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Archived News:
Milestone announces RIDE, a new motorcycle racing game from the
developers of the MotoGP series coming in the spring to Windows, Xbox One, Xbox
360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 (this was mentioned this morning as a
console release before we saw the PC version). A
RIDE website is online, as is a
teaser trailer, which
is a waste of time unless you are really into logos. Here's part of the
description, which kicks off a bit oddly: Two wheels. Strings of code.
Graphics assets. City tracks and racetracks. Speed. The roar of the engine.
Elements that intertwine to form a coherent whole; particles charged with energy
and fuelled with adrenaline combine to forge a new form of life. A primordial
atomic element, the first stirrings of a revolution that will alter the concept
of ‘motorcycle videogames’ forever: a revolution that will come to be known as
RIDE.
Milestone’s development studios in Italy are back at work, doing what they do
best. The developers are tearing up the rulebook and bringing a raft of new
ideas to the table. These are the developers who have become synonymous with the
world of virtual racing.
Created for the players and building on the experiences of the serried ranks of
bike fans, the new IP offers players the chance to ride over 100 bikes, in 4
different categories – Superbikes, Supersports, Naked, and Historical Bikes –
and take them hurtling at full speed over a huge variety of city, country and
historic circuits from the world of motorcycling.
Ride offers unprecedented levels of vehicle and rider customisation, presenting
players with a vast array of options to keep gameplay fresh and exhilarating
over the long term. The RIDE experience will accompany players and riders alike
on the long road of the true motorcyclist.
United Front Games
announces plans to unveil details about Triad Wars on Monday, finally
spilling some beans on a project they announced
almost a year ago
(thanks
CVG). Here's word on the reveal and a subsequent AMA: James here,
Community Manager for the upcoming PC online game we’re making here at United
Front Games, Triad Wars.
I wanted to let you know that we will be unveiling the game on Monday! We are
extremely excited to finally show you what we have been working on so stay tuned
to this space!
We also have an AMA on reddit scheduled for 12 P.M. PST on Tuesday. Talk to you
soon!
The
Battlefield Blog now offers details on a fall patch "coming soon" to
Battlefield 4, saying they hope to release this by the end of the month. The
update also looks beyond this, saying they will soon begin a "teamplay
initiative" on the Community Test Environment to work on this aspect of DICE's
military shooter sequel. Here's a list of highlights of the fall patch: Game
modes
- Rush (All base game maps except Dawnbreaker), Obliteration, Capture the Flag,
and Carrier Assault. Added the Obliteration Competitive sub-game mode
Sight Improvements
- Close & Medium range sight reticles no longer affected by weapon firing
animation, AKA “Visual Recoil”
- Improved visibility for red glowing reticule pieces against bright backgrounds
Player Movement
- Now almost identical to BF3 movement – with BF4 animation sets
- Dampened third person hit reactions for player head
HUD clarification pass
- De-cluttered and made customizable a plethora of HUD options to make BF4 look
the way you want it to (within reason)
Revive mechanic
- Made revives much more robust, easier to understand with new UI art and
included a new “fully charged” paddle sound.
“Netcode”
- Lowering the setting for how much time difference is allowed when damaging
other players (addressing trade kills and behind cover kills where high pings
are involved)
- An automatic High Frequency Update setting is now the default for all users
- Added High Frequency update support to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms
- Additional improvements to bullet damage delays between clients compared to
Netcode Patch
Continue here to read the full story.
Kalypso Media announces that
Tropico 5 now supports SteamOS and OS X,
expanding El Presidente's dictatorship to even more systems, all of which can
play together. This is available through
Steam or
the Mac
App Store. Here's the deal: This just in from the Tropican Department
of Information: Tropico 5 is now available for Mac & SteamOS via Steam! Starting
today, Mac & SteamOS users can now visit the island paradise of Tropico in the
award-winning dictator simulation Tropico 5. Embrace your inner dictator and
begin your dynastic rule as El Presidente, carefully plotting, coercing and
glad-handing your way to complete control of the Tropican isle, all while laying
the framework of continued rule through the Eras with the all-new Dynasty
System. Take a break from the everyday rigours of dictatorship to increase your
wealth and influence by building farms, rigging elections, or dabbling in
international trade. While the despotic possibilities are endless, so is the
humour in the fifth instalment of the Tropico series.
The Mac/SteamOS Steam versions feature cross-platform multiplayer via SteamPlay,
as well as Full Controller and Big Picture Mode support. Plus, if you've already
bought Tropico 5 on Windows for Steam, then you can download the Mac/SteamOS
edition for absolutely free via Steam cross-buy! For console players, Tropico 5
will be available for the Xbox 360® this November, and the PlayStation®4 version
will be coming in early 2015.
Little Orbit announces that Falling Skies: The Game is gold, and the
now-complete TV tie-in will be released on September 30th for Windows and
consoles. Here's a new
enemies
walkthrough trailer and here's the announcement: When aliens invade
the Earth, who will rise up to save humankind? Little Orbit, a worldwide video
game publisher, today announced that the popular TNT sci-fi drama, Falling
Skies, coming September 30th, has gone gold and is now in manufacturing. In
addition, Little Orbit can now confirm that players who pre-order the game at
Gamestop will receive a special in-game exclusive code which will allow them to
access Tom Mason as a playable character. Set in the tense, gritty world of the
critically-acclaimed series from DreamWorks Television, the tactical strategy
RPG is chock full of aliens…but are they enemies, or allies?
Survival of the human race is at stake! In Falling Skies: The Game, players will
dive into a world gone wrong and command a squad of recently-rescued survivors
who have been recruited into the human resistance fighting to save the planet.
The team will engage in covert tactical operations against the Espheni fighting
to survive against alien invaders while also rescuing and recruiting survivors
to the join the 2nd Mass. With addictive strategy-based gameplay, players will
be immersed into the unique story line with all their favorite heroes from the
show.
Continue here to read the full story.
Housemarque announces Outland is coming to Steam on September 29th, bringing a PC
edition of this "polarity-switching metroidvania" that has already met with
success on consoles. Here's a
PC release trailer,
and here's the description: Including improvements such as campaign co-op
and a revamped checkpoint system, the Steam version of Outland has been lovely
crafted to be appreciated by a completely new audience. Originally published by
Ubisoft®, Outland is the first platformer made by Housemarque. It has often been
described as a successful mix between the bullet-hell insanity of Ikaruga, the
sense of exploration of classic Prince of Persia games and the elegant
silhouette aesthetic of Limbo.
The nameless hero, in his quest towards the Temple of Eternity, learns to
control, deflect and absorb Light and Darkness and use them against the enemies
spawn by the Sisters of Chaos, perpetually imprisoned by the Temple itself.
Hand-painted backgrounds reflect ancient Mayan artistry and create a
fascinating, fable-like atmosphere, empowered by the great original soundtrack
composed by Ari Pulkkinen (Resogun, Dead Nation, and more). Outland will become
available on Steam on September 29th at $9,99 / €9,99 / £6,99.
Continue here to read the full story.
Matrix Games announces the release of
Pandora:
Eclipse of Nashira, Slitherine's 4X strategy expansion for Windows, OS
X, and Linux. They celebrate the news with a 33% off sale on the add-on as well
as the original Pandora: First Contact. Here's word on what this adds: The
world of Pandora, mankind’s new hope, was already a dangerous place for the
human colonists. A hostile environment where vile alien creatures roamed the
land and these did not welcome the human visitor. As if all these hazards were
not enough, Pandora has now become an even more dangerous place. As the sun
grows dark, a new enemy species reaches the surface of this hostile world,
rising up from the depths of Pandora and a new human faction joins the
competition for the planet’s dominance.
In order to cope with these new enemies, players need to use new features to
their advantage. The new diplomacy and intelligence options allow them to better
cooperate in times of need, or harass a potential enemy before hostilities break
out officially. Players have also been given new defensive mechanisms, such as
the ability to drop mines from orbit in order to disrupt enemy formations. For
the first time in Pandora, players will also be able expand beyond their land
into the sea, in order to look for those precious resources that will give them
an edge over their foes.
UbiBlog now features a
new trailer from Assassin's Creed Unity called "Carve Your Unique Path
Through Paris" where Ubisoft interviews themselves about the upcoming
stealth/action sequel. Here's word on the game and the video: "In Assassin’s
Creed Unity, you step into the robes of Arno, but your voyage through the game
will be yours alone. Set during the French Revolution, Assassin’s Creed Unity
lets you carve your own unique path through Paris, with open-structured “black
box” missions, as well as unique skills and gear to fully customize your own
Arno. The new-gen-only game also has abundant side content, seamless co-op, and
all kinds of different ways to approach almost any situation. The best part?
It’s all connected, so your choices will help determine how the game unfolds for
you. Find out more in this exclusive UbiBlog interview with Creative Director
Alex Amancio." Continue here to read the full story.
A new video from
Gearbox Software offers a look at cooperative gameplay in Battleborn,
Gearbox's upcoming "hero-shooter." The 18+ minute clip features pre-alpha
gameplay footage and Aaron Linde and Randy Varnell discussing what we're seeing.
Word is: "From the creators of the award-winning and best-selling Borderlands
franchise comes Battleborn, a hero-shooter that fuses team-based first-person
shooting with a deep roster of playable heroes. No two heroes play the same, and
each has unique weapons, powers, and personalities that can be fully experienced
in cooperative campaign mission, or over the course of a single competitive
multiplayer match." Continue here to read the full story.
Frontier Developments announces plans to launch beta 2 of Elite: Dangerous
on September 30th, which happens to mark the 30th anniversary of the original
Elite. The new beta includes new features for the space combat remake, as well
as special items to commemorate the occasion. Here's word on the new
stuff: Elite: Dangerous 'Beta 2' is a major gameplay upgrade to the Beta:
- Combat ratings from ‘Harmless’ all the way up to
‘Elite’.
- Reputations per system and galaxy-wide that
influence attitudes and prices offered to you.
- Ability to discover and explore and scan new
systems and sell the data on them.
- Detailed system maps.
- Around 500 additional star systems to explore.
- Lakon Asp Explorer ships added.
- Much greater variety of upgradable Life Support
modules, Engines, Hyperdrives, Power Distributors, Sensors, Shield
Generators and Cargo Racks for all ships.
- Ships are subject to gradual ‘wear and tear’.
- New weapons including mines and a new non-lethal
missile-deployed cargo hatch disruptor for piracy.
- Outposts (small, exposed ‘roadside café’ stations
in remote locations)
- Occelus starports, a version of which can move
around for early civilization of new systems and space tourism.
- Visibility of other ships in supercruise, and
track others through supercruise and hyperspace.
- Newsfeeds about events from the rest of the galaxy
and player activity in your local system.
- All backers names (from the appropriate
crowd-funding reward tiers) have been added to the NPC naming database.
Beta 2 also includes a host of other improvements and optimizations including
additional rock, ice and metal planetary ring types, a lot more music and some
optional ‘simulator’ tutorials.
The
Kickstarter page for Wasteland 2 has word that inXile entertainment's RPG
sequel is now available. Here's the
launch trailer, and
here's the announcement from lead designer Brian Fargo: I can hardly believe that it has been two and half years since I stood out in
the Mojave Desert and started the filming of my Kickstarter campaign. All the
while knowing it was the last and only hope for a Wasteland 2.
I’m very proud that we have delivered on our promise of the deep and nuanced
CRPG that you had all been hoping for. I’m also quite proud of the team at
inXile for their hard work and passion to deliver something special. It was the
highlight of my career when you stepped up to support the development of this
game. Having your trust meant everything and there was no way we were going to
let you down.
I am really looking forward to seeing all of your comments and the unique
experiences you’ll have. So much of the detail is not obvious at first as you
will carve a natural path through the world, there are so many numerous ways to
handle situations. If you ever think you are stuck, there are probably 2-4 more
ways to handle it. In fact, we’ve re-visited the concept of where and how a game
can end so some of you will find vastly different endings that don’t all take
place at the same point in the story.
The power of a great RPG to me is that the memory of the time I spent playing
stays with me long after I finished the game. I hope this has the same lasting
effect like the classics have done prior.
If you are loving the game, feel free to shout it to the rooftops. We just
want to keep making RPGs for decades to come and your support in every way helps
make that a reality for us.
If you reading this that means the game has gone live!
Jump in and
experience the world of Wasteland!
Continue here to read the full story.
New GTX 980 and 970 GPUs are now available from NVIDIA, and you can find an
introduction to the new hardware on
the GeForce website and there are evaluations from a bunch of sites in
today's hardware review section. To support the new cards, the
GeForce website now offers new WHQL-certified version 344.11 drivers, which
also add support for some new and upcoming games. Here's word: "The new
GeForce 344.11 WHQL drivers are now
available to download automatically through
GeForce Experience, and
from GeForce.com. These new drivers
give GeForce GTX owners the ultimate gaming experience in the latest blockbuster
titles, including Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, The Evil Within, F1 2014 and
Alien: Isolation, and add support for the brand new, Maxwell-powered
GeForce GTX 980 and
GeForce GTX 970, the world's most advanced graphics cards."
SQUARE ENIX announces the formation of
Shinra
Technologies, a new cloud-based service (thanks
GamesIndustry.biz). They say this could launch in the U.S. and Japan by
early next year, and the announcement indicates this project has also attracted
the interest of Ubisoft. Here's word: Shinra Technologies, Inc.
(Headquarters: New York, President: Yoichi Wada; henceforth "Shinra") announces
its establishment as a revolutionary new cloud gaming company. Shinra intends to
change the game industry ecosystem by offering new types of game experiences
through Shinra's proprietary cloud technologies. Furthermore, as a precursor to
service launch, beta tests are intended for both the United States and Japan,
beginning in early 2015.
Shinra Technologies, Inc. is a cloud gaming company whose business is based on
its unique, patented technologies. Working with partner companies in the
datacenter and network space, Shinra has created an optimized datacenter
environment for the highest-quality cloud games. Shinra intends to closely
collaborate with cutting-edge game studios to develop new, never-before-seen
game experiences, and will become the hub of a high-end cloud community for
gamers.
Shinra uses its original architecture to offer games with the power of a
"virtual supercomputer," thus enabling radically new experiences not possible on
PCs or game consoles. All games are streamed as video, and Shinra requires no
particular hardware to play its games. Furthermore, Shinra has partnered with
world-class infrastructure and network providers to ensure high video quality
and minimal latency.
Shinra has already begun negotiations with best-in-class developers worldwide.
“Ubisoft has long believed that the cloud will play an important part in
gaming’s future,” said Yves Guillemot, CEO and co-founder of Ubisoft. “We are
intrigued by the direction Shinra Technologies, Inc. is taking and look forward
to seeing what their architecture and technologies can deliver.”
Shinra is seeking additional influential developers to make practical use of its
technologies in game development, expecting to create new game designs that have
never before been possible, through close collaboration with Shinra's
technology.
Firm content lineups and service requirements will be unveiled at a later time.
In addition, further details on today’s announced beta test will be given in
coming months.
There are three additional "how will you survive" trailers from Alien:
Isolation on the official
website for the survival/horror FPS in development at Creative Assembly.
Following up on the recent
"don't shoot" trailer,
they attempt to answer a few more questions: " Hear
You Scream" and the earlier
"No Escape" and
"In The Vents"
trailers. Here's the official explanation: "The second release of trailers in
Alien: Isolation’s #HowWillYouSurvive series of shorts – Don’t Shoot, In The
Vents and Hear You Scream - reminds players of the dangers that wait around
every corner of the station. Patience and cunning are the watchwords for
survival, panic and it’s all over." Alien: Isolation is expected on October 7th
for Windows and consoles. Continue here to read the full story.
RedBedlam announces a patch for Bedlam is now available via early access
on Steam.
This post has details on the new version, and they celebrate the news with a
new trailer showing
off what this changes in the "genre jumping shooter." Here's word: "The
September content patch adds gameplay to the first two gameworlds (Starfire &
Death or Glory), in addition to a zombie sewer level and the inclusion of German
subtitles. It also introduces the first two arcade levels, Chilli Chomper and
Guano Attack – which riff on classic arcade titles Pac Man and Space Invaders.
The new content expands Bedlam to 15 levels and around 3 hours of gameplay time,
and includes many bug fixes." Continue here to read the full story.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 reviews are in.
- ASRock D1800B-ITX Motherboard on
Hardware Secrets.
- ASUS GeForce GTX 970 STRIX OC Edition on
ocaholic.
- ASUS Maximus VII Formula on
Bjorn3D.com.
- ASUS Strix GTX 970 OC 4 GB on
techPowerUp.
- Cooltek UMX2 Gehäuse on
Technic3D. German.
- EVGA GTX 970 SC ACX 4 GB on
techPowerUp.
- Fractal Design Core 3300 on
APH
Networks.
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 G1 Gaming on
ocaholic.
- Kingston HyperX FURY 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive on
Overclockers Club.
- Kingston SM2280S3 M.2 SATA 120 GiB SSD on
Hardware Secrets.
- Logitech UE Boom Wireless Bluetooth 360-degree Speaker on
TweakTown.
- MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G GPU on
Modders-Inc.
- Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000 AC3200 Wireless Router on
TweakTown.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 SLI on
techPowerUp.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 SLI vs GTX 780 SLI at 2560x1440 on
TweakTown.
- NVIDIA GTX 980 on
AnandTech,
Benchmark Reviews,
Bjorn3D.com,
HARDOCP,
Hardware Canucks,
HardwareHeaven.com,
LAN OC,
Legion Hardware,
Legit Reviews,
Neoseeker,
Overclockers Club,
Techgage,
techPowerUp,
TechSpot,
The Tech Report,
TweakTown, and
Vortez.
- Plextor PX-G256M6e M.2 256GB PCIE SSD on
Futurelooks.
- RAIDON Runner GR2660 SSD-HDD RAID Enclosure on
The SSD Review.
- Rosewill R-Studio SP-4310BT Bluetooth Wireless 2.1 Speaker on
MEGATech Reviews.
- SteelSeries Sims 4 Gaming Headset on
pcGameware.
- Tt eSports Ventus Gaming Mouse on
Modders-Inc.
Ahoy there! Hey, look at that, I'm not just reporting the headlines, I'm living them. I got word from my
bank yesterday they're sending me a replacement card because mine was among the
billion cards compromised in the Home Depot breach. I'd been meaning to replace
it anyway, since the magnetic stripe doesn't always read when swiped, so thanks
hax0rs! And of course pirates. Yarr!
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