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Archived News:
A free weekend is now underway
on Steam for Call of
Duty: Ghosts for those interested in sampling the first-person shooter
sequel. The game is also carrying a 50% discount through the event, allowing
those who enjoy playing to get it on the cheap. Here's the pitch: Call of
Duty®: Ghosts is an extraordinary step forward for one of the largest
entertainment franchises of all-time. This new chapter in the Call of Duty®
franchise features a new dynamic where players are on the side of a crippled
nation fighting not for freedom, or liberty, but simply to survive.
Fueling this all new Call of Duty experience, the franchise's new next-gen
engine delivers stunning levels of immersion and performance, all while
maintaining the speed and fluidity of 60 frames-per-second across all
platforms.
1C Company is now offering Early Access to Men of War: Assault Squad 2
on Steam, offering the
chance to influence development of the action/strategy sequel by buying into the
beta test. The game is currently on sale for 20% off, and here is why they thing
you should be interested: Men of War: Assault Squad 2 features new single
player style skirmish modes that take players from extreme tank combat to deadly
sniper stealth missions. Commanders can now faceoff against opponents on various
new multiplayer 1v1 – 4v4 maps. To truly bring the battles to life though there
is the new 8v8 game mode designed for huge battles on spectacular maps.
This new Assault Squad game brings significant game engine and visual
improvements as well, with special attention paid to ones that were highly
requested by the players. These included items such as advanced multi-core
support, advanced shader technology, interface and AI improvements, as well as
added camouflage depending on season/map, fully updated inventory items with new
graphics and updated vehicles, sound improvements, Steam multiplayer and much
more.
ATLUS announces plans to release Daylight on April 8th for Windows PCs
and PlayStation 4, offering the chance to scare yourself with their upcoming
survival/horror game, also revealing pricing details, saying the game will run
you $14.99/€14.99/£11.99, depending on your currency of choice. They also take
the opportunity to reveal details about the game's 3D support on each
platform: The PlayStation 4 and PC version of Daylight will be fully 3D
compatible out of the box! 3D-enabled TVs and monitors will bring the scares,
jumps and all other things that haunt the Mid Island area to life in a very
tangible way. RealD is the same technology they use in movie theaters for 3D
movies and excels at giving the game terrific depth-of-field. Catching an
overhead light flicker down an incredibly long corridor is one of the more
chilling 3D applications...until you come across a spirit, that is. If you have
the means, we highly recommend giving this mode a try. Oh, and here's a casual
reminder that Daylight is also compatible with the Oculus VR, for those brave
enough...
SQUARE ENIX offers word on their
THIEF
Ultimate Mod Contest in celebration of the upcoming THIEF reboot. They have
details on how to enter, as well as an outline of all the prizes being offered
to participants. The prizes include a free digital copy of Thief Gold, and the
grand prize includes a high-end AMD gaming rig. Entries must be submitted by
April 14th.
Wired.com - Indie Studios, Not Corporate Giants, Are the Future of
Videogames.
The question used to be, could independently produced games compete with
the big studios? Now I think the question should be, can the big-studio
model continue to exist? Right now, indie games are serving niche audiences
that were left behind by big studios. What happens when small teams start to
make shooters that can pull audiences away from Titanfall? Football games
that are more fun than Madden?
IGN - A Closer Look at Irrational Games' Change of Focus. Thanks
JDreyer.
What we can be sure of, is that a lot of people are going through a
really tough time right now; wondering what they’re going to do next,
wondering if they have to uproot their lives. As Brendan Keogh righteously
notes in his piece ‘Games for Humans’ (which you must read, and then
question why there aren't more unions in the industry), it’s all too easy to
become distracted by the cult of Levine, by this idea that Irrational’s
creative output belongs to Levine and Levine alone. BioShock Infinite was
not made by one person. In fact, it was also made by Rod Fergusson, Leonie
Manshanden, Adrian Murphy, Scott Sinclair, Shawn Robertson, Grant Chang,
Matt Boehm, Jim Christopher, Jon Mangagil, Pete Paquette, Shamil Rasizade,
Jeremy Carson, Ian Davis, Gwen Frey, Calen Brait, Chad King, Paul Presley,
Laura Zimmermann, Jorge Lacera, Mauricio Tejerina, Robb Waters, Gavin
Goulden, Adam Bolton, Stephen Alexander, Jeremy Griffith, Kyle Williams,
Jamie McNulty, Steve Allen, Charles Bradbury, Frank DaPonte, Scott Duquette,
John Fuhrer, Dan Keating, Murray Kraft, Chad LaClair, Brian McNett, Mike
Snight, Spencer Luebbert, Continue here to read the full story.
- Arma 3 on
Steam. Save 40%.
- The Adventure Company and Friends on
Humble Weekly Sale.
- Holy Avatar vs. Maidens of the Dead on
Steam. Save 50%.
- Humanity Asset on
Steam. Save 25%.
- Reboot Bundle 1 on
Bundle
Stars.
- Ubisoft Publisher Weekend on
Steam. Save
up to 75%.
- Worms Clan Wars on
Steam. Save 75%.
- Battlefield 4 Second Assault Maps vs. Battlefield 3 Maps - 116
Glorious Comparison Screenshots on
TweakTown.
Link of the Day:
Brian Williams Raps "Rapper's Delight". Thanks nin. Bonus:
Chainsaw Dog. Go ahead,
keep a straight face.
A new THIEF Launch Trailer
is now available to celebrate next week's return of the kleptomaniacal stealth series. Word is: "take a sneaky peek at the launch trailer containing
new sections of gameplay and glimpses at some key encounters that lie in wait
for Garrett." Continue here to read the full story.
WBIE announces plans for a Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate – Deluxe Edition,
a spiffy version of their mobile fighting game that's coming to Windows as well
as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U on April 2nd, confirming
last month's
indications that a Steam edition was in the works.
This trailer shows off
the Deluxe Edition, and here's the deal: Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman™: Arkham Origins
Blackgate - Deluxe Edition for the PlayStation®3 system, Xbox 360® games and
entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii U™ system and PC. Developed by Armature
Studio, the same team behind Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for handheld, the
game delivers the same dynamic story and gameplay, now in high-definition. Fans
will be able to purchase the game from 2nd April on the PlayStation®Network,
Xbox LIVE® Marketplace, Nintendo eShop and Steam for £15.99.
Previously available only for PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system and
Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Deluxe Edition
brings the content of Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate to console and PC with
enhanced high-definition 2.5-D graphics, a new map & hint system for improved
navigation and objective tracking, 5.1 surround sound, a fully voiced narrative
and a captivating storyline. In addition to all previous released suits, players
will be able to unlock the exclusive Zero Year Batsuit skin by registering for
or signing into a Warner Bros. ID (WBID) account.
After gang-fueled uprisings occur within the walls of Blackgate Prison, Batman
is called in to restore order and put an end to the rebellion before the chaos
implodes. As the story progresses, players will explore deep inside the bowels
of this remote island penitentiary and discover what happened after the events
of Batman: Arkham Origins and learn more details of the Dark Knight’s
past.
Continue here to read the full story.
Moebius: Empire Rising is
expected for release on April 15th, which is when Windows and OS X gamers can
get to play this adventure game from designer Jane Jensen, with Linux and mobile
editions expected later this year. Jensen's absence from the genre is touted as
one of the game's selling points: "Moebius: Empire Rising is the veteran
designer’s first adventure game since 2010’s Gray Matter, and the first she has
completely overseen since Gabriel Knight® 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the
Damned in 1999. This publishing deal marks the culmination of a successful
collaboration between Jensen—the game’s writer, designer, and creative
director—and Phoenix Online, who developed the game under her supervision."
Here's word on the game: In Moebius: Empire Rising, players will step into
the shoes of Malachi Rector, a high-end antiquities dealer with a photographic
memory, a genius for history, and an uncanny talent for discerning genuine
artifacts from cheap knock-offs. At the request of a secretive government
agency, Malachi flies to Venice to determine whether a recently-murdered woman
resembles any particular figure in history. Why would the U.S. government offer
him $50,000 to perform this odd job? Why does a stranger he meets randomly in
the desert seem like someone he’s known all his life? And how come every time
Malachi lets down his guard, someone tries to kill him?
In the layered mystery of Moebius: Empire Rising, players will travel the globe
with Malachi and his bodyguard, former special forces operative David Walker, to
analyze suspects, make historical connections, and piece together clues to
uncover a conspiracy the U.S. government and other covert agencies will defend
at any cost. A modern adventure game styled in the vein of recent Sherlock
Holmes and James Bond thrillers, it merges classic point-and-click puzzle
solving with Malachi’s unique deductive powers and the sophisticated
storytelling Jensen’s games are known for.
PocketwatchGames tweets sales figures for Monaco: What's Yours is Mine,
saying the stealth/heist game has sold more than a half-million units: "Sales
update: We're well over half a million units of Monaco sold! (~520K), only
includes about half the HIB sales since we are BTA." TLA check: HIB is Humble
Indie Bundle, but BTA was a mystery (the definitions on
Wikipedia and
Urban Dictionary
shed no light on this), but
Joystiq fills in the blank that this is "Beat the Average."
A
post on NeoGAF from Respawn Entertainment's Drew McCoy reacts to conspiracy
theories suggesting that Titanfall's positive reception is the result of
them bribing corrupt game journalists to favor the mech shooter (thanks
OXM via
VG247). Here's what he had to say: Anyone who thinks we weren't
living in the shadow of decade+ old established franchises at our reveal at E3
are as crazy as their conspiracy theories of anyone getting paid off. We've had
to fight tooth and nail to have a game that anyone would even know existed, let
alone be excited for and want to create coverage of. I get it that its not for
everyone, but to say we're paying anyone off is downright insanity. Not to
mention the height of insulting.
The Elder Scrolls Online website now features a
developer play session
video showing off blacksmithing in Tamriel, showing one of the crafting
options in Bethesda Softworks' upcoming MMORPG. Word is: "Crafting in The Elder
Scrolls Online enhances your adventures. We follow the journey of a blacksmith,
from exploring and gathering materials to creating a special piece of armor.
Blacksmithing is just one of the many crafting skills available in ESO."
Here's more: There are tons of opportunities for crafters to flourish in
ESO. You can learn to create helpful food and drink items with provisioning,
fashion enchantments for gear, brew potions using alchemy, and forge and improve
weapons and armor of all sorts with smithing, our most involved skill. There's
so much to crafting that one video won't contain it all, so we want to show you
how being a blacksmith (who can create metal armor and weapons, just one of the
three smithing skills) will augment your journeys, from exploration and
gathering materials all the way to producing a special piece of armor.
Continue here to read the full story.
Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase tells
Eurogamer that Square Enix is interested in bringing more FINAL FANTASY
games to the PC, in spite of starting off explaining they developed FF13 on PCs
but only released it for consoles. "Let's not forget, when we developed the
Final Fantasy 13 series, all three titles, at the early stages of development we
were working on PC," Kitase circuitously explains. "Then we had to port it to
the consoles. As far as the technology is concerned, it would have been possible
for us to make a PC version, but we decided against it for two reasons: we
looked at the market situation and we didn't think it would be a good idea, and
also it would have involved lots of complex issues like security. So we decided
not to do it this time around. But we see potential in it and there are lots of
regions and countries where PC is very strong. So in terms of our hope of being
able to deliver our games to every single country in the world and to as many
gamers as possible, yes, we would definitely be interested in pursuing that
route in the future."
Battle.net offers a
twitch video of
another live play session for the upcoming Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
where some fans got to play the action/RPG expansion with one of the Blizzard
developers, in this case Travis Day. Word is: "As with Wyatt's playtest, the
goals of this particular session were pretty simple: jump into the beta with
three different members of the Diablo III community, play around with some of
the expansion's new features, and enjoy a bit of casual conversation with fellow
heroes of Sanctuary. The topic of that conversation exactly? Itemization,
itemization, itemization!*"
- Titanfall on
PC Gamer. Max settings at 7680x1440.
- AMD Radeon Dual Graphics Performance with Kaveri and R7 250 on
HCW.
- AMD Radeon HD 6870 vs. AMD R9 270X on
ocaholic.
- Chillblast Defiant 13in Laptop on
Hardware Heaven.
- Corsair Obsidian 250D Mini-ITX Computer Case on
Benchmark Reviews.
- Genius ECO-u821 8000mAh Power Bank Portable Charger on
TweakTown.
- GIGABYTE GA-F2A88X-UP4 AMD FM2+ Motherboard on
OCIA.net.
- GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 750 Ti WindForce on
Guru3D.
- ICY DOCK ICYBento MB559U3S External HDD Enclosure on
TweakTown.
- Microlab B-73 Stereo-Soundsystem on
Technic3D.
- MSI Twin Frozr Gaming GeForce GTX 780 Ti OC Edition on
OverClocked inside. German.
- MyDigitalSSD OTG (On The Go) 256GB USB 3.0 External SSD on
TweakTown.
- Nokia Lumia 525 on
TechSpot.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 'Maxwell' graphics processor on
The Tech Report.
- SilverStone Tundra Series TD02 All-in-One Liquid Cooler on
PC Perspective.
- XFX Type 01 Bravo Case on
Hardware Canucks.
- Xigmatek Vector P Series 700 W on
techPowerUp.
We have the first positive weather forecast in recent memory around here, and
you know things are weird when you say that about the prediction of rain. But
it's rain that will come amidst some slightly warmer temperatures, which should
help with the backlogged snow around here. The storms have come so close to each
other lately that we have piles of the stuff that are over five feet high, and
it's hard to get optimistic that spring is on its way with that kind of scenery.
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