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Wednesday, Apr 02, 2014

  

Amazon Hires Hocking & Swift

Kotaku has word that Amazon has hired Portal designer Kim Swift and Far Cry 2 designer Clint Hocking, this news coming hot on the heels of the announcement of Amazon Fire TV, an android set-top box that includes gaming capabilities. It's not clear what they will be doing, though Kotaku hazards: "Both high-profile designers will now work on whatever top-secret stuff Amazon's got planned." Thanks nin.

Tropico 5 in May

Kalypso Media announces Tropico 5 will be released on worldwide on May 23rd for Windows, saying OS X and Xbox 360 editions will follow in the summer, on PS4 in autumn, and that a SteamOS edition will also follow in its time. A new Tropico 5 website is online to celebrate the news. Here's word:

Start a bright new future for you and your family by moving to the beautiful land of opportunity known as Tropico. On May 23rd, El Presidente has declared that Tropico 5 will be available globally on PC so make sure you’ve packed your sunglasses and swim shorts. The Xbox 360® and Mac versions will be releasing this summer with a version for the PlayStation®4 platform following in autumn. Kalypso is also working on an extensive Steam OS (Linux) version which will release with the respective new hardware.

Our brand new website also launches today: which provides potential visitors with all the information they need to know about the fantastic standard of living on our island paradise. View gorgeous pictures, impressive videos and inspiring speeches from our benevolent leader El Presidente. Imagine a place where the people never go hungry, all work has a decent wage and the weather is forever bright and sunny – just make sure you always vote El Presidente.

Shadow of Mordor in October

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces an October 7th release date for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and Monolith Productions' upcoming Tolkien-inspired third-person action game. Those set on getting the game may be interested in preordering, as this offers several perks. Here's what you'll get for preordering from participating retailers:

Fans who pre-order Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor will get access at the game’s launch to The Dark Ranger exclusive bonus pack. Available at all participating retailers, the pack will provide exclusive content and challenges for players including:

  • Dark Ranger Character Skin
    • Begin your own quest for vengeance with a new Dark Ranger character skin that embodies Talion's darker side
  • "Test of Power" Challenge Mode
    • Face Sauron's Captains and defeat them to earn powerful Runes and gain a head start in the game
  • Access to Exclusive Leaderboards for “Test of Power” Challenge Mode
    • Test your speed, skill and strategy and measure yourself against your friends on the leaderboards in this challenge mode

The Palantir app, which is available on the Apple Story here, will sync with game assets and the final game, to reveal additional layers of information, insights and fan-authored content, creating a unique second-screen experience. Enable Palantir’s sync mode while the Official Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Story Trailer – Banished from Death plays to try it out.

Scourge: Outbreak and Demo Released

Tragnarion Studios announces the release of Scourge: Outbreak for Windows and OS X on Steam, offering a futuristic squad-based third-person shooter. The game is on sale for 10% off, and there's a playable demo to help decide whether it's worth it. Here's word on the demo: "Includes several Checkpoints (around 30 minutes of gameplay) from the “Scourge: Outbreak” campaign, playable either in Single-Player or up to 4-player Co-op. Also includes the ‘Crash’ PvP map, playable both Online and by LAN in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag modes. XP Ranks and Perks are capped at Rank 5, but will carry over if you buy the Full Game."

On Sale

Evening Patches

Gatherings & Competitions

Evening Previews

Evening Consolidation

Evening Mobilization

Evening Metaverse

Evening Tech Bits

Evening Safety Dance

etc., etc.

Into the Black

Battlefield 4 Rubber Banding Fixes and Server Upgrades Planned

The Battlefield Blog has word that DICE has finally come to the realization that they are "unhappy with our server performance," as they promise to look into issues causing rubber-banding (players repeatedly snapping back to a previous position on the map due to Internet lag) issues in Battlefield 4, their military shooter sequel. Word is:

We wanted to provide a quick update on the issues with Battlefield 4 “rubber banding” that some players on certain platforms have experienced during matches with 64 players.

Looking into this further, we’re unhappy with our server performance, so we’ll be upgrading the hardware as soon as possible, investing more to deliver a better experience.

As soon as we know the exact timetable, we’ll let you know the ETA. Reducing lag for these players is absolutely a top priority for us to solve and we expect to have the solution very soon.

Stay tuned to our official channels for more information.

Watch Dogs Trailer

A new trailer posted by PC Gamer shows off Watch Dogs, though this may not be around for long, as it replaces a clip posted earlier by All Games Beta that's already disappeared. The clip shows off environmental features from Ubisoft's upcoming open world action game, and presents some confusion, there's a clear note saying this was captured from a PC version of the game, but it is apparently from the PS4 edition (there's a note on AGB saying its removal was just to correct this discrepancy. Continue here to read the full story.

Thief Save Game Issue (Joke?)

GameInformer reports hearing from users who have experienced lost or corrupted saved games in Thief, the stealth reboot. Oddly, the problem started yesterday, and apparently could be worked around by setting resetting the computer's date to April 2, suggesting this may be some sort of cruel April Fools' joke. The response they received from Eidos, however, seems to indicate this is serious. "We're aware of an issue that seems to be affecting some Thief players, preventing them from completing some levels," Square Enix tells them. "We're taking this very seriously – as a first step we're reading as many reports of the issue as possible, working to replicate it internally, so that we can understand what's causing it. We're sorry for any disruption to your game today, and we'll update you as soon as we have more information."

Foolish Games, Volume 3

Morning Patches

Gatherings & Competitions

Morning Interviews

Morning Consolidation

Morning Mobilization

Morning Metaverse

Morning Tech Bits

Morning Safety Dance

Morning Legal Briefs

Game Reviews

Hardware Reviews

etc.

Out of the Blue

Okay, the Honest Trailer for Game of Thrones is pretty awesome (and spoilery). As noted on TV.com (thanks Ant), it's going to be hard to think of Ser Jorah as anything but Lord Friend Zone from now on. Winter is coming... can't wait until Sunday.

Game of Links: Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play: Cover Color.
Candy Buff.
Tricky Rick 2.
Links: Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen Are New York's Best Tourists. Thanks nin.
Archaeologists vs. The National Geographic Channel.
16 Alarming Airline Secrets That Will Change How You Feel About Flying.
Stories: The world's laziest HOV lane dummies.
Pot-friendly pizzeria opens in Vancouver. Could lead to fatal endless eating cycle.
Science: Lies That Sci-Fi Movies Have Taught Us About Space.
Media: The Hobbit - 8 Bit Cinema.
The Creeper Rap by Dan Bull.
Jurassic Park Without the CGI is "Better" Than the Original. Thanks nin.
If Skyrim Had the Game of Thrones Intro.
The Funnies: xkcd: Lorenz.



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