VentureBeat reports that a pirated copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is already being distributed illegally over the internet.
According to the article, the second disc of the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 was stolen from a shipping warehouse in Fresno California. While the article on VentureBeat doesn't clarify this, there doesn't appear to be a leak of the game on any torrent websites. Instead it seems as though multiple persons are selling illegal copies of the game.
The article says that Activision is aggressively pursuing anyone distributing the game -- as well as anyone caught playing it as one post on Craigslist warns: "Do Not Buy MWF3 Before Release Date...They Will Come Get You...(Everywhere)."
It's worth pointing out that even if one was able to get a hold of this alleged leaked copy, you can't play the game with just the second disc.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Review: The Book of Unwritten Tales (PC)
One of the best gags from The Secret of Monkey Island placed our scrappy hero behind a wall where he got into a series of preposterous events out of view. All players could see was onomatopoeia describing his exploits while the HUD showed him using bizarre objects until he emerged several seconds later with his pockets full of random, inevitably useful items. The new point-and-click adventure, The Book of Unwritten Tales, recycles this bit. It's still funny today, but far from original. This is endemic of the game as a whole; it's a loving tribute to the genre's heyday that cribs from the best, but fails to build on them.
The story surrounds a handful of characters whose fates intertwine with an elderly archaeologist that holds knowledge of an artifact that could end an ongoing war. Initially you play as a wood elf and a restless gnome looking for adventure, but the playable cast gradually expands. Most of the time you can only control one character at a time, but specific sections later allow you to toggle between characters at will.
Review: The Book of Unwritten Tales (PC)
It's a throwaway plot, but that's only a small part of the story. Characters are well written and exceptionally voice-acted by a European cast. One thing I really appreciated about the dialogue was that the lines you select are slightly different from what comes out the character's mouth (ala Mass Effect). It's subtle, but it makes things slightly more engaging when you've not already heard your next line verbatim.
More often than not the humor is clever with plenty of sharp satire, though there was a bit too much fourth wall breaking for my tastes and it occasionally crosses the line from homage to rip-off. Its numerous pop culture references are more akin to Shrek than The Princess Bride, but it's still nevertheless charming. My only major qualm with the script came in the last two minutes when the subtitles inexplicably reverted back to their native German before the incredibly abrupt, unsatisfying denouement.
The game looks beautiful with a smooth blend of 3D characters merged with 2D backdrops. Animations are lovely, making it especially rewarding when you crack a solution. It's a gorgeous world, too, with varied set-pieces and some creative character designs spread over its dozen-plus hour campaign.
Review: The Book of Unwritten Tales (PC)
In many ways The Book of Forgotten Tales feels like a throwback to vintage point-and-clicks, though its puzzles play things too safe, rarely straying from the "use everything with everything else" formula. Often the best brain teasers from classic games required you to think outside the box, but there's none of that here. Most of the solutions are sensible, but too obvious. That "a-ha!" moment you get from figuring out an unusual way of using a typical household item is lacking.
Making things easier, the streamlined interface allows you to highlight objects you can interact with and all actions are handled by one button. For better or worse, you can't attempt to use inventory objects where they won't work. On one hand this makes trial and error much quicker since you can tell by whether your cursor lights up if you can do anything. Unfortunately, one of the best parts from old-school point-and-clicks was listening to characters chastise your stupider suggestions, which is missed here.
For something called The Book of Unwritten Tales, it treads awfully familiar ground; yet it does so with moxie and high production values. It's generally knowing and polished enough that it can be forgiven for not innovating a great deal. The Book of Unwritten Tales feels like a great cover of what's come before, even if it can't quite capture its forebear's magic.
PROS: Smart, funny script; fantastic voice-acting; splendid presentation, clean interface; puzzles make sense.
CONS: Uninspired puzzles; some jokes over-explain themselves; a few translation issues.
The story surrounds a handful of characters whose fates intertwine with an elderly archaeologist that holds knowledge of an artifact that could end an ongoing war. Initially you play as a wood elf and a restless gnome looking for adventure, but the playable cast gradually expands. Most of the time you can only control one character at a time, but specific sections later allow you to toggle between characters at will.
Review: The Book of Unwritten Tales (PC)
It's a throwaway plot, but that's only a small part of the story. Characters are well written and exceptionally voice-acted by a European cast. One thing I really appreciated about the dialogue was that the lines you select are slightly different from what comes out the character's mouth (ala Mass Effect). It's subtle, but it makes things slightly more engaging when you've not already heard your next line verbatim.
More often than not the humor is clever with plenty of sharp satire, though there was a bit too much fourth wall breaking for my tastes and it occasionally crosses the line from homage to rip-off. Its numerous pop culture references are more akin to Shrek than The Princess Bride, but it's still nevertheless charming. My only major qualm with the script came in the last two minutes when the subtitles inexplicably reverted back to their native German before the incredibly abrupt, unsatisfying denouement.
The game looks beautiful with a smooth blend of 3D characters merged with 2D backdrops. Animations are lovely, making it especially rewarding when you crack a solution. It's a gorgeous world, too, with varied set-pieces and some creative character designs spread over its dozen-plus hour campaign.
Review: The Book of Unwritten Tales (PC)
In many ways The Book of Forgotten Tales feels like a throwback to vintage point-and-clicks, though its puzzles play things too safe, rarely straying from the "use everything with everything else" formula. Often the best brain teasers from classic games required you to think outside the box, but there's none of that here. Most of the solutions are sensible, but too obvious. That "a-ha!" moment you get from figuring out an unusual way of using a typical household item is lacking.
Making things easier, the streamlined interface allows you to highlight objects you can interact with and all actions are handled by one button. For better or worse, you can't attempt to use inventory objects where they won't work. On one hand this makes trial and error much quicker since you can tell by whether your cursor lights up if you can do anything. Unfortunately, one of the best parts from old-school point-and-clicks was listening to characters chastise your stupider suggestions, which is missed here.
For something called The Book of Unwritten Tales, it treads awfully familiar ground; yet it does so with moxie and high production values. It's generally knowing and polished enough that it can be forgiven for not innovating a great deal. The Book of Unwritten Tales feels like a great cover of what's come before, even if it can't quite capture its forebear's magic.
PROS: Smart, funny script; fantastic voice-acting; splendid presentation, clean interface; puzzles make sense.
CONS: Uninspired puzzles; some jokes over-explain themselves; a few translation issues.
First Footage of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Film
Yesterday Olivia posted the first image of Hiroli Narimiya on the set of the Japanese Phoenix Wright. We now have footage from the film, and it's just as ridiculous as you'd expect.
It seems like the film is going to remain very faithful to the game, at least visually. I can appreciate that. It would be just as silly if the adaptation went in a serious, John Grisham type of direction, but boy oh boy does this movie look awful. I think that Phoenix Wright would have worked quite well as an animated series, a kind of Saturday morning cartoon Law & Order, but there are some things that don't translate into live-action. The haircuts should have been the first sign of trouble.
It seems like the film is going to remain very faithful to the game, at least visually. I can appreciate that. It would be just as silly if the adaptation went in a serious, John Grisham type of direction, but boy oh boy does this movie look awful. I think that Phoenix Wright would have worked quite well as an animated series, a kind of Saturday morning cartoon Law & Order, but there are some things that don't translate into live-action. The haircuts should have been the first sign of trouble.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
In the coming weeks, there will be about a million Battlefield 3 vs. Modern Warfare 3 comparisons on the Internet. But I only need one reason to keep playing Battlefield 3--tanks. Once I get to know these maps, the world will be mine. Mine.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Not shown: his arms ripping off his torso.
How Does Nathan Drake Still Have Arms?!| Chris
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I've been playing the Uncharted series back to back to back these past few weeks. And this has been a really humbling experience in regards to my own rock climbing prowess. When I see Nathan Drake perform mantels and double dynos whilst being shot at, I wonder why the heck I'm struggling with a 5.11 C in the comfort of my own gym. Maybe it's because I don't have a theme song, I don't know.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
What I Was Digging…Until My Xbox Stopped Generating Color | Patrick
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I’ve never been a particularly huge fan of Batman aside from Rocksteady’s gritty Batman video games, which are among some of my favorite action games of the last few years. But about two hours into the new game, Arkham City, the color was mysteriously sapped out of my Xbox 360 (yeah, I already tried switching out the video cables), leaving me with an entirely monochromatic display. Guess it’s time to upgrade to the Xbox 360 S.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Screw Your Nintendo 3DS, I've Got Mage Gauntlet | McKinley
An awesome storyline, slick animation, cheap price tag, spunky female protagonist -- man, Mage Gauntlet has it all. Honestly, I don't even care about what I could be playing on the Nintendo 3DS or my broken PlayStation Portable right now. With apps like this, I could go all night on $3. BOOSH.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
I Prefer the Prone Position | Tom
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
This could probably be my "what I'm playing" entry for the next nine months or so, considering how much time I spent online with the last Battlefield. But BF3 is superior, and the only question for me right now is how much will I level up my support class character before bothering with the others? I may get a few rounds in playing engineer in vehicle-heavy maps, but I just cant stop racking up those support assist points from the prone position.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
100 Car Club Members. 100 Floors. 10,000 Zombies. | Julian
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
My Forza 4 Car Club hit the max 100 members this week -- a nice surprise, which has the added benefit of ensuring Rivals mode presents me with a whole bunch of new times to beat every day thanks to the competitive nature of my Car Club chums. Speaking of 100, I also hit the century mark in Tiny Tower -- I've been plugging away for weeks, and was happy to finally reach that milestone 100th floor. The other thing I've been playing is Dead Nation. I've had it for ages, but didn't play it properly until earlier this week, whereupon I went all-out. Brilliant fun, especially in co-op mode which my girlfriend also loves.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
God Dammit | Will
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
Because Chris Holt is apparently an inherently awful person, I'm playing Shall We Date?: Heian Love for my OMFG review. Who would've thought that a dating sim based around honor-bound imperial folks in kimonos would be really, really boring? Oh wait, everyone would've thought that.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
More Spiky Death Over Here! | Pete
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I loved the concept of Dungeon Defenders when it launched on iOS -- tower defense plus action RPG sounded like a whole lot of win to me -- but the clunky touchscreen controls marred the experience a little. Now I can play it on my big TV with mouse and keyboard, my suspicions are confirmed: this is, without doubt, one of the most fun co-op multiplayer games I've ever played. Grab some friends and jump in -- you won't be disappointed, especially not for $15.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Finally | Justin
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
Now that Battlefield 3 is out and Modern Warfare and Skyrim are so close, Arkham City almost feels like yesterday's news. No one on my friend's list is playing it anymore, but I'm excited to finally get to try it myself. The game already reminds me (in a good way) of Assassin's Creed 2, but I have no idea how I'll find time to finish the main quest when so many side missions keep calling out to me.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Missile! | Olivia
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
With a quirky, overzealous cast of detectives, innocents, and ghosts, and an adventure story wrought with clever mystery and puzzle mechanics, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a DS game that comes highly recommended. The game's stand-out character, a spunky, dedicated Pomeranian named Missile, is another highlight. Only the coldest of souls could play Ghost Trick and not be charmed by that little firecracker.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Not shown: his arms ripping off his torso.
How Does Nathan Drake Still Have Arms?!| Chris
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I've been playing the Uncharted series back to back to back these past few weeks. And this has been a really humbling experience in regards to my own rock climbing prowess. When I see Nathan Drake perform mantels and double dynos whilst being shot at, I wonder why the heck I'm struggling with a 5.11 C in the comfort of my own gym. Maybe it's because I don't have a theme song, I don't know.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
What I Was Digging…Until My Xbox Stopped Generating Color | Patrick
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I’ve never been a particularly huge fan of Batman aside from Rocksteady’s gritty Batman video games, which are among some of my favorite action games of the last few years. But about two hours into the new game, Arkham City, the color was mysteriously sapped out of my Xbox 360 (yeah, I already tried switching out the video cables), leaving me with an entirely monochromatic display. Guess it’s time to upgrade to the Xbox 360 S.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Screw Your Nintendo 3DS, I've Got Mage Gauntlet | McKinley
An awesome storyline, slick animation, cheap price tag, spunky female protagonist -- man, Mage Gauntlet has it all. Honestly, I don't even care about what I could be playing on the Nintendo 3DS or my broken PlayStation Portable right now. With apps like this, I could go all night on $3. BOOSH.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
I Prefer the Prone Position | Tom
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
This could probably be my "what I'm playing" entry for the next nine months or so, considering how much time I spent online with the last Battlefield. But BF3 is superior, and the only question for me right now is how much will I level up my support class character before bothering with the others? I may get a few rounds in playing engineer in vehicle-heavy maps, but I just cant stop racking up those support assist points from the prone position.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
100 Car Club Members. 100 Floors. 10,000 Zombies. | Julian
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
My Forza 4 Car Club hit the max 100 members this week -- a nice surprise, which has the added benefit of ensuring Rivals mode presents me with a whole bunch of new times to beat every day thanks to the competitive nature of my Car Club chums. Speaking of 100, I also hit the century mark in Tiny Tower -- I've been plugging away for weeks, and was happy to finally reach that milestone 100th floor. The other thing I've been playing is Dead Nation. I've had it for ages, but didn't play it properly until earlier this week, whereupon I went all-out. Brilliant fun, especially in co-op mode which my girlfriend also loves.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
God Dammit | Will
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
Because Chris Holt is apparently an inherently awful person, I'm playing Shall We Date?: Heian Love for my OMFG review. Who would've thought that a dating sim based around honor-bound imperial folks in kimonos would be really, really boring? Oh wait, everyone would've thought that.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
More Spiky Death Over Here! | Pete
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I loved the concept of Dungeon Defenders when it launched on iOS -- tower defense plus action RPG sounded like a whole lot of win to me -- but the clunky touchscreen controls marred the experience a little. Now I can play it on my big TV with mouse and keyboard, my suspicions are confirmed: this is, without doubt, one of the most fun co-op multiplayer games I've ever played. Grab some friends and jump in -- you won't be disappointed, especially not for $15.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Finally | Justin
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
Now that Battlefield 3 is out and Modern Warfare and Skyrim are so close, Arkham City almost feels like yesterday's news. No one on my friend's list is playing it anymore, but I'm excited to finally get to try it myself. The game already reminds me (in a good way) of Assassin's Creed 2, but I have no idea how I'll find time to finish the main quest when so many side missions keep calling out to me.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Missile! | Olivia
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
With a quirky, overzealous cast of detectives, innocents, and ghosts, and an adventure story wrought with clever mystery and puzzle mechanics, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a DS game that comes highly recommended. The game's stand-out character, a spunky, dedicated Pomeranian named Missile, is another highlight. Only the coldest of souls could play Ghost Trick and not be charmed by that little firecracker.
BioShock Infinite: How Occupy Wallstreet Has Actually Influenced it
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Irrational Games Creative Director and Co-Founder Ken Levine reveals that ongoing series of demonstrations have helped him craft certain parts of BioShock: Infinite's story. Levine notes that by observing the real-life demonstrations unfold on the news, he's been able to figure out how to develop the Vox Populi in the upcoming BioShock game.
Here's an excerpt from the interview:
"Ive been spending a lot of time watching Occupy Wall Street..." Levine says. "Leftist groups tend not to like authority; nobody in them tends to listen to it. So Occupy Wall Street has been helping me because I've been struggling to figure out how the Vox Populi get to the point in the demo. Throughout the game, you're actually watching them -- you see in the beginning of the game that they're a dead movement and a movement that really fails, and it picks up steam based upon your actions."
"Hopefully, Occupy Wall Street won't get to the point that the Vox Populi does," Levine continues, "but seeing it spread and taken more seriously, that's been interesting and really helpful."
Of course, this isn't the first time the BioShock series has been impacted by things going on in the real world; the original BioShock's story was also influenced by Russian philosopher Ayn Rand and objectivism.
Here's an excerpt from the interview:
"Ive been spending a lot of time watching Occupy Wall Street..." Levine says. "Leftist groups tend not to like authority; nobody in them tends to listen to it. So Occupy Wall Street has been helping me because I've been struggling to figure out how the Vox Populi get to the point in the demo. Throughout the game, you're actually watching them -- you see in the beginning of the game that they're a dead movement and a movement that really fails, and it picks up steam based upon your actions."
"Hopefully, Occupy Wall Street won't get to the point that the Vox Populi does," Levine continues, "but seeing it spread and taken more seriously, that's been interesting and really helpful."
Of course, this isn't the first time the BioShock series has been impacted by things going on in the real world; the original BioShock's story was also influenced by Russian philosopher Ayn Rand and objectivism.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
The iTunes App Store is, in many ways, one of the Information Age's many ghettos -- a rickety wooden flophouse looming over the street corner where "YouTube Comments Section Boulevard" and "Abandoned Social Network Avenue" meet. Despite its diverse variety of mixed media and time-eating apps, there's still a disparate divide in the quality and the promotion of its many, many titles. A good chunk of its releases are rarely given even a passing glance because of this, and they end up doomed to an unknown existence alongside the umpteenth Angry Birds rip-off and its microtransaction-based brethren.
For me, Shall We Date?: Heian Love was one of those apps -- a feudal Japanese dating sim that surreptitiously snuck under my radar, because, quite frankly, I never would've looked for it otherwise. The apps that pepper my iPhone's home screen are generally of the one-touch variety, and easy to pick up and play while trapped on public transit. The Shall We Date? series, which is a very real thing from Japanese iOS and e-book developer NTT Solmare, consistently follows a nameless, faceless heroine as she swoons over a series of wispy pretty-boys, and blah blah blah romance. It's not the kind of thing you usually see on my iTunes receipt, but hey, it was assigned to me as my OMFG review, and I'm all about venturing outside of my comfort zone. Hell, I was even thinking of wearing flip-flops next week, but one adventure at a time.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
OR DO I?
Shall We Date?: Heian Love is a very traditional visual novel game, meaning that it's primarily text-based with the occasional dialogue option thrown in for good measure. Cast as a meek maiden of some imperial Japanese court in the country's feudal era, you're asked to pursue one of five kimono-clad dudes to make kimono-clad babies with, including the court's emperor, your childhood friend, and, naturally, your uncle, because incest. As the app costs $4.99 -- already an admittedly high price-point for the App Store -- you're essentially paying a dollar per love interest, with an additional three introduced to you in the game's prologue, but then dangled over you as in-app purchases at the surprisingly nonsensical cost of another $6.99. You're essentially paying $12 to unlock every arguably interesting arc in this period piece, but can you really put a price-tag on love?
(Answer: Yes, especially if it's fake love that you're buying with an iTunes gift card that you could've spent on twelve other, better apps. S'matter with you?)
Because the option's just sitting there like an incestuous samurai elephant in the room (didn't think I'd type that this week), my first playthrough chronicled the romantic conquering of my uncle. Now, the game makes an interesting decision from the get-go in that it makes you select your potential love interest in its prologue, meaning you're stuck with your preferred bachelor until the story's completion, leaving no room for genre staples like love triangles and, god forbid, harems. That, matched with a maximum of two dialogue options per chapter, makes for a game with very little actual interactivity, even for a dating sim. After you choose your mate you're more or less waiting it out until the story's conclusion, and hoping you make the right decision when the next choice menu appears, which is always a 50/50 split. After choosing my uncle, it was more or less a waiting game of "Oh my, how far will this go?" proportions.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
Your love interest send you an e-mail after every chapter. You know, via fuedal Japanese wi-fi.
Spoiler alert: All the way, but -- shock, awe, etc. -- they're not blood related, so it's all A-okay. But, you know, still pretty darn creepy.
Honestly, Heian Love isn't a bad game -- it's just an overpriced and boring one. You know where the story's headed the moment you choose your partner in its preliminary chapter, and the characters, bless their melodramatic little hearts, are hardly interesting enough to warrant more than one or two total playthroughs. There's no music, voice acting, or sound effects to speak of, and the text is littered with tiny, but annoying, translation errors that lower the game's overall production values.
It's tough to recommend Heian Love, even as a Shall We Date? game (hell, a cursory glance at the developer's other games reveals Ninja Love, which sounds infinitely more interesting), but hey, if it's your cup of tea, I'm not one to stand in the way of romance. In fact, I prefer to stand pretty far out of romance's line of sight, where I can play Jetpack Joyride in peace, and not have to worry about that cute girl on the bus wondering what the hell I'm doing romancing some Heian era emperor on my goddamn iPhone.
For me, Shall We Date?: Heian Love was one of those apps -- a feudal Japanese dating sim that surreptitiously snuck under my radar, because, quite frankly, I never would've looked for it otherwise. The apps that pepper my iPhone's home screen are generally of the one-touch variety, and easy to pick up and play while trapped on public transit. The Shall We Date? series, which is a very real thing from Japanese iOS and e-book developer NTT Solmare, consistently follows a nameless, faceless heroine as she swoons over a series of wispy pretty-boys, and blah blah blah romance. It's not the kind of thing you usually see on my iTunes receipt, but hey, it was assigned to me as my OMFG review, and I'm all about venturing outside of my comfort zone. Hell, I was even thinking of wearing flip-flops next week, but one adventure at a time.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
OR DO I?
Shall We Date?: Heian Love is a very traditional visual novel game, meaning that it's primarily text-based with the occasional dialogue option thrown in for good measure. Cast as a meek maiden of some imperial Japanese court in the country's feudal era, you're asked to pursue one of five kimono-clad dudes to make kimono-clad babies with, including the court's emperor, your childhood friend, and, naturally, your uncle, because incest. As the app costs $4.99 -- already an admittedly high price-point for the App Store -- you're essentially paying a dollar per love interest, with an additional three introduced to you in the game's prologue, but then dangled over you as in-app purchases at the surprisingly nonsensical cost of another $6.99. You're essentially paying $12 to unlock every arguably interesting arc in this period piece, but can you really put a price-tag on love?
(Answer: Yes, especially if it's fake love that you're buying with an iTunes gift card that you could've spent on twelve other, better apps. S'matter with you?)
Because the option's just sitting there like an incestuous samurai elephant in the room (didn't think I'd type that this week), my first playthrough chronicled the romantic conquering of my uncle. Now, the game makes an interesting decision from the get-go in that it makes you select your potential love interest in its prologue, meaning you're stuck with your preferred bachelor until the story's completion, leaving no room for genre staples like love triangles and, god forbid, harems. That, matched with a maximum of two dialogue options per chapter, makes for a game with very little actual interactivity, even for a dating sim. After you choose your mate you're more or less waiting it out until the story's conclusion, and hoping you make the right decision when the next choice menu appears, which is always a 50/50 split. After choosing my uncle, it was more or less a waiting game of "Oh my, how far will this go?" proportions.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
Your love interest send you an e-mail after every chapter. You know, via fuedal Japanese wi-fi.
Spoiler alert: All the way, but -- shock, awe, etc. -- they're not blood related, so it's all A-okay. But, you know, still pretty darn creepy.
Honestly, Heian Love isn't a bad game -- it's just an overpriced and boring one. You know where the story's headed the moment you choose your partner in its preliminary chapter, and the characters, bless their melodramatic little hearts, are hardly interesting enough to warrant more than one or two total playthroughs. There's no music, voice acting, or sound effects to speak of, and the text is littered with tiny, but annoying, translation errors that lower the game's overall production values.
It's tough to recommend Heian Love, even as a Shall We Date? game (hell, a cursory glance at the developer's other games reveals Ninja Love, which sounds infinitely more interesting), but hey, if it's your cup of tea, I'm not one to stand in the way of romance. In fact, I prefer to stand pretty far out of romance's line of sight, where I can play Jetpack Joyride in peace, and not have to worry about that cute girl on the bus wondering what the hell I'm doing romancing some Heian era emperor on my goddamn iPhone.
Minecraft Convention MineCon is Sold Out
On his personal blog today and on the the MineCon home page, the event is now completely sold out:
MineCon is now sold out. Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket. We are now working hard to make the best event possible for all Minecraft fans.
The event's a little less than a month away now, so it's an impressive feat but sad news for procrastinators. Mojang hasn't revealed yet exactly how many people it took to sell out the show, but since tickets started at $100, we're guessing they garnered a large group of very faithful fans. Hopefully, if you wanted to go, you've already got your tickets squared away.
MineCon is now sold out. Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket. We are now working hard to make the best event possible for all Minecraft fans.
The event's a little less than a month away now, so it's an impressive feat but sad news for procrastinators. Mojang hasn't revealed yet exactly how many people it took to sell out the show, but since tickets started at $100, we're guessing they garnered a large group of very faithful fans. Hopefully, if you wanted to go, you've already got your tickets squared away.
Apple Passed Up By Samsung as World's Top Smartphone Manufacturer
A report on Reuters reveals that Apple has now been passed up by Samsung as the world's leading manufacturer of smartphones. The article notes during the period of July of this year to September, Samsung's mobile phones have experienced tremendous growth with a 44 percent increase in shipments.
"Samsung's rise has been driven by a blend of elegant hardware designs, popular Android services, memorable sub-brands and extensive global distribution," Strategy Analytics' Alex Spektor says. "Samsung has demonstrated that it is possible, at least in the short term, to differentiate and grow by using the Android ecosystem."
Samsung is "cautiously optimistic" that their growth with continue on into the fourth quarter.
"Samsung's rise has been driven by a blend of elegant hardware designs, popular Android services, memorable sub-brands and extensive global distribution," Strategy Analytics' Alex Spektor says. "Samsung has demonstrated that it is possible, at least in the short term, to differentiate and grow by using the Android ecosystem."
Samsung is "cautiously optimistic" that their growth with continue on into the fourth quarter.
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Cartoon Concept Art Of Mass Effect & Dragon Age
What I love about his style, and why we’re featuring it here today, is that it’s often not as “realistic” as other pieces of concept art you’ll see. It’s more in line with what you’d see on a Saturday morning cartoon.
Of course, some of the images you’ll see in the gallery above are more what you expect. Renders of Mass Effect armour, more “serious” paintings of some of Mass Effect 2′s more badass characters.
But it’s the cartoon ones that keep me coming back. Miranda playing Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, The Illusive Man playing James Bond, Jack looking cooler than she ever ended up looking in the actual game, they’re all great.
If you dig Rhodes’ style, you can see a lot more of it at his personal site.
To see the larger pics in all their glory (or so you can save them as wallpaper), right-click on the “expand” icon on the main image above and select “open in new tab”.
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists. If you’re in the business and have some concept, environment or character art you’d like to share, drop us a line!
Of course, some of the images you’ll see in the gallery above are more what you expect. Renders of Mass Effect armour, more “serious” paintings of some of Mass Effect 2′s more badass characters.
But it’s the cartoon ones that keep me coming back. Miranda playing Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, The Illusive Man playing James Bond, Jack looking cooler than she ever ended up looking in the actual game, they’re all great.
If you dig Rhodes’ style, you can see a lot more of it at his personal site.
To see the larger pics in all their glory (or so you can save them as wallpaper), right-click on the “expand” icon on the main image above and select “open in new tab”.
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists. If you’re in the business and have some concept, environment or character art you’d like to share, drop us a line!
Gran Turismo 5′s DLC Delayed In The US
Asia has Gran Turismo 5′s latest downloadable content already. Europe gets it very soon. But in the US, it’s been delayed until October 25. To make up for the wait, players will receive a “special bonus”.
Don’t Get Mad At Need For Speed: The Run’s Biggest Star
According to PopWatch, the actress will play a character by the name of Sam Harper. “She’s got a relationship with the main driver player,” explained Hendricks, about her role with the game’s protagonist Jack Rourke. “They come from the same hood. She gets him involved in the cross-country race with a lot of money at stake. There’s an element of pushing him but also taking care of him.”
While Hendricks is not a gamer, her husband is. “My husband’s constantly running to GameStop because something’s being released the next day,” she told PopWatch. Maybe he reads Kotaku, too. If so, hello there!
Hendricks doesn’t sound like she’s much of a gearhead, either. “For years, I have been driving a PT Cruiser,” said Hendricks. “I like that I can put tons of stuff in it.” Because apparently she has tons of things to stuff in it?
Need for Speed: The Run will be out next month. Hopefully, Hendricks can get her husband a copy so he doesn’t have to run over to GameStop.
While Hendricks is not a gamer, her husband is. “My husband’s constantly running to GameStop because something’s being released the next day,” she told PopWatch. Maybe he reads Kotaku, too. If so, hello there!
Hendricks doesn’t sound like she’s much of a gearhead, either. “For years, I have been driving a PT Cruiser,” said Hendricks. “I like that I can put tons of stuff in it.” Because apparently she has tons of things to stuff in it?
Need for Speed: The Run will be out next month. Hopefully, Hendricks can get her husband a copy so he doesn’t have to run over to GameStop.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Mega Bloks Brings The World Of Warcraft To Tiny, Geometrical Life
When I first heard Mega Bloks was doing toys based on the World of Warcraft brand, I imagined a couple battlefield sets, maybe a fort or two. What they’re bringing to store shelves next summer turned out to be far more ambitious.
What you see here represents the first wave of< em>World of Warcraft Mega Bloks, and they’ve already got a massive chunk of Azeroth rendered in small blocky form. From war machines to dragons to entire sections of Orgrimmar and Stormwind, Mega Brands won’t rest until every possible Horde versus Alliance scenario can be reproduced using their products, and every dollar in my bank account is drained.
I mean come on, even if you hate toys entirely — say a toy killed your father, for instance — you’ve gotta love those Horde and Alliance shields.
Flip through the gallery to see everything Mega Bloks is bringing to the World of Warcraft.
What you see here represents the first wave of< em>World of Warcraft Mega Bloks, and they’ve already got a massive chunk of Azeroth rendered in small blocky form. From war machines to dragons to entire sections of Orgrimmar and Stormwind, Mega Brands won’t rest until every possible Horde versus Alliance scenario can be reproduced using their products, and every dollar in my bank account is drained.
I mean come on, even if you hate toys entirely — say a toy killed your father, for instance — you’ve gotta love those Horde and Alliance shields.
Flip through the gallery to see everything Mega Bloks is bringing to the World of Warcraft.
Is This Really ‘The Most Anticipated Game In History?’
The official launch trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 went up sometime overnight, billing itself as “The Most Anticipated Game in History.” And here is the singleplayer campaign the whole world has been waiting for, right? Right? Well, here it is anyway.
Makarov’s causing all sorts of inconveniences and traffic tie-ups in London, Paris and New York, so it’s up to you to get the morning commute back to normal — with badarse firepower.
Makarov’s causing all sorts of inconveniences and traffic tie-ups in London, Paris and New York, so it’s up to you to get the morning commute back to normal — with badarse firepower.
News IGN Closes Parents’ Guide ‘What They Play’
Irony of ironies, here as we are celebrating the 10 years of Grand Theft Auto III terrorising parents everywhere, IGN has shuttered What They Play which analysed video games from the perspective of parents concerned about violent and sexual content.
Founded in 2007, What They Play was closed quietly on Wednesday. Tom Byron, the site’s founder and former director of marketing spread the news on What They Play‘s Facebook page. The Facebook page had not been updated since February at the time Byron posted the closure notice.
The URL whattheyplay.com redirects to IGN’s front page, which means information on more than 16,000 games has gone 404. Commenters on the Facebook page lamented the loss, noting that major retailers steered parents to it to help them make informed game purchases.
Founded in 2007, What They Play was closed quietly on Wednesday. Tom Byron, the site’s founder and former director of marketing spread the news on What They Play‘s Facebook page. The Facebook page had not been updated since February at the time Byron posted the closure notice.
The URL whattheyplay.com redirects to IGN’s front page, which means information on more than 16,000 games has gone 404. Commenters on the Facebook page lamented the loss, noting that major retailers steered parents to it to help them make informed game purchases.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
An Open Letter to Jack Thompson
I am Andrew Delorme, a 22 year old gamer, a gamer before the ESRB and other game rating systems. I found your recent comments a bit childish for a man of your stature.
In this open letter I would like you to know a bit about me, and a bit of the gamer community. When I was a child, I would play some of the most violent games of that era, Doom, Shadow Warrior, Duke Nukem, etc. Yeah I got into fights at school and whatnot, but I never threw the first punch, I was bullied, I was picked on, teachers didn't care, it was brutal all through school. Even to this day, I am a well mannered, young adult who still plays video games of all genres, childish to violent, you name it, I have more than likely played it.
The gamer community is the same way, we are all best buds, we would not hurt each other in real life, but instead probably pop in a game and go MP on each others asses while laughing, bad mouthing, and placing small wagers. We would never end up killing each other or other people. Why? Because we are mature, we have jobs, more than likely a well paying job (don't know if you have been paying attention to game prices lately, but to sum it up, to keep up with gaming you have to sell a kidney and a left nut).
Now, your main debate in the gaming controversy is the alleged 'scientific evidence' that is out there. Well there are a few ways to put this, so I will walk you through a few of these. One of these is that there are so many conflicting studies done on this subject that it really comes down to personal opinion, so personal opinions do not really count, as you probably know in a court of law.
Another one of your main debates is the fact that video games are found in the residence of many males. Well... yeah, you are right, its a male dominated hobby, you could go into any male college students dorm, into any high school students place of residence and find a video game, most preteen males have at least some video games or have played video games, I am pretty sure even your own children have played them away from you and without your knowledge, at my school there was even Halo on the school servers, accessible to everyone, and I am pretty sure your offspring are well behaved, which brings me to the truth about video games. It's not video games, it's the way a child has been raised, not what they play. Bad parenting is the cause of violence in this world. Not a scapegoat like rock and roll, television, violent movies, pornography. Video games is just the newest in a series of hobbies and interests that parents have used to take the blame away from themselves. Again you maybe asking why? Well my good sir, it is because of the way the parents were brought up themselves, where the adult is always right, just putting themselves deeper into denial.
So, I ask you Mr. Thompson, man to man, adult to adult, human to human, what do you have against gamers and their entertainment? Is it because you are an elitist who feels anyone who plays games is a lower form of life? Well, that sounds an awful lot like Adolf Hitler, who murdered over six million innocent men, women, and children for what they believed in, or similar to the views of the Klu Klux Klan. Or maybe it is because you do not understand a different form of entertainment than what you were raised with, being taught what one does not understand is a sinful thing, Doesnt that sound like Catholics murdering countless humans, for believing in a different God, or having different views on The Bible.
I ask you Mr. Thompson, answer that, and once you do, I would love to continue this debate. I believe you are a smart man, just misguided in the ways of the art and discipline of Game-Fu.
And for all the readers, I would like you to bring this open letter to Mr. Thompson's attention and other gamers aswell.
In this open letter I would like you to know a bit about me, and a bit of the gamer community. When I was a child, I would play some of the most violent games of that era, Doom, Shadow Warrior, Duke Nukem, etc. Yeah I got into fights at school and whatnot, but I never threw the first punch, I was bullied, I was picked on, teachers didn't care, it was brutal all through school. Even to this day, I am a well mannered, young adult who still plays video games of all genres, childish to violent, you name it, I have more than likely played it.
The gamer community is the same way, we are all best buds, we would not hurt each other in real life, but instead probably pop in a game and go MP on each others asses while laughing, bad mouthing, and placing small wagers. We would never end up killing each other or other people. Why? Because we are mature, we have jobs, more than likely a well paying job (don't know if you have been paying attention to game prices lately, but to sum it up, to keep up with gaming you have to sell a kidney and a left nut).
Now, your main debate in the gaming controversy is the alleged 'scientific evidence' that is out there. Well there are a few ways to put this, so I will walk you through a few of these. One of these is that there are so many conflicting studies done on this subject that it really comes down to personal opinion, so personal opinions do not really count, as you probably know in a court of law.
Another one of your main debates is the fact that video games are found in the residence of many males. Well... yeah, you are right, its a male dominated hobby, you could go into any male college students dorm, into any high school students place of residence and find a video game, most preteen males have at least some video games or have played video games, I am pretty sure even your own children have played them away from you and without your knowledge, at my school there was even Halo on the school servers, accessible to everyone, and I am pretty sure your offspring are well behaved, which brings me to the truth about video games. It's not video games, it's the way a child has been raised, not what they play. Bad parenting is the cause of violence in this world. Not a scapegoat like rock and roll, television, violent movies, pornography. Video games is just the newest in a series of hobbies and interests that parents have used to take the blame away from themselves. Again you maybe asking why? Well my good sir, it is because of the way the parents were brought up themselves, where the adult is always right, just putting themselves deeper into denial.
So, I ask you Mr. Thompson, man to man, adult to adult, human to human, what do you have against gamers and their entertainment? Is it because you are an elitist who feels anyone who plays games is a lower form of life? Well, that sounds an awful lot like Adolf Hitler, who murdered over six million innocent men, women, and children for what they believed in, or similar to the views of the Klu Klux Klan. Or maybe it is because you do not understand a different form of entertainment than what you were raised with, being taught what one does not understand is a sinful thing, Doesnt that sound like Catholics murdering countless humans, for believing in a different God, or having different views on The Bible.
I ask you Mr. Thompson, answer that, and once you do, I would love to continue this debate. I believe you are a smart man, just misguided in the ways of the art and discipline of Game-Fu.
And for all the readers, I would like you to bring this open letter to Mr. Thompson's attention and other gamers aswell.
Microsoft, you’re on a roll. Do the right thang! Give up the storage.
OK Microsoft. You’re on a roll. The 360S rocks. XBLA is better than ever! And new games like Castlevania: LoS and NBA 2k11 prove you’re not going anywhere this generation despite lacking Blu-ray and HD Audio.
You know what, I’m not missing those things. With the quality of Netflix HD Streams, the ability of Xbox to play any videos on my PC as well as Media Center Extender, maybe you were right about Digital Downloads. The Jury is still out, but clearly, the Xbox continues to do its thing without a hitch. With Brink, Crysis, and Gears 3 coming, and XBL and XBLA setting the online community and Digital Download standards, the path to the next generation is clear. You’ll make it, and most likely still ahead of the PS3.
But, there is one area in which you are lacking, that the PS3 has set the standard for. Storage. By standardizing on industry standard SATA drives, Sony has give freedom to its users to add as much storage as they feel they need, cheaply. While I agree that consoles really don’t need a ton of storage unless you are downloading lots of movies, it’s nice to have the option. The 4G Xbox is a great option for those on a tight budget. To be honest, no one “really” needs 250GB on their console. Anyone with that much music and videos are probably stealing it anyway. However, without Blu-ray, a game such as Castlevania requires disk swapping. Yeah, it’s no big deal to swap it, people aren’t that lazy. What it is, is an unnecessary @#!^#$ nuisance.
I have a 4G Xbox with 2 8G microSD cards the size of a dime. Very cool. They meet Xbox performance specs and I prefer them to a hard disk any day. The problem is, you have limited the number of USB storage devices to 2 16G devices. Yet, the 360S model has 5 USB ports. While I understand the 16GB size limit, beyond 16G USB Flash Drives and SD Cards can’t meet performance requirements at reasonable prices. Two 16G SD Cards that meet performance specs will cost about $100; Might as well get the Hard Disk.
However, 8G SD and Flash Drives are cheap and most, even bargain brands, can meet the performance requirements and that size. So why limit it to 2 devices? Clearly, this is an attempt to encourage purchase of the over-priced add-on hard disk. At an average cost of $127, the official Xbox 250GB Hard Drive is a ripoff. PS3 users can add a 500GB 7200RPM drive for and average cost of $75. You cannot justify this. It simply cannot be done and is like a dark cloud lingering over all of the good things you’re doing with the Xbox.
No, 500GB isn’t needed. But since more games will benefit from being installed of Hard Disk for Flash Memory storage, 32-64GB of cheap flash storage would be quite nice and maybe necessary on the Xbox. And all you have to do to enable it, is to remove the 2 device limit on the Xbox. You can’t be making that much from the Hard Drive sales. And if someone wasn’t going to pay the extra $100 to get the HD model, they’re probably not going to do it after. They’re just going to realize what a ripoff the HD is.
Xbox users have been good to you. Look at the success of Live! Yes, yes, it delivers plenty of services for the $3 a month, but still, we pay when there are free alternatives. They may not have all the services, glitz and glamour, but free is free. Yet Xbox users have made Xbox Live! a great business for you. So give something back.
Do the right thang! Give up the storage. Allow unlimited USB Storage Devices on Xbox NOW. What do you care? Users will buy their own USB Storage, and you can sell more 4G Xboxes which are cheaper to manufacture.
Anyway, I have Castlevania: LoS on two SD Cards the size of dimes and couldn’t be happier, but now I need to add a third storage device, and I have one. But you won’t let me use it. And despite all the good things, all I’m thinking is A$$holes.
You know what, I’m not missing those things. With the quality of Netflix HD Streams, the ability of Xbox to play any videos on my PC as well as Media Center Extender, maybe you were right about Digital Downloads. The Jury is still out, but clearly, the Xbox continues to do its thing without a hitch. With Brink, Crysis, and Gears 3 coming, and XBL and XBLA setting the online community and Digital Download standards, the path to the next generation is clear. You’ll make it, and most likely still ahead of the PS3.
But, there is one area in which you are lacking, that the PS3 has set the standard for. Storage. By standardizing on industry standard SATA drives, Sony has give freedom to its users to add as much storage as they feel they need, cheaply. While I agree that consoles really don’t need a ton of storage unless you are downloading lots of movies, it’s nice to have the option. The 4G Xbox is a great option for those on a tight budget. To be honest, no one “really” needs 250GB on their console. Anyone with that much music and videos are probably stealing it anyway. However, without Blu-ray, a game such as Castlevania requires disk swapping. Yeah, it’s no big deal to swap it, people aren’t that lazy. What it is, is an unnecessary @#!^#$ nuisance.
I have a 4G Xbox with 2 8G microSD cards the size of a dime. Very cool. They meet Xbox performance specs and I prefer them to a hard disk any day. The problem is, you have limited the number of USB storage devices to 2 16G devices. Yet, the 360S model has 5 USB ports. While I understand the 16GB size limit, beyond 16G USB Flash Drives and SD Cards can’t meet performance requirements at reasonable prices. Two 16G SD Cards that meet performance specs will cost about $100; Might as well get the Hard Disk.
However, 8G SD and Flash Drives are cheap and most, even bargain brands, can meet the performance requirements and that size. So why limit it to 2 devices? Clearly, this is an attempt to encourage purchase of the over-priced add-on hard disk. At an average cost of $127, the official Xbox 250GB Hard Drive is a ripoff. PS3 users can add a 500GB 7200RPM drive for and average cost of $75. You cannot justify this. It simply cannot be done and is like a dark cloud lingering over all of the good things you’re doing with the Xbox.
No, 500GB isn’t needed. But since more games will benefit from being installed of Hard Disk for Flash Memory storage, 32-64GB of cheap flash storage would be quite nice and maybe necessary on the Xbox. And all you have to do to enable it, is to remove the 2 device limit on the Xbox. You can’t be making that much from the Hard Drive sales. And if someone wasn’t going to pay the extra $100 to get the HD model, they’re probably not going to do it after. They’re just going to realize what a ripoff the HD is.
Xbox users have been good to you. Look at the success of Live! Yes, yes, it delivers plenty of services for the $3 a month, but still, we pay when there are free alternatives. They may not have all the services, glitz and glamour, but free is free. Yet Xbox users have made Xbox Live! a great business for you. So give something back.
Do the right thang! Give up the storage. Allow unlimited USB Storage Devices on Xbox NOW. What do you care? Users will buy their own USB Storage, and you can sell more 4G Xboxes which are cheaper to manufacture.
Anyway, I have Castlevania: LoS on two SD Cards the size of dimes and couldn’t be happier, but now I need to add a third storage device, and I have one. But you won’t let me use it. And despite all the good things, all I’m thinking is A$$holes.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
My first two weeks with DCUO.
Two weeks ago I got DCUO as an early birthday gift, and decided to share some of the experiences I've encountered during these two weeks, and what you can expect from playing DCUO. First of all it is important that you do not play on a standard tv the text is too small, and bringing up the big chat window still cuts off text. In two days it's easy to get up to level 15, after that things get a little harder, but you are still able to do things on your own. Missions are given to you by more than one person in the Justice League(Or Hall of Doom for villains), and then you complete a quest head to the next area, and you do this for about 3 times, during one mission, and then fight the boss, which isn't bad, just more variety of missions would be great.
People are friendly in DCOU, I've had people help with missions I couldn't complete by myself, and I've helped people more than once beat bosses. I've had trouble getting into the arena, and legends PVP, and I've only done them once each. The game really starts at the end, because when you hit level 30 you get access to raids, and duos, and then when you do the dailies you get more reknown for different factions. PVP is a love/hate thing for me, I like getting in a group of people, and taking down level 30 villains, but it can be frustrating when doing a mission, and villains are ganking the mission area, but I just switch characters when that happens.I've had a few interesting chats on the chat, and you can expect to have some too, I can guarantee if you play on the Killing Joke server that there are interesting people on there. I'll tell you two examples. The first person I had seen on the chat that was interesting was a hero by the name of analbag, he was asking people if there were "any serious butt players," I didn't see his name so, I thought he meant people who take the game seriously, and kick butt. I asked him what he meant, and he told me "serious butt players," I told him he should not ask that here, but on GameFaqs, because I thought he was joking, he told he found my name funny with it having Ass(hero's name is SilentAssassin) in it twice, and I told him I was joking, because I thought he was joking. Second one was people on the trade channel tend to say what they want, need, or have twice, by repeating, sometimes they do it three times. Someone named their hero Christopher Nolan, and I told him jokingly he should be working on the Dark Knight Rises, and then a bunch of us started talking about it, and someone got mad that we were talking about a Batman movie on a DC game.
People are friendly in DCOU, I've had people help with missions I couldn't complete by myself, and I've helped people more than once beat bosses. I've had trouble getting into the arena, and legends PVP, and I've only done them once each. The game really starts at the end, because when you hit level 30 you get access to raids, and duos, and then when you do the dailies you get more reknown for different factions. PVP is a love/hate thing for me, I like getting in a group of people, and taking down level 30 villains, but it can be frustrating when doing a mission, and villains are ganking the mission area, but I just switch characters when that happens.I've had a few interesting chats on the chat, and you can expect to have some too, I can guarantee if you play on the Killing Joke server that there are interesting people on there. I'll tell you two examples. The first person I had seen on the chat that was interesting was a hero by the name of analbag, he was asking people if there were "any serious butt players," I didn't see his name so, I thought he meant people who take the game seriously, and kick butt. I asked him what he meant, and he told me "serious butt players," I told him he should not ask that here, but on GameFaqs, because I thought he was joking, he told he found my name funny with it having Ass(hero's name is SilentAssassin) in it twice, and I told him I was joking, because I thought he was joking. Second one was people on the trade channel tend to say what they want, need, or have twice, by repeating, sometimes they do it three times. Someone named their hero Christopher Nolan, and I told him jokingly he should be working on the Dark Knight Rises, and then a bunch of us started talking about it, and someone got mad that we were talking about a Batman movie on a DC game.
Battlefield 3 shows consoles age.
With the new battlefield 3 being released Fall 2011, some information was given out to the public. We learn that the PC version has an impressive 64 player multiplayer, while the console version has a 12v12 mode. EA has stated that the current generation of consoles can not handle the Frostbite 2 engine they have incorporated with the game. The graphics are better, the destructible environment and effects are more realistic, and the landscape is now destructible which means craters can be created in the ground from blasts and explosions, and the physics are better as well, which just makes the game unplayable on consoles with anything more than 12v12. We also learn that there will be jets in the game, as well as a constant request from players... prone! We also hear that there will be planes in multiplayer! (The jets, yet it is unknown if consoles will feature planes in multiplayer) EA said they are still working very hard to improve the multiplayer on consoles and that 16v16 may be possible, however they will not dumb down the game on PC due to consoles. EA has stated again and again they Battlefield is staying true to it's original roots... The PC.
Many PS3 owners are also asking the question "How is it possible for MAG to have 256 player multiplayer when BF3 can not even have over 24?" Well, this is because MAG used an impressive server architecture that allowed for this, and not only that but it used many "tricks" to make the game run smoothly. One "trick" as an example would be the decrease of graphical quality by tiny increments until the desired fps is achieved. However, one may argue that the new Frostbite 2 engine is much to advanced for consoles to handle, as the tech demos show that it is very impressive, therefore leading to the 24 multiplayer experience.
BF3 is looking like a great game, with many new additions, and it will yet again redefine destructible environments in the FPS genre.
Many PS3 owners are also asking the question "How is it possible for MAG to have 256 player multiplayer when BF3 can not even have over 24?" Well, this is because MAG used an impressive server architecture that allowed for this, and not only that but it used many "tricks" to make the game run smoothly. One "trick" as an example would be the decrease of graphical quality by tiny increments until the desired fps is achieved. However, one may argue that the new Frostbite 2 engine is much to advanced for consoles to handle, as the tech demos show that it is very impressive, therefore leading to the 24 multiplayer experience.
BF3 is looking like a great game, with many new additions, and it will yet again redefine destructible environments in the FPS genre.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
The Uncharted Movie: Are We Letting a Great Opportunity Pass?
Since we can remember video game films have always failed to impress us and not one of them has managed to live up to the great game that we all fell in love with. It's true though that some of us actually manage to tolerate that one film and enjoy it for what it is, the film I like the most...well the video game film I think is the best out of all of them, despite not being the video game film that has broke the "Video game films will always suck" rule, is Silent Hill. However we have all looked at that one video game this gen and agreed that if this game was made into a movie...it COULD work. I'm talking about Uncharted Drakes Fortune.
Action, adventure, gunfights, car chases, romance, the supernatural, full developed characters and great cinematic experiences all what make this game a top contender to be an amazing video game film. In the past we hit a rough patch when David O Russell took lead of the Uncharted film. Every time the guy opened his mouth about what his take on the Uncharted film was going to be like we all knew that it was going to suck, first Mark Wahlberg, then news about introducing Drakes uncle and father, then info on the story about an antiques place in New York and finally all this talk about "Family" crap. By the end of all these hints towards what his film was going to be like we knew that this wasn't Uncharted but an idea for a film David O Russell has had for a while but needed something to easily get it the green light. Thankfully because of creative differences he left (YAY) and the world was then a little bit safer.
Fast forward to today it seems like Uncharted has been picked up by Neil Burger who, as his interviews suggest, actually knows about what he's talking about......ok maybe not about everything but it still seems that Neil is the better choice than anyone else (unless an avid video game scriptwriter/director wanted to do the film). Now that Mark Wahlberg isn't going to be Drake anymore the role of Nathan Drake has been left wide open.
Which brings me onto the point of this blog "WHO SHOULD BE NATHAN DRAKE"...I know what you’re thinking or what half of you guys are thinking "Nathan Fillion all the way" but why, why should we be fighting for Fillion to get the role when we already have the roles of the characters filled. If you saw the Uncharted Comic Con panel you will have realised that Nolan North, Emily Rose and Richard McGonagle all want to play there parts in the Uncharted film.
At 39.00 minutes in one of the questions for the three stars of Uncharted is "Have you ever thought about casting yourselves in an Uncharted movie", the crowd applauds and the look of Nolan North’s face is priceless...he actually looks really surprised and blown away with how many people actually want him to do it. Even Richard goes on to say "I think everyone in this room should go home and contact everybody they know and say that" which leads me to believe that these three actors REALLY want to play there parts. Let's face it most of us who wanted Nathan Fillion was because he was the second best choice for the role since we didn't think Nolan had any interest in doing it, like when he said Hugh Jackman should get the role instead but now that we all know the voice actors want to play there parts I don't see why everyone is still clinging onto the idea that Fillion should get the role. Out of the few interviews of Neil Burger that are on the web nearly all them say "Will you cast Nathan Fillion as Drake since he's fans favourite", I have never seen them say anything about Nolan, Emily and Richard which is a sad sight because as I'm trying to point out this is a great opportunity and we shouldn't let it fly right past us
What I mean about opportunity is that it's very rare for us to fall in love with characters in a game AND when the game gets a movie the voice actors would play there parts.
The fact is people (mostly Fillion fans) come up with silly excuses why Nolan can't be Drake. "He's too old" so, I'd rather have an actor that that can play the role then worrying about his age besides get some make up or CGI effects and he'll look younger, it's funny as well since Fillion is the same age. "He's not well known" Everyone started out as an unknown actor at one time, Ben Stiller was a crappy waiter that had small roles before he got his big break and look where the guy is today or even look at the three main characters in the Hangover Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, yes they had parts in a number of films before the Hangover but it wasn't until the Hangover became a big success when they got their big breaks and started popping up in most films we see today.
I think people are forgetting that the film can still have big stars for promotional reasons; all they need to do is get the villains or even cameo appearances to be played by big stars that they can use for promotional material like posters or trailers. There’s always that one film we've seen where an actor we like is used a lot in the promotional material but the character is killed off straight away in the film look at 28 weeks later <Spoilers>...........Rob ert Carlyle was killed off very soon in the film but he had a big part in posters, interviews and trailers.
Overall I like to think that if you’re a true fan of Uncharted you would want Nolan, Emily and Richard to get the role. I mean let's face it they have worked there arses off for this game for the past five years and it's because of their hard work that's made the game such a success, it would be nice thank you if they were given the chance to play the characters in the film.
Action, adventure, gunfights, car chases, romance, the supernatural, full developed characters and great cinematic experiences all what make this game a top contender to be an amazing video game film. In the past we hit a rough patch when David O Russell took lead of the Uncharted film. Every time the guy opened his mouth about what his take on the Uncharted film was going to be like we all knew that it was going to suck, first Mark Wahlberg, then news about introducing Drakes uncle and father, then info on the story about an antiques place in New York and finally all this talk about "Family" crap. By the end of all these hints towards what his film was going to be like we knew that this wasn't Uncharted but an idea for a film David O Russell has had for a while but needed something to easily get it the green light. Thankfully because of creative differences he left (YAY) and the world was then a little bit safer.
Fast forward to today it seems like Uncharted has been picked up by Neil Burger who, as his interviews suggest, actually knows about what he's talking about......ok maybe not about everything but it still seems that Neil is the better choice than anyone else (unless an avid video game scriptwriter/director wanted to do the film). Now that Mark Wahlberg isn't going to be Drake anymore the role of Nathan Drake has been left wide open.
Which brings me onto the point of this blog "WHO SHOULD BE NATHAN DRAKE"...I know what you’re thinking or what half of you guys are thinking "Nathan Fillion all the way" but why, why should we be fighting for Fillion to get the role when we already have the roles of the characters filled. If you saw the Uncharted Comic Con panel you will have realised that Nolan North, Emily Rose and Richard McGonagle all want to play there parts in the Uncharted film.
At 39.00 minutes in one of the questions for the three stars of Uncharted is "Have you ever thought about casting yourselves in an Uncharted movie", the crowd applauds and the look of Nolan North’s face is priceless...he actually looks really surprised and blown away with how many people actually want him to do it. Even Richard goes on to say "I think everyone in this room should go home and contact everybody they know and say that" which leads me to believe that these three actors REALLY want to play there parts. Let's face it most of us who wanted Nathan Fillion was because he was the second best choice for the role since we didn't think Nolan had any interest in doing it, like when he said Hugh Jackman should get the role instead but now that we all know the voice actors want to play there parts I don't see why everyone is still clinging onto the idea that Fillion should get the role. Out of the few interviews of Neil Burger that are on the web nearly all them say "Will you cast Nathan Fillion as Drake since he's fans favourite", I have never seen them say anything about Nolan, Emily and Richard which is a sad sight because as I'm trying to point out this is a great opportunity and we shouldn't let it fly right past us
What I mean about opportunity is that it's very rare for us to fall in love with characters in a game AND when the game gets a movie the voice actors would play there parts.
The fact is people (mostly Fillion fans) come up with silly excuses why Nolan can't be Drake. "He's too old" so, I'd rather have an actor that that can play the role then worrying about his age besides get some make up or CGI effects and he'll look younger, it's funny as well since Fillion is the same age. "He's not well known" Everyone started out as an unknown actor at one time, Ben Stiller was a crappy waiter that had small roles before he got his big break and look where the guy is today or even look at the three main characters in the Hangover Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, yes they had parts in a number of films before the Hangover but it wasn't until the Hangover became a big success when they got their big breaks and started popping up in most films we see today.
I think people are forgetting that the film can still have big stars for promotional reasons; all they need to do is get the villains or even cameo appearances to be played by big stars that they can use for promotional material like posters or trailers. There’s always that one film we've seen where an actor we like is used a lot in the promotional material but the character is killed off straight away in the film look at 28 weeks later <Spoilers>...........Rob ert Carlyle was killed off very soon in the film but he had a big part in posters, interviews and trailers.
Overall I like to think that if you’re a true fan of Uncharted you would want Nolan, Emily and Richard to get the role. I mean let's face it they have worked there arses off for this game for the past five years and it's because of their hard work that's made the game such a success, it would be nice thank you if they were given the chance to play the characters in the film.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Angry Birds for PC
Finally, those birds that everybody likes has arrived on PC. After iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile versions, also iPhone cases and toys, Angry Birds has finally arrived on the PC thanks to the Intel App Up store. It’ll work fine and dandy on laptops and netbooks and will cost you only $4.99 to download. Nice price for this lovely game.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Brave New World
After building a base camp, I set out to explore the bold new landscape. It's amazing how much bigger the biomes are this time around, and they're far more varied as well -- so much that Minecraft feels like a new game at times. I trudged deep into swamplands with flooded trees, punched through thick forests, crossed snaking rivers with sloped banks, and pushed onward into other enticing areas. The world comes together much more dynamically, instilling a stronger sense of place and adventure.
I was also impressed by the updated lighting effects. Above ground, sunsets are more dramatic as they bathe the landscape in bright amber hues. Below ground, dim torchlight casts a warmer glow on the subterranean caverns. It makes a surprisingly big difference in each setting's overall vibe. Beyond aesthetics, the terrain offers a broader range of nooks and crannies, ripe for exploration. Randomly generated ravines seem to pop out of nowhere as you run around; these crevices can run along lengthy stretches of the world map. Smaller caves are equally common too, and they often lead to sprawling underground caverns that are much bigger than what we've seen before. I wandered into one massive cave and spent the better part of an hour spelunking through its depths -- I went so far down into its snaking tunnels that I couldn't find my way back up again. That was when I stumbled upon one of 1.8's hard-to-find marvels: an abandoned mining stronghold.
I was also impressed by the updated lighting effects. Above ground, sunsets are more dramatic as they bathe the landscape in bright amber hues. Below ground, dim torchlight casts a warmer glow on the subterranean caverns. It makes a surprisingly big difference in each setting's overall vibe. Beyond aesthetics, the terrain offers a broader range of nooks and crannies, ripe for exploration. Randomly generated ravines seem to pop out of nowhere as you run around; these crevices can run along lengthy stretches of the world map. Smaller caves are equally common too, and they often lead to sprawling underground caverns that are much bigger than what we've seen before. I wandered into one massive cave and spent the better part of an hour spelunking through its depths -- I went so far down into its snaking tunnels that I couldn't find my way back up again. That was when I stumbled upon one of 1.8's hard-to-find marvels: an abandoned mining stronghold.
Zounds! Fancy Meters, New Abilities
The most noticeable difference upon loading update 1.8 is the addition of a few newfangled meters to contend with. A new food bar measures your hunger level, which adds a cool element to the health system in Survival Mode. Eating food no longer instantly heals you; instead, it restores a hunger meter that -- when filled -- regenerates your health naturally over time. To help keep you from starving, chickens, pigs, and cows now all drop meat when slain... though they run away if you attack them.
Movement and combat also are affected in 1.8: You can run by double-tapping the forward key, and gaining momentum lets you jump a bit further. This makes escaping threats and traveling across lengthy stretches of terrain a lot more manageable. Updated bow physics let you draw arrows back, letting them fly farther depending on how long you hold the shot. It's also possible to score critical hits on foes, taking them down with a single blow. Very cool!
One of the more exciting and game-changing ideas planned for Minecraft is the inclusion of specific goals and a progression system featuring role-playing-game-like elements. The Adventure Update offers a tantalizing taste of this with a new experience bar: Slain creatures now drop glowing orbs that you collect to gain experience. While it's not functional at present (the bar simply resets when it's full), the many ways it could come into play with future updates leaves me salivating.
Movement and combat also are affected in 1.8: You can run by double-tapping the forward key, and gaining momentum lets you jump a bit further. This makes escaping threats and traveling across lengthy stretches of terrain a lot more manageable. Updated bow physics let you draw arrows back, letting them fly farther depending on how long you hold the shot. It's also possible to score critical hits on foes, taking them down with a single blow. Very cool!
One of the more exciting and game-changing ideas planned for Minecraft is the inclusion of specific goals and a progression system featuring role-playing-game-like elements. The Adventure Update offers a tantalizing taste of this with a new experience bar: Slain creatures now drop glowing orbs that you collect to gain experience. While it's not functional at present (the bar simply resets when it's full), the many ways it could come into play with future updates leaves me salivating.
Getting Down and Dirty with Minecraft's Adventure Update
Anyone held in thrall by a raging Minecraft addiction for the past year can attest -- these are exciting times. While developer Markus "Notch" Persson's surprise indie hit is pushing closer to its official release in a few months, the just-released beta update 1.8 ushers in some exciting new changes to the game's sandbox realm... and the way you can interact with it. If you're like me, you've probably already sunk an absurd number of hours into building and exploring in the game's blocky world. But don't retire your virtual pickaxe just yet; Minecraft's 1.8 "Adventure Update" is here, and it's awesome.
Even if you've toiled for days on end to hone the pixelated landscape into a perfect Minecraft realm, starting a new world from scratch carries a certain kind of thrill. That's what you have to do to access the new content in this update, since it has such a big impact on Minecraft's landscape. Update 1.8 may only offer half of the content for the full Adventure Update -- 1.9 will roll out the remainder of the massive changes planned for this phase of the game -- but after firing up a new world and digging in, I was blown away by how much it improves the Minecraft experience.
Even if you've toiled for days on end to hone the pixelated landscape into a perfect Minecraft realm, starting a new world from scratch carries a certain kind of thrill. That's what you have to do to access the new content in this update, since it has such a big impact on Minecraft's landscape. Update 1.8 may only offer half of the content for the full Adventure Update -- 1.9 will roll out the remainder of the massive changes planned for this phase of the game -- but after firing up a new world and digging in, I was blown away by how much it improves the Minecraft experience.
There's no I -- or C or O or D -- in Team
One of the reasons we've been such big fans of Battlefield as opposed to the competition is the need to work as a team to send the other side straight to hell. Yet the Battlefield 3 Beta seems to be lacking any of the standard features necessary to enable this. There's no command rose in the game yet, making it impossible to call for support or direct troops to your flank, though we've heard there's one on the way for the full game. VOIP is AWOL as well, a worrying sign considering Bad Company 2's woeful VOIP system at launch. Battlelog's excellent VOIP system allows you to chat with party members (we love the way it supports an extra audio device for both inputting and outputting sound, unlike Steam's chat), but as yet there's nothing in the beta to allow in-server communications. Unfortunately you can't actually join a squad with your party members either, as there's no way to choose which squad you want to join, another glaring oversight when it comes to teamplay. Even the chat window feels like it's been thrown onto the HUD at the last minute, being too small to read most of the time.
The lack of tactical tools isn't such a problem given the small 16 vs 16 map, but we can only imagine what a nightmare it will be to launch a successful offense with 32 Lone Rangers all making a beeline for the nearest enemy stronghold. Throw tanks and jets into the mix, and we could see a clusterfunk of epic proportions, making it very hard to dig out embedded defenders.
Just four weeks to go
With just four weeks until launch, we're both excited and a little nervous about how Battlefield 3 will arrive come launch day. The beta is undoubtedly older than the code Dice is working on now, but the lack of such basic functionality as VOIP and a command rose raises questions about how team-oriented this latest iteration will be. The choice of a small, infantry-only map makes perfect business sense, obviously meant to lure in COD players with an experience not too dissimilar to the one they already know, but it also leaves much to the imagination. On the other hand, the stunning audio visual presentation leaves no doubt as to the wonderfully immersive and spectacular experience the game will offer, regardless of whether it's backed up by deep and tactical gameplay behind it.
Update – Just as we were publishing this article we managed to find our way into the closed part of the beta running the Caspian Border map. We'd love to write more about this massive 64 player experience, packed with jets, choppers, and armoured vehicles that takes place on a lush expanse of rolling hills and rivers, but we're not allowed to. Let's just say it makes the amazing Metro level look positively pathetic in comparison. We'll let you know more about it as soon as we're able to.
The lack of tactical tools isn't such a problem given the small 16 vs 16 map, but we can only imagine what a nightmare it will be to launch a successful offense with 32 Lone Rangers all making a beeline for the nearest enemy stronghold. Throw tanks and jets into the mix, and we could see a clusterfunk of epic proportions, making it very hard to dig out embedded defenders.
Just four weeks to go
With just four weeks until launch, we're both excited and a little nervous about how Battlefield 3 will arrive come launch day. The beta is undoubtedly older than the code Dice is working on now, but the lack of such basic functionality as VOIP and a command rose raises questions about how team-oriented this latest iteration will be. The choice of a small, infantry-only map makes perfect business sense, obviously meant to lure in COD players with an experience not too dissimilar to the one they already know, but it also leaves much to the imagination. On the other hand, the stunning audio visual presentation leaves no doubt as to the wonderfully immersive and spectacular experience the game will offer, regardless of whether it's backed up by deep and tactical gameplay behind it.
Update – Just as we were publishing this article we managed to find our way into the closed part of the beta running the Caspian Border map. We'd love to write more about this massive 64 player experience, packed with jets, choppers, and armoured vehicles that takes place on a lush expanse of rolling hills and rivers, but we're not allowed to. Let's just say it makes the amazing Metro level look positively pathetic in comparison. We'll let you know more about it as soon as we're able to.
Audio Visual Presentation
Frostbite 2.0 might be a big leap forward for Battlefield tech, but it obviously shares many similarities with the Frostbite 1.5 engine used in Bad Company 2. In the Metro map that the Beta centres around, outdoor terrain and water effects are dead ringers for the PC version of BC2, but the foliage system has been given a healthy watering with the extra detail hose. We especially love the way trees sway when caught in the shockwave of a nearby explosion. However, it's immediately apparent that the lighting engine has been heavily reworked; gone is the glowing blurriness of its predecessor, with the game world subtly illuminated by a more realistic lighting system that feels crisper and sharper than before. The lighting system now has the ability to display dozens of light sources on screen at any one time. Watching a rocket soar down the Metro station's tunnels, lighting up its surrounds like a miniature sun as it glides by, has to be one of 2011's most visually striking game moments. Sparks from bullet strikes also illuminate nearby objects, while the beams from the tactical lights strapped to your team mate's guns are all present and accounted for. Looking at the engine used in Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 for comparative purposes (MW3 is, after all, going to be using similar tech), the competition looks positively flat and dull.
Man-made objects also appear more refined this time around, shunning the blocky, chunky plasticine constructions seen in Bad Company 2. Considering much of the beta takes place in a train station, the new detail is hard to miss in the many tiled surfaces, ticket gates and offices. Unfortunately most of it isn't destructible – while certain walls shatter and tiles crack, the beta definitely isn't indicative of the wholesale destruction that we know Frostbite 2.0 capable of.
Considering the hype around the new ANT animation system, we have to admit to being a little underwhelmed by our first extended glimpse at in action. There's something about the way troops run that looks a little artificial, almost as if they're hunched over too far. Still, when it does work properly, the way each animation melds into the next is a subtle improvement over the jarring animations of the past.
It's no surprise to hear that Battlefield 3's weapon sound effects and explosions are the best in the biz. Ever since Dice introduced a high dynamic range audio engine back in the first Bad Company, the barking monsters in Bad Company have made the competition sound like pathetic cap guns. The effects in BF3 aren't a massive leap forwards from Bad Company 2, still being supremely satisfying, but everything sounded a little bit crisper than before. Battlefield pioneered the way troops automatically yell out voice prompts, but this system appears to be broken in the beta. Perhaps it's the fact we've been spoilt by the lively chatterboxes in Red Orchestra 2, but the troops in the beta are mute by comparison.
There's no denying that even in this early state, Battlefield 3 is already a contender for best audio visual package of the year, and we haven't even seen what it can do when rendering larger areas. Best of all is the fact that it runs extremely well. We expected our dual GTX 580, 4.5GHz i5 PC to handle everything rather nicely, but didn't think we'd be able to set everything to maximum and still maintain a vsynch locked 60fps... while recording in 1080p with FRAPs. Even those running much lesser hardware are reporting excellent performance, so it might be wise to hold on to that upgrade cash until we see what the larger maps demand.
Laying down on the job
The reintroduction of prone was a controversial choice by Dice, and the beta's incarnation is somewhat of a buggy mess. Leaping face first into the dirt has a 50/50 chance of pushing the player's body right through the ground and into the Twilight Zone below. When it does work, proning in low lying shrub has the potential to turn the game into a sniper's delight, but the introduction of scope sparkling has allayed those fears. Regardless of whether a sniper is facing into the sun or not, all sniper scopes exhibit bright reflections, making them obvious targets from long range. Some may argue that it's a little bit over the top, making the recon class more vulnerable than useful, but at least it stops the game from becoming Snipeathon 2011. The dynamic lighting system makes rifle fire from prone also quite easy to spot, but this risk is balanced out by the additional stability of a prone firing platform.
Another major introduction to the movement system is the ability to mount bipod equipped weaponry on any surface, provided it's just the right height or you're prone. It works rather well, if not as refined as Red Orchestra 2's mounting system, but will become a vital tool in any defender's arsenal. Setting up shop with a mounted MG249 is a great way to keep enemy player's heads down, activating the new suppression system that causes their view to blur while their aim falters. It's easy to rack up serious suppression points, though the visual effects on the receiver's end could be a little more pronounced.
The ability to vault and mantle waist-high fences is the final evolution of player movement. It feels a little clumsy at first, especially if you've spent any time doing in-game acrobatics with Brink's machine gun-toting gymnasts, but soon becomes second nature. You'll be hurdling through the battlefield like an Olympic hurdler in no time. There's one movement that Battlefield doesn't include that we're really missing – apparently the troops within have a steel pole instead of a spine, as it's impossible to lean. Perhaps it's a limitation of the netcode, which has to track so many more things than competing shooters, or that it would result in impossible to overrun defenders, but the lack of lean initially feels very limiting. You'll learn to live with it, but that doesn't mean you like it.
Man-made objects also appear more refined this time around, shunning the blocky, chunky plasticine constructions seen in Bad Company 2. Considering much of the beta takes place in a train station, the new detail is hard to miss in the many tiled surfaces, ticket gates and offices. Unfortunately most of it isn't destructible – while certain walls shatter and tiles crack, the beta definitely isn't indicative of the wholesale destruction that we know Frostbite 2.0 capable of.
Considering the hype around the new ANT animation system, we have to admit to being a little underwhelmed by our first extended glimpse at in action. There's something about the way troops run that looks a little artificial, almost as if they're hunched over too far. Still, when it does work properly, the way each animation melds into the next is a subtle improvement over the jarring animations of the past.
It's no surprise to hear that Battlefield 3's weapon sound effects and explosions are the best in the biz. Ever since Dice introduced a high dynamic range audio engine back in the first Bad Company, the barking monsters in Bad Company have made the competition sound like pathetic cap guns. The effects in BF3 aren't a massive leap forwards from Bad Company 2, still being supremely satisfying, but everything sounded a little bit crisper than before. Battlefield pioneered the way troops automatically yell out voice prompts, but this system appears to be broken in the beta. Perhaps it's the fact we've been spoilt by the lively chatterboxes in Red Orchestra 2, but the troops in the beta are mute by comparison.
There's no denying that even in this early state, Battlefield 3 is already a contender for best audio visual package of the year, and we haven't even seen what it can do when rendering larger areas. Best of all is the fact that it runs extremely well. We expected our dual GTX 580, 4.5GHz i5 PC to handle everything rather nicely, but didn't think we'd be able to set everything to maximum and still maintain a vsynch locked 60fps... while recording in 1080p with FRAPs. Even those running much lesser hardware are reporting excellent performance, so it might be wise to hold on to that upgrade cash until we see what the larger maps demand.
Laying down on the job
The reintroduction of prone was a controversial choice by Dice, and the beta's incarnation is somewhat of a buggy mess. Leaping face first into the dirt has a 50/50 chance of pushing the player's body right through the ground and into the Twilight Zone below. When it does work, proning in low lying shrub has the potential to turn the game into a sniper's delight, but the introduction of scope sparkling has allayed those fears. Regardless of whether a sniper is facing into the sun or not, all sniper scopes exhibit bright reflections, making them obvious targets from long range. Some may argue that it's a little bit over the top, making the recon class more vulnerable than useful, but at least it stops the game from becoming Snipeathon 2011. The dynamic lighting system makes rifle fire from prone also quite easy to spot, but this risk is balanced out by the additional stability of a prone firing platform.
Another major introduction to the movement system is the ability to mount bipod equipped weaponry on any surface, provided it's just the right height or you're prone. It works rather well, if not as refined as Red Orchestra 2's mounting system, but will become a vital tool in any defender's arsenal. Setting up shop with a mounted MG249 is a great way to keep enemy player's heads down, activating the new suppression system that causes their view to blur while their aim falters. It's easy to rack up serious suppression points, though the visual effects on the receiver's end could be a little more pronounced.
The ability to vault and mantle waist-high fences is the final evolution of player movement. It feels a little clumsy at first, especially if you've spent any time doing in-game acrobatics with Brink's machine gun-toting gymnasts, but soon becomes second nature. You'll be hurdling through the battlefield like an Olympic hurdler in no time. There's one movement that Battlefield doesn't include that we're really missing – apparently the troops within have a steel pole instead of a spine, as it's impossible to lean. Perhaps it's a limitation of the netcode, which has to track so many more things than competing shooters, or that it would result in impossible to overrun defenders, but the lack of lean initially feels very limiting. You'll learn to live with it, but that doesn't mean you like it.
Battlefield 3 PC Beta Impressions
It's hard to believe that the Battlefield series has been around for over a decade, kicking off with the innovative, if somewhat inglorious, Codename Eagle way back in '99. While other shooters were content to let players run around maps the size of your backyard, Dice was already experimenting with battlefields that rivalled the size of a small state. Twelve long years later, and we've finally had a chance to really put Battlefield 3 through its paces, with the release of the Battlefield 3 Beta. Let's take a look to see how the series has evolved.
The State of Eve Online
While most of the MMO community is currently focused on BioWare's recent announcement of a release date for Star Wars: The Old Republic, a very significant minority is looking toward a very different set of battles ravaging a galaxy on a server far, far away. These are the tribulations of the EVE Online community, who recently made the bold claim that their game was under siege from the very people who created it. Alexander Gianturco, the leader of EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management (a pretty name for the game's player-elected liaison group), has been trying to make sense of the mess since it erupted this summer. He took some time to lay out his suggestions for EVE Online's future for GameSpy.
But first, a little background. Last June, EVE Online's developer CCP released the Incarna expansion, which implemented customizable avatars for use in space stations to interact with other players. The actual implementation was a monstrous failure, featuring only a single room for one's avatar to while away the time doing, well, pretty much nothing. Even so, CCP also included a microtransaction store for dressing up your so-called "space Barbie," but the exorbitant prices involved (a $40.00 shirt, a $70.00 monocle) sparked an outrage of galactic proportions. Things only got worse when an internal memo leaked suggesting that CCP planned to extend the store to include purchases of ships, faction reputations, and ammunition, despite CCP's initial promises to the contrary. And after a player released data indicating that Incarna did absolutely nothing to increase the size of the playerbase, Gianturco wrote player riots aimed at making the game unplayable quickly erupted throughout much of the galaxy.
It's tempting to dismiss this racket as just another incarnation of the legendary propensity of MMO players to whine about any changes to their beloved games, but it's clear that the incident is but a wormhole into a deeper tale of forgotten priorities and abandoned promises. Several months have now passed since "Monoclegate" (as players like to call it), but the expansion has seen about as much change as Neil Armstrong's footprints on the moon. Player avatars remain imprisoned in their little captain's quarters every time they dock their ships, and they're still allowed to spend $70.00 on a monocle that no other players can see since none of the originally conceived multiplayers' spaces have made their way into the game.
The Quarters - not much to see here folks, move along.
That's partly because the severe graphical demands of the captain's quarters tend to pummel weaker systems. If players' computers are crashing while they're merely admiring their own avatar, then tossing in a bunch of other avatars seems like a recipe for another level of hell. Worse yet, Gianturco points out that the only available captain's quarters--styled for the comparatively spartan Minmatar faction--is the least inviting one that CCP could have chosen. Three more have been planned (one for each race), but they're as conspicuously absent as oxygen on Saturn. "It really seems like CCP bit off more than they could chew with the whole concept," Gianturco says.
There's not even anything to do in your captain's quarters. "The Incarna expansion has added no gameplay at all," Gianturco says. "It's literally just a room with an avatar and a couch. There's nothing to play, there's nothing to do, and there's no interaction with other players because it's a one-person affair." You can't even customize the room, although CCP is at least taking measures to remedy that. As early as last Monday, in fact, the developers recently announced a plan that would allow you to change the footage that's constantly displayed on your quarter's television set.
It wasn't always thus. Incarna, or "walking in stations" as it was once imaginatively known, was first introduced in a lengthy memo way back in 2006 to much acclaim. By allowing player interactions on space stations, CCP was aiming to attract players who were more used to traditional MMOs than EVE Online's saga of impersonal spaceships. At its face, this was a brilliant move. Originally, even Gianturco was supportive of Incarna, believing that the avatar-based gameplay would add a much-needed human element to EVE Online. Gianturco claims he's still supportive of the basic idea; he's just no longer sure if he has faith in CCP's ability to implement it properly.
Prime time TV, Eve style.
That's partly because the Incarna debacle is only the most recent chapter in the story of EVE Online's fall from greatness. Gianturco points out that the previous two expansions, Tyrannis and Incursions, were almost as disappointing for different reasons. Tyrannis' practice of allowing you to dot a planet's surface with harvestable factories won it the unenviable nickname of "Farmville in Space," and the comparatively popular PVE-based invasions in Incursions were marred by a wobbly launch featuring patches that were merely fixes for Tyrannis.
"It's been a while since we've have a good expansion about spaceships in a game that's fundamentally about spaceships," Gianturco says. "People like new ships, people like new weird regions of space to explore, they like new things to create, and new things to fight over." In his view, the last expansion that truly satisfied the community's spaceship addiction was 2009's Apocrypha, a jam-packed affair that introduced 2,500 wormholes, almost doubled the size of the galaxy, diversified the economy, added new complex ships, and provided a stellar experience for the average player.
Gianturco believes that the reasons for this odd shift from spaceship content may lie elsewhere. CCP currently has two other major projects crammed under its belt, a vampire-themed MMO named World of Darkness and a Halo-style tie-in for EVE Online called Dust 514. Both show promise (and CCP even has vague plans to foster interaction between EVE Online and Dust 514), but it's hard to shake the feeling that CCP is only using EVE Online to test components for these other projects. It's hard not to see why. Several weeks ago, CCP's senior producer announced that only 124 of its 400 or so developers were assigned to work on EVE Online, and 70 of those were assigned to avatar duty for Incarna. This left only a handful of developers dedicated to the content at the hearts of the vast majority of EVE Online's playerbase.
The CCP staff run to stamp out another flamethread on the forums.
So is there hope for EVE Online? Gianturco believes there is, and he believes that the path to redemption is simple. "The Council of Stellar Management's position is that CCP needs to remember what the key focus of EVE Online is," he says, "and that's to produce an excellent game about spaceships." And there are some indications, however feeble, that that CCP might be taking the bitter lessons of Incarna's launch to heart. Just last week, the developers announced that they would give players the temporary option to disable their captain's quarters. By flipping on this option, players no longer see their avatar putzing about while watching whatever trash passes for galactic television these days; instead, they can partake in the pre-Incarna fun of spinning their ship from all angles while it's docked. On the heels of that announcement, Eve Online senior producer Arnar Hrafn Gylfason introduced a nebulous blog stating that "We are listening to you, we have heard you, and plans are already in motion." It was, at least, an admission of sorts that something is rotten in the heart of New Eden.
But, at this point, it may not be enough. For me, the most shocking news is that EVE Online's playerbase was consistently increasing with every expansion until the release of Incarna -- in stark contrast to the usual MMO model of peaking in player population after an expansion and dropping off in the following weeks or months. By any standard, EVE Online's steady rise until now was the sign of a successful MMO. EVE Online might not have the bulging player base of some its cousins, but there's really nothing else on the market quite like it, and it's clear that CCP used to know how to give its players what they wanted. Even now, their success is evident in the fact that EVE Online's playerbase is merely stagnant, not dropping. Perhaps, as Gianturco believes, all CCP needs to do is to renew its focus on the content it does best. "EVE is the only single-sharded spaceship MMO with consequential PvP," Gianturco says, "and the CSM is calling on CCP to return to work on the kind of quality spaceship content that the company used to produce, before it's too late."
But first, a little background. Last June, EVE Online's developer CCP released the Incarna expansion, which implemented customizable avatars for use in space stations to interact with other players. The actual implementation was a monstrous failure, featuring only a single room for one's avatar to while away the time doing, well, pretty much nothing. Even so, CCP also included a microtransaction store for dressing up your so-called "space Barbie," but the exorbitant prices involved (a $40.00 shirt, a $70.00 monocle) sparked an outrage of galactic proportions. Things only got worse when an internal memo leaked suggesting that CCP planned to extend the store to include purchases of ships, faction reputations, and ammunition, despite CCP's initial promises to the contrary. And after a player released data indicating that Incarna did absolutely nothing to increase the size of the playerbase, Gianturco wrote player riots aimed at making the game unplayable quickly erupted throughout much of the galaxy.
It's tempting to dismiss this racket as just another incarnation of the legendary propensity of MMO players to whine about any changes to their beloved games, but it's clear that the incident is but a wormhole into a deeper tale of forgotten priorities and abandoned promises. Several months have now passed since "Monoclegate" (as players like to call it), but the expansion has seen about as much change as Neil Armstrong's footprints on the moon. Player avatars remain imprisoned in their little captain's quarters every time they dock their ships, and they're still allowed to spend $70.00 on a monocle that no other players can see since none of the originally conceived multiplayers' spaces have made their way into the game.
The Quarters - not much to see here folks, move along.
That's partly because the severe graphical demands of the captain's quarters tend to pummel weaker systems. If players' computers are crashing while they're merely admiring their own avatar, then tossing in a bunch of other avatars seems like a recipe for another level of hell. Worse yet, Gianturco points out that the only available captain's quarters--styled for the comparatively spartan Minmatar faction--is the least inviting one that CCP could have chosen. Three more have been planned (one for each race), but they're as conspicuously absent as oxygen on Saturn. "It really seems like CCP bit off more than they could chew with the whole concept," Gianturco says.
There's not even anything to do in your captain's quarters. "The Incarna expansion has added no gameplay at all," Gianturco says. "It's literally just a room with an avatar and a couch. There's nothing to play, there's nothing to do, and there's no interaction with other players because it's a one-person affair." You can't even customize the room, although CCP is at least taking measures to remedy that. As early as last Monday, in fact, the developers recently announced a plan that would allow you to change the footage that's constantly displayed on your quarter's television set.
It wasn't always thus. Incarna, or "walking in stations" as it was once imaginatively known, was first introduced in a lengthy memo way back in 2006 to much acclaim. By allowing player interactions on space stations, CCP was aiming to attract players who were more used to traditional MMOs than EVE Online's saga of impersonal spaceships. At its face, this was a brilliant move. Originally, even Gianturco was supportive of Incarna, believing that the avatar-based gameplay would add a much-needed human element to EVE Online. Gianturco claims he's still supportive of the basic idea; he's just no longer sure if he has faith in CCP's ability to implement it properly.
Prime time TV, Eve style.
That's partly because the Incarna debacle is only the most recent chapter in the story of EVE Online's fall from greatness. Gianturco points out that the previous two expansions, Tyrannis and Incursions, were almost as disappointing for different reasons. Tyrannis' practice of allowing you to dot a planet's surface with harvestable factories won it the unenviable nickname of "Farmville in Space," and the comparatively popular PVE-based invasions in Incursions were marred by a wobbly launch featuring patches that were merely fixes for Tyrannis.
"It's been a while since we've have a good expansion about spaceships in a game that's fundamentally about spaceships," Gianturco says. "People like new ships, people like new weird regions of space to explore, they like new things to create, and new things to fight over." In his view, the last expansion that truly satisfied the community's spaceship addiction was 2009's Apocrypha, a jam-packed affair that introduced 2,500 wormholes, almost doubled the size of the galaxy, diversified the economy, added new complex ships, and provided a stellar experience for the average player.
Gianturco believes that the reasons for this odd shift from spaceship content may lie elsewhere. CCP currently has two other major projects crammed under its belt, a vampire-themed MMO named World of Darkness and a Halo-style tie-in for EVE Online called Dust 514. Both show promise (and CCP even has vague plans to foster interaction between EVE Online and Dust 514), but it's hard to shake the feeling that CCP is only using EVE Online to test components for these other projects. It's hard not to see why. Several weeks ago, CCP's senior producer announced that only 124 of its 400 or so developers were assigned to work on EVE Online, and 70 of those were assigned to avatar duty for Incarna. This left only a handful of developers dedicated to the content at the hearts of the vast majority of EVE Online's playerbase.
The CCP staff run to stamp out another flamethread on the forums.
So is there hope for EVE Online? Gianturco believes there is, and he believes that the path to redemption is simple. "The Council of Stellar Management's position is that CCP needs to remember what the key focus of EVE Online is," he says, "and that's to produce an excellent game about spaceships." And there are some indications, however feeble, that that CCP might be taking the bitter lessons of Incarna's launch to heart. Just last week, the developers announced that they would give players the temporary option to disable their captain's quarters. By flipping on this option, players no longer see their avatar putzing about while watching whatever trash passes for galactic television these days; instead, they can partake in the pre-Incarna fun of spinning their ship from all angles while it's docked. On the heels of that announcement, Eve Online senior producer Arnar Hrafn Gylfason introduced a nebulous blog stating that "We are listening to you, we have heard you, and plans are already in motion." It was, at least, an admission of sorts that something is rotten in the heart of New Eden.
But, at this point, it may not be enough. For me, the most shocking news is that EVE Online's playerbase was consistently increasing with every expansion until the release of Incarna -- in stark contrast to the usual MMO model of peaking in player population after an expansion and dropping off in the following weeks or months. By any standard, EVE Online's steady rise until now was the sign of a successful MMO. EVE Online might not have the bulging player base of some its cousins, but there's really nothing else on the market quite like it, and it's clear that CCP used to know how to give its players what they wanted. Even now, their success is evident in the fact that EVE Online's playerbase is merely stagnant, not dropping. Perhaps, as Gianturco believes, all CCP needs to do is to renew its focus on the content it does best. "EVE is the only single-sharded spaceship MMO with consequential PvP," Gianturco says, "and the CSM is calling on CCP to return to work on the kind of quality spaceship content that the company used to produce, before it's too late."
Monday, October 10, 2011
Zoo World creator RockYou's Jonathan Knight leaves for Zynga
And there goes another. Inside Social Games reports that Jonathan Knight (pictured), former SVP of Games at RockYou, has left the company for Zynga. The company's--best known for Zoo World--CEO Lisa Marino confirmed the move. Before his departure, Knight oversaw the acquisitions of studios like 3 Blokes, which just launched Galactic Allies, and Playdemic of Gourmet Ranch fame.
"We hired [Knight] to help us build out a portfolio of great products and he's done the job," Marino told ISG. "We have built a strong team of talent through a careful hiring process, our Studio Partners program, and acquisitions over the past year. The departure of Jonathan will not impact our game development pipeline or our plans to continue to launch quality titles."
Knight has a deep history in the games business, coming to RockYou from veteran publisher EA as VP and executive VP for nine years. During that time, Knight oversaw major releases like entries in The Sims series and The Simpsons Game. In fact, ISG recalls that Knight was brought in to help RockYou transform from a social app developer into a social game creator.
The move happens just as RockYou prepares to launch Cloudforest Expedition on Facebook with designer John Romero's Loot Drop. Knight joins a number of major video game execs that have flocked to Zynga in the past year, many of which coming from EA. The company's CCO Jeff Schappert recently left for Zynga, who was then followed by NBA Jam creator Mark Turmell and EA Play exec Jeff Karp. We've contacted Zynga for comment as to what Knight might be up to with the company.
What do you think of Knight's move from RockYou to Zynga? What are your thoughts on RockYou's stable of Facebook games thus far? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
"We hired [Knight] to help us build out a portfolio of great products and he's done the job," Marino told ISG. "We have built a strong team of talent through a careful hiring process, our Studio Partners program, and acquisitions over the past year. The departure of Jonathan will not impact our game development pipeline or our plans to continue to launch quality titles."
Knight has a deep history in the games business, coming to RockYou from veteran publisher EA as VP and executive VP for nine years. During that time, Knight oversaw major releases like entries in The Sims series and The Simpsons Game. In fact, ISG recalls that Knight was brought in to help RockYou transform from a social app developer into a social game creator.
The move happens just as RockYou prepares to launch Cloudforest Expedition on Facebook with designer John Romero's Loot Drop. Knight joins a number of major video game execs that have flocked to Zynga in the past year, many of which coming from EA. The company's CCO Jeff Schappert recently left for Zynga, who was then followed by NBA Jam creator Mark Turmell and EA Play exec Jeff Karp. We've contacted Zynga for comment as to what Knight might be up to with the company.
What do you think of Knight's move from RockYou to Zynga? What are your thoughts on RockYou's stable of Facebook games thus far? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
CrowdStar CEO: We want to create a game that reaches a billion people
The question is, however, can it be done? Speaking at this week's HTML5 Dev Conference in San Francisco, YouWeb chairman and CrowdStar--It Girl, anyone?--CEO Peter Relan (obviously not pictured) said, "We want to create the game that reaches a billion people." VentureBeat reports that the general consensus of the event was that HTML5 is the future of social and mobile gaming.
HTML5 is a web-based coding language that, in theory, will allow game creators to develop a single game that could be played across multiple devices through web browsers without a change in the experience. Currently, however, HTML5 isn't looking so hot as a gaming platform--HTML5 games aren't as sophisticated yet as even FarmVille on iPhone--but it's gaining steam.
"We sense that web 3.0 is here," Relan said during a panel at the conference. "Mobile devices will get to six billion people. They will become pervasive. We greatly overestimate what we can do with a technology in two years, and greatly underestimate what we can do in 10 years." Relan is confident that, from arcade-style games, HTML5 games will evolve into more complex experiences, citing games on the iPhone as an example.
And Relan shares this sentiment with a number of folks in the space. Rovio marketing exec Peter Vesterbacka has already mentioned his company's goals of reaching 1 billion players with the Angry Birds franchise. Even EA CEO John Riccitiello sees his company topping 1 billion players worldwide. And the mighty Zynga, despite being less than bullish on this whole dang-fangled HTML5 thing, is rumored to be working with Facebook on its not-so-secret Project Spartan.
But wait a tick--we're talking 1 billion players of a single game, no? To do that, it's going to take not only the right technology, but a game with enough widespread appeal to hit critical mass. If anything, the number one challenge game creators will face in this effort isn't whether it is possible, but whether they can craft characters that folks of any background can fall in love with.
Do you think any of these companies could create a game that will reach 1 billion players or downloads? What do you think it will take to accomplish such a feat. Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
HTML5 is a web-based coding language that, in theory, will allow game creators to develop a single game that could be played across multiple devices through web browsers without a change in the experience. Currently, however, HTML5 isn't looking so hot as a gaming platform--HTML5 games aren't as sophisticated yet as even FarmVille on iPhone--but it's gaining steam.
"We sense that web 3.0 is here," Relan said during a panel at the conference. "Mobile devices will get to six billion people. They will become pervasive. We greatly overestimate what we can do with a technology in two years, and greatly underestimate what we can do in 10 years." Relan is confident that, from arcade-style games, HTML5 games will evolve into more complex experiences, citing games on the iPhone as an example.
And Relan shares this sentiment with a number of folks in the space. Rovio marketing exec Peter Vesterbacka has already mentioned his company's goals of reaching 1 billion players with the Angry Birds franchise. Even EA CEO John Riccitiello sees his company topping 1 billion players worldwide. And the mighty Zynga, despite being less than bullish on this whole dang-fangled HTML5 thing, is rumored to be working with Facebook on its not-so-secret Project Spartan.
But wait a tick--we're talking 1 billion players of a single game, no? To do that, it's going to take not only the right technology, but a game with enough widespread appeal to hit critical mass. If anything, the number one challenge game creators will face in this effort isn't whether it is possible, but whether they can craft characters that folks of any background can fall in love with.
Do you think any of these companies could create a game that will reach 1 billion players or downloads? What do you think it will take to accomplish such a feat. Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Is there more to PS Vita's 'Near' social feature than we thought?
Catchphrases like "Social Gaming Revolution," have clouded what the device actually accomplishes with its social features somewhat. But now Sony has unveiled more than just cursory glances, and has detailed the PS Vita's Near feature in full.
Sure, we already knew that Near would allow players to gift one another based on location, but, according to the PlayStation Blog, it goes deeper than that. When PS Vita players press the "Update" button, it will send a ping in an outward radius to other potential Vita players with current, location-based information about you. From there, players can challenge those around them to competitive games or join forces in a co-op romp.
Of course, this is all assuming the games support said features, which we're sure at least some will. But how Sony is going to get you hooked on playing in public more often is the fact that players may have to share through Near in order unlock new content. Want that new multiplayer map for your Vita shooter of choice? Better head to the nearest library or airport to get it. You'll also be able to compare player stats like trophies through Near.
Wait a tick--that sounds a lot like how FarmVille players compare farms or Mastery achievements. Regardless of whether you're on board with Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld gaming console, it's undeniable that the device is a response to the social and mobile gaming scenes. We'll whether that response is strong enough in 2012.
[Via Kotaku]
What do you think of the PS Vita's social features? Do you think they're robust or slick enough to compete with what Facebook or mobile games are capable of already? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Sure, we already knew that Near would allow players to gift one another based on location, but, according to the PlayStation Blog, it goes deeper than that. When PS Vita players press the "Update" button, it will send a ping in an outward radius to other potential Vita players with current, location-based information about you. From there, players can challenge those around them to competitive games or join forces in a co-op romp.
Of course, this is all assuming the games support said features, which we're sure at least some will. But how Sony is going to get you hooked on playing in public more often is the fact that players may have to share through Near in order unlock new content. Want that new multiplayer map for your Vita shooter of choice? Better head to the nearest library or airport to get it. You'll also be able to compare player stats like trophies through Near.
Wait a tick--that sounds a lot like how FarmVille players compare farms or Mastery achievements. Regardless of whether you're on board with Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld gaming console, it's undeniable that the device is a response to the social and mobile gaming scenes. We'll whether that response is strong enough in 2012.
[Via Kotaku]
What do you think of the PS Vita's social features? Do you think they're robust or slick enough to compete with what Facebook or mobile games are capable of already? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Is there more to PS Vita's 'Near' social feature than we thought?
Catchphrases like "Social Gaming Revolution," have clouded what the device actually accomplishes with its social features somewhat. But now Sony has unveiled more than just cursory glances, and has detailed the PS Vita's Near feature in full.
Sure, we already knew that Near would allow players to gift one another based on location, but, according to the PlayStation Blog, it goes deeper than that. When PS Vita players press the "Update" button, it will send a ping in an outward radius to other potential Vita players with current, location-based information about you. From there, players can challenge those around them to competitive games or join forces in a co-op romp.
Of course, this is all assuming the games support said features, which we're sure at least some will. But how Sony is going to get you hooked on playing in public more often is the fact that players may have to share through Near in order unlock new content. Want that new multiplayer map for your Vita shooter of choice? Better head to the nearest library or airport to get it. You'll also be able to compare player stats like trophies through Near.
Wait a tick--that sounds a lot like how FarmVille players compare farms or Mastery achievements. Regardless of whether you're on board with Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld gaming console, it's undeniable that the device is a response to the social and mobile gaming scenes. We'll whether that response is strong enough in 2012.
[Via Kotaku]
What do you think of the PS Vita's social features? Do you think they're robust or slick enough to compete with what Facebook or mobile games are capable of already? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Sure, we already knew that Near would allow players to gift one another based on location, but, according to the PlayStation Blog, it goes deeper than that. When PS Vita players press the "Update" button, it will send a ping in an outward radius to other potential Vita players with current, location-based information about you. From there, players can challenge those around them to competitive games or join forces in a co-op romp.
Of course, this is all assuming the games support said features, which we're sure at least some will. But how Sony is going to get you hooked on playing in public more often is the fact that players may have to share through Near in order unlock new content. Want that new multiplayer map for your Vita shooter of choice? Better head to the nearest library or airport to get it. You'll also be able to compare player stats like trophies through Near.
Wait a tick--that sounds a lot like how FarmVille players compare farms or Mastery achievements. Regardless of whether you're on board with Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld gaming console, it's undeniable that the device is a response to the social and mobile gaming scenes. We'll whether that response is strong enough in 2012.
[Via Kotaku]
What do you think of the PS Vita's social features? Do you think they're robust or slick enough to compete with what Facebook or mobile games are capable of already? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Dexter Slice of Life chops up Facebook after Season 6 debut
It's time to see the darker side of Facebook games ... much darker. Like, "a social game about serial killers" dark. Ecko|Code announced that Dexter Slice of Life is now available for play on Facebook, and just in time for the show's Season 6 debut last night. The game enlists players as Dexter, tasking them with the daunting mission of investigating big-time criminals and giving them the axe--literally.
It appears to be the first social game of its kind to employ real-time stealth gameplay that has players stalking Dexter's prey and lunging for the good old shot of tranquilizer. (We're sure you all know what happens afterward.) Of course, there's no escape yet from common Facebook game tropes like maintaining property--in this case, Dexter's apartment complex--but it's the Dark Passenger multiplayer system that Ecko|Code appeared most excited about when they told us all about the game last month.
Dexter Slice of Life kill room
Well, that and the fact that the game features full voiceover work from the show's star, Michael C. Hall. Not to mention that the Dexter screen writers worked with the developer to craft relevant missions that will explore the Season 6 plot in more detail every Monday, after the latest episode airs on Showtime. Slice of Life looks like it might tread new ground in the ever-growing branded games scene on Facebook, but don't take our word for it. See it for yourself, but beware: Spoiler Warning!
Click here to play Dexter Slice of Life on Facebook Now >
Are you psyched to see Dexter get his very own Facebook game? What do you think of branded games thus far on Facebook? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
It appears to be the first social game of its kind to employ real-time stealth gameplay that has players stalking Dexter's prey and lunging for the good old shot of tranquilizer. (We're sure you all know what happens afterward.) Of course, there's no escape yet from common Facebook game tropes like maintaining property--in this case, Dexter's apartment complex--but it's the Dark Passenger multiplayer system that Ecko|Code appeared most excited about when they told us all about the game last month.
Dexter Slice of Life kill room
Well, that and the fact that the game features full voiceover work from the show's star, Michael C. Hall. Not to mention that the Dexter screen writers worked with the developer to craft relevant missions that will explore the Season 6 plot in more detail every Monday, after the latest episode airs on Showtime. Slice of Life looks like it might tread new ground in the ever-growing branded games scene on Facebook, but don't take our word for it. See it for yourself, but beware: Spoiler Warning!
Click here to play Dexter Slice of Life on Facebook Now >
Are you psyched to see Dexter get his very own Facebook game? What do you think of branded games thus far on Facebook? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Frima Studio brings flatulence to Facebook in Pocket God Episode 9Has Robot Unicorn Attack met its match? In the most recent update to Frima Studio's Facebook take on Pocket God, Episode 9: My Little Pygmy, the Canadian developer has introduced a new pygmy-pulverizing power to the game. We'll just come out and say it: The new power is a unicorn that, when clicked twice, farts rainbows that dissolve pygmies instantly. If you're not laughing yet, then you have no soul. Come on, flatulent humor never gets old in small doses. Oh, and the gaseous mythical horse can also impale pygmies and send them flying with a rainbow flourish. The fart-filled unicorn is available to players Level 11 and above, and comes with a hidden quest that tasks them with defeating the Night Mare. Players that enlist the help of their friends in besting the beast will have a better shot at unlocking another god idol. The update introduced a Daily Bonus mechanic to Pocket God, something that most Facebook games have enjoyed for some time now. But we're sure Frima Studio is far more excited at introducing such a chuckle-worthy character. As of this writing, Pocket God enjoys just over 222,000 monthly players and over 27,000 daily players, according to AppData. Frankly, a game with this much humor (and this little shame) deserves far more players than that. Well, it at least deserves points for originality. Have you played around with this gassy unicorn yet in Pocket God? What do you think of the game's Facebook rendition so far? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Has Robot Unicorn Attack met its match? In the most recent update to Frima Studio's Facebook take on Pocket God, Episode 9: My Little Pygmy, the Canadian developer has introduced a new pygmy-pulverizing power to the game. We'll just come out and say it: The new power is a unicorn that, when clicked twice, farts rainbows that dissolve pygmies instantly.
If you're not laughing yet, then you have no soul. Come on, flatulent humor never gets old in small doses. Oh, and the gaseous mythical horse can also impale pygmies and send them flying with a rainbow flourish. The fart-filled unicorn is available to players Level 11 and above, and comes with a hidden quest that tasks them with defeating the Night Mare. Players that enlist the help of their friends in besting the beast will have a better shot at unlocking another god idol.
The update introduced a Daily Bonus mechanic to Pocket God, something that most Facebook games have enjoyed for some time now. But we're sure Frima Studio is far more excited at introducing such a chuckle-worthy character.
As of this writing, Pocket God enjoys just over 222,000 monthly players and over 27,000 daily players, according to AppData. Frankly, a game with this much humor (and this little shame) deserves far more players than that. Well, it at least deserves points for originality.
Have you played around with this gassy unicorn yet in Pocket God? What do you think of the game's Facebook rendition so far? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
If you're not laughing yet, then you have no soul. Come on, flatulent humor never gets old in small doses. Oh, and the gaseous mythical horse can also impale pygmies and send them flying with a rainbow flourish. The fart-filled unicorn is available to players Level 11 and above, and comes with a hidden quest that tasks them with defeating the Night Mare. Players that enlist the help of their friends in besting the beast will have a better shot at unlocking another god idol.
The update introduced a Daily Bonus mechanic to Pocket God, something that most Facebook games have enjoyed for some time now. But we're sure Frima Studio is far more excited at introducing such a chuckle-worthy character.
As of this writing, Pocket God enjoys just over 222,000 monthly players and over 27,000 daily players, according to AppData. Frankly, a game with this much humor (and this little shame) deserves far more players than that. Well, it at least deserves points for originality.
Have you played around with this gassy unicorn yet in Pocket God? What do you think of the game's Facebook rendition so far? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Kixeye's War Commander blasts onto Facebook for all to conquer
Hardcore gamers have established a beachhead on Facebook, and now can make their next offensive in War Commander. The next social strategy game by San Francisco-based Kixeye has entered public beta is now live and available for all would-be commanders on Facebook to dominate with. The game isn't a far cry from the studio's previous efforts, except for one thing.
Players can finally control individual units on the battle field in real time as they slaughter enemy units and demolish buildings. Clearly inspired by traditional strategy staples like Command and Conquer on the PC, War Commander continues the developer's tradition of real time gameplay with asynchronous interaction between friends ... or enemies.
Based on our time trying out the game's closed beta test, our very own Brandy Shaul found attacking and defending bases to be a largely passive experience, regardless of whether you can now directly control units. Personally, I find the choice to decide which unit gets fired at first by enemy defense turrets a strategic boost, though a small one.
Regardless, this marks Kixeye's next step in its ultimate goal to bring a true RTS (real time strategy) experience to Facebook, Kixeye CEO Will Harbin told VentureBeat. "It's the most advanced strategy game ever created for Facebook," Harbin said. "We're getting closer and closer to real-time strategy titles that you've seen on the PC."
Gallery: War Commander on Facebook
Based on my brief experience with the game, War Commander suffers from brief lag issues at the moment, with intermittent pauses during gameplay. However, Kixeye appears to be hard at work on optimizing the game already. (It is in "open beta," after all.) "We're learning from the past and optimizing the code base more and more," Harbin told VentureBeat.
While Kixeye mentioned that it's "waiting for an onslaught of competition" that it has yet to see, the company does have one worthy opponent that it has already exchanged stern words with over its most recent release, Kabam and Edgeworld. We're sure this rivalry is far from over, so why not check the latest traded blow right now?
Click here to play War Commander on Facebook Now >
Are you a fan of hardcore strategy games on Facebook? Regardless, what do you think of the growing hardcore scene on the platform traditionally dominated by mothers and other casual players? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Players can finally control individual units on the battle field in real time as they slaughter enemy units and demolish buildings. Clearly inspired by traditional strategy staples like Command and Conquer on the PC, War Commander continues the developer's tradition of real time gameplay with asynchronous interaction between friends ... or enemies.
Based on our time trying out the game's closed beta test, our very own Brandy Shaul found attacking and defending bases to be a largely passive experience, regardless of whether you can now directly control units. Personally, I find the choice to decide which unit gets fired at first by enemy defense turrets a strategic boost, though a small one.
Regardless, this marks Kixeye's next step in its ultimate goal to bring a true RTS (real time strategy) experience to Facebook, Kixeye CEO Will Harbin told VentureBeat. "It's the most advanced strategy game ever created for Facebook," Harbin said. "We're getting closer and closer to real-time strategy titles that you've seen on the PC."
Gallery: War Commander on Facebook
Based on my brief experience with the game, War Commander suffers from brief lag issues at the moment, with intermittent pauses during gameplay. However, Kixeye appears to be hard at work on optimizing the game already. (It is in "open beta," after all.) "We're learning from the past and optimizing the code base more and more," Harbin told VentureBeat.
While Kixeye mentioned that it's "waiting for an onslaught of competition" that it has yet to see, the company does have one worthy opponent that it has already exchanged stern words with over its most recent release, Kabam and Edgeworld. We're sure this rivalry is far from over, so why not check the latest traded blow right now?
Click here to play War Commander on Facebook Now >
Are you a fan of hardcore strategy games on Facebook? Regardless, what do you think of the growing hardcore scene on the platform traditionally dominated by mothers and other casual players? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Cafe World High Tea Table: Everything you need to know
As we told you earlier today, the High Tea Table in Cafe World is but a small part in a much larger event in the game celebrating the two-year anniversary. Within this celebration are sections split into different countries, with the first destination being Great Britain. As part of the goal series for this section - Winston's Royals - you'll need to build the High Tea Table, so we're here to help you figure out how to do just that.
The High Tea Table's base can be added to your cafe for free by looking under the Specials tab of the Functional menu. Once placed, you'll have the expected task of gathering multiple building ingredients with your friends' help. You'll need eight Fancy Tea Pots, 10 Delicate Teacups, six Silver Platters and 6 sets of Cream and Sugar dishes. Only the Fancy Tea Pot is earned through a general news post - you'll need to gather the other three items either using Cafe Cash or by sending out individual requests to your friends for help.
Once completed, this table has more of a function that simply looking pretty, as it gives you extra mastery points when serving "British" dishes. Remember, you can sort your Cookbook by nationality, so if you're looking to quickly master some dishes, go for these British offerings as you'll earn +1 point of extra mastery each time you serve a British dish with this table out and active in your cafe.
What do you think of the High Tea Table? Are you looking forward to serving high tea to the "Royals" in your cafe, or are you tired of endless building projects? Sound off in the comments.
The High Tea Table's base can be added to your cafe for free by looking under the Specials tab of the Functional menu. Once placed, you'll have the expected task of gathering multiple building ingredients with your friends' help. You'll need eight Fancy Tea Pots, 10 Delicate Teacups, six Silver Platters and 6 sets of Cream and Sugar dishes. Only the Fancy Tea Pot is earned through a general news post - you'll need to gather the other three items either using Cafe Cash or by sending out individual requests to your friends for help.
Once completed, this table has more of a function that simply looking pretty, as it gives you extra mastery points when serving "British" dishes. Remember, you can sort your Cookbook by nationality, so if you're looking to quickly master some dishes, go for these British offerings as you'll earn +1 point of extra mastery each time you serve a British dish with this table out and active in your cafe.
What do you think of the High Tea Table? Are you looking forward to serving high tea to the "Royals" in your cafe, or are you tired of endless building projects? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille Neighborhoods: Everything you need to know
Here we go, mayors. A new feature has been launched in CityVille that will help one of the biggest concerns I personally have with the game (and I know I'm not alone). A new Neighborhoods feature has launched to players above level 30, with at least 620 population, that will allow you to move homes (including high rises) into smaller areas to save space. This feature, you guessed it, is similar to the Mall feature, but here's a complete rundown of how this works for homes.
First and foremost, yes, you can have more than one Neighborhood in your town, and there are different types of Neighborhoods depending on the kinds of homes you'd like to store. Gated Communities cost 10,000 coins and store up to 15 Family Residences. Uptown Estates cost 15,000 coins and store 15 Apartments and finally, Palm Towers cost 20,000 coins and store 15 Vacation Home.
For our example, let's say you wanted to build a Gated Community in your town. You'd go into the store to purchase the base, as seen below, and would then need to whack that base six times to build up the frame.
From there, you'll instantly have access to two storage spots, of a possible five on the first "block," or "floor," if we're comparing this to the Mall. To fill these spaces, simply click on your empty Neighborhood and then click on "Fill" under one of the empty spaces. This will cause all of the buildings that can fit inside to glow. Click on one and voila! It's stored inside your Neighborhood, which will change shape and complexity as new buildings are added to it.
To unlock additional space inside your Neighborhoods, you'll need to ask your friends to staff extra spots, as seen above. The rate of one user per one storage slot isn't bad, really. Once your first block is full, you'll have to go through the process of asking for building materials to open up the second block. In our particular example of the Gated Community, you'll need five each of Red Bricks, Crossing Signs, Roof Tiles, Cement and Lumber. These are earned either by purchasing them outright with City Cash, or by asking your friends to send them to you.
When you've unlocked your second block, the process will repeat (and so on until you've unlocked and filled all three blocks, with more building materials being required the second time). Again, at first, these Neighborhoods may be incredibly space-consuming, but once they're full, you'll find them to be fairly space-saving, especially if you choose to place the largest homes in each category into storage. Don't worry about losing their stats, though, as you'll be able to collect rent as normal while they're inside. That is, you'll be able to click on your Neighborhood, and will then be asked to spend a larger amount of energy to collect from all "ready" buildings inside, just as you collect profits from your Mall.
All told, these are some fairly time consuming building projects, but if you're willing to go through with building them (and have plenty of friends around that are willing to help you out), you'll end up saving tons of space for future purchases, whether residential in nature or otherwise. We'll make sure to let you know when other kinds of Neighborhoods, for other kinds of homes are released, so keep checking back with us.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Neighborhoods feature? Is the space you saved substantial enough to warrant building them? Sound off in the comments.
First and foremost, yes, you can have more than one Neighborhood in your town, and there are different types of Neighborhoods depending on the kinds of homes you'd like to store. Gated Communities cost 10,000 coins and store up to 15 Family Residences. Uptown Estates cost 15,000 coins and store 15 Apartments and finally, Palm Towers cost 20,000 coins and store 15 Vacation Home.
For our example, let's say you wanted to build a Gated Community in your town. You'd go into the store to purchase the base, as seen below, and would then need to whack that base six times to build up the frame.
From there, you'll instantly have access to two storage spots, of a possible five on the first "block," or "floor," if we're comparing this to the Mall. To fill these spaces, simply click on your empty Neighborhood and then click on "Fill" under one of the empty spaces. This will cause all of the buildings that can fit inside to glow. Click on one and voila! It's stored inside your Neighborhood, which will change shape and complexity as new buildings are added to it.
To unlock additional space inside your Neighborhoods, you'll need to ask your friends to staff extra spots, as seen above. The rate of one user per one storage slot isn't bad, really. Once your first block is full, you'll have to go through the process of asking for building materials to open up the second block. In our particular example of the Gated Community, you'll need five each of Red Bricks, Crossing Signs, Roof Tiles, Cement and Lumber. These are earned either by purchasing them outright with City Cash, or by asking your friends to send them to you.
When you've unlocked your second block, the process will repeat (and so on until you've unlocked and filled all three blocks, with more building materials being required the second time). Again, at first, these Neighborhoods may be incredibly space-consuming, but once they're full, you'll find them to be fairly space-saving, especially if you choose to place the largest homes in each category into storage. Don't worry about losing their stats, though, as you'll be able to collect rent as normal while they're inside. That is, you'll be able to click on your Neighborhood, and will then be asked to spend a larger amount of energy to collect from all "ready" buildings inside, just as you collect profits from your Mall.
All told, these are some fairly time consuming building projects, but if you're willing to go through with building them (and have plenty of friends around that are willing to help you out), you'll end up saving tons of space for future purchases, whether residential in nature or otherwise. We'll make sure to let you know when other kinds of Neighborhoods, for other kinds of homes are released, so keep checking back with us.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Neighborhoods feature? Is the space you saved substantial enough to warrant building them? Sound off in the comments.
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