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Archived News:
Rebellion officially announces Sniper Elite 4, confirming plans for a new
installment in the sharpshooting series, saying this is coming to Windows, Xbox
One, and PlayStation 4 this year. They illustrate the news with
this
teaser trailer, and offer the following details: Independent
developer and publisher Rebellion has revealed that the next game in the 10
million selling Sniper Elite series is launching this year for PlayStation 4,
Xbox One and PC.
Set in the immediate aftermath of its award-winning predecessor, Sniper Elite 4
continues the series’ World War Two heritage by transporting players to the
beautiful and diverse environments of Italy in 1943.
Covert agent and elite marksman Karl Fairburne must fight alongside the brave
men and women of the Italian Resistance to help free their country from the yoke
of Fascism, and defeat a terrifying new threat with the potential to halt the
Allied fightback in Europe before it’s even begun.
If his mission fails, there will be no Operation Overlord, no D-Day landings,
and no Victory in Europe.
True next-gen stealth
Running in native 1080p on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Sniper Elite 4 is
the first game in the series built without the constraints of older hardware and
aims to deliver the definitive World War Two shooter for a generation.
From sun-drenched Mediterranean coastal towns to colossal Nazi megastructures,
daunting forests and giddying mountain monasteries inspired by Monte Cassino,
Sniper Elite 4 will offer breathless emergent stealth action and unrivalled
sniping freedom across maps many times the size of those seen in Sniper Elite 3.
Key Facts / Assets
- Launching 2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC
- Developed and published by Rebellion
- Features dedicated campaign, co-op and adversarial
multiplayer modes.
- Press kit (including trailer and screenshots) can
be downloaded here.
- For more info head to
www.sniperelite4.com
Continue here to read the full story.
The
GeForce website offers new version 364.47 WHQL-certified drivers for GeForce
graphics cards, saying these are game-ready for Tom Clancy's The Division,
Need
For Speed, Hitman, and Ashes of the Singularity. They also say that they've
performed a Vulcan mind-meld with their Vulkan support: " Last
month we launched fully-conformant drivers for the new Vulkan graphics API.
Now, that support is built into the main Game Ready driver branch, enabling you
to enjoy the latest DirectX and Vulkan games with Game Ready optimizations, with
a single download."
A
Kickstarter update for OVERLOAD offers a playable teaser demo of this
proposed 6DOF shooter from some of the folks who created the original Descent.
This is for Windows, only, and they offer apologies to their backers on other
platforms. The crowdfunding campaign needs a boost to succeed as it enters its
final days, and they hope this chance to experience a bit of the game will help
some folks decide to become backers (though they do admit to some rough edges
from the rush to put this together). Here's word from the team: "We've already
released this demo to our Kickstarter backers, and the incredibly positive
response brings back great memories of releasing Descent shareware in 1994. The
amazing and overwhelming feedback we got from that release -- and the community
of enthusiastic fans that we developed -- helped make Descent into a success.
It's really exciting to be doing that again with Overload."
- An
Oath to the Stars -- Steam Greenlight. "Himeki Games, an independent
game studio based in London, has submitted to Steam Greenlight An Oath to
the Stars, a hardcore Danmaku SHMUP inspired by Japanese classics such as
Ikaruga, Eschatos and Dodonpachi, with anime characters and a very peculiar
art style."
Tim Sweeney is missing the point; the PC platform needs fixing - Ars
Technica.
"Why are the UWP restrictions worthwhile? What Sweeney seems to miss is
that the PC platform is, for many people, broken, and a lot of people don't
actually like it. The 'consoleization' of the PC, like the consoleization of
the smartphone before it, isn't motivated simply by some desire to seize
control of software sales. It's motivated by the desire to make the PC not
horrible.
The PC platform has a bad reputation. Malware in all its various types is
endemic. Even good software comes bundled with undesirable spyware. Software
applications suffer incompatibilities with each other; they suffer
incompatibilities with device drivers. Programs do not uninstall cleanly,
leaving detritus scattered hither and yon. They also don't upgrade
consistently, with every single application having its own patching and
updating infrastructure. Even when everything works, upgrading your
operating system is prone to breaking it all. These problems may be
overstated somewhat by the platform's detractors, but they're all true to at
least some extent, and these problems serve only to boost non-PC platforms."
Valve announces plans to debut The Lab at next week's GDC, saying this
will be a compilation of virtual reality "experiments" set in a "pocket
universe" of Aperture Science, the hotbed of experiments from the Portal series.
This will be offered free on Steam, and that's about all they are revealing
for the moment, as you can see from the announcement: Valve has announced
plans to debut "The Lab," a compilation of new VR experiments, at next week's
Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, CA. Set in a pocket universe of
Aperture Science, "The Lab" offers multiple ways to enjoy room-scale VR. It will
be offered free of charge via Steam this spring. More information will be made
available next week at GDC.
Battle.net has a confirmation of the May 24th release date for Overwatch
that was accidentally leaked today,
confirming that preorder customers will get first access to the beta on May 3-4,
and adding that there will be a free open beta for everyone from May 5-9. A new
developer update video
covers the open beta, explaining why they will go this route, and there is also
an open beta FAQ included in the announcement. Here's word from a separate press
release: Assemble your team and prepare your defenses—the fight for the
future is about to begin! Blizzard Entertainment today announced that Overwatch™
will arrive in stores on Windows® PC, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment
system, and Xbox One starting May 24.†† Heroes from around the world can join
the coming conflict by pre-purchasing Blizzard’s team-based first-person shooter
today at www.playoverwatch.com/buy
.
In addition to receiving the previously revealed Noire skin for Widowmaker,
Overwatch’ s ice-cold assassin, players who preorder or pre-purchase the game
for PC, PS4™ system, or Xbox One will also get a two-day head start on the
upcoming Overwatch open beta for themselves and a friend.† In the open beta,
players will have an opportunity to play all 21 heroes and experience the
intense action, tactical depth, and vibrant world of Overwatch prior to the
game’s release. Following the head-start period on May 3–4 for those who have
preordered, gamers everywhere will be able to assemble a team of friends and
check out the game free during the all-access period from May 5–9. To learn more
about the open beta, players can visit the
official website.
“Overwatch is a team shooter for everyone, with deep, cooperative gameplay, fast
and fun competitive action, and a diverse range of larger-than-life heroes,”
said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We think PC
and console players everywhere will have a great time in the game, and we’re
excited to give everyone a chance to try Overwatch out for themselves ahead of
its May 24 launch.”
Continue here to read the full story.
A
post on Xbox Wire has word that Microsoft Game Studios has cancelled
development of Fable Legends and will "sunset" development of
Jackass-free Xbox One game Project Knoxville (thanks keilun). They also
announce they will be closing Project Knoxville developer Press Play Studios in
Denmark, and "are in discussions with employees about the proposed closure of
Lionhead Studios in the UK." Lionhead was founded by famed designer Peter
Molyneux, and acquired by Microsoft in 2006. According to
Wikipedia, Fable
Legends is one of 10 of their games or ports cancelled over the years. Microsoft
says this does not reflect on the developers, but rather imply that the game's
didn't hold enough promise, saying: "These changes are taking effect as
Microsoft Studios continues to focus its investment and development on the games
and franchises that fans find most exciting and want to play." Here's the
statement: Today, I have some difficult changes to announce that affect
some of our Microsoft Studios teams and projects in the UK and Denmark.
After much consideration we have decided to cease development on Fable Legends,
and are in discussions with employees about the proposed closure of Lionhead
Studios in the UK. Additionally, we will close Press Play Studios in Denmark,
and sunset development on Project Knoxville.
These have been tough decisions and we have not made them lightly, nor are they
a reflection on these development teams – we are incredibly fortunate to have
the talent, creativity and commitment of the people at these studios. The
Lionhead Studios team has delighted millions of fans with the Fable series over
the past decade. Press Play imbued the industry with a unique creative spirit
behind games like Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Kalimba, which both captured
passionate fans. These changes are taking effect as Microsoft Studios continues
to focus its investment and development on the games and franchises that fans
find most exciting and want to play.
I speak for all of Xbox when I say that despite this news, we remain committed
to the development communities in the UK and Europe, and Xbox will continue to
support new IP and originality in the games we offer on our platforms, whether
they’re AAA blockbusters like Quantum Break from Remedy, adventurous new IPs
like Sea of Thieves from Rare, or unique new creations from independent
developers like Moon Studios with Ori.
We have nothing but heart-felt thanks for the members of Lionhead and Press Play
for their contributions to Xbox and gaming. We are committed to working closely
with those affected by today’s news to find them new opportunities at Xbox, or
partnering with the broader development community to help place them in jobs
elsewhere in the games industry should they desire.
A post from
Deadpoolthegreat on reddit features images of a pop up advertisement
allegedly encountered on IGN revealing a release date for Overwatch,
Blizzard's upcoming multiplayer shooter. This was presumably inadvertent, as the
ads no longer appear, though they have been preserved in a couple of screen
captures. According to the post the game will launch on May 24th, and preorder
customers will get early access on May 3rd. It's not confirmed that this is
accurate, and the only official release window Blizzard has committed to is that
the game is expected this spring. Thanks
PCGamesN.
Steam now offers the
official release of Kingdom Wars 2: Battles, following a run on early
access for this strategy game from Reverie World Studios.
This post follows up on the launch, offering their outlook on the game's
reception, implying the player population will support their goal of creating
additional free and paid content for the game, and also addressing issues that
have surfaced, offering workarounds and outlook on fixes. Here's word on the
release: Kingdom Wars 2: Battles brings a fresh perspective on the fantasy
real-time Strategy genre, combining the best of Zombie survival and long term
crafting with complex fast-paced city-building and skirmish siege combat. All in
a beautifully, yet gory game world where players fight across the epic
battlefields in multiplayer skirmish and coop with thousands of other players.
And with an episodic singleplayer campaign bringing epic storytelling, with
countless battles and adventures. New Episodes will be released as a free
expansion pack, every few months.
Far Cry Primal debuts at number four on the
GFK Chart-Track PC Top 30 chart of the bestselling games in the U.K. The
Sims 4 slips to number two, kicked out of the top spot by Football Manager 2016.
On the
all platforms/all prices chart The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
debuts at number two, while Far Cry Primal remains number one. Here's
the summary of the
week's activity: Ubisoft remain at No1 for a 2nd week thanks to ‘Far Cry
Primal’ and PS4/Xbox One console versions are joined by PC this week (-64%).
EA’s ‘Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2’ (-54%) was the other Top 3 debutant
from last week and this drops one place from No2 to No3. Jumping in between them
to debut at No2 is Nintendo’s ‘The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD’,
re-mastered for WiiU. Of course, the original Twilight Princess was a launch
title for Wii back in week 49, 2006 (selling to 2/3rds of Wii hardware buyers
that week). Twilight Princess was also released on Gamecube a week after the Wii
came out, so this is in effect a third outing over 3 Nintendo consoles spanning
14 years (Gamecube 2002, Wii 2006, WiiU 2012).
Debuting at No8 is Sony’s Quantic Dream compilation ‘Heavy Rain & Beyond Two
Souls’ – both titles launched on PS3 back in 2010 and 2013 respectively. Heavy
Rain in particular deserves a mention for sales success as the title ranks as
the 4th best by revenue on PS3 in the UK, when ranked on titles by independent
developers (No1 ‘Resistance Fall of Man’ - Insomniac, No2 ‘L.A. Noire’ – Team
Bondi, No3 ‘Need for Speed Shift’ - Slightly Mad Studios). The final new release
within the Top 40 is Warner’s complete-with-all-DLC edition ‘Mortal Kombat XL’
at No21.
Happy birthday to my stepdad, an amazing dude I don't mention that often here.
Stepparents can get a bad rap (I blame Cinderella), but I got a great deal when
my mom remarried, and my stepfather helped make me who I am today, which sounds
like an indictment, except I'm thinking of some of my better qualities that
remain carefully hidden. Thanks for your indulgence, as I'm now covered in case
I forget to call him today. :)
R.I.P.: Nancy Reagan
death: President Obama leads tributes.
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