 | Twitch reveals $9/month premium membership Feb 4th 2013, 14:51 Streaming video company unveils ad-free "Twitch Turbo" premium offering. 
The next era of Twitch has arrived. The streaming video company today announced Twitch Turbo, a $9/month premium subscription option that gives members a range of benefits, including ad-free broadcasts. In addition to uninterrupted viewing, Twitch Tubo members will receive an exclusive Turbo badge, only given to paying members. On top of that, premium subscribers will get a custom emoticon set, expanded chat colors, and priority customer support. Twitch said the above-listed Turbo benefits are "just the beginning" of what the company hopes to offer through the premium service. The company said it wants to hear from users regarding what they would like to see added in the future. Those interested in subscribing to Twitch Turbo can do so today beginning at 9 a.m. PDT through the company website. Twitch support for Call of Duty: Black Ops II was added last week. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | IGN sold Feb 4th 2013, 14:22 Ziff Davis parent company J2 Global confirms acquisition of IGN Entertainment for undisclosed sum. 
The rumors were right. IGN Entertainment has been sold. Ziff Davis parent company J2 Global today confirmed it had acquired the gaming unit (and it network of sites) from News Corp. Terms of the deal were not specified, though a prior report suggested J2 Global scored a deal on IGN, paying "considerably" less than the $650 million News Corp. purchased the company for in 2005. News Corp. was reportedly hoping to sell the gaming unit for $100 million. IGN has been up for auction for the past six months, with past bidders reportedly including Break Media, SAY Media, and unnamed private equity firms. IGN president Roy Bahat left the company in August. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
" IGN sold" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 06:22:23 -0800 | | Dead Space 3 demo hits 2 million downloads Feb 4th 2013, 13:53 EA reveals nearly 2 million gamers across Xbox Live and PlayStation Network tried out upcoming action game. 
The public Dead Space 3 demo was downloaded nearly 2 million times across Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, Electronic Arts has announced. This represents a double-digit increase over the demo for Dead Space 2, EA said. The Dead Space 3 demo launched January 22. EA also claimed that during last week, gamers mentioned Dead Space 3 more than 100,000 times across various social media. The game's Facebook page netted 90,000 new "likes." In addition, EA said last week during a financial call that Dead Space 3 preorders are outpacing those of Dead Space 2, though no specific figures were divulged. Dead Space 3 launches tomorrow in North America for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, with a European launch slated for February 8. Those who preorder the PC digital version through Origin will receive the original Dead Space for free. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Notch discusses Minecraft money Feb 4th 2013, 13:30 Game creator Markus "Notch" Persson says wealth from indie sandbox game is "weird as f*ck," plans to give to charities. 
Independent sandbox game Minecraft was not only a critical success for creator Markus "Notch" Persson, but also a financial boon. According to a Swedish media report (via GamesIndustry International), developer Mojang recorded revenue of $240 million in 2012, with pre-tax profits landing at around $92 million. Persson explained on Reddit recently that he has been blown away by the wealth he's amassed from Minecraft, describing it is a "sh*t ton of money." "It's weird as f*ck," Persson said. "I grew up in a relatively poor family, but once I got a decent job, I never really had to worry about money. My hobbies were playing games and programming, so there wasn't any real drain. I could eat out when I wanted to, and go to the movies without having to save up for it. I still had to save up for trips and to be able to buy computers or consoles, but that just felt normal." The success of Minecraft did not change Persson's interests, he said, noting he still enjoys gaming and programming. Though with his new wealth, Persson said he plans to set some aside for his family and give to charities that help children and promote freedoms. "Now, all of the sudden, as a result of how modern society works, I managed to somehow earn a sh*t-ton of money," he said. "I still like playing games and programming, and once I had the latest computer and consoles, there really isn't much more to spend the money on than traveling. I might eventually get a driver's license so I can buy a car." "I think the right way to use money like this is to set a decent portion aside to make sure my family is comfortable, spend some on living out your dreams, and then try to put the rest towards making society a better place," he added. "For me, this includes charities that help children, and charities that help promote freedoms I think are vital in the coming dozens of years, such as the [Electronic Frontier Foundation]." The EFF is a donor-funded nonprofit organization aimed at defending digital rights. Persson donated $250,000 to the group's new patent reform project in December. The Minecraft series (PC/Mac, Xbox 360, and mobile) has sold over 20 million units to date. The PC/Mac version of the game remains the most popular, selling around 9.2 million units as of this writing. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Resident Evil 6 'lost its momentum' to fall 2M short of target Feb 4th 2013, 12:04 Capcom's latest iteration of the survival horror franchise fails to meet expectations; latest in the Devil May Cry series also suffers. 
The contentious multi-campaign mishmash of Resident Evil 6 fell 2 million short of its estimated sales target of 7 million, Capcom has announced. Speaking as part of its Q3 FY2013 results, the publisher revealed the latest Resident Evil managed to sell 4.8 million copies worldwide. "Despite recording brisk sales when it debuted," says Capcom, the game "subsequently lost its momentum, resulting in the failure to achieve planned sales and fulfill its role as a driver of sales expansion." As a result, the company has revised its Resident Evil 6 sales estimate to a total of five million units shipped before the end of its financial year on March 31. Ninja Theory's DmC: Devil May Cry has also had its sales figure shrunk to 1.2 million--down significantly from the 2 million sales Capcom predicted last year. Resident Evil 6 was critically panned upon its release in October, receiving a 4.5 in its GameSpot review. "Resident Evil 6 is a mishmash of elements put together without any sense of care or direction. Series faithful might stumble through for the sake of story, and perhaps to appreciate those few moments that recall when Resident Evil was at its peak glory," said our reviewer Kevin at the time. Capcom is now talking about the possibility of rebooting the series. Overall, Capcom has announced a 39.2 percent year-on-year increase in profits and sales on the last three months of the year. The publisher specially praised the success of Dragon's Dogma and the HD re-release Monster Hunter Tri G on the Wii U, and also attributed its rude health to Japan's burgeoning social and smartphone markets. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | UK Chart: Ni no Kuni enchants the UK as DmC drops out Feb 4th 2013, 10:46 Hitman HD Trilogy enters at fifth and DmC: Devil May Cry drops out of the top 10. 
Magical role-playing game Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch has dislodged Call of Duty: Black Ops II to take top spot in this week's UK charts. The PS3-exclusive Studio Ghibli and Level-5 collaboration -- which scored a 9.0 in its GameSpot review -- saw many retailers running out of stock over the weekend. 32% of the game's total sales came from the £74.99 RRP Wizard's Edition. Hitman HD Trilogy, the other new release this week, came in at fifth. FIFA 13 sticks in second, with Far Cry 3 dropping one position to fourth. The rest of the top 10 is filled out with Assassin's Creed III, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Just Dance 4, Hitman: Absolution and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Capcom and Ninja Theory's DmC: Devil May Cry slips out of the top 10 into 11th place after three weeks in the chart, with Skyrim outselling it by less than 50 copies. This week sees the release of Dead Space 3 and Scribblenauts Unlimited, but will either be able to take the charts crown from Ni no Kuni next week? The Top 20 UK charts for the week ending February 2: 1. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
2. FIFA 13
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
4. Far Cry 3
5. Hitman HD Trilogy
6. Assassin's Creed III
7. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
8. Just Dance 4
9. Hitman: Absolution
10. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
11. DmC: Devil May Cry
12. Football Manager 2013
13. Halo 4
14. Forza Horizon
15. Skylanders Giants
16. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
17. LEGO: The Lord of the Rings
18. Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed
19. WWE '13
20. Sleeping Dogs Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | The Fungus Among Us: Facing the Infected of The Last of Us Feb 4th 2013, 08:00 Our first encounter with the Infected of The Last of Us proves to be tense and challenging. 
I had the chance to play an early section of The Last of Us at a Sony event last week. I spent most of that time holding my breath. When you first take control of Joel, the rugged protagonist of The Last of Us, he feels a lot like Nathan Drake. He controls similarly and he moves through the environment with a similar sense of momentum. If you've spent time as that earlier Naughty Dog hero, you might, in these early moments, anticipate combat that delivers the same rush of adrenaline that Uncharted's yippie-ki-yay shootouts could trigger. So many of the other hallmarks of Uncharted are present during your quiet traversal of a bombed-out, post-pandemic Boston--fantastic voice acting and facial expressions, environments so stunningly beautiful that you feel compelled to just move the camera around and take in every detail--that it's easy to expect the game to follow the same tried-and-true template where combat is concerned, too. But as you make your way across the ravaged urban landscape, the calm is interrupted by a piercing wail in the distance; it's an unsettling moment that suggests the dangers lurking in your future are eerily unfamiliar. The wail comes from one of the Infected, a sufferer of the fungus-based disease that has all but wiped out society. Initially, these poor souls retain some awareness of their humanity, but lack the ability to control their actions. Infected who fit this description are called runners; they still look more or less human, though a pallor to their skin and other details make it clear at a glance that they are not exactly the picture of health. Individually, they don't pose much of a threat, but you don't want to attract the attention of several at once and find yourself swarmed. Because ammo is scarce and weapons like Molotovs--which you can craft from items scavenged from the environment--are so limited, taking a reckless, guns-blazin' approach is a good way to get yourself killed. You'll spend much of your time crouched, moving silently and trying not to give away your position. Being stealthy and smart is key, but the common stealth game behavior of memorizing enemy movement patterns doesn't work here. These twitchy, miserable wretches behave unpredictably, lurching in this direction or that, so distracting them with a tossed brick or bottle before sneaking past them (or sneaking in for the kill) is a particularly handy tactic. If you can creep up behind a runner, you can strangle it to death or execute it instantly with a shiv (another tool crafted from scavenged items), and if you find yourself face-to-face with one, Joel's brawling skills and his ability to hit really hard with pipes and other heavy objects can usually keep you alive. But it's not just the runners you need to worry about. Eventually, the infection progresses to a more advanced and more disturbing stage, at which point the fungus visibly grows out from the once-human's eye sockets and covers much of the face. These Infected are known as clickers, and though they are blind, they can still hunt you down. The clicks they make don't just serve to send shivers up your spine; they enable the clickers, through echolocation, to "see," and if one locates you, you're in serious danger. Clickers are far stronger than runners, and in a fight with one, Joel's fists will not save him. Clickers are less numerous than runners, but just one clicker in a group is enough to make you think much more carefully about how to handle the situation. I repeatedly fell into the trap of letting myself get distracted by a runner or two, which enabled a clicker to charge up to me from behind; no sooner did it have its hands on me than its teeth were buried in my neck. In order to survive when clickers are present, staying aware of your surroundings and the locations of those clickers is essential. Luckily, Joel has a gift for situational awareness; by sitting still and listening carefully, he can sense the locations of nearby Infected, who remain visible (even through walls) until you slip out of "listen mode" and start moving again. But while useful, this is no silver bullet for taking care of the Infected. It's still you--not Joel--who has to keep track of how the Infected respond to your behavior once you stop listening and start acting. One group of Infected, roaming around in the gloom of a disused subway station, repeatedly got the better of me as I tried to use a shotgun to take out a clicker, which gave away my position and led to me being swarmed by runners. Ultimately, I opted for a sneakier approach, tossing bricks and bottles in an attempt to lure Infected towards each other, hoping that I could then take out several with a single, well-tossed Molotov. As I snuck around the station's hallways and put my plan into motion, I never for a moment felt safe. I was constantly worried that one false move would bring all of the Infected bearing down on me, that I'd once again witness the grisly sight of Joel falling victim to a clicker's attacks. It was only after the Infected had all gone up in flames that I finally felt I could exhale, relaxing for a moment but knowing my safety would not last. Facing the Infected made me tense and uneasy, and I can't wait to do it again. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | AU Shippin' Out February 4-8: Dead Space 3 Feb 4th 2013, 00:32 Dead Space 3 hits Aussie shelves this week with its newly introduced cooperative play. Will you face the Necromorphs alone or with a friend? 
This week, third-person adventure game Dead Space 3 will be making its way to 360, PS3, and PC. The game will see players taking on the role of returning series protagonist Isaac Clarke as he ventures to a new planet. The franchise is known for its incorporation of shooter and horror elements, and executive producer Steve Papoutsis has promised additional "disturbing" post-launch DLC. Dead Space 3 will be the first entry in the franchise to include microtransactions. The system will be available for players who wish to use real-world money to purchase various resources like materials and scrap parts, although such transactions are optional. In another series first, cooperative play has also been introduced in the form of newcomer Sergeant John Carver. Together, players will battle Necromorphs on the new ice planet, named Tau Volantis. The game will also feature four additional difficulty modes, which will unlock after players beat the game for the first time. Dead Space 3 is due out February 7. At present, there is no plan to bring the game to Nintendo's Wii U console. Other games out this week include Omerta: City of Gangsters and Lucius. For more details, check out the full list below. February 6, 2013
Lucius (PC) February 7, 2013
Dead Space 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Omerta: City of Gangsters (PC)
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (3DS )
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