Today, Supergiant Games who are responsible for Bastion and Transistor, announced their newest game, Pyre, as well as a trailer that gives a glimpse into the game’s style and gameplay. This is the third game to be developed by the studio and has been described by the developers as a “party-based RPG”.
Pyre’s story is centered around a small group of exiles, which the player must lead through a series of trials that will allow them to be free to return to their home. Supergiant Games expect to be releasing Pyre some time in 2017 and details regarding the game are thin on the ground, with nothing but the announcement trailer and a statement by the developers to go on.
“Pyre once again showcases our team’s commitment to rich atmospheric presentation and storytelling, along with a distinctive gameplay blend that combines expressive decision-making on the world map with fast, action-packed confrontations against rival groups of exiles whose own freedom is at stake. We want to create a large cast of characters you can grow close to as you travel together across a strange and wondrous land.
“The Story So Far: At the beginning of the game, your luck has almost run out when several masked wanderers find you and revive you from the brink. With your help, they seek to learn the truth about the Rites, a secretive competition through which the worthiest exiles can return home, absolved of their transgressions. As you journey across the Downside in the wanderers’ custom blackwagon, you’ll meet a variety of characters of all shapes and sizes, and learn what’s in store for each of them should they prevail in the Rites. Your actions will determine who returns to glory, and who remains in exile to the end of their days.”
Considering the track record of Supergiant Games, Pyre should be a game to look forward to next year, with a beautiful and striking artstyle and hopefully a little bit of the magic that made Bastion and Transistor as popular as they are. The game is planned to have its grand reveal at PAX East later this week, where more details of the game and its gameplay may emerge, with a playable demo expected to be at the event.
Hajime Tabata, the director of the forthcoming Final Fantasy XV, has admitted that the series has failed to deliver a truly successful game during the HD era – a “tough spot,” as he puts it – and that the latest entry in the franchise has been forced to take a more “modern” approach in order to be a “challenger again”.
“After a fresh start as Final Fantasy XV, the part that we felt was most necessary was “to modernize Final Fantasy”,” Tabata told Siliconera. “Basically, to make a Final Fantasy that works in today’s era. In order to do this, we thought that “Final Fantasy will become the challenger again” and we decided to do everything we can to make this possible.”
Tabata blamed the trappings of HD game development for the oft-criticised linear nature of Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix’s previous single-player RPG entry (since Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG), saying, “I understand that Final Fantasy XIII also had some rough criticism, but that is not what was aimed for, and I’m sure the objective for it was much higher than that. In the end, it became a title known for being linear.”
“That was not something that was aimed for,” he said, “but considering the way things were being done, they were not able to break the walls of HD production, and I believe that the truth of the matter is that they simply weren’t able to make a proper landing.”
He also acknowledged that the burden of the Final Fantasy name weighed heavily on the shoulders of FFXIII’s development team, adding, “If anything, how to break through such a reality was what made it heavy, in that sense. The heaviness of “the Final Fantasy IP is in a tough spot” was at its peak there.”
Final Fantasy XV is due out for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year.
The visually stunning Korean MMO that is Black Desert Online just keeps on getting better and better. Aside from the fact that it already has one of the most in-depth and visual impressive character creation systems we’ve ever seen, as well as a rich world and booming in-game economy, the developers have now released the first of many expansions for the BDO universe.
The free “Mediah” update clocks in at a modest 2GB, and while that doesn’t sound like a lot, it adds more than a thousand new quests to the world! And if that wasn’t enough, you’ll find massive boss fights, such as the one against Kzarka, with hundreds of players capable of joining that single fight alone. There’s a new 40v40 PvP instance on Crimson Battlefield, and if that wasn’t enough, which it is, you’ll also find new weapons, armour, enchanted equipment and more for higher level players.
+ World size increased by 30%
+ Over 1,000 new quests
+ Kzarka – An enormous boss that can take on hundreds of players at a time
+ New guild missions, including special bosses that drop formidable weapons
+ Crimson Battlefield – Instanced 40v40 skirmishes that players can queue for in groups of five or solo
+ New weapons and more powerful armor set
+ Craftable Alchemy Stones allow players to apply Attack, Defense, or Life bonuses to their equipment
The games developers, Pearl Abyss, aren’t stopping here either, teasing that new expansions will be coming thick and fast. Keep an eye on the horizon for ocean-based adventuring, allowing exploration above and below the waves, trading ships and even naval warfare. In short, Black Desert Online is already one of the most interesting MMOs out there and it just keeps on getting better in more ways than one.
“Daum Games today announced that Black Desert Online will be expanded with the huge Mediah region, tons of new quests, fierce bosses, and more as early as tomorrow, March 30. With the Mediah Expansion, players can rise to new levels of power and achieve greatness like never before.” – BDO
The issue with creating a successful game is that once you’ve done one, your next one is expected to be at the same level or even better. Much like with movies you are expected to build upon your last game, making each game (be it the next one in a series or a new series altogether) better than the last. CD Projekt RED know this better than anyone with their last game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, being successful and gaining several awards. The end result though seems to be that CD Projekt RED want their next game, Cyberpunk 2077, to be shown off as something great.
Feeling the pressure of the Witcher 3’s success, co-founder, and CEO Marcin Iwinski stated that:
“Right now, we have the success of the Witcher 3; people played it and people loved it. So it’s even more responsibility. The fact that Witcher 3 performed so well allows us to be even more ambitious with Cyberpunk 2077. Right now, it’s on our shoulders to deliver here. The next time you hear about Cyberpunk 2077 we will show something and it must be f****ng great.”
“People really expect something great and that’s what we have to stand up to and deliver.”
Iwinski was also asked about how the team felt about changing settings for their next game, his response was that “after a decade working with dragons, swords, and medieval themes, the team is feeling energized to work on a project involving guns, ammo, mutants and implants”.
If you are looking forward to playing the game anytime soon though you may have to wait as the company states it is “a long ways away” from release and that the team wants to spend the time to make sure it is a “truly outstanding game”.
It’s no secret that Bethesda is working on a new game, they’re a development studio, it’s what they do! However, with Fallout 4 now out of the way, and smaller teams working on patches and DLC releases for the game, the main teams will be moving onto the next big project, although for now, we have no idea what they’re going to be doing.
Bethesda has teased already that they’ve got several new games on the way that are “different to anything” they’ve done before. This would suggest that these new games aren’t part of the Fallout or Elder Scrolls series. However, we already knew these were in the works, so their new job postings spark interest for their next long-term investment.
Four new positions are now available, for an engine, gameplay and two graphics programmers. All touting that they’re required for “bleeding-edge RPG” development. If the current projects are different from what they’ve done before, it stands to reason that this one, an RPG, is a return to Elder Scrolls or Fallout. However, this is extreme early stage hiring, so we should likely expect it to be around about a year before we get hints of what it is, two years before we start to see anything from it and likely four years before it hits the market.
My gut instinct says Elder Scrolls 6, but as a fan of the series, I prefer to lie to myself and imagine that it’s been in development for a few years already and is coming much sooner than this project will; I can only hope!
Picking through some finer details, Fallout 4 lead producer, Jeff Gardiner, is listed as working on an “unannounced” project, as is Dave Schreiber, sound designer for Skyrim who’s listing says “unannounced future project.” Add to that Diego de Almeida, a freelance illustrator, has been on an “unannounced project” since the end of the Fallout 4 main development cycle last November.
Let’s cross our fingers, because as more names start to get put into this new project, leaks are bound to happen.
Last week the internet was awash with news that the popular series, Sword Art Online would be getting a VR MMO. We even reported on it here at eTeknix, but sadly it seems like the internet was once again a little too quick to come to terms with the news and instead spread a huge misunderstanding.
IBM is looking to advertise their new SoftLayer cloud service, something which would, of course, require marketing and in order to do this the creation of a Sword Art Online prototype was developed to demo at their latest marketing event. Sadly this means that you won’t be able to experience the game’s fictional world come alive and will instead have to settle for the 20-minute demo that is designed to be just that.
So it looks like Sword Art Online: The Beginning will be nothing more than a fancy tech demo to advertise the new service from IBM. Sadly there are no plans to make a full Sword Art Online MMO I have no doubt that people all over the world will be upset by this news and surely the outcry and support for a project (even if it was just a misunderstanding) would encourage a company to maybe follow up on the concept and bring it to live.
Fallout 4 is still going strong and I’m sure many of you are either still walking the wasteland or, at least, you’re planning to get started on the latest Bethesda developed epic. The new update brings a lot of patches and they’re certainly welcome, as with such a big game it’s inevitable that there will be a lot of bugs.
The new patch brings with it a few general performance improvements, which are always a welcome addition for any format, as well as support for add-ons, more metal and wood door variants, and a nice range of bug fixes. Can’t say I’m bothered about the new doors, though, as with PC mods, I’ve already got dozens more than standard anyway.
Let’s take a quick look at what you can expect to find when you update your game to version 1.4:
New Features
General performance improvements
Support for add-ons
Additional art customization added to Workshop:
Super Mutant clutter including meat totems, meat bags and meat cart
Raider clutter including raider poles, cages and tents
Abstract and portrait paintings
Variety of new signs
More metal and wood doors variants
Fixes
General stability and performance improvements
During “Getting a Clue” quest, Kellogg’s desk will remain a working container
During “Rocket’s Red Glare”, resolved issue where companions could not be dismissed after completing the quest
Fixed an issue with “Kremvh’s Tooth” quest item not spawning properly
Settlements under attack will now display an updated message with the results of the attack if player does not respond
Fixed an issue with screen effects not clearing away properly after using a scope
Fixed an issue with trying to sprint while in third person with a minigun equipped
Rank 4 of Demolition Expert perk now properly increases the area effect of explosives
The Scrounger perk now includes additional common ammo types
Fixed an issue where Calvin Whitaker would disappear in Vault 81
Fixed an issue where Ninja and Sandman perks combined would apply the incorrect damage bonus
Fixed an issue where Rank 3 of Grim Reaper’s Sprint did not fill critical meter properly
Fixed an issue with key cards not spawning correctly in Vault 75
Fixed an issue where enemies would stop spawning during “Airship Down”
Being in first person while wearing power armor and quickly switching weapons will no longer cause the Pip-Boy to be stuck
Fixed an issue with the autosave counter getting incorrectly reset
Fixed issue that would cause the Pip-Boy menu to turn invisible while swimming
Fixed an issue where scrapping larger quantities of a single item would inadvertently scrap a legendary item
Fixed issue where exiting workbenches would cause third person to stop working properly
The Scribe can now be assigned consecutive settlements properly
Fixed issue with duplicating scraps shipments
Fixed issue with vendors not properly exchanging caps after several consecutive transactions in a row
Fixed issue with the quicksave and autosave message persisting through loading screens
Fixed an issue where updating to the latest patch would cause Options settings to reset back to default (Xbox One)
Fixed an issue with loading save with a placed object in water, not properly floating
Sometimes you just want to get away from things, it can be your favourite interstellar video game or even a quick trip down the woods to fire arrows at Orc hordes. For some though you just want to sit at a table with your friends and conquer the dungeons and creatures that stir only in fiction and your minds. If you are one of those people or interested in becoming one, then the latest Humble Book Bundle is just what you need to play Pathfinder.
For just a single dollar you will gain access to everything you need to play, from the core rulebook and a digital copy of the beginner’s box to the Adventure titled In Hell’s Bright Shadow (sounds happy doesn’t it?). Paying more than the average will get you the advanced players guide to expand on your adventures, the bestiary to add a whole horde of creatures to your adventure, the ultimate equipment e-book to give you that edge you need to fight the hordes and the second adventure book in the Hell’s Rebels series, Turn of the Torrent, to name just a few.
If you wanted to take it one step further, at $15 or more you will unlock not only the third of the Hell Rebels adventure path series, Dance of the Damned but also the Ultimate Campaign, Ultimate Magic and Combat books, alongside the Bestiary 2 e-book and so many more.
If this wasn’t enough for you then paying just $25 will also unlock you a physical copy of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box. Be warned though that price doesn’t include the shipping cost, not that it will be stopping us!
There are many kinds of people in the world, some who will finish the day with a drink, some will finish it with a movie, some even a game but for some there is nothing like losing yourself in a good anime. One of the largest animes in 2015 was created from a light novel written in Japan, titled Sword Art Online. The game follows a series of players who become trapped in a video game, with their very lives at risk from the monsters and players that gamers shrug off with each respawn in games. Now it would seem that the game has attracted the attention of IBM, who want to create an online game from the series.
MMORPG’s (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games) were made famous by the likes of World Of Warcraft and have been featured in a range of manga and anime’s in recent years. The name that is currently being thrown about by IBM’s Japanese branch is Sword Art Online: The Beginning and will be (much like in the series) a virtual reality game.
While many will be thinking that this is clearly a gimmick to create a game based on a game from a manga, the game has already titled at least one unique feature. The twist that is currently being advertised is that players will be scanned to create a 3D model that will become their avatars in-game, talk about putting yourself in the action!
Alongside a VR headset, the game looks to include motion capture technology to drag players into the battles. The promotional video for the game so far shows more design elements from the game and clips from the anime but you can see where they are going with the video.
If that wasn’t enough for you, the game is starting a closed beta in Japan for 208 lucky gamers next month and will be powered by none other than Watson, IMB’s natural language, and machine learning platform.
Bethesda has announced the release of the 1.3 update for its action RPG Fallout 4. The update is already available for PC users via Steam, while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will get it later this week.
The update introduces ambient occlusion (HBAO+), fixes a couple of broken quests, and new weapon debris effects for NVIDIA GPU users.
New Features
New ambient occlusion setting, HBAO+ (PC)
New weapon debris effects (PC NVIDIA cards)
Added status menu for settlers in your settlements
Added ability to rotate an object you are holding with left/right triggers and pressing down on left thumbstick lets you switch the rotating axis
Improved “ESDF” keys remapping support while in Workshop mode (PC)
Gameplay Fixes
General memory and stability improvements
Improved performance when looking through a scope
Fixed issue where player could warp to a different location when aiming
Companions can no longer get stuck with radiation poisoning
Fixed an issue where Vault 81 residents would not dismember correctly
Big Leagues perk now displays calculated damage correctly
Fixed issue with third person camera not displaying properly after exiting certain crafting stations
Fixed an issue where subtitles would occasionally not update properly
Effects will properly be removed on companions when items are unequipped
MacReady’s Killshot perk now calculates headshot percentages properly
Fixed an issue with NPCs getting stuck in Power Armor
Fixed a rare issue with companions getting stuck in down state
Second rank of Aquaboy now calculates properly
Fixed an issue with resistance not always lowering the damage correctly when added by mods
Enabled number of characters available when renaming an item (XB1)
Fixed issue with player becoming dismembered while still alive
Robotics expert is now usable in combat
Stimpaks can now be used on Curie after the transformation
Playing a holotape found in wilderness while switching point of view no longer causes the screen to blur or controls to be locked
Quest Fixes
Fixed an issue with “Taking Independence” where the minutemen remaining from the battle against the Mirelurk Queen would not gather in the Castle
Fixed an issue where invulnerable characters would get stuck in combat
Fixed an issue where Preston would send player to a settlement instead of a dungeon as part of a Minutemen quest
Fixed an issue where Synths could attack the Castle while the player was friends with the Institute
Fixed an issue where killing a caravan would leave a quest open
Fixed an issue where Dogmeat would stay at Fort Hagen after “Reunions” was completed
Fixed an issue where the player couldn’t talk to Desdemona to complete “Underground Undercover”
Fixed an issue where the player could get stuck exiting the cryopod
Fixed an issue where the player could no longer get Preston as a companion
In “The End of the Line,” fixed an issue that would prevent the player from killing the leaders of the Railroad
Fixed an issue with Minutemen quests repeating improperly
Fixed an issue where the player couldn’t get back into the Railroad headquarters after being kicked out of the Brotherhood of Steel
After finishing “The Big Dig,” fixed an issue where Hancock would no longer offer to be a companion or help with the “Silver Shroud” quest
Fixed an issue with obtaining the Dampening Coils from Saugus Ironworks before going to Yangtze
During “Unlikely Valentine,” fixed an issue where the player could be blocked from entering Vault 114
In “Confidence Man,” Bull and Gouger can now be killed
During “Taking Independence,” fixed an issue that would prevent the radio transmitter from powering up
In “Human Error,” fixed an issue where killing Dan would cause the quest to not complete properly
Fixed an issue with “Tactical Thinking” where leaving dialogue early with Captain Kells to reprogram P.A.M. could cause quest to not completely properly
Workshop Fixes
Fixed a bug that would cause settler counts to appear incorrectly
Fixed an issue that could prevent the player from setting up a supply line in settlements with a high population
Improvements to snapping pieces together while in Workshop mode
Fixed an issue that caused powered items to stop functioning permanently if its power source was ever removed
Player can now build workbenches in their Diamond City house
Building wires no longer uses up copper
Fixed issue with certain settlement attacks not generating properly
Fixed an issue with settlement happiness calculations
Settlers assigned to weapons stand will now stand next to it
Diamond City house now shows provided power
Repairing items will now correctly consume resources
Fixed an issue where companion would ignore commands at workshop locations
Fixed an issue with crops appearing destroyed after saving and reloading
Everyone likes to get things for free and you will if you purchase one of EVGA’s graphics cards Nvidia GTX 900 series graphics cards. For a limited time, EVGA will bundle codes for action role-playing game Bombshell with the purchase of EVGA GeForce GTX TITAN X, 980 Ti, 980, 970, 960, and 950 graphics cards.
Bombshell comes from the creators of Rise of the Triad and legendary game maker 3D Realms. Some of our readers might not be old enough to remember Rise of the Triad, also known as ROTT, but it was a groundbreaking first person shooter game back in the 90s. There was a recent remake of the original game that came out in the end of 2013, but the original is what I’ll remember.
“Bomb disposal technician turned mercenary for hire, Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison must strong-arm her way across 4 planets in an Unreal Engine-powered galactic adventure to rescue the president from an apocalyptic alien threat. With out-of-this-world enemies, a never-before-seen arsenal of devastating weaponry and a host of genre-crossing mechanics, Bombshell is set to blow you away.”
The basic story plot of the game is pretty generic in its form, you have to save the president. But other than that, it looks pretty fun. You travel the dying world of Kyrron as it’s consumed by its neighboring sun. You’ll then have to shell, shock and shatter your way through vicious, bloodthirsty predators, an augmented alien species, and the remnants of an ancient race re-animated, with more than 10 weaponized arm modifications.
Your hero, Shelly Bombshell Harrison, has fierce finishing moves and can use the interactive environments make to make her as dynamic as she is deadly. The game is described as a brutal shooting game mixed with classic role-playing mechanics, which both should speak to a lot of people. Those are two of the biggest game genres.
The game is enhanced for use with Nvidia based graphics cards, which is why it comes bundled with those and not the entire EVGA lineup. The game has been enhanced with NVIDIA HBAO+, PhysX and Turbulence Technologies for lifelike physics effects and realistic shadows.
Normally the game will set you back €35.99 on Steam, so it is a nice gift to get along with your new graphics card as well as something to test your new found capabilities thanks to the GTX 900 series graphics cards. You can check the long list of participating cards here where you also can redeem your code. The promotion is valid purchases made on or after January 29th, 2016.
Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and similar fundraising sites are a really great idea and they have helped a lot of projects to get off the ground, into production, and out to the end users. The idea is to give people with an idea and the skills to make this idea come to life a way of doing so by backing the person or group financially. There have been many great projects and more than one person got rich thanks to these sites. However, once in a while something hilarious comes along, among the thousands of campaigns running and this is one of them.
Let us just call it what it is right away, hilarious in every way but with a touch of sadness. The Kickstarter campaign didn’t really have a name in itself as it basically just was an idea by Devin: An Open World RPG “like” Star Wars Game. That’s the official Kickstarter title from the campaign that quickly got cancelled again. After having run just three days, the project was cancelled by the creator due to the feedback.
So what makes this so hilarious? Well, there are several things. Starting with the basic project information that is very short and comes with very bad grammar and spelling for a native English-speaking person. Basically, he had an idea, but no skills or real plan how to achieve it. On top of that, it’s doubtful that Disney, Lucas Arts, and who else has rights in the Star Wars world would have taken this sitting down.
Sadly the original project description has been replaced with his campaign cancel message, but that is equally hilarious – sent drunk from a bar and proud of it. Some might say he’s a Texan through and through. The full message is quoted in an unedited form below.
The sad touch that I mentioned earlier is the amount of funding that he received before the project got cancelled. He didn’t come close to the $200,000 he was looking for, but he did manage to collect a total $18,325 from 118 pledges ranging from $5 to $1500. Yes, you read that right, and even worse, there were four people pledging that amount to get “a small contribution inside the game, like your name appearing as one of the characters in the game or a planet named after you, or a special lightsaber that you help create.” Smaller pledges would give you a letter thanking you for either $5 or $10 while people pledging $60 would get the full game “when it becomes available.”
I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that would like an open-world (open-space) RPG star wars game, but Devin won’t be the one to bring it. Oh, and in case you wonder, the image above is the only thing he actually created for the campaign.
Hello Everyone…
I’d like to start off by saying I’m sorry to Disney for using their logo and name. Having said that, I find it very disturbing that you want to report me to them. As if they didn’t already know. You truly want to see some be in debt for the wrest of their life because they had a dream for a video game that they never created. Very selfish, and very ironic. Disney was created because Walt Disney had a dream, was it not? I find it ironic because on a lot of the news and the forums there was a quote from something I said. It read ” I have talked to Disney, and they have informed me to contact Lucas arts”. I believe most of you said quote ” that’s like a father telling the kid to go ask their mother because they do not want to deal with them.” Yet I recieved emails from random people basically telling their dad to send me to timeout because they don’t like me.
Secondly, I am taking this kick starter down myself. Disney has not contacted me to tell me to shut it down for those of you who think you own Disney. I am taking this kick starter down, because I very much respect Disney, and I do not want this to get to big. I love all their pirates of the Caribbean movies. I always wanted to be captain jack, but I think Mr. Depp is to good to be replaced. I have faith that somewhere in the future, a game like the one I described, will be made by Disney/EA/LucasFilms/Bioware or whoever is going to do it.
Thirdly I know my spelling and grammar sucks, but all you need is the force and you will do ok in life. I wrote the entire thing on my phone while in Childress Texas with a JUAN bar. So I did not care for spelling mistakes, because of that and I really didn’t think I’d actually be doing this. As many of you pointed out I am highly unqualified. The point of this whole Kickstarter is to not let your dreams be dreams. Don’t say tomorrow just do it.
-Devin Tripp
Thanks for all the backers. It made this whole thing extra funny
Everyone has their own opinion on which is the best entry in the Final Fantasy series is, and many of those fans have seen their favourites appear on the PC in recent years. From the last gen console trilogy of XIII to ports of the 3D remakes of early classics III and IV, so many are available on Steam for JRPG fans. Two of the three PS1 entries in the series came to Steam years ago, and finally, the last of the three is making the jump, with Final Fantasy IX set to be released on Steam in early 2016.
This release isn’t just an effortless port of the PS1 classic either, with the game’s Steam page revealing more about this new version of the game. Most notable is the increase in detail in the character textures, which have presumably been through an upscaling process. This seems to cause a rather odd effect when set against some of the game’s backdrops, which don’t appear to have been given the same treatment. According to PCGamesN, higher detail art assets exist, but are sadly unavailable to Square Enix. Unfortunately, like many of Square’s FFX assets, the files that could be used to add these details into a game have been lost over the years, making improved versions of the games impossible without remaking them entirely. The addition of these higher resolution textures and new higher definition cutscenes come at a cost, with the game requiring a whopping 20 GB of disk space, which is a lot, especially for a game that was originally contained on four CDs.
Along with the graphic improvements, this version of FFIX also includes the usual set of new features to be found on Final Fantasy ports, with a suite of achievements available to unlock, as well as seven “game boosters”, which include a high-speed mode and the ability to disable encounters. Both of which could be a welcome addition to those who have played the game before and wish to zip through random battles. If the ports of the other two PS1 games are anything to go by, expect the other boosters to include character level and stat boosts and the ability to automatically max out your gil, with features more akin to cheats than anything else.
As a long time fan of the RPG franchise, I’m happy to see yet another of it’s entries make its way to the PC. With almost every single main game in the series now available on PC, including 2 MMOs, Final Fantasy is the most accessible it has ever been. I hope that this release of FFIX, one of the lesser known gems in the series will draw even more people into Final Fantasy and increase interest in a PC release of the upcoming Final Fantasy XV.
Square Enix’s forthcoming epic action RPG, Final Fantasy XV, has been confirmed for a 2016 release. In a blog post entitled “Happy New Year!”, FFXV director Hajime Tabata announced that the game will hit Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this year.
Tabata wrote:
“We will finally release FFXV this year, in 2016! In development, previous phases required wisdom and strength. However, moving forward the final phase will focus on effort and willpower.
I vow to you all that every member in the team will do their best to the very last possible moment taking responsibility and pride in their craft.
We will do everything we can do to finish FFXV to create an experience we are incredibly proud of and one that you will enjoy and treasure.
The whole FFXV team appreciates all of the support from each and everyone one of you this past year. I cannot tell you how much it means to all of us.
We’d like to celebrate a wonderful New Year and as we approach the release of FFXV, I’d like to enjoy that moment with you all.”
Tabata, joined by global marketing manager Akio Ofuji, will be revealing further details of FFXV in the next Active Time Report video, expected at the end of this month.
Grim Dawn is an action RPG game from the people who created Titan Quest, a game that is considered a must play in many circles. Following the same gameplay mechanics, with a few more added on Grim Dawn is set in a universe where magic and violence are common with characters facing anything from bandits to the undead all in one day. Like many games at the moment, Grim Dawn was funded using an early access model, with people paying to support the development in exchange for getting access to the game while it’s still being developed.Until now that is.
The studio behind Grim Dawn, Crate Entertainment, announced on Facebook yesterday, that the project is “content complete”. According to the studio, this means that we have access to not only all the games items and difficulty modes but that all quests are now accessible and there are no quests that cannot be completed.
With a final release set for early 2016, the latest patch sees users able progress all the way to level 85 and an additional 500 pieces of items means that hours of gameplay can quickly become days of quests and adventure.
Having played both Titan Quest and Grim Dawn I can say I enjoyed them both, with Grim Dawn leaning more towards my style, added features like loyalty to different groups mean your decisions have an impact and that impact shapes your character and your world. Have you played either and are you excited for the big release?
While Polish developer CD Projekt RED is developing its next RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, the company has reassured gamers that it remains committed to producing new content and updates for its last epic, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, while teasing that it already knows the release date of Cyberpunk 2077.
“Life after The Witcher exists. We’ve been working on Cyberpunk 2077 for a long time. It’s a completely different reality, set in the future, with corporations and morally grey world. Just to be clear: We already have the release date for Cyberpunk 2077 planned, but we won’t announce it until we are ready to start the marketing campaign. At the moment we’re concentrating on The Witcher and don’t want to distract users from that product, which we are still monetising.”
While CD Projekt RED is currently working on the Blood and Wine expansion for The Witcher 3, the company promises that there are more plans afoot for new content in 2016, with Kicinski adding:
“This and the next year will be devoted to The Witcher. Apart from the second expansion we have some additional ideas. They should help us animate sales in 2016. The game is selling so well, that we are convinced there are still many people who will buy it if we promote it further.”
The tales of love, war and pain have echoed for generations, both through the fans of the star wars series and even the world as a whole (we all know the “I am your father line”). Most movies these days get a video game tie-in. something which runs alongside or expands on the movie experience. Star Wars is one of the few series in the world that I can name where the fans have created something beyond the movies, from a religion to an entire universe filled with lore and legends. So why not enjoy some of the less well-known games that expand on this?
Lego Star Wars
If you are a fan of the series and have enjoyed the Lego games so far, why not try reliving all six films in Lego Star Wars – The Complete Saga. On sale for 70% off, you can experience everything from the invasion of Naboo to the battle on the moon of Endor. There’s something about Lego versions of classics movies that really makes them stand out and they all the better in split-screen co-op.
Star Wars – Republic Commando
The prequel trilogy brought us not only more story and characters, but also a whole new war. While not given much development in the films, the series that have come since have tried to expand on the Clones and given them more than “one size fits all” story lines. Republic Commando looks to do this by telling the tale of a squad of commando, who will infiltrate, dominate and destroy the federation and any that stand against them. With advanced AI and squad dynamics, it’s worth checking out, at only £2.09 till the 1st, why not?
Star Wars – Galactic Battlegrounds
We’ve seen the Empire fight the Rebels, we’ve seen the Trade Federation and the Confederate take on the Republic. So why not mix it up a little and have them fight with or against everyone else? Using the same game engine (and game mechanics) that made Age of Empires last for generations, Galactic Battlegrounds lets you fight those battles you didn’t even know you wanted to fight. Not a fan of Jar Jar Binks? See who wins in a Wookie vs Gungan all out battle, why not have the people of Naboo go against the Empire or maybe even see if the Republic could have fought off the Empire?
With the Star Wars Collection on sale from £75 to £17.47 till the first of December, it may be worth expanding on your Star Wars universe ready for the Force Awakens on the 17th.
Bethesda’s Pete Hines has been thumbing his nose up at pedantic Tweeters criticising the “lore consistency” of the recently released Fallout 4, much to the consternation of fans. Hines, Vice President of PR and Marketing for Bethesda, kicked up a stink amongst the more fastidious gamers after claiming that he was “not interested in discussing how realistic” a future fantasy video game was in response to a question about the ‘Kid in the Fridge’ quest.
The fuss began when @JohnstonJarrett asked Hines if a supposed discrepancy in one of the logs was going to be “patched”:
We’ll be back tomorrow to report on the inevitable online petition – now the formalised iteration of those “honk if you’re horny” bumper stickers – to have Hines locked in a fridge for two centuries to see if he survives.
Great news for fans of the Dragon Quest series, as the recently released (on PlayStation 4) Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below is coming to PC!
The PC release of the game is shaping up nicely, and comes packed with extra content courtesy of all 14 DLC items that you could find in the PlayStation 4 Slime Edition release, and Square Enix are even offering a 10% discount for pre-orders on Steam. Keep in mind, though, we don’t recommend pre-ordering any game ever, wait for the release, wait for any patches, as with any release these days they’re inevitable.
Developed in collaboration with Omega Force from Koei Tecmo Games, Yuri Horii, Koichi Sugiyama and Akira Toriyama, there’s no doubt that the game will look and sound as amazing as every other entry in the game’s history.
The system requirements suggest a powerful GPU isn’t the most important part, but a fast multi-core processor will go a long way, although that’s true of a lot of games. Can you run it?
MINIMUM:
OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (64bit required)
Processor: Core i7 870 2.8GHz or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 or AMD Radeon HD 5770
DirectX: Version 11
Hard Drive: 20 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c over
RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (64bit required)
Processor: Core i7 2600 3.4GHz or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti or AMD Radeon HD 7870
DirectX: Version 11
Hard Drive: 20 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c over
The game will launch on Steam on December 3rd 2015, with an RRP of £39.99/49.99 EUR.
The trailer below is from the PlayStation 4 release.
PC gamers overwhelmingly prefer the Steam digital distribution client due to cloud saves, achievements, trading cards and the ability to store a huge library in one client. Unfortunately, EA decided to make their latest titles exclusive to Origin in a similar vein to Ubisoft’s Uplay. Although, Origin has improved in the past year or so and offers excellent customer support. Additionally, EA’s Great Game Guarantee provided refunds long before Steam implemented a similar system.
On another note, EA periodically gives away a number of iconic titles including Command & Conquer and Populus. The latest addition to this promotion is Jade Empire:Special Edition. This is one of Bioware’s most inventive creations and features a wonderful story. While it’s a pretty old title, this doesn’t detract from the superb experience and is well worth a look. Please remember the deal is only available for a limited time so there’s no time to waste! As you might expect, the game’s age means it should work fairly well on any modern computer, but we’ve included the minimum requirements just in case:
Minimum System Requirements
•OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
•Processor:1.8 GHz processor or higher
•Memory: 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
•Hard Drive: 8 GB HDD
•DirectX: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
•Graphics card (NVIDIA): 256 MB VRAM or higher (ATI X600/GeForce 6800+ or better)
•Keyboard, mouse
What is your favorite Bioware game of all time?
UPDATE:
It seems a large number of customers encountered problems accessing the store and redeeming the free game:
@KyleMHilliard We are investigating the issue, Kyle. I appreciate your patience in the meantime. ^EC
Fallout 4 is one of the most anticipated video game releases in recent memory and on course to break a number of sales records. Bethesda shipped 12 million copies on launch day:
“representing sales in excess of $750 million.”
Similarly, the data already shows that Fallout 4 set a new record for physical media and managed:
“record breaking sales”
Although, it’s important to remember that shipping units doesn’t necessarily refer to 12 million copies sold on launch day. However, it’s still an impressive figure and exemplifies the appetite for Fallout 4. Bethesda also went on to say:
“Major retailers have informed Bethesda of the tremendous consumer interest in Fallout 4 , with some noting it was the most pre-ordered game this year,”
“Following the release, Bethesda was advised that launch day sales at some of the leading retail chains were the largest of any game released this year,”
“Bethesda is now shipping more Fallout 4 units to retailers to meet ongoing market demand.”
Fallout 4 rightfully has a massive following and creates such a passionate response from fans. It’s no surprise that the game is already breaking almost every conceivable record. For example, Fallout 4 managed to reach a remarkable 470,000 concurrent players on Steam and surpass the previous record holder, Grand Theft Auto V. Overall, Fallout 4 is an absolute triumph from a commercial sense and received extremely positive reviews. Although, there are some criticisms about the PC version.
Halloween is a time for friends and family, but sometimes we just want to spend that little bit of time experiencing a personal fear fest. With the Humble Store opening the festivities early the first in what will no doubt be a long trend is Gamersgate opening with a sale from the 26th October to the 2nd of November.
With Alien Isolation for £8 you could experience fear in deep space as one of the greatest predators (pun intended) in the universe hunt you down with nothing to defend yourself but your wits and bravery. Feel like going one step further? The season pass is only £5.
Why not try a wasteland Russia in Metro Redux, the graphically enhanced version of Metro 2033 and Metro 2035, with all their respective DLC’s and the fearsome Ranger mode removing all but the bare essentials for survival, including your HUD. At only £8.50 for the complete collection you should be prepared for the hours of engrossed play.
If you’d prefer something with a few more jokes then why not try South Parks The Stick of Truth, listed at only £6 and made by Obsidian entertainment, the creators of RPG games like Skyrim and Oblivion, you are sure to get a laugh if you are a South park fan.
Star Citizen was originally designed as a crowd-funded game. This means that after some initial work all the funds for the project are raised by people ‘pledging’ money in order to help Chris Roberts finish his dream video game which will see players flying around a universe with their friends in the same or in separate ships, boarding stations and engaging in dogfights that would make science fiction fans chuckle in joy. The game has now passed a whopping one million backers, making the project the most popular crowdfunded project of all time and as a result players are being rewarded.
Previously access was granted by pre-ordering ships and with them early access passes. Now if you’ve backed Star Citizen you have been granted full access to everything that has been released, from the Star Marine (the first person shooter element of the game) and even future releases such as the Alpha 2.0 build that they are currently working on that will not only contain playable missions and quadrillions of cubic kilometres for players to fly around in but also a taste of their persistent universe.
If you already owned an Alpha Access package you will gain 10,000 United Earth Credits to help fund your expeditions into space, and soon you could find yourselves flying amongst the stars of a £60-million crowd-funded game.
Fans of the original game can rejoice, as Divinity: Original Sin 2 has just gotten the stretch goal it truly deserves, as does any PC worth its salt in my opinion. After reaching a goal of $1,650,000 on Kickstarter, the developers have promised to add in dedicated mod support, meaning worthy home coders and pros alike will be able to tinker with the game until their heart’s content. I often find this is what can truly make a great RPG, as the developers often do a great job, but it pales compared to the talent of the masses. Expect graphics, bug fixes and more to spill onto the games forums shortly after release.
“Reaching this goal means our powerful editor will get a dedicated team that aims to improve the usability of the editor such that it becomes easier to make your own RPG adventures. Upon release, the modding community will be able to get their hands deep into the editor as quickly and painlessly as possible– and before release, our team will be able to make the game faster and with fewer headaches. Everyone wins!” Said the games developer Larian.
There’s only a few days left in the Kickstarter, but if you want to show your support, you can do so here.
Bethesda has released the latest episode of Fallout 4’s educational video series which provides key information about what makes players S.P.E.C.I.A.L. The acronym stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. These are the main character traits to become a survival expert. In particular, learning a wide array of endurance abilities is paramount when scavenging for food and other basic survival instincts.
In the video below, we can see the perils throughout Fallout 4 in an old-school black and white montage video. Sadly, there’s no gameplay footage on show which would have given a greater indication about the core mechanics. Nevertheless, these videos are quite neat and a good teaser into the Fallout 4 style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfQKG-N1ttQ
Fallout 4 is set on a huge scale and the environment promises to be absolutely breathtaking. Therefore, it’s certainly one of the most anticipated releases in recent years. Bethesda appears to be focusing on these unique educational videos for the time being but I expect gameplay trailers to be released fairly soon. I cannot wait to see what’s in store for Fallout 4 and hope it lives up to everyone’s high expectations.
Did you prefer Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas and why?
Lionhead Studios is renowned for creating some of the most enriching environments ever devised in the RPG genre. While Fable: The Lost Chapters is a masterpiece, the sequels progressively got worse which culminated in the fairly mediocre, Fable III. Despite this, the infectiously charming voice acting makes the series endearing and there is still a loyal fan base yearning for a sequel to Fable III. Unfortunately, Lionhead today announced their plans to focus on the free-to-play title, Fable Legends for ‘the foreseeable future’.
This is a shame as many core gamers dislike the free-to-play concept and worry about the integrated payment model. Additionally, many Fable fans aren’t interested in a multiplayer experience and simply want to enjoy a captivating story. It seems like Lionhead is trying to turn Fable Legends into a leading MMO but this will be challenging given the declining market and competition.
On another note, the game will only be available via Microsoft’s official store on PC which could deter some users who are very attached to the Steam client. I’m very disappointed by this announcement as a story-driven Fable game supporting 4K resolution in an expansive world has the potential to be ground-breaking. I honestly believe Fable Legends will struggle after a few months and experience a dwindling player count.
Thank you VideoGamer for providing us with this information.
FromSoftware’s forthcoming action RPG sequel Dark Souls 3 will be released in North America and Europe in April 2016, one month after its Japanese launch, bringing with it a more expansive magic casting system, which will be split into spells and miracles.
The PlayStation 4 playable demo of Dark Souls 3, as played by Polygon at Bandai Namco corporate headquarters, showcased both methods, with the pre-built character showing off three magic attacks: a fire bolt called Soul Arrow, a quick projectile called Soul Dart, and the Soul Greatsword slashing attack. Another character model was used to demonstrate the miracles, which included the electricity projectile Lightning Spear, Heal, and the defence/offence buffer Sacred Oath.
While Dark Souls 3 will see its full release in 2016, a lucky few will get early access to the game later this year as part of its network test. FromSoftware plans to put the online multiplayer system through its paces prior to launch, and is looking for PlayStation 4 owners to test it, taking registrations until 4th October. Testing sessions will take place on:
Friday, October 16th, 2015 at 8:00pm to 11:00pm CEST
Saturday, October 17th, 2015 at 8:00pm to 11:00pm CEST
Sunday, October 18th, 2015 at 8:00pm to 11:00pm CEST
The release of Dark Souls 3 will see the game coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC.
Thank you Polygon and VG24/7 for providing us with this information.
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