 | Valve teasing announcement for Monday Sep 20th 2013, 16:46 "The Steam universe is expanding in 2014," Portal and Half-Life developer says on new teaser page; first of three announcements coming Monday, September 23. 
Portal and Half-Life studio Valve today launched a teaser website with a message that reads, "The Steam universe is expanding in 2014." A countdown clock states the announcement will be made on Monday, September 23. "Last year, we shipped a software feature called Big Picture, a user-interface tailored for televisions and gamepad," Valve said. "This year we've been working on even more ways to connect the dots for customers who want Steam in the living-room." "Soon, we'll be adding you to our design process, so that you can help us shape the future of Steam." A Valve representative confirmed that the company will make three announcements next week, the first of which will be on Monday morning. "We will be talking next week about the steps we're taking to make Steam more accessible on televisions and in the living room," the representative said. Earlier this week, Valve head Gabe Newell teased a hardware-related announcement for next week, saying, "we're going to be rolling out more information about how we get there and what are the hardware opportunities we see for bringing Linux into the living room." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Naughty Dog wanted to "change the industry" with The Last of Us Sep 20th 2013, 15:26 Neil Druckmann says his ambition for Ellie was to create "one of the coolest, non-sexualized female" protagonists and influence the industry at large. 
Naughty Dog wanted to "change the industry" through its presentation of a "non-sexualized" female protagonist in The Last of Us, creative director Neil Druckmann has said. Druckmann--who became a father during the development of The Last of Us--said it was no accident that Ellie was designed the way she was. "I had this secret agenda," he said during a recent talk at the Toronto chapter of the International Game Developers Association attended by The Verge. "I wanted to create one of the coolest, non-sexualized female video game protagonists. And I felt that if we did that, there's an opportunity to change the industry. I know it sounds pretentious, but that was my goal." Druckmann is bullish on the potential for AAA games with non-sexualized female protagonists to become more commonplace, and more commercially successful, in the future. "I feel like AAA games… we're on this cusp of at the very least seeing strong, non-sexualized female protagonists starring in games," Druckmann said last week. "You're going to see a lot more of those, and a lot more that are commercially successful." Naughty Dog's most recent game was The Last of Us, which was released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in June. The developer is currently working on an undisclosed PlayStation 4 title. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Deputy UK prime minister says GTA can have "corrosive" effect on behavior Sep 20th 2013, 14:37 Nick Clegg says games like Grand Theft Auto can have "incredibly powerful" and in some cases "corrosive" effect on player behavior. 
Deputy United Kingdom prime minister Nick Clegg believes games like Grand Theft Auto can have a "corrosive effect" on player behavior, the politician said on his LBC Radio show today (via The Guardian). "Clearly these games can have an incredibly powerful, and I suspect in some cases corrosive effect, on someone's behavior, someone's outlook; they get shut off, they don't talk to other people, they just stay in their living room, their bedroom hunkered down in front of their computer." Clegg said. "They occupy a hermetically sealed world of their own and that can have a very detrimental effect." His comments came just days after the Washington Navy Yard shooting in which 13 people were killed by a gunman who reportedly played violent games for hours on end. Clegg did not say which research his comments were based on, though the link between violent games and violent behavior has been debated extensively. "In a free country, what do you do? Do you start saying to people you can't use it for more than X number of hours? No you can't do that," Clegg said. "There are, of course, restrictions around content. But we cannot limit people's use of [video games], certainly not the amount of time they devote to this by law or by edict." Clegg added that parents bear a "heavy responsibility" to make sure the games their children spend time with are age- and content-appropriate. He said this responsibility is especially challenging for some parents because games have evolved so rapidly of late. Clegg also said that parents should try to ration their children's time spent playing games because "overuse" can be problematic. Grand Theft Auto V was released Tuesday and generated a record-setting $800 million in 24 hours. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Dota 2 First Blood update debuts GLaDOS announcer on September 23 Sep 20th 2013, 13:40 Major Dota 2 update will also include a new mode, inventory management, and balance changes. 
Valve has outlined the details of a major Dota 2 update, dubbed the First Blood update. Coming on September 23, the First Blood update will see the release of a pack based on the Portal series, which includes a GLaDOS announcer, Aperture Science Wardcores, and a Portal HUD skin for the game. Also included is a new mode, Captain's Draft, which has both teams assign a captain who must field a team from a pool of 24 randomised heroes. The patch also contains a major change to players' inventories, renaming the Backpack to the Armory, which contains multiple filters and searching options with the aim of making it easier for players to manage their items. Many items from the in-game Dota 2 store are being removed for sale, though these items will now be available for trading on the Steam Community Market. Valve, which hasn't listed which items are leaving the store, adds that the items may return in the return. The First Blood update will also see the introduction of new treasures. Additionally, Medusa will now be available in Captain's Mode. Various other balance changes have been included into the update, and players will no longer be able to adopt the fountain hook technique with Pudge and Chen--a controversial tactic which was recently used in August to great effect by Na'Vi in their match against TonFu in Dota 2 tournament The International 3. For a full list of balance changes, check out Valve's post on the update. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Ohio St. professor on role of video games in mass shootings Sep 20th 2013, 13:30 Professor of communication and psychology Brad Bushman says "the problem is that people are looking for a yes-or-no answer...when there is none." 
Ohio St. professor of communication and psychology Brad Bushman has weighed in on the ongoing debate regarding the role of violent video games in mass shootings. Writing an editorial on CNN just days after the Washington Navy Yard shooting that left 13 dead, Bushman said there is no simple answer. "The problem is that people are looking for a yes-or-no answer about the role of video games in violence, when there is none," Bushman said, acknowledging the media reports that suggested the Navy Yard shooter frequently played violent games. "Violent video games alone likely didn't cause [Aaron Alexis] to go on his rampage. But these games aren't harmless, either. Recent reports suggest he may have been mentally ill and had anger control issues. But it isn't hard to believe that video game use may have been a contributing factor." A study conducted by Bushman and his colleagues found that "typical" college students who played violent games for 20 minutes at a time for three straight days showed higher levels of aggressive behavior every day they played. "If that's what happens to typical college students, how might someone like Alexis react to playing for 16 straight hours? What if he does this for months or years?" Bushman said. Bushman pointed out that other researchers have reached similar conclusions, with studies finding violent games not only lead to increased aggressive thoughts, but also decreased helping behavior and feelings of empathy for others. "The effects occurred for males and females of all ages, regardless of what country they lived in," he said. "In our research, we found that people who played first-person shooting games were more accurate than others when firing a realistic gun at a mannequin--and more likely to aim for and hit the head." Bushman also acknowledged that Alexis was not the first mass murderer to reportedly be an avid fan of violent games, pointing to the Sandy Hook shooter, among others. In addition, he said not only do first-person shooter games cause players to be more aggressive, but also to be more deadly in real-world shooting scenarios. "In our research, we found that people who played first-person shooting games were more accurate than others when firing a realistic gun at a mannequin--and more likely to aim for and hit the head," Bushman said. "Police haven't released details of the Navy Yard shootings, but it is possible that Alexis was a more accurate shooter because of the time he spent playing video games. That's an inconvenient fact that you don't often hear defenders of the games talk about." Bushman also took issue with the argument that video games can't be dangerous because they are played by millions, the vast majority of which never act out in violent ways. "No doubt, most players don't become violent. That's because they come from good homes, aren't victims of bullying, don't have mental health issues, and don't have many of the other risk factors for violence," Bushman said. "But what about players who already are predisposed to violence? Killers like Aaron Alexis aren't typical. They have a lot going against them, such as mental illness. Violent video games are just one more factor that may be pushing them toward violence." Overall, Bushman said though it is difficult to control the factors that can lead to violent behavior, controlling violent video games is a simpler task by comparison through government regulation and educational campaigns. "We can make it more difficult to get access to them. We can strengthen our laws against teens acquiring these games. Parents can keep the games out of their homes and help their children avoid them at friends' houses," he said. "As a society, we should do all we can to make violent rampages like the one in Washington less likely, even if we can't stop them entirely. Controlling the use of violent video games is one step we can take to help protect our society from violence." Bushman studies the causes, consequences, and solutions to the issues of human aggression and violence at Ohio State University. Some of his research has challenged several "myths" about human behavior, including violent media having a trivial effect on aggression. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Metal Gear Solid V's torture scene to be non-playable Sep 20th 2013, 13:27 "As the expressiveness of video games goes up, if you want to go beyond that it's not something you can avoid," says Kojima on whether violent scenes such as torture are necessary. 
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has said that a torture scene in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will not be controllable by the player. At the Tokyo Game Show, and speaking to Eurogamer, Kojima discussed whether such scenes were necessary. "It's something that needs to be done," said Kojima. Kojima reemphasized that one of the main topics of Metal Gear Solid V is revenge, and that violence in a game narrative is something he wanted to put in if it "will give new emotions that are important to the game." "As the expressiveness of video games goes up, if you want to go beyond that it's not something you can avoid. Of course not all video games have to do this, and in my case it's not something that I want to go through. If the violence will give new emotions that are important to the game, I want to put it in there, especially with this game where one of the main topics is revenge. I don't want to walk around that." However, Kojima didn't want to go so far as to make the player take control over the scene. "I didn't want to go as far as having playable torture," he said. "The part of Metal Gear Solid 5 that has torture is non-playable." The Metal Gear Solid series has often featured Snake being tortured as part of their plot, including notable scenes in the original Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. "So far the player's been tortured by Ocelot so much that I'm thinking that I might be the one that introduced torture to games," Kojima quipped. "So I'm sorry about that!" Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Western Vita TV interest stronger than Sony expected Sep 20th 2013, 12:53 Executive Masayasu Ito says interest from Western markets for new streaming device has exceeded company's expectations. 
Interest from Western consumers in the PlayStation Vita TV streaming device has surpassed Sony's expectations, according to executive Masayasu Ito. Speaking during a Tokyo Game Show roundtable interview attended by Eurogamer, Ito said the response for the device from Western markets had been "strong…more than we expected." The executive also said Sony is "of course" thinking about launching the PS Vita TV in the United States and Europe, however, timing is not yet nailed down. "But when it comes to the timing, we'll have to watch the environment and identify what other services are available in the US and Europe and whether we'll have to add other services," Ito said. Separately, Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House told Eurogamer that the company has been "very encouraged" by the Western response to the PS Vita TV. "It's been very, very positive," he said. House also explained Sony's decision to launch the PS Vita TV first in Japan, saying there is simply no major competitor for streaming boxes in the region, compared to the US and Europe where such devices are more readily available. "The reason we wanted to launch PlayStation Vita TV in Japan first was because we think that there is a significant gap in this market even for a pure streamed TV box," House said. "There isn't really a competitor here that's staked out a claim. And frankly, in my own view, Japan is a little behind the adoption curve in video streaming services. "So we thought we could have an opportunity in Japan to really establish a leadership position by having an addition differentiated killer app--which is having our huge library of streaming games content," he added. The PS Vita TV will allow owners to play PSP, original PlayStation, and PS Vita games directly on their televisions. The system will also work with the PlayStation 4's Remote Play feature. In addition, the Gaikai-powered streaming service in the works for the PlayStation 4 could "technically" be supported on the PS Vita TV, according to Sony. The device will launch in Japan on November 14 for ¥9,480 (around $95) and will also be available in a bundle that includes a PS Vita TV, a DualShock 3 controller, and an 8GB Vita Memory Card. Last week, Sony published a full list of supported titles for the PS Vita TV. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | State of Decay hitting PC today Sep 20th 2013, 12:12 Early Access version of open-world zombie game scheduled to launch on Steam later today for $20; will not support keyboard and mouse at launch. 
Open-world zombie game State of Decay will be released PC through Steam's Early Access program later today, developer Undead Labs has announced. The game will be available for $20, the same price as the Xbox 360 version. Those who pick up the Early Access version of State of Decay will automatically receive the final version, for free and with no need to restart, when the game is officially launched later in the year. Undead Labs made clear that the version of State of Decay coming to PC today is a "test version" that is not meant to be reviewed. "It will not be perfect. It may still have crashes," the developer said. In addition, State of Decay for PC will not work with keyboard and mouse, at least not right away. At launch, the Early Access version requires an Xbox 360 controller or a compatible third-party input, though Undead Labs stated it has not done much testing with non-Microsoft controllers yet. "This process is not for everyone. Casual players, the easily frustrated, and the short of time should NOT get the Early Access version," Undead Labs said. "Hey, I am all three of those things, y'all. Those are not criticisms. It's just that we want everyone to have the experience that best suits their needs. You all deserve the best, so if you're not into giving feedback, just wait a few months and play the final version after we make it great." State of Decay launched earlier this year on Xbox 360 and has sold more than 500,000 copies. For more on State of Decay, check out GameSpot's review. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| |
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu