 | Cutting naval multiplayer from ACIV was "heartbreaking" says creative director Aug 31st 2013, 00:28 Ashraf Ismail says "I lose a lot of sleep over that one" regarding cutting multiplayer mode from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag; future-set Assassin's Creed game unlikely. 
Cutting the naval multiplayer mode from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was "heartbreaking," creative director Ashraf Ismail said today during a PAX Prime panel. "I lost a lot of sleep over that one," Ismail said. He explained that Ubisoft created multiple prototypes for the game mode that were "awesome," and the scope was "really huge." "It really broke my heart the day we decided to cut it from the game," Ismail recalled. Though there won't be naval multiplayer in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Ismail suggested a similar game mode could be featured in an upcoming game "if [Black Flag] does really well." During a question and answer session, Ismail was asked about the potential for a future-set Assassin's Creed game. He responded by saying he would be "shocked" if the series jumped into the future. Explaining the decision to look back instead of forward, Ismail said Ubisoft's mantra for the series is "history is our playground." Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag launches October 29 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U. The Xbox One and PS4 versions will be launch titles for those platforms, while the PC version will be released sometime after the current-generation iterations. For more, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Halo 4, League of Legends Championships lead eSports at PAX Aug 31st 2013, 00:13 $300,000 on the line for Halo's first-ever Global Championship, with $200,000 going to the winners. 
The Halo 4 Global Championships, League of Legends Season 3 North American Playoffs, World of Tanks International World Finals, MLG Call of Duty Invitational, and Smite North American Invitational will all be held at PAX Prime this weekend. $300,000 is on the line for Halo’s first-ever Global Championship, with $200,000 going to the winners. The tournament will be held at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, the same location Valve used for the Dota 2 International Championships. Several former Major League Gaming Halo champions are competing, including Michael ’StrongSide’ Cavanaugh, Eric ’Snip3down’ Wrona, and Faisal ’Goofy’ Khan. A schedule and live stream information can be found on the official official 343 site. An interview with Frank O'Connor, Development Director for the Halo franchise at 343 Industries will be available this weekend. [ Watch Video ] Last week at Gamescom, three European teams--Fnatic, Lemondogs, and Gambit Gaming--qualified for the League of Legends World Championships in October. Now another $100,000 is on the line and four spots for the North American teams to the World Championships. With North America’s win over Europe at the All-Star game, the region gets an additional spot at the Finals. Teams Cloud 9 and Vulcun wait in the wings, as fan-favorites Team SoloMid, Counter Logic Gaming, Curse, and Dignitas battle it out in the opening rounds. A schedule and live stream information can be found on the official Riot eSports site. Major League Gaming and Turtle Beach are hosting an 8-team $10,000 Call of Duty Invitational featuring Anaheim Champions Complexity, EnvyUs, Impact, Unite, Kaliber, Soar, Faze, and Bad History. Teams were invited based on their 2013 Call of Duty Championship and MLG Pro Circuit performances and the MLG Pro Points Rankings. The broadcast schedule can be found on MLG's site, and the stream can be watched on MLG TV. The world finals of the World of Tanks Open tournament will be on display, with $100,000 up for grabs for the best teams from North America, Russia, Europe, China, South East Asia, and South America. Twitch.tv will be broadcasting the tournament on Sunday, September 1 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Microsoft: Xbox One is worth $100 more than PlayStation 4 Aug 31st 2013, 00:00 Xbox director says company is not stressing over being the most expensive console this holiday season; "I just believe that we're going to have a better system," says Albert Penello. 
The Xbox One will be $100 more than the PlayStation 4 and $200 more than the Wii U this holiday season, but Microsoft is not stressing over its stance as the most expensive console. "It’s up to us to prove that it’s worth $100 more. I think it is," senior director of product planning and management at Xbox Albert Penello told GameSpot today at PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington. Penello said the suite of games and services Microsoft is offering with the Xbox One is stronger than the competition. "I think we do more. I think our games are better. I think as people start to experience Kinect and see what it can do using voice, I think that’s better," he added. "I think the ability to have an all-in-one system where you can plug in the TV, that’s better. I think we’ll have a better online service." "I just believe that we’re going to have a better system." Ultimately, consumers want to buy the "best thing," Penello said. The Xbox One's stance as the most premium console this holiday season won't hold it back, he argued. "$100, when you’re talking $400 vs. $500 [shrugs shoulders]. I don’t believe it’s going to be the deal-killer," he said. The Xbox One launches in November for $500. Check out later for more from GameSpot's conversation with Penello. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Microsoft defends pack-in Kinect for Xbox One Aug 30th 2013, 20:47 Senior Xbox director Albert Penello says "when people get to use it, I think it will be really obvious" why motion tech is included with every system. 
Microsoft has defended its decision to include Kinect with every Xbox One. Senior director of product management and planning Albert Penello told GameSpot at PAX Prime today that once gamers experience what the new technology brings to the table, they will be won over. Penello said, "It's easy to pick it apart when you haven't experienced it," adding that when gamers finally do try out the new motion-control technology, it will be "really obvious" why Microsoft chose to include it in every box. He said he has an Xbox One at home right now and explained that interacting with Kinect is one of the most impressive components of the entire Xbox One package. Penello also spoke to the advantage Microsoft will have over competitor Sony, which will instead sell its PlayStation Eye separately for $60. "Obviously I can't speak to what Sony's doing. I don't know what their plans are with their camera. But I think they had this with Move; we had it with Kinect versus Nintendo with the Wii. When you bundle it, you get more innovation, you get better and more interesting types of experiences," Penello said. "So I do think that bundling it in every console, and the fact that technology is so much more advanced than what anybody else is doing; yeah, I do think it is an advantage." Penello also recalled the launch of the original Kinect, which he said failed to reach its full potential. "When we launched the Kinect on Xbox 360, it came five years in on the platform; it was an accessory. And it did some really cool stuff. But I feel like it never reached its full potential," Penello said. "Because developers have to decide: does my customer have it? Who's going to have it? If I do this game, what percentage of users have it? And one of the things I think we've learned is that when you launch something as part of the console, it changes how it gets used." The Xbox One launches in November for $500. Check back later for more from GameSpot's conversation with Penello. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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