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Archived News:
Gearbox Software is offering the chance to be selected to participate in closed
technical testing of Battleborn, their upcoming hero shooter. You must
have a SHiFT account to be
eligible, signups are underway on this
page, and testing will take place for Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
They don't specify when testing will begin, but note that the game will be
released on February 9th. They also outline what will impact your chances of
getting in: "Participants are selected on a number of criteria based on the
needs for testing, including (but not limited) platform preference, location and
availability."
Publisher Versus Evil and developer Redacted Studios now offer Afro Samurai
2: Revenge of Kuma for Windows and PlayStation 4, saying the Xbox One
edition of the platformer sequel is due on October 9th. This is the first part
of a game that will be released in three installments, and it is being offered
separately or as part of a complete bundle. You can learn all you need to know
about the game from the Afro Samurai 2
website, and here's a bit: Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma is a 3rd
person action packed sequel to the original Afro Samurai story and picks up
where the first game left off. Written by New York Times Best Selling Author Jim
DeFelice, the story follows the path of Kuma, a cybernetically enhanced killing
machine with a bear’s head who was made for one purpose, to kill Afro. The game
will be released over 3 distinct volumes, each with its own story arc,
characters and fighting styles to master, in addition to a unique soundtrack
created by up and coming indie hip hop artists that have been mentored by the
one and only RZA of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. RZA has been the music director
on the franchise since the original animated series and was responsible for
creating the ‘Afro Sound’ which fans of the franchise have grown to love and
respect.
CapCom Unity now offers complete system specifications for the upcoming PC
edition of Street Fighter V. Here's what kind of machine it will take to
tame the brawler sequel: Hey PC users, we’ve received quite a few
questions regarding what specs are necessary to run SFV on PC. Today, we’re
happy to provide both the minimum and recommended specs.
Just so there’s no confusion, the minimum specs are what is required for SFV to
even run on your PC while the recommended specs (in bold) are necessary to
achieve an optimal SFV experience.
OS Version
- Recommended: Windows 7 64-bit
Processor
- Minimum: Intel Core i3-4160 @ 3.60GHz
- Recommended: Intel Core i5-4690K @3.50GHz
Memory
- Minimum: 6 GB DDR3
- Recommended: 8 GB DDR3
Graphics
- Minimum: Nvidia GTX 480 (or higher)
- Nvidia GTX 570 (or higher)
- Nvidia GTX 670 (or higher)
- Recommended: GTX 960
Continue here to read the full story.
Publisher My.com and developer Obsidian Entertainment announce this weekend will
be a stress test of Armored Warfare that will be open to all interested
in checking out the upcoming mechanized combat game. They are updating the game
to version 0.9 with a new PvP map, new PvE missions, and more, all of which are
detailed in this
update. The free period runs from September 24-25, and you can head over to
the Armored Warfare website on the 23rd to
download the game client. Here's word: Stress Testing is the final test
phase before the Open Beta launch. Its aim is to provide the developers with
feedback regarding the stability of the server system and its ability to handle
a large amount of players. In order to obtain these results, the game needs as
many players as possible playing at the same time.
Stress Testing will test the abilities and capacity of the server clusters,
pushing them to their limits in order to accomplish the goals of the test round.
Under these circumstances, players should expect the following issues: server
queues, occasional latency spikes, and reduced server stability.
In addition, purchasing gold will not be possible during the Stress Test phase.
Progress will however carry over from the Early Access phase for players who
previously participated in the Early Access test.
Three new videos are now available from Overwatch, Blizzard's upcoming
team-based multiplayer shooter. There's one introducing
Roadhog and Junkrat
and then each character gets the individual treatment in a
Junkrat Ability Overview
and a Roadhog Ability
Overview. Word is: "Roadhog is a ruthless killer with a well-earned
reputation for cruelty and wanton destruction," while: "Junkrat is an
explosives-obsessed freak who lives to cause chaos and destruction." Continue here to read the full story.
This trailer
unveils plans for a Dragon Age: Inquisition Game of the Year Edition, noting the
various publications that gave the RPG over 130 GotY awards to merit this
treatment. The clip is a pretty short cinematic from BioWare's RPG sequel,
saying this will be the "definitive version, complete with all story and
gameplay content." The clip concludes saying this will be released on October
6th. This
announcement has all the details on the new edition, as well as a rundown on
the game. Continue here to read the full story.
Templar Battleforce is now available for Windows, OS X, and Linux
on Steam, offering a 15%
launch discount on this fourth game set in the Star Traders universe. Here's a
launch trailer, and
here's word: "Templar Battleforce is an addictive mix of strategic combat and
army building with the precision gameplay of RPGs. Step into a Leviathan mech
and lead the Templar Knights in battle against fierce Xenos. Create your own
unique Battleforce by recruiting an array of Templar specialists -- and invent
distinct strategies for your fireteams. Deploy your forces in tactical scenarios
that challenge both novice and veteran alike. Put your best strategies to the
test and see if you can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in this
futuristic turn-based wargame." Continue here to read the full story.
-
P.A.M.E.L.A. -- Steam Greenlight. "P.A.M.E.L.A. is an open world, sci-fi
survival horror FPS with RPG elements in development for Windows PC, release
date TBA 2016. With inspirations including Mass Effect, Deus Ex, and
Bioshock, P.A.M.E.L.A. investigates the underlying fault in humanity's
craving for technological and biological advancement."
Smart
Speak: Star Citizen – The Long Con. Thanks Kxmode.
"This company was given millions of dollars to deliver a product. They
have not delivered that product. And in all likelihood, the company – and
project – will both fail before they even get to delivering even 50% of
what’s promised. There isn’t a single pro developer on this planet, who
after looking at what has thus far been delivered, compared to what was
promised up to $65m funded, will say that they can deliver this product
within the next three years. That aside from the fact that I still do not
believe that have the tech to do the game they pitched. In fact, since my
first blog, I have already proven that much by their own dev updates which
clearly show that they were still attempting to build said tech. Four years
later."
The Hitman website
has "important release news" for Hitman, saying is delayed and that the
next installment in IO's assassination series is now expected in March 2016
(thanks
MCV). Here's word on the setback, which they somehow manage to relate to the
fact that the game will not be complete upon release, though they are adding
more content as part of the process: It’s safe to say
HITMAN is the biggest venture we’ve ever undertaken at Io-Interactive. Not just
in terms of scope and ambition but also in terms of the size of the game world
itself. The playable area and density of our locations goes beyond anything
we’ve built before. We’re striving to create a series of living, breathing
worlds in those locations and we get pretty obsessed about every detail that
you’ll experience.
On top of that, we’re going for a new release model where we put out a good
chunk of the game when it begins and then release the remaining locations over
time. We want to make absolutely sure you all get the best possible experience
when you join, so we’ve made the difficult decision to move the initial release
date to March 2016. These few extra months will mean we can add more to the
launch content of the game, more than we had originally planned, and then follow
with a tighter frequency of updates, which ultimately will create a better game
for everyone. And in the end, that’s what we’re all looking for.
WBIE announces new content for Batman: Arkham Knight, the superhero
sequel that was released for Windows and consoles before sales of the Windows
edition were suspended.
They offer a new 2008 Tumbler Batmobile Pack, which is part of the season pass,
as well as an Original Arkham Batman Skin that's free for Xbox One and
PlayStation 4 owners. They do not mention plans to release this for the
still-missing Windows edition, but do include a note saying the game will be
rereleased soon, saying: "The PC version of the game will be available in the
coming weeks." Here is a
September
Update Trailer and here are their DLC plans: Additional downloadable
content becomes available next Tuesday, September 29th:
- Crime Fighter Challenge Pack #2: Grab this Crime
Fighter Challenge Pack and receive various challenge maps for Batman,
Nightwing, Robin, Catwoman and the Batmobile. This expansive challenge pack
allows focused training in Freeflow Combat and Invisible Predator stealth
incursion.
- GCPD Lockdown: Set after the events of Arkham
Knight, play as Nightwing to stop the Penguin from breaking out of the
Gotham City Police Department in this thrilling story pack.
Stay tuned for even more Batman: Arkham Knight downloadable content coming in
October, including:
- Batman Classic TV Series Batmobile Pack: Travel
back in time with the Batman Classic TV Series Batmobile Pack. This pack
includes the 1960s TV Series Batmobile, Classic TV Series Catwoman Skin,
Classic TV Series Robin Skin and two racetracks inspired by the Batman
Classic TV Series.
- Catwoman's Revenge: Set after the events of Arkham
Knight, prowl the night as Catwoman as she seeks her revenge on the Riddler
with this story pack.
- Crime Fighter Challenge Pack #3: Get this Crime
Fighter Challenge Pack to receive various combat and predator maps featuring
Batman, Nightwing, Robin, and Azrael.
Continue here to read the full story.
Steam News announces the
release of Blood Bowl 2,
kicking off a new season for the Warhammer-inspired tackle football game. Here's
word: TOUCHDOWN!
Blood Bowl 2 smashes Warhammer and American football together, in an explosive
cocktail of turn-based strategy, humour and brutality, adapted from Games
Workshop’s famous boardgame.
Blood Bowl 2’s new graphics engine and high-flying realization makes for a
faithful portrayal of the fury and intensity of classic Blood Bowl matches. The
solo game mode will have you lead the famous Reikland Reavers. Former star team
of Blood Bowl you are tasked with bringing them back to glory, following a full
story campaign supported by the hilarious commentators Jim & Bob from
Cabalvision. Each match of the campaign is unique, with unexpected and
surprising events constantly renewing the experience!
Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians is delayed until late next year
according to a
new development update on this "spiritual successor in a storied line of
epic tactical RPGs designed by Yasumi Matsuno," which include Final Fantasy
Tactics and Vagrant's Story (thanks nin). The game was
Kickstarted with $660,126 in pledges from 15,824 backers, and a
report on Kotaku calls the situation a "disaster" and refers to backers as
"suckers." The update from developer PlayDek outlines problems with publishers
and a financial crunch that cost them some staff as contributing factors to the
setback, but they maintain optimism that they will still be able to provide "the
best playing tactical RPG possible." Here's what they are concentrating on:
We are currently focused on building out the attribute, stat and item
tables for two character schools, and balancing them, using PvP as the method
for doing so. The plan is to have all of the schools thoroughly tested and
balanced in PvP, with all of the item and character tree progression included.
First we will get to a solid playing tactics experience that is fun, engaging
and challenging, that we will then use to script out the scenarios for Matsuno’s
campaign episodes. The final game experience will consist of Matsuno’s story
campaigns that you will play through against the A.I., with replay value that
allows for character growth and item collection. Player’s will also be able to
skirmish against the A.I. in arenas, and matchup against other players in online
PvP.
The
Sword Coast Legends website announces new launch dates for the D&D
RPG, saying the Windows, OS X, and Linux editions will launch on October 20th
after previously being expected on
September 29th (at one point they were
expected
yesterday). Here's the deal, along with word on consolation prizes:
Following a successful Head Start access program for Sword Coast Legends,
over 15 thousand players have logged thousands of hours of playtime, clearing
dungeons and taking advantage of the title’s powerful Dungeon Master campaign
creation features to create a wealth of customized adventures. Based on player
feedback, n-Space plans to focus efforts on polish to provide players with the
best possible experience at launch.
"When we set out to create Sword Coast Legends we wanted to give players an
exciting new way to experience the magic of playing D&D with friends," said Dan
Tudge, President of n-Space and Director for Sword Coast Legends. "The decision
to delay the launch of Sword Coast Legends was not an easy one to make, but
after receiving feedback from our dedicated community, it became clear that a
few more weeks of polish would provide our customers with the best possible
experience at launch."
As a special thanks to committed adventurers and Dungeon Masters, all players
who pre-ordered Sword Coast Legends – whether they participated in the recent
bonus Head Start access program or not – will receive the upcoming "Rage of
Demons" DLC for free in addition to access to any upcoming Head Start access
programs.
Frictional Games now offers SOMA for Windows and PlayStation 4, the latest
survival/horror game from the Amnesia and Penumbra developer intended to plunge
us "into the abyss to tear at the delicate threads of human consciousness." Here's a
launch trailer, and
here's word on the game from Creative Director Thomas Grip: "Five years
ago, SOMA started as a simple idea; to make a game that would explore the more
disturbing aspects of what it means to be a conscious being. Since then, we have
gone through years of iterations, lots of hard work and almost tripled the size
of our team. And finally, today, the game is done. We are very proud of how it
has turned out, and feel that we have achieved what we set out to do. It has
easily been the most ambitious project we have undertaken, and getting to this
point has been quite a struggle. We hope people find SOMA to be a creepy and
provocative experience that stays with them long after playing."
Continue here to read the full story.
The
GeForce website now offers new version 355.98 WHQL-certified Windows drivers
for NVIDIA accelerators, saying these are the "game-ready" drivers for
Killing
Floor 2, Tripwire's first-person shooter sequel. Here's word: The new GeForce Game Ready 355.98
WHQL Killing Floor 2 drivers are now available to download from
GeForce Experience and
GeForce.com. With Game Ready
optimizations for the 6-player co-op shooter, our latest driver is a recommended
update for fans of Tripwire Interactive's goretastic game.
Game Ready For Killing Floor 2
Killing Floor 2 is a fast-paced first-person shooter in which you and up to
five others tackle waves of deadly 'zeds'. It has sold many copies on Steam, as
has the first game in the series, and is working towards an official release
following a period of Early Access development.
Recently, developers Tripwire Interactive upgraded Killing Floor 2's gorey
gameplay with spectacular
NVIDIA PhysX Flex effects, enabling blood, bile, and other bits of gore to
interact thanks to GPU acceleration. Like so:
The result is quite something, and paves the way for Flex effects in future
games. For more on Killing Floor 2, check out the trailer for the latest Early
Access update:
Continue here to read the full story.
There are updates on the
Tribes Ascend website
discussing plans to revive support for the multiplayer shooter from Hi-Rez
Studios. A
recent post has notes for a version 1.1 patch coming to the game that's
already available on their public test server. These show a
new CTF map, class changes, the removal of some loadout restrictions, and
say that all default items from their old class system are now available for
free to everyone. There's no set date for when the update will hit the live
servers, but there are hands-on impressions of the version on the PTR in a
preview on PC Gamer.
Polygon has word on plans to revive Red Baron, the classic World War
I flight simulator released in the 1990s by Dynamix. A
Kickstarter for the game a couple
of years ago failed, though the associated
Steam
Greenlight succeeded, and in a conversation with designer Damon Slye, they
learn that Mad Otter Games still hopes this will take off: Slye is now
looking for raise $50,000 to create a decent prototype which can then be offered
up for crowd-funding, with a potential release in 2016.
He believes that with the centenary of WWI, interest in a biplane combat game
ought to be high. "The airplanes are beautiful," he says. "The paint schemes the
Germans had were just amazing, with the different crests. They had the red
triplane, but then they had all kinds of different checkered patterns.
"And of course there's still that notion of chivalry, which was there when the
war started but soon went out of the window, even for the pilots."
GOG.com announces
they are now offering System Shock, a version of the action/RPG classic updated
by Night Dive Studios, and devoid of DRM, as is the GOG.com way. The changes to
what they are calling the Enhanced Edition include mouse look and support for
widescreen monitors (though not at particularly high resolution), though the
release also includes a classic mode with no changes other than support for
modern computers. There will be a live stream discussing the game
on Twitch tomorrow at noon EDT.
This trailer offers a
look at the enhanced version of the game, and here's word, including details on a discount for those
who already own the GOG.com edition of System Shock 2: On release, System
Shock forever changed the face of action gaming - it ushered an era of
storytelling, choices, and RPG elements - directly influencing all-time classics
like Deus Ex and Bioshock. Today, the legend returns in better shape than ever.
"With System Shock: Enhanced Edition, we're implementing game-changing
improvements, including mouselook, widescreen, and a high resolution display
mode," says Stephen Kick, CEO of Night Dive Studios. "The classic game has never
been more accessible to a modern audience."
The re-release supports resolutions up to 1024x768 (compared to the original
640x480), and a native 854x480 widescreen mode. Gameplay was also streamlined
with a toggleable mouselook mode, including more intuitive inventory and item
management. Combined with assorted bug-fixes and remappable controls, System
Shock is now truly enhanced.
Some gaming experiences are truly worth preserving. Gamers can also return to
the authentic 90's gameplay with System Shock: Classic - ready for modern
systems, completely unaltered in all other aspects. Both releases are available
in a single package, with a 40% discount for all System Shock 2 owners on
GOG.com - and 20% off for everyone. The discounted offer will last until
Tuesday, September 29, 6:59 AM GMT.
Continue here to read the full story.
Feral Interactive announces the Linux and OS X editions of Aliens Isolation
are coming on September 29th in a Steam bundle of the survival/horror game and
all its DLC. Here's word: "Alien: Isolation – The Collection will include all
DLC previously released for the game including two stand-alone missions set
aboard Ellen Ripley’s ship the Nostromo, in which players become a member of the
original crew and attempt to evade, contain, and ultimately escape the Alien.
The Collection also includes five mission packs that add new maps, playable
characters and challenges to Survivor and Salvage modes, outside the main
story."
I had some Internet glitches this morning, which seem to have cleared up
already. It surprised me how much this surprised me, as it made me recall the
days when the Internet was held together with spit and chewing gum, and
connectivity issues were commonplace. Nowadays having a problem for an hour was
so unusual it took me a while to believe it was actually happening. Thankfully
it all cleared itself up quickly enough, and everything seems to be working as
intended again.
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