 | Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army 2 coming to PC Sep 6th 2013, 16:57 Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions being mulled over. 
UK developer Rebellion has announced Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army 2 for PC. The sequel will be released on PC before the end of the year. The original game, which Rebellion says was a "gamble", was released in February 2013 and "pretty much made its money back" on the first day of release. Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army is a four-player co-op spin-off to Sniper Elite V2. Rebellion explained the sequel to Eurogamer, with creative head Tim Jones saying that "we really wanted to heighten the demonic, nightmarish tones of the first game." Rebellion boss Jason Kingsley said the studio was also considering the possibility of self-publishing the game on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. "Before the wasn't really the possibility of self-publishing, so you couldn't even begin to think about it. You had to go via a third party and do a deal with somebody else. It made it less and less attractive." "Nazi Zombie Army was a gamble, really. We didn't know whether it would work. We hoped people would like it. We hoped people would take it in the slightly tongue in cheek way it was meant with the title. And we obviously didn't have much money to market it." "So we just put it out there and it's been very very good business and we've created a lot of fans who just like a straightforward gory shooter against zombies. It pretty much made its money back on the day of release. That was awesome." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD logo spotted online Sep 6th 2013, 16:57 Leaked selection of Ubisoft logos shows Rabbids Big Bang and Rayman: Fiesta Run alongside Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD. 
PlayStation Vita spin-off Assassin's Creed III: Liberation could be heading to other platforms, a leaked selection of Ubisoft logos suggests. The image, claiming to be logos from existing and upcoming Ubisoft digital titles, first popped up on Chinese forum A9VG (via NeoGAF). Liberation is shown as Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD. Liberation was released on PlayStation Vita alongside the launch of Assassin's Creed III last year. The game's protagonist, Aveline de Grandpre, will also feature in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, via additional content exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Ubisoft says Assassin's Creed: Liberation sales have reached almost 600,000. Also shown was Assassin's Creed: Pirates, suggesting a potential tie-in app for the piracy-themed Assassin's Creed IV. Rabbids Big Bang, Endwar Online, Rayman: Fiesta Run, Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Poptropica: Forgotten Islands Just Dance Auto Dance were also shown, alongside previously announced titles Trials Frontier and Child of Light. GameSpot has approached Ubisoft for comment. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | StarCraft champion joins startup studio Sep 6th 2013, 16:21 Sean "Day9" Plott joins Silicon Valley startup Artillery to work on competitive multiplayer RTS that will be free at launch. 
StarCraft champion and web TV eSports figure Sean "Day9" Plott has joined Silicon Valley startup game developer Artillery to work on a competitive multiplayer real-time strategy game. The game will be free at launch. Plott joins Artillery as its Head of Games, along with cofounder Eric Burkhart as Head of Growth. Along with a group of former Google and Facebook employees, the company aims to "transform the browser into a gaming console." Plott is a former professional StarCraft player and serves as an eSports commentator for tournaments across the world. "We are thrilled to have Sean and Eric onboard," Artillery CEO Ankur Pansari said in a statement. "Sean is a major influencer in the StarCraft and eSports communities and it is a huge sign of validation that he is joining our team." "As a long time player of real-time strategy games, this is an amazing opportunity to be part of the team creating an incredible experience using Artillery's ground-breaking technology," Plott said. Plott's new job will not interfere with his usual Day[9] TV show schedule. Artillery's first game, which was not given a name, will run in-browser with "virtually no" load time. The company will share demos of its proprietary technology in the next few weeks. GameSpot eSports reporter Rod Breslau contributed to this report. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Metal Gear Solid V 3D scan and mocap tech shown in new video Sep 6th 2013, 16:03 New video from Kojima Productions shows process of bringing actress Stefanie Joosten into the virtual world of upcoming open-world game. 
Konami has released a new video showing off the 3D scan and motion-capture technology that developer Kojima Productions is using to bring the characters of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to life. Actress Stefanie Joosten, who plays the role of Quiet in the game, is shown in the video having her face scanned and performing various actions with a sniper rifle in a motion-capture suit. The depiction of Joosten's character Quiet has not been without controversy. In a series of tweets earlier this week, Kojima said he directed MGSV's art director to make some of the game's characters, including Quiet, "more erotic" in an effort to encourage cosplay and promote figurine sales. He has since clarified these tweets, saying "sexy" was a better word to use. "What I'm really trying to do is create unique characters. One of those is, of course, Quiet. She's a really unique character, I wanted to add that sexiness to her," Kojima said. "It wasn't really supposed to be erotic, but sexy." Halo designer David Ellis took issue with the depiction of Quiet, calling the character design "disgusting" and evidence that the game industry is "full of man babies." GameSpot recently attended a live demonstration of Metal Gear Solid V prologue Ground Zeroes at Kojima Productions' new office in Los Angeles. Check out GameSpot's impressions for more. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Sony: Elder Scrolls Online not originally planned for consoles Sep 6th 2013, 15:35 SCEA VP Adam Boyes says Bethesda's upcoming MMO was not originally conceived for release on consoles. 
Upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game The Elder Scrolls Online was not originally conceived for consoles, according to Sony. Adam Boyes, VP of publisher and developer relations at SCEA, told Game Informer that a console version of the online game was born after Sony and Bethesda met on numerous occasions to discuss the idea. "That game was never planned to come to consoles," Boyes said. "And we just kind of kept sitting with [Bethesda] and being like, 'Why not?'" "They're like, 'We're not planning it,'" he added. "And I'm like, 'Well, what if we built a plan that we could do that?'" If it was Sony that originally sparked Bethesda's interest in bringing The Elder Scrolls Online to consoles, that enthusiasm also spread to Microsoft, as the game will be released the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2014. However the console version came to be, Boyes said it is exciting all the same to see Bethesda adjust its mindset regarding release plans for the game. "Knowing that a game's coming to console that was never going to come to console, that's the kind of stuff that is, like, 'Yes!' You know, hugely awesome," Boyes said. The Elder Scrolls Online launches in 2014 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The game will carry a $15/month subscription fee. Xbox One and PS4 players will also need to pay for Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus to access the game. Bethesda previously said it is "pushing" Microsoft to drop this requirement on Xbox One. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Activision on its "appetite for risk" Sep 6th 2013, 14:48 CEO Eric Hirshberg says there is a "false narrative" that Activision's only objective is to release a new Call of Duty game each year. 
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg has responded to claims that the company is relying too heavily on first-person shooter games, namely the Call of Duty series and Bungie's upcoming Destiny. Speaking with CVG, Hirshberg said the company's portfolio is diversified, referencing the Skylanders series as an example. He pointed out that the franchise did not exist 18 months ago and is a new IP in a new genre with a new play pattern. "I feel like people breeze past that when they ask me about diversity," Hirshberg said. "I don't know anyone that's taken a bigger bet on a less proven franchise based on their gut-instinct than we did with Skylanders." The bet has paid off, as the Skylanders series has minted over $1.5 billion for Activision since launch. Hirshberg also said Activision is diversifying through Destiny, a game that is rooted in first-person shooter mechanics, but is a new genre altogether, he said. "It's a shared-world shooter, bringing elements of the MMO into shooters, which is incredibly exciting," Hirshberg said. "We've shown a consistent willingness to take risks, and a consistent ability to take the right bets." Hirshberg acknowledged that Guitar Hero is often brought up, understandably, in discussions about the pitfalls of market oversaturation. "That was another game based on an unproven model that had an incredible commercial run," he said. "Just because the entire genre run [sic] out of gas at the same time, I don't think is reflective of the fact it was an ill-conceived choice, or something we wouldn't do again given the same opportunity." Overall, Hirshberg said Activision is not risk-averse and is in fact one of the biggest advocates of making big bets of all major publishers in the business. "I think there is a false narrative that all Activision wants to do is put out a Call of Duty every year, when in fact we've shown some real innovation and appetite for risk," Hirshberg said. "I think that publishers which have wider and 'more diverse' slates are far less risky than us, are far less creative. Just because you have a game in every genre does not mean you're creative." "So, what we do is certainly a strategy that's not for everyone, and it's not the only way to make good business," he added. "But it works for us. It's something that pre-dates me, it's something Activision has done for many years." Call of Duty: Ghosts launches for current- and next-generation consoles, as well as PC, in November. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Xbox One availability "should feel a lot better than it did for 360", says Microsoft Sep 6th 2013, 14:22 Microsoft executive Phil Spencer says the company is looking to manage its hardware yield so that customers who don't preorder will still be able to buy a console. 
Microsoft executive Phil Spencer has said the company is holding back stock of the Xbox One so that more consoles will be available in stores at launch. Speaking to address rumours that Microsoft was having difficulty producing the machines, Spencer said to Game Informer that "you want people to be able to walk in the store and buy one on day one, so you're trying to manage the inventory that isn't pre-sold." "It's not a yield problem, it's us trying to manage the hardware side," Spencer added. "I want parents who don't think about preordering electronics to be able to walk in and have a chance to find a box. There might be a line, but I don't want it to be that if you didn't preorder in September, you can't get one. That doesn't feel like a great consumer experience." Spencer would not talk about specific numbers, but he did say the Xbox One stocks should be more available in stores than Xbox 360 units were when it launched in 2005. "Availability should feel a lot better than it did for 360," said Spencer. "If people want to pick up more controllers and games, they'll be there. We feel really good about our preorder number, and we're managing it through allocation rather than demand." While Microsoft has made efforts to entice customers to preorder an Xbox One, with FIFA 14 and Forza 5 bundles in Europe and a commemorative Day One Edition, Spencer says the focus is on making sure the hardware will be available in stores this November. "[Preorder] isn't the business. It's way more important to me what happens when people walk in the store. The business is selling consoles." The Xbox One will launch on November 22. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Microsoft vs. Motorola suit comes to a close Sep 6th 2013, 14:10 Xbox maker awarded $14 million in damages in "landmark win"; Motorola suggests it will appeal. 
The Microsoft vs. Motorola lawsuit has come to a close, with a jury finding in the Xbox maker's favor in Seattle federal court this week. As reported by Reuters, a jury agreed with Microsoft's assertion that Google subsidiary Motorola broke agreements to license patents "at a fair and reasonable rate." Microsoft was awarded $14 million in damages, approximately half of what the company originally sought. This consists of $11 million for costs associated with relocating a warehouse in Germany, as well as $3 million in legal fees. "This is a landmark win for all who want products that are affordable and work well together," Microsoft said in a statement. A Motorola spokesman told Reuters that the company is likely to appeal the decision. "We're disappointed in this outcome, but look forward to an appeal of the new legal issues raised in this case," the company said in a statement. In April last year, the International Trade Commission ruled that the Xbox 360 violated a string of patents Motorola holds for video decoding, Wi-Fi connections, and console-to-accessory connections. However, earlier this year this decision was overturned. Microsoft previously rejected a Motorola settlement offer that would have the Seattle tech giant pay a royalty fee of 2.25 percent on every Xbox 360 sold. The Xbox One launches in 13 countries across the world on November 22. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Halo dev calls MGSV female character design "disgusting" Sep 6th 2013, 13:36 David Ellis says Hideo Kojima-approved "sexy" design for MGSV character Quiet is "ridiculous," shows that industry is "full of man babies." 
Halo designer David Ellis has spoken out regarding Hideo Kojima's recent announcement that the Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain character Quiet has been specifically designed to be "sexy." Don't care if this gets me in trouble. This character design is disgusting. Our industry should be better than this. http://t.co/4CCaF1qNEP — David Ellis (@DavidEllis) September 6, 2013
Industry full of man babies. Ugh. — David Ellis (@DavidEllis) September 6, 2013
Asked if the Metal Gear Solid franchise's "eccentric" nature supported the character design, Ellis said, "Eccentricity is a cute cover word for objectification and sexism." Sexuality in games can be "used for purpose," Ellis said, noting he thought it worked in Platinum Games' action title Bayonetta. However, in the case of Metal Gear Solid V, he said, "this feels lazy and exploitative." "I like breasts as much as the next guy but this felt icky," Ellis said. In a string of tweets earlier this week, Kojima said he directed MGSV's art director to make some of the game's characters, including Quiet, "more erotic" in an effort to encourage cosplay and promote figurine sales. He has since clarified these tweets, saying "sexy" was a better word to use. "What I'm really trying to do is create unique characters. One of those is, of course, Quiet. She's a really unique character, I wanted to add that sexiness to her," Kojima said. "It wasn't really supposed to be erotic, but sexy." GameSpot recently attended a live demonstration of Metal Gear Solid V prologue Ground Zeroes at Kojima Productions' new office in Los Angeles. Check out GameSpot's impressions for more. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | EA closing BattleForge Sep 6th 2013, 13:36 Publisher will shut down RTS on October 31; players encouraged to spend in-game currency before game closes. 
Free-to-play real-time strategy game BattleForge will be shut down on October 31, Electronic Arts has announced. "Today we bring sad news to the world of Nyn as the rift between our worlds is coming to a close, and with this we come to the unfortunate retirement of BattleForge," the company said in a statement. "The decision to retire older games is never easy," the statement goes on. "We hope you've enjoyed playing BattleForge as much as we enjoyed making it and we wish to extend our sincerest thanks to all of our passionate and dedicated players for supporting BattleForge over the past four years." EA encouraged users who still have a balance of in-game currency to spend it before the game is gone for good on Halloween. BattleForge is an online fantasy-themed real-time strategy game for the PC that borrows from the world of collectible-card games The retirement of BattleForge comes after EA reportedly closed German developer EA Phenomic in July. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Madden NFL 25 sales cross 1 million units Sep 6th 2013, 13:35 First-week sales for EA Sports' gridiron game down year-over-year, though game is also coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4. 
Madden NFL 25 sold more than 1 million units during its first week at retail and was the top-selling game of August overall in North America, Electronic Arts has announced. Gamers played nearly 6 million hours of Madden NFL 25 since launch. A Seahawks vs. 49ers matchup was three times more popular than any other contest during the first week, EA said. Madden NFL 25's Ultimate Team has gotten off to a quick start, EA said, noting players have opened more than 3.3 million packs, the most in any single week since Ultimate Team was introduced in Madden NFL 10. In addition, Saturday, August 28 marked the highest day for net revenue in Madden Ultimate Team history, EA said. Madden NFL 25's sales of 1 million units is down from 1.65 million for last year's Madden NFL 13, but the full picture won't come into focus until later. The game will be released on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as launch titles for the next-generation platforms in November. Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia said first-week sales of Madden NFL 25, though down year-over-year, are in line with the company's guidance. He noted that the $10 upgrade offer from current- to next-generation versions of the game will also boost sales. "In any case, we think the true picture of EA's overall sports business this year won't emerge until the arrival of the next-gen version of its games this holiday," Bhatia said. Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian echoed Bhatia's comments, saying the "softness" in sales of Madden NFL 25 reflects the nature of the console transition. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Respawn warns of Titanfall beta scams Sep 6th 2013, 13:35 Developer says all sites advertising beta access for 2014 first-person shooter are "100 percent scams." 
Respawn Entertainment has cautioned gamers that any sites claiming to be able to grant access to a Titanfall beta are fraudulent and should be avoided. "To help keep our fans safe from scammers, please note that all sites advertising beta access are 100 percent scams," the developer said on Twitter. Titanfall is a multiplayer-only first-person shooter created by numerous former Call of Duty developers, including Infinity Ward cofounder Vince Zampella. The game launches in 2014 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. For more, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Hotline Miami 2 sexual assault scene under review Sep 6th 2013, 13:34 Dennaton Games says "we didn't add the scene just to be controversial." 
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number developer Dennaton Games is currently reviewing a scene of sexual assault in the game after some early players rose concerns about its place in the top-down shooter. "We were really sad that some people were so affected by it, because maybe they had been through something like that of their own," Dennaton Games' Dennis Wedin told Rock Paper Shotgun. "Maybe they had a terrible experience of their own that was triggered by the game," he added. "That was not intentional at all. We didn’t add the scene just to be controversial. There is a meaning to these two characters. There's a lot more to them than just this scene." Wedin explained that the scene has been removed from the newest version of the Hotline Miami 2 demo while the developer works out a way to potentially alter its content. "We're going to work with it, see if we can fix it," Wedin said. "You get a bigger picture when you play the whole game, which is lost in the demo of course." Wedin added that a trend in horror movie remakes is for a new entry to "take the next step up" in terms of shocking content relative to the original just for the sake of drumming up controversy. This is not what Dennaton Games wants to do with Hotline Miami 2, Wedin said, noting that's why the sexual assault scene stops before it goes too far. "So almost doing that with the illusion of an assault but then having the game stop you, that's us saying we're not going to go the whole way [toward that exploitative next step]," Wedin said. "That's not Hotline Miami. Some might think that would be the way for us to do the sequel. Like, 'OK, they did the violence. Now do sexual assault to be controversial.' That's not what we're about. So instead, it just stops." Overall, Wedin said Dennaton Games is undecided about keeping the scene or cutting it. The studio will wait until it can gauge player reactions based on the context of the full game before making a decision, he said. "We'll see. We're gonna see how people react to it when we test the whole game," Wedin said. "We'll get opinions and stuff like that. We'll see how we can present this in a good way. In a way that we want it to come across. Not just as provocative. That’s not our meaning at all." "I respect people's comments and the fact that people voiced them," he added. "That's how they feel. Our scene made them feel this way, so we have to think about why and if there's something we can do to make it better. I don't think it's right to just say, 'You're wrong. You're just looking at it wrong.' That's not the way to go." Hotline Miami 2 will debut in 2014 first on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Sony announces '1300 HMZ-T3 3D headset Sep 6th 2013, 11:20 HMZ-T3 can be used for watching movies and gaming, and can be connected to a mobile device. 
Sony has announced its third head-mounted 3D display, the HMZ-T3 personal viewer headset. The £1300 device (approximately $2027) is a successor to the £1000 HMZ-T2, and contains two 720p OLED displays that can accept a wireless HD connection, though this drops the headset's battery life from seven hours to three hours. The headset features virtual 7.1 surround sound and weighs 320g, Sony says. The device can be used for gaming with a Windows PC or PlayStation 3, like with its predecessor the HMZ-T2, but is not a dedicated gaming VR headset like the Oculus Rift. The HMZ-T3 can also be connected to a mobile device for portable use. An earlier Eurogamer report this week said Sony is developing its own gaming VR headset, however, which the company will debut to the public in 2014 The HMZ-T3 will begin shipping in 2-3 weeks, Sony adds. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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