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Archived News:
Gameion announces that Hyperspace Pinball has been approved though
Steam
Greenlight, and this hybrid pinball/shooter game will be released for
Windows, OS X, and Linux in September. Here's
a recent trailer
showing off the prototype, and here's the announcement: Gamieon's Hyperspace Pinball has been Greenlit by the Steam community and is
expected to be released on Steam for the PC, Mac and Linux platforms in late
September. This one-of-a-kind game which combines arcade action with pinball
excitement has already rocked mobile markets with over one hundred thousand
downloads.
Gamieon is a one-developer part-time Indie game studio located in beautiful
Tampa, Florida. Established in 2004 by Christopher Haag, Gamieon has celebrated
a decade of development which includes four released games, two upcoming
releases and six playable prototypes.
The upcoming release of Hyperspace Pinball on Steam will come with dazzling
graphics and gameplay which stand apart from other games. Play over twenty
challenge-filled levels destroying invading aliens using only pinball flippers
and a light ball. Rack up big points and power ups by looping the ball around
the table, getting bonuses, and beating one of several unlockable
mini-challenges.
Features:
- Colorful graphics that blend space and fantasy themes
- Over 20 challenging levels
- Steam achievements and leaderboards
- Collectable Steam trading cards
Prepare yourself for the most fun and unique pinball playing experience with
Hyperspace Pinball!
Continue here to read the full story.
Devolver Digital announces that RONIN will be officially released one
week for today, following a run by the De Niro-free platformer as an Early
Access title. This trailer
from a while back shows off the concept, while
a Let's Play Poorly video
shows off more than an hour of gameplay from the alpha version. Here's word:
Katana-wielding publisher Devolver Digital and razor wire enthusiast
Tomasz Waclawek announced today that the turn-based ninja platformer RONIN will
emerge from the Early Access shadows on June 30. Last month's Early Access
assassin propelled revenge-seeking fans into a feedback frenzy as they worked
with developer Waclawek to make the final tweaks to the game, perfecting RONIN
for PCs everywhere this month.
RONIN and the RONIN Digital Special Edition will launch on Steam, GOG, and other
digital services with 25% off the $12.99 / £9.99 / € 12.99 price for the
standard game and $19.99 / £14.99 / € 19.99 price for the Digital Special
Edition. The RONIN Digital Special Edition includes the game, an exclusive
full-color digital comic, and the full original soundtrack in both MP3 and FLAC
formats.
A
Steam Community Group Announcement tells us that Dreamfall Chapters: Book
Three is coming on Thursday for Windows, OS X, and SteamOS. Word is: "The third
episode of Dreamfall Chapters arrives this coming Thursday, June 25th. This will
be an automatic and free update for all players." The post points the way to
this trailer with a
look. Thanks Gamer's Hell. Continue here to read the full story.
The Tomb Raider website now offers
the Siberian Wilderness
trailer from Rise of the Tomb Raider used to show off Lara Croft's
next adventures at E3. The clip runs over 14 minutes, and includes gameplay footage as
well as cinematics, including the revered theme of making our protagonist suffer
in an unforgiving environment. Here's the description: "While searching for a
lost city in Siberia, Lara and her friend Jonah become separated when a massive
avalanche triggers during a storm. Lara must scavenge resources, forge weapons,
and gain an advantage over Trinity forces in pursuit of the secret she seeks.
Discover the legend within. Rise of the Tomb Raider launches November 10th on
Xbox One and Xbox 360." Continue here to read the full story.
The Demetrios website is home to
Demetrios - The BIG Cynical Adventure, an upcoming point-and-click dealie
for Windows inspired by the Broken Sword series. This is planned for release
early next year, but the first chapter of the game is available now as a
playable demo for those willing to submit their email addresses. Here's a
description: The game puts you in the shoes of Bjorn Thonen, an antique
seller being robbed one night after coming back home drunk. Doing his own
investigation with the help of Sandra, his next-door neighbor, he ends up
involved in a mysterious and murky affair. But these two unlikely heroes may be
able to surpass themselves and discover ancient secrets!
Demetrios is inspired by the Broken Sword adventure games, and features Full HD,
hand-painted visuals and animated characters in first person view, similar to
visual novels. You might also encounter a little pinch of Discworld (some of the
humor), Gabriel Knight (comic cutscenes, characters heads/dialogs), Phoenix
Wright (first person view investigation)...
CapCom Unity announces details about beta testing for Street Fighter V,
though the specifics they offer are for testing of the PlayStation 4 version of
the upcoming fighting sequel. They do make mention of the Windows edition,
however, saying beta testing should begin this autumn. Here's word: "The first
Beta is exclusive to PlayStation 4, so the below instructions only apply to this
initial test. The first PC Beta test will start this fall, and we will post up
further details on the PC Beta at a later date."
Gearbox Software announces the release of Catch a Ride, the third installment in Tales from the Borderlands, Telltale's episodic adventure based on
the shooter series. The headline says "Releasing
6/18-6/20" which is some weird way of saying the Windows, OS X, PS4, and PS3
editions are out today. A
new trailer celebrates the news, and here's what they say about the episode: In
Episode 3, after a dizzying escape from a very-near-almost-certain-death
scenario (involving statuesque buttocks), Rhys and Fiona find themselves looking
for another piece of the puzzle that will lead them to the untold riches of
Vault key ownership. Lost in the mysterious jungle of an Atlas terraforming
facility, Fiona finds help from an unexpected mentor, Rhys continues to share
brain-space with the disembodied mind of a dead dictator, and love is in the
air. Pursued by the ruthless criminal 'Queenpin' Vallory, and with very little
help from Vaughn's accountancy skills (or stellar abs), getting anywhere near
the Vault will be entirely up to you.
Continue here to read the full story.
CapCom Unity announces the release of the Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition,
and the Windows edition of the "definitive version" of the action game
is now available through Steam.
A look at what this includes is offered through the
Launch Trailer and
they celebrate the news with word from game director Hideaki Itsuno on this,
including character design: Regarding Nero’s new “Prototype” costume:
I was originally planning to have him in the standard Order of the Sword
uniform, but the producer felt I should include the costume that meant the most
to me personally as the director, so I went with this. It’s one of the early
designs that was nixed early on in the original game’s development.
The costume is characterized by the double-button coat, a motif borrowed from
old Japanese military uniforms, along with the scarf, which symbolizes his role
as the hero. We strove perhaps a bit too hard for uniqueness, and in the end we
felt it came off a bit too comic booky, so it wasn’t selected as his final
design. But it does look considerably more “heroic” than his current design,
wouldn’t you say? It’s pretty cool seeing his scarf flowing in the breeze during
cutscenes when you select this costume, so be sure to try it out for yourself.
Continue here to read the full story.
This
video (NSFW) is the E3 demonstration of Shadow Warrior 2, the upcoming
sequel to the first-person shooter/slasher remake. The clip shows off almost 15
minutes of gameplay, including an NPC who used to be a ninja like you, before he
took an arrow to the knee. Word is: "Shadow Warrior 2 is the stunning evolution
of Flying Wild Hog’s offbeat first-person shooter following the further
misadventures of former corporate shogun Lo Wang. Now surviving as a reclusive
mercenary on the edge of a corrupted world, the formidable warrior must again
wield a devastating combination of guns, blades, magic and wit to strike down
the demonic legions overwhelming the world. Battle alongside allies online in
four-player co-op or go it alone in spectacular procedurally-generated
landscapes to complete daring missions and collect powerful new weapons, armor,
and arcane relics of legend." Continue here to read the full story.
GuildWars2.com has an update from ArenaNet to address
the backlash over pricing
of Heart of Thorns, the upcoming Guild Wars 2 expansion, since
the inclusion of the base game made owners of the MMORPG sequel feel they were
paying for it twice. They explain how they helped cause confusion by how this
was presented, and outline a price adjustment through a refund policy they hope
will appease their loyal customers: In our January 23 FAQ, we wanted to
clarify that Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns would not be a stand-alone campaign
like those offered in Guild Wars ® in the past (Factions® and Nightfall®), but
instead would be a true expansion to Guild Wars 2 similar to what Guild Wars:
Eye of the North® was to our original game. We wanted you to know that access to
much of the content in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns requires access to Guild
Wars 2. Some read the FAQ as us urging players to buy the core game now, in
preparation for the expansion release. This was not our intention and amendments
made to the FAQ following the announcement were a good-faith attempt to clarify
this misinterpretation. As such, we’re offering a comprehensive refund policy.
For all players who purchased the Guild Wars 2 core game from our website and
registered it between January 23, 2015 and June 16, 2015 in anticipation of
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, we will automatically refund what you paid for
the core game should you decide to pre-purchase Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns
from our website or in-game store any time through July 31, 2015. If you take
advantage of this refund and pre-purchase Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, all of
your current account progress will be kept intact. We’ll provide further details
on when refunds will be processed in the next couple weeks as we set up this
process.
If you purchased the core Guild Wars 2 game from our website and registered it
between January 23, 2015 and June 16, 2015, and you no longer want to play Guild
Wars 2, we will refund your core game purchase price and close your account
provided you make the request by July 31, 2015. Please contact our
Customer Support team to make this request.
If you purchased the core game from a third party, we are unable to provide a
refund. However, if you registered the core game between January 23, 2015 and
June 16, 2015 and upgrade it by prepurchasing any Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns
edition before Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns‘ launch, we will add one additional
character slot to your Guild Wars 2 account. The process of delivering your
additional character slot will be the same as described above. If you would like
a refund, you will need to contact that third party, as refunds are dependent on
their policies and rules.{/quote
Ubisoft is now offering preorders of The Division, saying they include
access to closed beta testing of the upcoming Tom Clancy shooter for Windows,
Xbox One, or PlayStation 4, though as
previously announced the beta will be a
timed exclusive for Xbox One this December. They explain
in the FAQ: "Xbox One players will be able to experience the beta during an
exclusive first look this December. An additional beta on Xbox One,
PlayStation®4 system, and PC will take place in early 2016. More details are
coming soon!" They are also
accepting signups for a waiting list which does not
require preordering, though they warn this does not guarantee beta access.
Thanks
GameSpot.
There's no letting up on the crowdfunding accelerator for inXile Entertainment
unveils a Loyalty Rewards Program as an incentive for backers of their prior
projects to commit to supporting development of The Bard's Tale IV, their
upcoming RPG remake. This is a limited-time offer,
as this page
for the program says this offer only runs through Thursday, but also
reassures those who already qualify that they retroactively qualify. Here's
word: Anyone who backed Wasteland 2 or Torment: Tides of Numenera
previously, who also backs The Bard’s Tale IV at $20 or above, will get a
FREE bonus reward (listed below) containing items from either Torment,
Wasteland 2 or The Bard’s Tale IV!
Additionally, any returning Wasteland 2 or Torment backers of
The
Bard’s Tale IV at $33 or above will also receive FREE copies of Ultima
Underworld 1 & 2 from GOG.com, a special offer from our friends at
OtherSide Entertainment.
For the free bonus reward you can choose from the following premium digital
rewards from our previous campaigns (up to $15 value!).
- Digital Torment Novella Compilation
- Digital Torment Comic Compilation
- Digital Wasteland 2 Novella Compilation
- Digital Torment Concept Art Book
- Digital Torment Soundtrack
- Digital Wasteland 2 Concept Art Book
- Digital The Bard’s Tale IV Soundtrack
- Digital “History of The Bard’s Tale” Novella Compilation
- Digital The Bard’s Tale IV novellas
* Promotional rewards will be delivered after The Bard’s Tale IV Kickstarter
campaign’s conclusion as soon as they’re released. You will be sent an email
prompting you to select one of the rewards listed above.
** The Wasteland 2 Novella compilation, Wasteland 2 Concept Art Book and 2 of
the Torment novellas have been released so far. Other rewards will be made
available via The Bard’s Tale IV backer web site as they are added.
More from inXile, as a
Wasteland 2 Kickstarter update reveals a name change for what was announced
as the Wasteland 2 Game of the Year Edition, saying this will now be released with the title
Wasteland 2 Director's Cut, saying this more accurately reflects the additional
content this will include than the original game (thanks nin). They offer a
new trailer to
celebrate the news, and here's word: Why the change? We feel that this
new title more accurately reflects the contents of the update. Rather than just
being a repackaging of the same old content, the Director's Cut name indicates
the sheer scope of the changes involved. With many all-new features that you
have requested, overhauled graphics, an upgrade to a new game engine, and tons
of new recorded voice-over, not to mention controller support and Xbox One and
PlayStation 4 versions – Wasteland 2 Director's Cut is truly the definitive
version of the game. And of course, anyone who currently owns Wasteland 2 will
get the Director’s Cut on PC, Mac and Linux for FREE!
Continue here to read the full story.
WBIE officially announces the release of Batman Arkham Knight,
Rocksteady's conclusion of their Arkham series of superhero games. As
noted earlier there are complaints
about the performance of the Windows edition of the game, which are helped but
not solved by AMD and NVIDIA
drivers with specific optimizations for the game. Here's word: “This is
how it happened, this is how the Batman died.” Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman™: Arkham Knight, the
epic conclusion to Rocksteady Studios’ award-winning, best-selling Batman:
Arkham trilogy, is available now for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment
system, Xbox One and Windows PC.
Batman: Arkham Knight raises the stakes for The Dark Knight like never before as
he faces the ultimate threat against Gotham City. The intense, atmospheric
foundation of Batman™: Arkham Asylum, which escalated in the devastating
conspiracy against the inmates in Batman™: Arkham City, culminates in the
ultimate showdown in Gotham City in which players can explore a completely open
and free-roaming game world. For the first time in the series, players will able
to experience the ultimate and complete Batman experience with the newly
introduced Batmobile that has been uniquely designed to be fully drivable
throughout the open game world and capable of transformation from high speed
Pursuit Mode to military grade Battle Mode.
“The Batman: Arkham series is one of Warner Bros.’ most popular and critically
acclaimed video game franchises, and with Batman: Arkham Knight, we are giving
players the game they have always asked for,” said David Haddad, Executive Vice
President and General Manager, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Batman:
Arkham Knight is the culmination of Rocksteady Studios’ dedication to deliver
both an amazing narrative tale and thrilling gameplay experience from beginning
to end.”
Continue here to read the full story.
Square Enix announces the launch of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward, the
expansion for their MMORPG for Windows and now OS X as well as PlayStation 3 and
4. You can pick this up on the
Square Enix Online
Store, last week's
launch trailer offers a look, and here's a list of key features:
- All the hallmarks of the FINAL FANTASY®
franchise, including genre-leading graphics and real-time cut scenes, an
all-new soundtrack, and an immersive story experience
- Level cap increased from level 50 to level
60
- New player race, the Au Ra – with unique
curved horns and scaled skin, the Au Ra hail from the eastern continent of
Othard
- New jobs: dark knight, astrologian and
machinist – players will be able to master three FINAL FANTASY jobs such
as dark knight (Tank) who wields a two-handed greatsword and the power of
darkness, astrologian (Healer) who use a divining deck and star globe to
call on the powers of the stars to heal allies and support party members, or
machinist (DPS) who deals damage from afar by using a combination of
firearms and mechanical turrets that can be deployed on the battlefield
- High-end raids, includes a new raid dungeon
series within the mechanical colossus “Alexander,” based off the legendary
boss in the FINAL FANTASY series
- New beast tribes and powerful primals –
players will encounter the Vanu Vanu and their primal, Bismark, and the
Gnath, and their primal Ravana, allowing players to form new allegiances
- Flying mounts – Accompanying the vast new
areas that feature floating islands are flying mounts for players to pilot
such as the flying black chocobo and single-rider airships
- New gear, recipes and more
NCSOFT explains their business model for
Blade & Soul, their free-to-play
game coming to western audiences this autumn. They will discuss this further in
a livestream tomorrow, and here's what they say about this for now: When
we announced Blade & Soul, we said it would be free-to-play. Now, we’re giving
you the lowdown on how free-to-play we’re going to be.
Our Philosophy
We believe in letting everyone play the game as it’s intended to be played –
skill-based progression throughout all the available content. No paywalls will
hold you back, and no amount of money will give you an unfair competitive
advantage over other players. We don’t like pay-to-win, so what we are offering
are cosmetics, convenience, and consumables – not power, not gear, not permanent
stat increases. We’re also going to make sure that we have a regular schedule of
content updates that everyone will be able to enjoy.
NCoin & In-game Coin
Our cash shop in the game will be using NCoin – you’ll recognize it as the
currency that WildStar will be using, as well as the North American-published
Aion and Lineage II. You can purchase NCoin online or through retail outlets (US
Only). With this NCoin, you’ll be able to purchase convenience items like food,
potions, and repair tools; quality of life improvements such as character slots,
inventory expansions, and Premium memberships; and cosmetic items like costumes
and accessories.
We’re also introducing an in-game currency that is earned through gameplay. This
in-game currency can be used to purchase many of the same items in the cash shop
as what NCoin can purchase, including event-related items.
Premium Membership
An item offered in our cashshop is Premium Membership, which is active for 30
days. Having an active membership will give you all sorts of quality of life
benefits to enhance your enjoyment of the game – for example, a special windwalk
animation and discounts in the Auction House. The benefits of membership are
specifically developed for Blade & Soul West and will keep in line with our
philosophy – no power boosts here.
Our membership comes in Tiers; you start at Tier 1 and immediately unlock all
sorts of neat benefits that get better as you rise in tiers. Membership tier
levels increase with the amount of NCoin and in-game currency that is spent
including on Premium Membership itself! Once you’ve unlocked a tier, you will
never drop below it but you will need an active membership in order to
experience all the benefits; as soon as your membership is inactive, you lose
access to the benefits.
Founders Packs
Want guaranteed access to the Closed Beta that’s coming this fall? We’re
offering 3 different Founders Packs, and all three come with a Closed Beta key
that’s good for the entire CBT period. More details about the Pack contents will
be coming soon as we get closer to opening up pre-order on these packs.
Have questions? Join us on our Livestream on June 24th at 10AM PDT
Today is the release of Batman: Arkham Knight, the new installment in the
superhero series. Unfortunately,
PC Gamer reports that the PC port "appears to be a disaster," noting that
this may explain why they did not receive review code for the Windows version
prior to release. The complaints center around performance, citing stuttering,
framerate issues (even on high end cards), and a 30 FPS limit, noting that this
can be worked around by editing the setting that reads "Max_FPS=30" in the
BmSystemSettings.ini file. There's a big thread
on NeoGAF
discussing the issues and possible solutions.
AMD now offers AMD Catalyst beta version 15.6 drivers for Windows 7 and
Windows 8.1, which include
the promised
optimizations for Batman: Arkham Knight. They note that they've crossed
out Crossfire support until they've worked things out: "AMD Crossfire support is
currently disabled for Batman™: Arkham Knight while AMD works closely with
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to resolve the issue. An update for this
issue will be released as soon as it is available."
The
Frontier Developments Store now offers
pre-orders for Planet Coaster as well as an
Early Bird Beta Pass for the upcoming theme-park game, charging $29.99 for
the game, but a whopping $74.99 for beta access. They don't specify when the
beta begins, or whether it's already underway, saying simply: "Your Early Bird
Beta pass will give you access to our beta version of Planet Coaster before its
release, and full access to the complete game on release." Thanks
Eurogamer.
As noted on
UbiBlog,
Ubisoft is now
accepting preorders for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege as Standard, Gold,
and Collector's Editions of the shooter sequel that's expected in October. The
Collector's Edition includes a backpack and other physical rewards to justify
its $149.99 price tag, but the Windows version is listed as PC Digital, even
though a steelbox case is one of its perks. The gold edition includes a DLC
season pass, and preorder customers are promised access to the closed beta test.
Here's word on what it includes: Included in the Rainbow Six Siege
Collector’s Edition are:
Rainbow Six Siege Standard Edition
Season Pass
Steelbox – Designed exclusively for the Collector’s Edition
CTU Operators Hat – Flat-brim snapback hat
Compass Carabiner – Black and gray carabiner with a compass and bottle opener
Operator Backpack – Military-style backpack with a padded laptop pocket. Comes
with seven Operator badges that attach to the sides of the backpack with Velcro.
Art of the Siege Tactical Guide – Exclusive 120-page guide
The Art of the Siege Tactical Guide will provide you with all the tips and
tricks to give you an edge over your opponents. With advice straight from the
development team, the guide highlights each of the Operators and CTUs, weapons,
and maps.
Anarkis Gaming announces the release
of version 1.0 of Unending Galaxy, a top-down 2D space strategy game that
includes elements of a sandbox space simulation and a 4X strategy game. The
launch trailer
offers as look at the game. Here's word: Unending Galaxy is a top down 2D
sandbox, simulation and strategy game based in space. The game allows you to
play at any level from being a small time pirate to the ruler of a large empire.
You can fight, trade, explore, build factories, and amass a fleet to form your
own faction and conquer others’. This is its most unique feature: it can be
played as a classic space simulation (old Elite), a 4X game (Sins of a Solar
Empire) or anything in between (X3). The universe is dynamic and fully
simulated, NPC ships live their own lives, factions are able to conquer
territories and conduct diplomacy while their economy influences their military
production and strength. It can be played on both hand crafted maps and
procedurally generated ones. And it has full modding support.
Continue here to read the full story.
Like the Oscars for movie trailers:
Kotaku - How Valve Could Solve The Steam Backlog Problem.
"It all got me thinking, though: what if, from time-to-time, Steam
just... stopped for a bit? What if this sort of thing happened more often,
but maybe with a little less focus on a big sale? There could still be a
huge event involved, but perhaps it would be centered around digging through
your backlog, pushing through games you’ve been meaning to get around to for
ages. Valve is, for better or worse, utterly masterful at crafting metagames
that get people to care about stuff they normally wouldn’t. Case in point:
Steam trading cards, badges, etc. More specific case in point: the Steam
summer sale’s Monster Game, which somehow convinced millions of people to
click until their bones ached and their calluses wept."
- Corsair Netzteile RM1000i und RM650i on
Technic3D. German.
- EpicGear Gekkota on
ocaholic.
- EVGA GTX 980 Ti SC+ 6 GB on
techPowerUp.
- Logitech G910 Orion Spark on
LAN OC.
- Linksys AC1200 Amplify RE6700 Wi-Fi Range Extender on
TweakTown.
- PowerColor PCS+ R9 390 8GB on
Overclockers Club.
- PowerColor TurboDuo R9 290 4GB OC Video Card on
HARDOCP.
- Thermaltake ToughPower DPS G 1050W Power Supply Unit on
Nikk Tech.
- TP-Link Archer C9 AC1900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router on
eTeknix.
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