 | ESA launching national game ratings education campaign Mar 11th 2013, 15:56 Entertainment Software Association backing public education campaign to further inform American parents on game ratings. The Entertainment Software Association today announced a new national public education campaign aimed at further informing American parents about game ratings. The focus of the new campaign will be a string of public service announcements that call on parents to familiarize themselves with the Entertainment Software Ratings Board rating system. The PSAs will also encourage them to make use of existing console parental control options. “No one knows better than parents when it comes to making decisions about which games their children should and should not play,“ said U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) in a statement. “The video game industry makes games for people of all ages, but that doesn“t mean all games are appropriate for everyone. As part of the new education initiative, the ESA will work with game retailers to use their physical stores and online presence to educate customers about ESRB ratings. In addition, the group said it will team with lawmakers to extend the ESRB ratings system to games for smartphone, tablets, and social games. The program also has the support of U.S. representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). "I commend the video game industry for recognizing the importance of educating and engaging parents about the ratings and other resources and for leading a national program that will ensure the decision-making power remains where it should be--with parents,“ she said in a statement. Video games have been a much-discussed topic in the wake of the December schoolhouse massacre in Connecticut that left 20 children and six adults dead. The topic has been debated at the state, federal, and even the executive level. President Barack Obama has directed the Centers for Disease Control to conduct further studies on the relationship between virtual violence and real-world violence. In addition, vice president Joe Biden met with various members of the gaming industry in January to discuss the link between violent video games and gun violence as part of a wider task force into gun control measures. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey Kickstarter ends at $1.5m Mar 11th 2013, 15:34 Crowdfunding drive for Dreamfall Chapters ends up with almost double its target. 
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey, Red Thread Games' Kickstarter drive to resurrect its dormant Longest Journey series, has ended up with the game almost doubling its target. $1,538,425 was raised for the project. The goal was set at $850,000. Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey is set to be released in November 2014 and will continue the storyline of series protagonist Zoë Castillo. The game is a 3D adventure built in the popular Unity engine, and will be released for PC, Mac, and Linux. Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey carries on from the events of 2000's The Longest Journey and 2006's Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Dreamfall Chapters promises a return of familiar characters and locations for series veterans, but also enough new content so that newcomers can play without being overwhelmed. "Dreamfall Chapters takes players on an epic journey -- from the dystopian cyberpunk future of Stark, through the mysterious and dreamlike Storytime, to the magical landscapes of Arcadia," reads the game's Kickstarter page. There will also be an interactive digital graphic novel released which recaps the events of the first two games. Funding was not enough to meet the $2m stretch goal for an entirely new 2D point-and-click adventure titled The Longest Journey Home. "But even if we don't reach that lofty goal this time around, we hope to some day still be able to tell this story," says the game's Kickstarter page. For more information on Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey, check out Kevin VanOrd's recent interview with series creator Ragnar Tørnquist. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Free-to-play Xbox Live game hits 2 million players Mar 11th 2013, 15:05 Toylogic's Happy Wars up 800,000 users in four months; "major" update released. 
Xbox Live's first free-to-play game Happy Wars has been downloaded more than 2 million times since launch in October, developer Toylogic announced today. That figure is up from 1.2 million in December. Though Happy Wars is free to play, gamers can purchase "Happy Tickets" with real-world money to upgrade their characters' appearance and equipment. This can also be achieved by unlocking "Happy Stars" through play. Additionally, gamers must hold an Xbox Live Gold subscription ($60 per year) to download Happy Wars. Toylogic also announced today that a "major" update for Happy Wars has been released. It includes a new Special Match Mode, which introduces new multiplayer rules, as well as additional customization slots (from one to three). Lastly, the new Happy Wars update extends the level cap for items from 10 to 15. The game supports simultaneously play for up to 30 players (15 vs.15), who must attack their opponents' castle while simultaneously defending their own. Happy Wars may be the first free-to-play game for Xbox Live, but it won't be the last. Signal Studios' third-person role-playing game Ascend: New Gods will also be available through the platform for free when it launches in "several months." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Zynga: Debate over originality is 'vastly overblown' Mar 11th 2013, 14:21 General manager at social game studio responds to claims that Zynga copies competitors' ideas, says "all games are derived from other games." 
The debate over originality in the game industry is "vastly overblown," according to Zynga New York general manager Dan Porter. The executive recently explained that the practice of taking ideas from other games has existed long before Zynga came on the scene. Porter was quoted last week at an industry event as saying it is "mostly true" that Zynga copies competitors' games. In a response to this report, Porter penned a blog post claiming his words were misconstrued. "What I actually said was that all games are derived from other games, that this has been happening long before Zynga, and that the debate about originality in games is vastly overblown and misses the mark," Porter said. "Before making Draw Something we ran OMGPOP for four years and made lots of games that were inspired by games we loved and we emulated the mechanics from games with great UI. This is no great revelation." Porter said the "true genius" of Zynga is how the social game company runs games as services rather than standalone products. "I really do believe that Zynga is the best in the world at creating and socializing games, and running the as a service that people love. Ultimately, that is the huge factor in what makes Zynga a sustaining company," he said. Porter added that the debate over copying games is a "distraction" for anyone trying to figure out the future of the social game genre. What truly matters, according to Porter, is the ability to run and manage those games as services. "But I also know that is a nuanced point and isn“t quite as sexy a headline," he said. "I should know better. Lesson learned. Sometimes it is truly better to say nothing at all." Electronic Arts sued Zynga last year, claiming The Ville was a Sims Social clone. Zynga countersued shortly after, calling EA's suit baseless. The legal battle ended last month, when both sides agreed to a settlement. Terms of the deal are not known, though Zynga was reportedly "pleased" with the results. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Just Cause dev says PS4 will 'out-power most PCs for years to come' Mar 11th 2013, 14:20 Avalanche Studios co-founder says Sony's PlayStation 4 is "a perfect fit for the types of games we do." 
Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios co-founder Linus Blomberg has spoken openly about his optimism for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4, praising the hardware and saying it will "out-power most PCs for years to come." “It“s always very exciting with a new console cycle, for a number of reasons,“ said Blomberg in an interview with GamingBolt. “The consoles desperately need a boost since having been overtaken in terms of performance by PCs several years ago, and also losing market share to mobile platforms." Speaking about Sony's intentions for the PlayStation 4, Blomberg said the device “will not only be a very powerful gaming machine from a hardware perspective, but it will also be a social tool and integrated marketplace more akin to the successful mobile devices." "It“s the best of all worlds in a way; great performance for demanding high-end gaming, good social ecosystem and connectivity, and integrated business marketplace. For Avalanche Studios as an open-world games developer this is super exciting and opens up many new opportunities." Avalanche Studios has been frequently teasing at least one upcoming title with enigmatic screenshots, with many speculating that the developer is gearing up to formally unveil Just Cause 3. Blomberg thinks PlayStation 4 is the right match for Avalanche Studios. “It“s a perfect fit for the types of games we do, and we are confident that we“ll bring open-world gaming to a whole new level because of it. I“m glad Sony decided to go with 8gb RAM because it means that the PS4 will out-power most PCs for years to come." The PlayStation 4 is due to launch later in 2013. Blomberg also speculates that Sony's decision to use off-the-shelf components “makes sense from a pricing and heating point of view, but it also means that Sony more easily can make incremental improvements of their system." "If that“s actually their plan I don“t know, but it could help preventing the inevitable loss of market shares that the long console cycles entails.“ Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | PS4 ad YouTube's most-viewed in February Mar 11th 2013, 14:00 Sony's PlayStation 4 spot notches 26.3 million views, beating out Super Bowl ads from Samsung, Jeep, Chevy. 
Sony's PlayStation 4 reveal advertisement was YouTube's most-watched ad in February, according to a new insight report from the video site. The spot--released February 20 and embedded below--has recorded 26.3 million views, beating out a host of Super Bowl ads, which released far earlier in the month. The PS4 reveal ad scored 5 million more views than the next closest, Samsung Mobile's "The Next Big Thing" for its Galaxy line of phones and tablets. The PS4 promotional video also topped ads from major companies like Pepsi, Jeep, Chevy, and Oreo. The YouTube ad leaderboard is determined by an algorithm that factors in paid views, organic views, and view rate, rather than a simple tally of views for unavoidable pre-roll videos. The PS4 launches this holiday season. For more, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. [ Watch Video ] Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | PS4, Xbox 720 games to cost $70, says analyst Mar 11th 2013, 12:51 Michael Pachter believes sticker price for next-gen software to jump $10 over current generation, Wii U performance has been "underwhelming." 
PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 games will likely cost $70, according to a presentation at South by Southwest this weekend from Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter (via the Twitter feed of Geoff Keighley). This is a $10 increase over the current-generation sticker price of $60 and does not match up with past commentary. Last month, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton in a TV interview said that PlayStation 4 titles will max out at $60, putting to rest any speculation that games for Sony's future platform may cost $10 more than PlayStation 3 titles. Microsoft has yet to announce its rumored next-generation platform. Separately, Electronic Arts chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen said last month that the FIFA and Battlefield publisher has not yet decided on pricing for its next-gen games. Also during his talk, Pachter commented on the Wii U performance thus far and how he expects it to fare in the long run. He called performance thus far "underwhelming," noting the system is "essentially a DS split into two parts." Pachter said the Wii U is not innovative enough to drive wide interest, though new titles could reinvigorate growth in the platform. Overall, Pachter said he believes the Wii U will sell 30-50 million units in its lifetime, with the PS4 and Xbox 720 going neck-and-neck, selling 85-95 million systems over their lifespans. By comparison, the original Wii has sold 99 million units to date, while the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have moved around 75 million units each. Echoing comments from Twisted Metal and God of War designer David Jaffe, Pachter said he believes the next generation of consoles is "probably" the last. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Tomb Raider PC patched to ease Nvidia and Intel woes Mar 11th 2013, 12:33 Latest Tomb Raider patch contains various gameplay and bug fixes, while Nvidia works on a new driver to improve performance. 
The PC version of Tomb Raider has received a patch, primarily designed to alleviate some of the crashes suffered by users with Nvidia and Intel graphics hardware. Build 1.0.718.4, which is now available on Steam, also includes fixes for crashes at startup and when selecting Options from the game's menu. Various graphics glitches are also reported to have been fixed, alongside a bug that meant some users couldn't use the exclusive fullscreen mode. Among other fixes, there's also been a few improvements to TressFX hair rendering options, and a gameplay fix for players unable to progress with regards to the boat in the beach area. The patch will automatically apply itself the next time users load Steam. Various Tomb Raider players on PC have been reporting problems with attempting to play the game on highest settings with an Nvidia card. Nvidia has now said it is working on a driver update to improve performance with the game. "Unfortunately, Nvidia didn't receive final game code until this past weekend which substantially decreased stability, image quality and performance over a build we were previously provided," said Nvidia's Andrew Burnes last week. For more information on Tomb Raider, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | New Borderlands 2 DLC teased Mar 11th 2013, 12:19 Gearbox hints that upcoming expansion will include a sixth playable character. 
Gearbox Software has teased that a new expansion for Borderlands 2 will add a sixth playable character to the action-shooter, Polygon reports. Gearbox divulged the news during a presentation at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas this weekend through a teaser trailer. "Deep beneath Pandora an experiment has escaped. Bandits beware, a new Vault Hunter is coming. More mayhem awaits," the trailer said. The trailer shows the character crushing enemies with great physical strength, suggesting it may be melee-focused. This matches up with comments from Gearbox developers Jonathan Hemingway and Matthew Armstrong, who said they wished Borderlands 2 had a melee character. The $30 Borderlands 2 Season Pass includes four expansions, three of which (Captain Scarlett and Her Captain's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, and Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt) have already released. The fourth and final Borderlands 2 expansion will launch by June 2013. It is not clear if the rumored melee character DLC is part of the four core Borderlands 2 expansions or if it will release on its own, similar to the $10 Mechromancer class. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Unofficial 'Steam Box' Xi3 Piston price starts at $1000 Mar 11th 2013, 12:15 Tiny PC packs 8GB of RAM and 3.2Ghz Quad Core AMD A10 processor. 
The Xi3 Piston--the third-party "Steam Box" that Valve is helping finance--has been officially priced to start at $1,000. The ultra-small Piston is packing 8GB of RAM and a 3.2GHz Quad Core AMD A10 processor. The standard $999.99 model comes with a 128GB SSD hard drive, with 256GB and 512GB models costing $1,339.99 and $1,749.99 respectively. The device is intended to sit under your television and be used in conjunction with Steam's Big Picture mode. Preorder the device before March 18, and Xi3 will offer a $100 discount and the promise that customers will receive the grapefruit-sized PC during the "2013 holiday season." The Piston isn't Valve's own Steam Box, which is also in production. Gabe Newell said last week that prototypes of Valve's machine should be going out within the next few months. "Clearly, the computer/video gaming market is huge, both in the personal computer and traditional console markets," said Xi3 CEO Jason Sullivan in a press release. "That being said," Sullivan added, "we believe there is a crying need for a machine that captures the best of both worlds, with the upgradeability of computer gaming rigs and the design and form factor of consoles. We believe our Piston Consoles do exactly that--deliver the beauty and small size of consoles with the upgradeability of computers." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Maxis: SimCity woes are 'almost behind us', but still not ready to give the 'all-clear' Mar 11th 2013, 10:40 Maxis reports that SimCity game crashes have been reduced by 92% since the game's disastrous launch last week, but that it needs a few more days before it can say the problems have been solved. 
Maxis says the troubled launch of SimCity is being rectified, but the developer isn't ready to give the "all-clear" just yet. Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw has said the "core problem" of being able to actually connect to the game is "almost behind us." Game crashes have been reduced by 92 percent from day one, according to Bradshaw, and nearly 8 million hours of gameplay time have been logged in total. Bradshaw says server architectures have been optimised and response times shortened, and Maxis has released a number of patches to help makes things easier; the latest, patch 1.4, fixes the problem of the game getting stuck when switching servers. The updates mean that Maxis is now "getting virtually everyone into the game," but the developer is not yet ready to issue an "all-clear" for SimCity just yet. "We need a few more days of data before we can assure you that the problem is completely solved and the game is running at 100 percent," says Bradshaw. GameSpot UK's Danny O'Dwyer, Chris Beaumont, and I were all playing last night on various European servers, but with occasional connectivity errors. SimCity, which requires a constant connection to the game's servers in order to function, has suffered from major issues since its launch in the US last Tuesday, and claims that the UK launch would go by without a hitch were proved wrong before the end of its first day on sale. EA has switched off some of the game's features to help the servers cope and will offer a free game to anyone who has purchased SimCity to apologise for the inconvenience. Finally, Bradshaw once again apologised for the game's tumultuous launch. "You bought the game with the understanding that we'd quickly fix the server issues. For that support--that incredible commitment from our fans--we are deeply grateful. As the general manager of Maxis, I want you to know that we cherish your faith in us, and the love you've shown for this franchise," she said. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | UK Chart: Tomb Raider finishes top, SimCity enjoys strong launch Mar 11th 2013, 09:41 Tomb Raider reboot sets new sales record for the series, and enjoys the best-selling opening weekend of the year so far. Square Enix's reboot of Tomb Raider has topped the UK charts this week, comfortably beating Aliens: Colonial Marines to become the best-selling launch of 2013 so far. Tomb Raider's week one sales were over double what Aliens: Colonial Marines managed when it launched three weeks ago. Both games were released on a Tuesday, and are therefore dubbed "event" titles by UK sales collator Chart-Track. Games in the UK traditionally launch on Friday. All in all, developer Crystal Dynamics' new take on Lara Croft has set new opening week sales records for the franchise, selling twice as many copies as Tomb Raider: Legend, the previous strongest launch for the series, managed way back in 2006. EA's SimCity finished in second place, managing a strong launch despite a weekend of connectivity problems for its users. EA has promised anyone who tried to play SimCity over the weekend a free game, but hasn't given any more details yet. Namco Bandai's Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 debuts in third place, with The Sims 3: University Life starting in fourth place. This is the first week in 2013 when four new games have occupied the top of the charts. FIFA 13 is hanging on reliably in fifth, and Crysis 3--last week's chart topper--drops to sixth. Call of Duty: Black Ops II is seventh, Far Cry 3 eighth, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ninth and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is tenth. The Top 20 UK charts for the week ending March 9: 1. Tomb Raider
2. SimCity
3. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
4. The Sims 3: University Life
5. FIFA 13
6. Crysis 3
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
8. Far Cry 3
9. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
10. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
11. Assassin's Creed III
12. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
13. Skylanders Giants
14. Hitman Absolution
15. Aliens: Colonial Marines
16. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
17. Halo 4
18. Grand Theft Auto IV
19. Dead Space 3
20. Forza Horizon Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| |
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu