'There are no black holes'.
Jet Lag, Late Nights, And Naps Disrupt Gene Function, New Study Shows.
Ceres: The Smallest and Closest Dwarf Planet.
Images: How to make a Knight touch every square of a chess board only once.
Anne Hathaway and Kristen Stewart pose for 1860s-style portraits at Sundance Film Festival.
Media: "MORE NFL" — A Bad Lip Reading of The NFL.
The Best Video To Watch While Downloading the Dead Rising 3 Patch.
Auction: Bottle of Macallan Whisky Sells for Record-Shattering $628,205.
Follow-up: Vaccines Could Have Stopped These Outbreaks (MAP).
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