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Archived News:
Battle.net announces the new version 2.0.1 patch is now available for
Diablo III users in the Americas, noting that users in other territories
will get the patch in due time, and that cross-realm play will not be possible
across mismatched versions. They have complete patch notes, which are very
extensive, as it outlines all the details on the game's new Loot 2.0 mode, as
well as the new Paragon 2.0 system. The new version is automatically available
through Battle.net and there are manual patches on
The Patches Scrolls
extracted from the automatic downloads for those looking to update the
old-fashioned way. The update process is not yet complete, however, as
this post
explains that things are taking longer than anticipated, and the earliest to
expect servers to come back online is 11:00 pm EST.
Eurogamer has a statement confirming
a rumor that Blizzard will begin selling the ability to boost characters to
level 90 for $60.00 in World of Warcraft, their MMORPG. "We realised as soon as
we came out with Warlords of Draenor boost to 90, we knew that there was going
to be demand for more than 1," WoW lead encounter designer Ion Hazzikostas
explained. "It's tremendously awkward to tell someone that you should buy two
copies of the expansion just to get a second 90. That's odd. So we knew at that
point we were going to have to offer it as a separate service." So there's their
reasoning, though this raises the question of what they plan on charging for
Warlords of Draenor.
The Elder Scrolls Online website announces that Bethesda is sending out a
bunch of invitations to participate in this weekend's beta testing of The
Elder Scrolls Online, and that these each will include an additional invite
for a friend. Here's word: Today, we’re sending out more beta invites for
an ESO scale test. If you receive an invite, there will be an extra beta code
included that you can give to a friend to join you in Tamriel!
For this beta, you are no longer required to follow a Nondisclosure Agreement
(NDA). We invite you to post your best screenshots, videos, and impressions this
weekend, and livestream your adventures for everyone to see. Be sure to use
#esobeta to share your favorite moments with the world! Participants this
weekend will also unlock an exclusive monkey vanity pet for PC/Mac that you can
have at launch.
Thanks for your continued enthusiasm and support as we march toward launch. We
look forward to seeing you in Tamriel this weekend!
Notch tweets
the latest statistic showing the staggering success of Minecraft (thanks
Player Attack). He says: I got an email. We've reached 100 million
registered users on the original Minecraft. 14.3% conversion rate to paid
accounts. Wow. :D <3
Piranha Bytes officially announces Risen 3: Titan Lords, following
the confirmation of
rumors of the next installment in their
action/RPG series. The game is planned for release this August for Windows, Xbox
360, and PlayStation 3. Here's the
official website, here are
some screenshots,
and here's word: Piranha Bytes, the creators of Gothic and Risen, return
to their origins with a new, classic RPG. Risen 3: Titan Lords pulls the player
in to a handcrafted role-playing world full of rugged charm where every decision
changes the course of the story. Risen 3: Titan Lords is set for release in
August 2014 for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and
for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system as well as Windows PC.
The key element of the cult Gothic series as well as Risen is the vivid world
and the freedom to explore it. The world of Risen 3: Titan Lords will be
diverse, authentic and full of life, providing the player with an authentic,
classic RPG experience.
“Like a carpenter with a handcrafted piece of furniture, we put together the
story, the characters and the landscape until it all fits and the player has the
possibility to discover things all around the place. You can try out and find
things that others might not. Exploration is the key to our game”, says Bjoern
Pankratz, Project Lead at Piranha Bytes.
The world of Risen 3 is abandoned by all gods and suffers from the Titan Wars
when a new threat rises from the soil. A young warrior is attacked from the
shadows and deprived of his soul. He sets off to reclaim what is lost amidst the
darkness that is spreading throughout the world. The banned Mages could be
powerful allies on his quest. To get their help, he needs to find the Mage
sanctuary on Taranis, also known as the Island of Thunder. Protected by the
Guardians, the Mages search the mines of Taranis for crystals loaded with magic
energy. Will the player join the Guardians to get in contact with the Mages? Or
will he choose one of the other guilds in Risen 3 to reach his goals?
Steam News announces
that Castlevania: Lords
of Shadow 2 is now available, offering MercurySteam's sequel to their
Dracula shooter. No launch sale here, this one is bust-out retail priced, though
there's a playable demo to try
before you buy. Here's word: Dracula, weak and yearning release from
immortality, must reclaim his powers and defeat Satan. An epic fantasy adventure
set in an expansive modern-day world!
Awoken after centuries of slumber, weakened and yearning for release from his
immortal bonds, Dracula must reclaim his powers and make a pact with Death, to
defeat Satan and gain eternal rest. Blood is everything as Dracula faces both
his nemesis and his descendant’s unyielding quest for revenge, in this final,
dramatic battle between good & evil. Play as Dracula and discover the ultimate
fate behind the ‘Lord of Shadow’ himself!
Triumph Studios announces Age of Wonders III will be released on March 31st,
offering the newest installment in their fantasy-themed turn-based strategy
series. This page has links to where
the game can be preordered on GOG and Steam, which includes a bonus of unique
Elven Resurgence Scenario, which takes the series' back to its roots in the
ancient Heartwood Forest. A
new
gameplay trailer showing all the game's leader classes in action celebrates
the news, and here's a rundown on the game: Age of Wonders III conjures up a magical world, filled with arcane powers and
ancient treasures. Here empires rise and fall, led to victory or defeat by
powerful heroes, who are like Gods to the armies they command. The Sorcerer,
uses arcane magicks to shape the fabric of reality and summon otherworldly
creatures no mortal man was ever meant to see. The mighty Warlord commands
undying loyalty from his battle hardened legions, inspired by his many victories
in the past, and the promise of glorious battles in the future. The Theocrat,
favored by the Gods themselves, expands his realm by converting the unbeliever
and holy war. Rogue leaders strike from the darkness, their cunning units tear
into their foes and disappear before any chance of retaliation. Beware of the
Archdruid, turning even the very forces of Mother Nature itself on trespassers
who dare to defile her lands. All the while the Dreadnought plows through the
forests in his massive, glorious juggernauts, using his skills in engineering
and mana fueled machinery to crush those who stand against him. These heroes
will meet on the vast battlegrounds of the Third Era, and when the dusts of
battle have settled, only one of them shall be remembered as the ultimate ruler
of the Third Age of Wonders.
These six Leader classes can be combined with any of the six main races of the
Humans, High-Elves, Dwarves, Draconians, Orcs and Goblins allowing the player to
create an empire in their own image, serving the powers of good... or evil.
Players will explore a vast, living fantasy world with over fifty different
location types ranging from ancient ruins, to mana nodes overflowing with
magical power. But to gain control of these valuable assets they will have to
fight intense tactical battles with treacherous bandits, fantastical creatures
and rival leaders determined to claim the hidden treasures for themselves. They
will lay siege to enemy cities and use flanking and unit special abilities to
overwhelm the defenders.
Continue here to read the full story.
A new
Catalyst 14.2 Beta version 1.3 driver is now available for AMD/ATI graphics
cards running under 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. The instructions
warn that your current driver must be uninstalled before the beta is installed,
and here are the highlights of the benefits this provides:
- Thief: Crossfire Profile update and performance
improvements for single GPU configurations
- Mantle: Multi-GPU configurations (up to 4 GPUs)
running Battlefield 4 are now supported
- Frame Pacing for Dual Graphics and non-XDMA
configurations above 2560x1600 are now supported with Battlefield 3 and
Battlefield 4
- Dual graphics DirectX 9 application issues have
been resolved
- Minecraft: missing textures have been resolved
- 3D applications no longer see intermittent hangs
or application crashes
- Resolves corruption issues seen in X-plane
Ubisoft
announces they are actively recruiting testers to participate as they begin
"the critical Alpha testing phase" of EndWar Online, the upcoming
web-based Tom Clancy game on Thursday (thanks
Gamer's Hell). Here's
word: We want to get real boots on the ground to play the game as early
as possible, so that we can test our core server infrastructure, as well as get
some first-hand feedback on the gameplay.
Our primary purpose is to connect hundreds of players at the same time in order
to test our server capacity and PvP skirmish mode.
We started sending invite emails with keys last Friday to commanders who have
been pre-screened from our Beta registration database.
Make sure you check your mailbox regularly, so you don't miss out!
SQUARE ENIX announces that Deus Ex: The Fall is coming to Windows on
March 25th via Steam to provide a PC installment in the action/RPG series that
turned out to be a mobile
game after getting our hopes up with some
teases in advance of its announcement. They note they are still working
on Deus Ex Universe and a new AAA installment in the DX series and offer word
on the Windows edition, and the changes being made to make this a proper PC
game: Following last year’s release on mobile devices, we’re really happy
to now announce that Deus Ex: The Fall is coming to Steam on March 25.
The game’s been adapted for the PC, meaning (of course) full keyboard/mouse
controls, but also a whole bunch of other little bits too - so if you didn’t
fancy dipping into Ben Saxon’s story previously, now would be an eminently
sensible time to reconsider. After all, the game was produced with the original
creative team from the superb Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and there's the small
matter of new tracks penned by none other than Michael McCann...
The Steam version will sell for £7.99/€9.99/$9.99, but if you pre-order the
game now (or grab it for a limited time after launch) you’ll also get the
original Deus Ex – Game of the Year Edition as well, for free... and if you’ve
already have DE:GOTY, you’ll be able to gift it to somebody else instead!
So what’s on the complete feature list, compared to last year's mobile version
of the game?
- No in-game purchase options
- 28 Steam achievements
- Adjusted AI
- Steam Trading Cards, Badges and (TBC)
- Revised tutorial
- Full keyboard and Mouse control optimisation
- Rebalanced game economy taking into account no IAP
- Microsoft Controller support
- Removal of auto target options
- Reduction in aiming recital size
- Choice in cover style as DXHR (HOLD or Toggle)
- Resolution options
- Anti Aliasing option
- Vsync
- Control maps for keyboard and gamepad
Eutechnyx reveals plans to release Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance next
month for Windows and mobiles during a conversation with
Eurogamer about the upcoming Warhammer 40K tower defense-style strategy
game. They also note the game will enter have a beta release on Thursday, though
it's not stated whether this will be closed or open. Finally, they also provide
first-hand impressions from getting to play the game.
EA's Battlelog announces DICE is now offering early access to the Platoons
feature in Battlefield 4, their military shooter sequel. The thread
enlists platoons to test the feature, noting that all the available spots have
now been filled. They say they will be releasing the Platoon system "very soon,"
which is the same timeframe they offer for more details on the plan.
Battle.net announces
details about preorder bonuses for the Reaper of Souls expansion for
Diablo III, Blizzard's action/RPG sequel. They say that those who have
already preordered are all set, and those interested have until the end of next
month to get in on the action. Here's word on a couple of in-game items that can
be had for buying the add-on in advance: Behold! Two epic new bonus items
have just been spotted in the mortal realms, both of which will be granted in
the future to anyone who pre-purchases the Reaper of Souls™ expansion digitally
on Battle.net, or anyone who redeems a Reaper of Souls retail game key on or
before March 31, 2014.
Check them out below:
Wings of Valor: Summon the radiant wings of the Archangel of Valor for
your characters in Diablo III.
Valla the Demon Hunter: Unlock Valla the Demon Hunter in Heroes of the
Storm—our upcoming free-to-play online team brawler featuring iconic Blizzard
characters, fast-paced combat, and epic battlegrounds.
Capcom Unity offer four new videos of Resident Evil 4 running on a
Windows PC at 1920x1280 resolution at a smooth 60 frames per second. Word is:
"For the best possible viewing experience, we're offering direct links to the
files instead of using YouTube; this way you can truly see the 60fps and overall
clarity." The survival/horror sequel is expected to be released for PCs at the
end of this week.
A
Kickstarter update for Wasteland 2 has details on the changes in a
major update to the beta version of inXile entertainment's RPG remake. This
includes major updates for the character and inventory screens, the addition of
a fifth major location, and a "significant" overhaul of combat. They are also
offering new options to allow Wasteland 2 and some Torment backers to buy into
the beta: We have launched our limited-time add-on option for existing
Wasteland 2 backers. This $10 add-on will be available for purchase for a
limited time, and will give access to Wasteland 2's beta. It does not include
the other extras from the Steam digital deluxe edition. To purchase this add-on,
log into your Ranger Center account, you will find it under the backer store
tab.
Torment backers: If your tier included Wasteland 2 and you didn't already
get the beta as an add-on, you are eligible for this $10 add-on as well. Log in
to your Torment pledge management account and the add-on will appear in the
Torment store listing. This applies only to tiers that include Wasteland 2.
Please contact us via the system if you run into any problems.
- Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar on
IncGamers.
Salute to
TV.com (thanks Ant) for the perfect description of the Olympics coverage
in the U.S.: "Winter Olympic Games Sponsored by Subway Sandwiches Stuffed With
Fritos Eww Gross."
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