E3 Day 0 (Part 2) -- The EA and Ubisoft Press Conferences

Written By: Tyler

Image from: http://e3expo.com

Welcome back. With this post, I will be giving a mostly live rundown of the EA and Ubisoft press conferences. What I mean by "mostly live" is that, outside of any point where I have to leave my PC, I will be writing this post as I watch the press conference so that's why it will seem very "in the moment."


EA Press Conference

Star Wars: Battlefront 3. After that popped up, EA dropped the mic and left the stage. No, but they did start it off by talking about Star Wars, showingvery brief in-game footage and then ending it by saying that the new Battlefront will show up in Spring of next year.

Unfortunately at this point I had to leave my PC so from this point on I just had to go through articles and get my news. I take it I missed a game demo of Dragon Age: Inquisition and they teased a new Mass Effect that will take place in *gasp* space, and a new IP that will tell "contemporary" stories.

I came back during the new Sims, in which personality is supposed to play a big role in the stories of the Sims. The concept is "smarter sims" and Sims 4 is supposed to be deeper in that regard. For example, one old woman annoyed a guy in the footage we were shown, and the next day at the gym the guy worked out harder because he was frustrated. Then they threw him a party to cheer him up... and he laughed to death. Whether this will work as they intended remains to be seen.

Next up is EA UFC. It started with Bruce Lee... no really, the video did. The MMA fighters talked about how Bruce Lee was the father to MMA, and then we were told we can be Bruce Lee. Next came the video game footage... the 5th round between BJ Penn and Bruce Lee. Having played the demo, I found that the AI brawled way too much on the feet, and this video was no different. I won't dissect all the gameplay, but this video hasn't really done anything to calm my nerves concerning the full game.

Onto a new sport now -- hockey. NHL '15 is on its way to the surprise of absolutely nobody, and apparently everything is supposed to change. So the pucks will be cannon balls and knives are allowed. Just kidding, but it's the typical spiel about how it's going to be more realistic. Then an emotional video of hockey players played in which we got to see a cinematic of the great Canadian game.

Then we were showed an extremely early example of the new Criterion Games game, in which they have expanded beyond cars... we will now be able to play with helicopters, jet skis, cars, etc in a first-person view. 

Frostbite 3 is coming to EA Sports PGA Tour. So get hyped for the... most... exciting... sport on earth.

With Madden '15, they're working hard on defense since defense is apparently "nearly" half the game. Well, I'd say it's exactly half, but I'm not nitpicking.

Dawngate is an upcoming moba that is supposed to build on existing mobas, not just clone them.

As the show starts to wind-down, Mirror's Edge 2 is shown off. This is one of my more anticipated games, so of course I got excited. They talk about Faith, attitude and the style of Mirror's Edge and we see footage of the conceptual prototype. Turns out, Mirror's Edge 2 is going to be heavy on parkour. Who woulda thunk it? I don't think they expanded as much on the reveal from last year as they should have.

And next is Fifa '15, and once again we're told how Fifa is going to be more realistic with man to man battles, more agility, authentic atmosphere and visuals. Nothing out of the ordinary, but something that is sure to be a lot of fun if you're a soccer fan.

Then Battlefield: Hardline shows up to the party. It's time for cops and criminals this time. The plot is supposed to be more like a great cop TV show, but the focus is obviously going to be on multiplayer.
They showed us footage of a heist in-game from multiple perspectives -- the cops and the criminals. It looks and feels like Battlefield, but I have to admit that taking it away from the military based gameplay to this intrigues me. The game looked incredibly exciting and dynamic, like a Battlefield game should. I was already sold, but after I watched the crane come down and be the catalyst of a ton of destruction... give it to me right now. October 21 can't come soon enough.

After that awesome footage, they launched the beta of Battlefield: Hardline.


Closing Statement: I wasn't terribly impressed with the EA Press Conference but it had its moments. It looks like they're doing something neat with Sims, and ending it with Battlefield was a great thing because that game looks astonishing, but mostly we just get some updates on sports games. I also think that Battlefront should have gotten more than it did, because while it's exciting enough that it exists, we've been waiting so long for it that some real game play would have been welcome. Same with Mirror's Edge.



Ubisoft Press Conference

The Ubisoft press conference starts with a pretty shot of a mountain. Aww. What this mountain means is Far Cry 4. After a lengthy cinematic, Dan Hay shows up on stage, saying that it's the first five minutes of the game. 

Then we apparently get some stand-up comedy. I got to give it to them, putting Aisha Tyler up there every year now is probably a good idea because she's entertaining. What's next? Just Dance 2015. Yay?

We get to hear Happy for the millionth time in the last 24 hours, and it shows off footage of the game. I'm not excited at all, but I can't even slow dance so what do I know? The big news is, now you can play it on your phone! Sweet! I'm going to do that...

After talking about how dancing makes people happy, Aisha does a nice transition to relate that to post-apocalyptic New York. Here comes The Division. All they did was show a movie of it, so how the online aspects tie-in are still a mystery to me, which sucks because that's all I wanted to know.

Next up we have The Crew. In the video, the car is going F-Zero fast while a moody song plays in the background. There are two one-hour missions in the game. There are co-op missions, open-world driving... basically The Crew sounds like a pretty inventive racing game. You can get the "beeta" on the Crew website, and the game is coming out November 11 on Xbone, PS4 and PC.

 It was only a matter of time, so here comes Assassin's Creed Unity... a game that actually impressed me during the Microsoft press conference. There's another cinematic with more moody music
but no actual gameplay. It's a really cool video, though. Afterward we're told that the core experience has been changed. Then the gameplay comes and it looks like a lot of open-world fun, with a neat ending where the other players show up. 

So what did we all want? A fitness game. Thanks Ubisoft for bringing us Shape Up. Instead of doing boring stuff, we will jump on trains and shit. We see a video of the presenter stepping on piano keys against himself, and it doesn't actually look terrible. Then we get to see push-ups! This party doesn't stop! This is an S Club party! I believe Shape Up is a fitness game I can get behind.

From fitness to World War 1, we have the puzzle game Valiant Hearts. The game has a pretty artstyle and revolves around a dog and the letters that soldiers wrote back in WW1. It was an incredibly touching trailer but I'm not really sure what the game play will be like, nor will it be any good. What I do think is we'll get an emotional game that sticks with you, even if it isn't the most fun to play. 

How do we end it? With pre-alpha footage of Rainbow Six: Siege. I'm beyond excited for some tactical shooter gameplay, such as blowing up the floor in order to ambush your opponent and rescue the hostage. I cannot wait for this game to come out, because even in pre-alpha it looks like a beast (not graphically, but just gameplay wise).


Closing Statement: Ubisoft tends to have really theatrical press conferences, which is a double-edged sword for me. On one side, it makes for an extremely entertaining, lively and comical presentation, but on the other side, sometimes it goes on way too long when you just want to see games. They are definitely the "least corporate" of the companies presenting, in the sense that they seem to have more fun with the whole ordeal, and right now they're tied for the best presentation of the show... with Microsoft, who played it more bland but gave us a ton of great games.

Fly Through The Air Like You Just Don't Care -- A Child of Light Review

Written By: Tyler
Platform Played On: PC

 

See 10 minutes of gameplay here: http://youtu.be/70Kkn2YOAt0


Rating: 8.5/10
Verdict: Child of Light does a few intriguing things with the format, and is an incredibly polished, beautiful game, but it doesn't stand among the best JRPGs in the world. It's only $15 though, and it could cost a little more and I still wouldn't feel ripped off.


Child of Light is an interesting gamble for Ubisoft. They are known recently for violent, expansive, open-world/sandbox games, and indeed, their next game in May is the much anticipated/eater of worlds Watch Dogs. Child of Light is a Japanese RPG made by North Americans, and it has slipped into existence a mere month before Watch Dogs gets released into the wild. It's very cool to see a company like Ubisoft release a smaller passion project before a big release, and it's especially cool that it's a genre that has fallen off the radar a bit over the years. But is it any good?

In a nutshell -- yes, Child of Light is good. Great even, but not a classic. It will not stand amongst the best JRPGs in video game history, but if there is any justice in the world then it should be remembered as a completely solid side-scrolling, turn-based RPG that does a few neat things with the genre.

You play as Aurora, a sick little Austrian girl who drifts asleep and wakes up in a foreign, fantastical land -- Lemuria. She is trying to get home. Whether it's real or a dream isn't apparent at the beginning, and you mean an odd bunch of characters through the ten hours or so that you adventure through the world.

The plot is interesting and emotional, while being told entirely through poetry. This is an awesome stylistic choice, because how often do we get to see a game where everyone talks in rhyme? Unfortunately some of the dialogue is timed and this can be problematic because of the nature of it -- it's lyrical, so it may take a moment to fully comprehend and the game doesn't always give you the time to understand it.

It's hard to talk about the game without acknowledging the visuals. The hand drawn/painted art style is beautiful and makes it very easy to drift into this wonderful fairy tale. Look in the background and there is plenty going on, or look around you and see how fully realized the entire area is. This game oozes atmosphere on all fronts, and it's an early candidate for visuals of the year.

In fact, I am going to go out on a limb and say that I think the primary focus of the game is creating a rich, awe-inspiring yet believable world. This extends to the music. The music doesn't stand out like some games, but it's solid and always there to compliment the visuals wonderfully with its usage of a lot of strings. It sounds like it belongs in a fairy tale, as opposed to in a big Hollywood movie like a lot of games these days go for.

The JRPG is known for turn-based combat, and Ubisoft has decided to bring that back. However, they didn't bring it back in a bland, unoriginal way. There are a couple ideas here that progress the genre. There is a timeline on the bottom of the screen and you can see who is going to get to attack next. Some enemies/characters are faster so they will move along the line more quickly. You can use spells to decrease or increase speed, and it becomes a battle to see who can get there first. You could just hammer it out and get through the game because it's not that hard, but there are a couple elements to the combat that encourage you to use strategy.

Your blue firefly companion can slow down enemies. He has an energy bar and if you click and hold down the mouse button on an enemy, they move slower along the timeline. You can also use him to heal yourself. This allows you to get a bit of an advantage on enemies, or at least somewhat level the playing field if they're faster than you.

He also ties into the two-player mode, and while I haven't played it, I can't imagine it's that much fun. He has a few ways in which he helps, like in combat. But you also use him to reach items, solve easy puzzles (I'm notoriously stupid and had no issues), stun enemies -- since they can be seen on the "world map" you can go behind them and get a sneak attack -- and collect healing. The multiplayer just seemed tacked on and unnecessary to me.

There is also importance in going first beyond the obvious reason of just attacking the enemy. You can actually interrupt enemy attacks if you've timed it right, which sets them back on the line. What this means is that you could essentially go an entire battle without getting hit if you plan accordingly and things work out well. Like I said, you don't really need to put this much thought into the combat, but the options are there and it's much more rewarding if you do.

In battle you can also switch your characters on the fly, allowing you to utilize any and all characters since they all have their pros and cons. Some are best at healing, some can caste haste, some are brutes, etc. I always enjoyed this aspect in Final Fantasy X, and it's nice to see it employed again.

There is another way in which the game is like Final Fantasy X, and that's in how you level up. Child of Light essentially has a Sphere Grid, only it's more of a Sphere Grid-lite. There are a couple different ways you can go, but in my experience there's really only one way I wanted to go, except for with a character or two.

You can unlock new abilities, or upgrade your statistics like strength or magic defense. You level up at least every second fight (I'm not kidding), and while that might sound cool, due to the limited nature of level progression, it's not really all it's cracked up to be. There isn't really a sense of accomplishment after you've put a few hours in because you level up so quickly. I get what they're doing by constantly offering growth, but sometimes less is more.

Regardless, due to the fact that you ultimately have a choice with how your character progresses, and the fact that there's a crafting system -- there is a decent amount of depth here. The Oculi crafting system is simplistic and straight-forward, but it does pay to experiment a little bit to see how all your gems can benefit you. In this case, despite how minimalist it is, it's better to have it than not because it adds to the experience.

At the beginning of the game you walk and jump, and it's slow going, but in roughly an hour or less you can suddenly fly. Yes, you can fly... with no limitations except for the map ending. There is no energy bar to prevent you and you never have to walk again. This may seem like a simple thing, but it gives the game a more open feel and it's just beyond cool to be able to take flight whenever you see fit, and travel wherever you damn please (within reason). The game doesn't force feed you where to go, or how to do anything, so you can get disoriented pretty quickly if you're not paying attention, but there's a tip section when you pause that poetically tells you where to go.


Despite how technically sound it is in a lot of ways, it didn't grab me like the best RPGs do. I still really dug it and was into it, but favourite games have a way of burrowing their way into your heart, leaving you with this feeling of amazement (depending on who you are, this is either starting to sound erotic or romantic).

Child of Light is a polished JRPG-lite in a few ways, but in other ways it is near the top of its class (such as the visuals). It's not a long game, and anybody looking for a serious challenge should look elsewhere, but it's also only $15 so you definitely get your money worth. 

Weekly News Round-Up, April 20 - 26: Happy Birthday Gameboy!

Written By: Tyler


Hey you! Welcome. This is the Weekly News Round-Up for April 20 - 26. If you are unfamiliar with what I do here, let me break it down for you. I go around a few different video game websites, steal some of their news, post it here as a "round-up" and then make snarky comments about the news. Though I do ultimately post the news, don't get offended by anything I say here because I make fun of everything... even stuff I love.



Let's Start This Off Right -- Suikoden 2 Coming To PSN?
http://kotaku.com/holy-crap-looks-like-suikoden-ii-is-finally-coming-to-1565978567

The ESRB has rated Suikoden 2, which is a good indication that it will hit the PSN eventually. Not a moment too soon, because last I heard, prices for a legit copy were at least five million dollars and wars have been raged over it.

Hopefully this does mean that people will be able to buy it for a reasonable price yet again.


And Then Let's Second Start This Off Right -- The Gameboy Turned 25 This Week
http://www.destructoid.com/happy-25th-anniversary-game-boy--273570.phtml#ext

On April 21st, the Gameboy became 25. This was before iPhones and Androids (except in Blade Runner), and we had to carry around this pretty bulky piece of brilliance in order to play our games that didn't even have a full palette of colours. Back then, things were simple, and it is that I say... happy belated birthday Gameboy. 


Some Deals On PSN Have Started, And They Go Until April 29
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-plus-brings-pixeljunk-monsters-to-vita-for-free-this-week/1100-6419112/

On Vita you can get Pixeljunk Monsters for free. Here are some other deals:

• Batman: Arkham Asylum - $12.59 (regular price: $13.99)
• Batman: Arkham Origins (PS3) - $25.19 (regular price $27.99)
• Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (Vita) - $12.59 (regular price: $13.99)
• Cel Damage HD (PS4/PS3/Vita) - $8.99 (regular price: $9.99)
• Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition (PS4/PS3) - $25.19 (regular price: $27.99)
• Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition (Vita) - $12.59 (regular price: $13.99)
• Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (PS3/Vita) - $12.59 (regular price: $13.99)
• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - $12.59 (regular price: $13.99)
• Octodad: Dadliest Catch - $11.99 (regular price: $14.99)

Naughty Dog News!

The Last Of Us Lead Artist Quits
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-lead-artist-quits-naughty-dog/1100-6419110/

Nate Wells left Naughty Dog and went to Giant Sparrow, who worked on The Unfinished Swan. Since both studios are based in Santa Monica, Wells walked out the door at Naughty Dog, walked across the street to Giant Sparrow, and now he has grown wings and can fly, fly like a... sparrow.


Uncharted 4 Actor Recast After 
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-4-actor-recast-after-following-naughty-dog-writer-to-ea/1100-6419118/

Todd Stashwick's role was recast, and he didn't really know why. What does this all mean? I don't know, who do you think I am, an insider? All I know is that a lot of people come and go, and things seem to change a lot, at Naughty Dog.


Uncharted 4 Gameplay May Be Revealed At E3
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-uncharted-4-gameplay-may-be-revealed-at-e3-what-do-you-hope-to-see/1100-6419126/

It is very possible that Uncharted 4 will be shown off at E3. Tidux tweeted that the game has been in the works for three years and that we will see it at E3. So I'm guessing we're going to see it at E3, but I have a screenshot of it:


Resident Evil 6 For Xbox 360 Dropped To $8.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/resident-evil-6-for-xbox-360-drops-to-8/1100-6419111/

Sony systems and the ol' PC haven't seen big price drops like this, so if you haven't played Resident Evil, the Xbox 360 version is the way to go at this point.


Sony Trademarks A Couple Names
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ahead-of-e3-ps4-company-sony-trademarks-kill-strain-and-entwined/1100-6419108

Sony has trademarked two names, Entwined and Kill Strain. There is no information on the games so far, but Kill Strain kinda has a cool name. I think. Or it's just incredibly cheesy, I'll come back later and let you know which it is.


Not To Be Outdone, Microsoft Trademarks... Eden Falls
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-studio-microsoft-trademarks-a-new-game-called-eden-falls/1100-6419109/


Microsoft has trademarked a name as well, Eden Falls. It's a game about Eden falling down the steps. Not really, but nowadays we have a game where a goat ragdolls around town hitting everything so imagine the fun we could have throwing Eden down the steps? And since Eden is both a guy and a girls name, there is no sexism in this joke so nobody can get mad!

Although I went with the gif of the little girl going down the steps... oops.

People Want Grand Theft Auto 5 On PC?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gta-5-pc-petition-approaching-700-000-signatures-it-s-been-216-days-since-the-console-version-arrived/1100-6419106/

Sega On Sonic Boom, Split-Screen Gameplay And CryEngine 3
http://www.destructoid.com/sega-opens-up-about-cryengine-3-on-wii-u-split-screen-for-sonic-boom-273539.phtml 

Sega has decided on CryEngine 3 for Sonic Boom, the unfortunately named new Sonic game. The Wii U version will in fact have split-screen gameplay, and since this isn't a standard thing with the engine, they are working really close with Crytek to make this happen.


No, Kill Strain Is A Silly Name
http://onthegamely.blogspot.com/2014/04/weekly-news-round-up-april-20-26-happy.html

It has been confirmed.


New Grid Announced, Not Coming To Xbox One Or PS4
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-authentic-grid-announced-here-s-why-it-s-not-coming-to-xbox-one-or-ps4/1100-6419124/

Grid Autosport is a thing now, but it's only coming to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Why is that you ask? Well I'll look into my crystal ball and tell you why, because the answer certainly isn't there in the link above.

Basically, they don't want to rush the game to next-gen and they feel like after Grid 2 they have something to prove. They want to give old-gen their all while they work on tech for next-gen. It's not an unreasonable explanation, but I can't wait until old-gen dies so I can finally play games on a system that I paid hundreds of dollars for on day one.


No More Banjo-Kazooie Anytime Soon
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/banjo-kazooie-spiritual-successor-falls-apart/1100-6419122/

Despite a character being drawn up and there being a "demo level type thing," the game has fallen apart because we gain one entry into the world -- Grid Autosport -- but lose another... multi-tasking. But seriously, people had other jobs to do so Banjo-Kazooie probably won't see a new game for a while.

Banjo-Kapooie.


New Fatal Frame For Wii U?
http://www.destructoid.com/new-fatal-frame-materializing-on-wii-u-273595.phtml

There appears to be a new Fatal Frame coming to Wii U. Before you get too excited, if you only speak English, then there is a good chance that they just don't bother localizing it because Nintendo gonna Nintendo. Here's hoping, though, because lord knows the Wii U needs games.


Fireside Gatherings And Leaving Your House
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-wants-you-to-leave-your-house-and-hang-out-with-real-people/1100-6419138/

Blizzard has a new initiative for Hearthstone called Fireside Gatherings that encourages you to leave your house and meet other players in exchange for benefits (nah not friends with benefits but I wish). So Blizzard wants me to go... outside?

Blizzcon Is Happening On November 7 and 8
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzcon-2014-dated-for-november-7-8-get-your-tickets-next-month-for-200/1100-6419139/

On May 7 and 10 you can throw $200 their way and get tickets. If you spend $750 you can have a pre-Blizzcon dinner for the Children's Hospital of Orange County.


Want SNES And GBA Remix To Happen? Demand It!
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/snes-and-gba-remix-could-happen-but-will-require-fan-demand/1100-6419165/

NES Remix 2 came out this week, and there's a possibility that Nintendo will make SNES and GBA Remix, if people demand it enough.

Koiichi Hayshida told IGN, "If we get a big enough cry for that, with a lot of people saying, 'Hey, we'd love to see more of these perhaps for the SNES, Game Boy, or Game Boy Advance,' then it would be something we can take a look at."

Because if there's anything Nintendo does well, it's listen to what the fans want.


Bungie Revamps Their Site For Destiny And Puts A Bunch Of Information About The Game On It Now
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-website-updated-with-new-information-about-classes-enemies/1100-6419155/

So Bungie revamped the Destiny website, and they put information on it such as introduction videos for the classes, information on the places you'll visit and the enemies you will blast. Make sure to check it out.


Ubisoft Teases A New Prince of Persia?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ahead-of-e3-ubisoft-teases-new-prince-of-persia-game/1100-6419153/

Drew James tweeted this picture, that clearly teases a new Prince of Persia. But that question mark is mysterious, ain't it? What's the next installment in the series going to be like? I think it's going to be about The Riddler.


The Monetization Of H1Z1
http://www.destructoid.com/soe-talks-early-monetization-plans-for-its-zombie-survival-mmo-h1z1-273688.phtml

Since H1Z1 is free-to-play, they dropped dime on a few possible ways that they're going to make money off of us:

• Wearables will be sold, but players can "find and craft a lot of stuff." If someone kills and loots another player's gear, they'll be able to wear it for a few deaths. "Station Cash wearables won't degrade at all."
• Guns, ammo, food, water, and boosts impacting these won't be sold.
• Extra emotes beyond "the basics," which will be free.
• Character slots.
• Crates containing "random cool stuff from the store" can be found in H1Z1. "We're considering letting you see what's in them before you buy a key (ala Dota 2.). This idea isn't fully locked yet."

It's really not a big deal. Free-to-play doesn't have to be a bad thing, and as of right now, there is nothing major here or anything that screams pay-to-win.



Pre-Order Bonuses For The Witcher 3 If You Buy It Off Of GOG? "Fucking Amazing"
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/preorder-bonuses-for-the-witcher-3-at-gog-will-be-f-ing-amazing/1100-6419142/

If When you pre-order The Witcher , get it from GOG. The developers promise that the pre-order bonuses will be, and I quote, "Fucking amazing." They wouldn't go into any more detail than that, but I feel like The Witcher 3 is one of those games where they don't really have to. People love The Witcher.



Borderlands For PS3 Is Going Offline On May 31, So Are Some Other Games
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-ps3-going-offline-next-month/1100-6419135/

They're looking into a feasible option to replace Gamespy for Borderlands, but if you only own it on PS3 you won't be able to play it online for a while. Here are the other games affected by the shutdown:

• Borderlands (PS3)*
• Civilization Revolution (PS3)*
• Close Combat First to Fight (PC / Mac)
• Jetfighter (PC)
• Jetfighter V: Homeland Protector (PC)
• Leadfoot (PC)
• Rune (PC)
• Stronghold 2 (PC)
• Stronghold Legends (PC)
• Top Spin (PS2 / PC)
• Top Spin 2 (PC / DS)
• Vietcong (PC)
• Vietcong Demo (PC)
• Vietcong Fist Alpha (PC)
• Vietcong 2 (PC)
• Vietcong 2 Demo (PC)
• MLB Fantasy All-Stars (DS)
• Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution (DS)
• Major League Baseball 2K9 Fantasy All-Stars (DS)
• NHL 2K10 (Wii)
• NBA 2K10 (Wii) (OH GOD NO!)

Anything but NBA 2K10 for the Wii!

Namco Bandai Announced "Rise Of Incarnates"
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tekken-soulcalibur-creator-reveals-new-pc-fighting-game-rise-of-incarnates/1100-6419131/

The game launches in the second half of 2014, and players will be able to craft their own playstyles, have 2v2 games and fight in places where there are real-world backgrounds. Should be fun, let's do this.


Dragon Age: Inquisition Is Coming October 7
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-digital-deluxe-includes-soundtrack-mounts/1100-6419141/

The next installment in Dragon Age comes out October 7, and there is also a deluxe edition that costs $10 more that nabs you the soundtrack and "digital goodies."


Here's A 9 Minute Video Explaining The Watch Dogs Multiplayer
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-multiplayer-explained-in-9-minute-developer-walkthrough-video/1100-6419161/ 

In the link above there is a video that showcases what the multiplayer consists of. It's pretty ambitious and awesome, to say the least. In the video, they explain three different modes. Make sure to check the video out because up until now, Ubisoft hadn't really said anything about the multiplayer.


The Playstation 4 Will Get The Xbox MGS5: Ground Zeroes Mission And Vice Versa
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mgs-5-ground-zeroes-playstation-mission-will-be-coming-to-xbox-xbox-mission-coming-to-playstation/1100-6419174/

Looking for more gameplay from Ground Zeroes? Playstation 4 will be getting the Xbox Ground Zeroes mission and Xbox will be getting the Playstation Ground Zeroes mission... all of this insanity is taking place May 1 and it will be free.

This is great news, now Ground Zeroes will be thirty minutes long.


China Bans Games That Feature Drugs, Violence, Gambling Or Obscenity
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/china-reveals-censorship-rules-for-console-games-nothing-that-promotes-drug-use-or-violence-will-be-allowed/1100-6419151/

China revealed their censorship rules, and it's a doozy. They won't allow any games that have drug usage, violence, gambling or obscenity, which effectively eliminates 98% of all games.


But Don't Worry, Because There Was A Study
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/majority-of-parents-say-video-games-are-a-positive-part-of-their-child-s-life/1100-6419186/

The Entertainment Software Association released the latest installment of "Essential Facts," and people love video games!

Quoted from Gamespot:

Who Is Playing?:

• 59 percent of Americans play games.
• 181.3 million Americans play games.
• Average gamer age is 31.
• 51 percent of Americans own a dedicated game console, and those that do own an average of two.
• 52 percent of U.S. gamers are male, and 48 percent are female.
• Women aged 18 or over make up a much larger percentage of the gamer population (36 percent) than boys 18 or younger (17 percent).
• The average number of years gamers have been playing video games is 14.

Who Is Buying?:

• Average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 35.
• Of the most frequent game purchasers, 50 percent are male and 50 percent are female.
• 44 percent of gamers said video games give them the most value for their money, compared to DVDs, music, or going out to the movies.

At Play:

• 88 percent of parents whose children play games believe the ESRB rating system is either very or somewhat helpful in choosing games for their children.
• 85 percent of parents are aware of the ESRB system.
• 87 percent of parents believe that the parental controls available in video game consoles are useful. In addition, parents impose time usage limits on video games more than any other form of entertainment. 83 percent for games, 80 percent of Internet usage, 76 percent TV viewing, and 70 percent movie viewing.
• Of the games rated by the ESRB in 2013, 46 percent were rated E, 19 percent were rated E10+, 23 percent were rated T, and 12 percent were rated M.
• 91 percent of parents whose children play video games are present when games are purchased or rented.
• 82 percent of children ask for their parents' permission before purchasing or renting a game.
• 95 percent of parents say they pay attention to the content of the games their children play.
• 56 percent of parents say video games are a positive part of their child's life.

Bottom Line:

• The "action" category was the best-selling console video game genre in 2013, making up 31.9 percent of all games sold last year. The next closest category was the "shooter" category at 20 percent.
• For PC, strategy games took the lion's share, with 38.4 percent of all sales. The next closest category was "casual" at 28.3 percent.
• The best-selling console game of 2013 was Grand Theft Auto V, followed by Call of Duty: Ghosts.
• On PC, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm was the best-seller, followed by SimCity.
• In all, gamers spent $21.53 billion on all video game content in 2013.

Minecraft For PS4 And Vita Coming Soon
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-ps4-and-vita-expected-by-september/1100-6419199/

Continuing their pursuit to conquer the entire world with awkward, low-res Legos, Mojang have announced that the PS4 and Vita versions of their hit game Minecraft -- maybe you've heard of it? -- will hit between now and September. The PS3 version will be hitting May 16, and when asked about whether you have to pay for the PS4 version if you got the PS3 version, they said, We’re in the process of finalising cross-buy/upgrade/DLC things. More news soon."

You will also be able to use your Xbox 360 saves for the Xbone version.



Bear Simulator Got A Bunch Of Money
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/people-donated-100-571-to-pay-for-a-game-about-being-a-bear/1100-6419158/

Humans are simple beasts, but bears are awesome beasts. People donated $100,571 to the cause and now Bear Simulator will be better. The developer describes it as a mini-Skyrim, but as a bear. Did I mention that you play as a bear?


XCOM: Enemy Unknown Is Now On Android
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xcom-enemy-unknown-arrives-on-android/1100-6419200/

You can pick up the Android version of the excellent game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, now for $9.99. More reasons not to do anything at work, like you needed any you lazy person, you.


A Wild Newly Registered Domain For Just Cause 3 Has Appeared
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/just-cause-3-news-may-be-incoming-as-new-domain-name-discovered/1100-6419196/

Are you looking forward to a new Just Cause? This doesn't mean that there will be a new one for sure, but a domain name was registered for Just Cause 3. When reached for comment by yours truly about why they did this, the developers of the series simply answered, "Just cause."

Okay they didn't, and that was a terrible joke. Can you believe I get paid to do this?

I don't. I don't get paid.


Here's An Image Of The New TITANFALL Map, War Games
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-s-first-dlc-map-shown-off-in-new-images/1100-6419190/

The Expedition DLC is coming next month, and Respawn have shown us an image of the new map, which is described as a "parkour playground." Looks different than any playground I ever played on.

But my question is, where's the next-gen zipline?



Koch Media Is Publishing A Boxed Version Of Goat Simulator In The UK
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/saints-row-publisher-will-release-goat-simulator-as-a-boxed-product-in-the-uk/1100-6419188/

Koch Media owns Deep Silver, and they will surely own every gamers heart soon because they are publishing the massively entertaining game Goat Simulator in the UK! There are no prices or anything available, but we know there's a box and there's a goat. Somehow I'm not surprised by this news.


There's A Mario Kart 8 Bundle Coming In The UK
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mario-kart-8-wii-u-bundles-confirmed-for-the-uk-but-what-about-the-us/1100-6419181/

It looks like the UK is getting a Mario Kart 8 bundle when it launches May 30. 

There's no talk yet that this will come to North America. Here's what it entails, from Gamespot:

The special bundles will sell for £299.99 ($500) and come in Red Mario and Green Luigi varieties, both of which you can see in the image above. Both bundles include a 32GB system, a racing wheel, GamePad protector, Mario or Luigi hat, Wii Remote Plus, and a Mario Kart 8 game guide.

You won this round UK.

Here Are The Free Playstation Plus Games For May
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-plus-free-games-of-may-for-ps4-ps3-and-vita-announced/1100-6419159/


PS3:
Puppeteer
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (US ONLY)
Skullgirls Encore (US ONLY)

Payday 2 (EU ONLY)

PS Vita:

Limbo (US ONLY)

Surge Deluxe (US ONLY)

Muramasa Rebirth (EU ONLY)

Everybody's Golf (EU ONLY)

PS4:
Stick it to the Man

Nice to see the PS4 getting a high-quality Triple-A title! Thank God we can finally play Limbo 32 years after it was released!

In all seriousness, some of these games are really sweet.


A Book About Eve Online Is Coming
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/read-all-about-eve-online-in-upcoming-book/1100-6419233/

If you're like me, you're interested in Eve Online but you may be too intimidated to actually play it. I enjoy hearing all the stories of war and politics, and now there is going to be a book that discusses the game from the moment it went online to now. It's sad that I'm probably more interested in reading about this fake world than I am the real world. The sadder thing is that you probably are too.

The book is going to be called A History of the Great Empires of Eve Online, and it has already reached its Kickstarter goal, with 29 days to go.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-beats-out-espn-wwe-and-mlb-as-largest-live-streaming-site-in-the-us/1100-6419226/

Battlefield 4 Is Still... Not Working
http://www.destructoid.com/dice-just-wanted-to-let-you-know-that-battlefield-4-is-still-broken-273786.phtml 

Seriously EA/DICE, just get this right. The game has been out for months and has seen multiple DLCs and it still doesn't work? I hope it works by the time Battlefield 5 comes out. That would be grand.


Let's End This On A Doozy -- Mad Max Is Delayed Until 2015
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/04/25/mad-max-delayed-to-2015?

I'm not sure if anybody actually cares, but I sure don't. Regardless, the game adaption of the classic movie series isn't seeing the light of day until 2015... unless the world ends.



That's this end for another week, guys, gals and Tralfamadorians. Hope this didn't pain you too much, and we will see you next week, unless you'd like to tweet me on that Twitter thing @ArtBathednCrime. Or you know, check out the blog on other days besides Saturdays.

Weekly News Round-Up, March 9 - 15: The Witcher 3 Delay Kills Millions

Written By: Tyler

When I write these round-ups, I edit the article at least once a day since it's an on-going thing throughout the week. With that said, let's see if we can get through the week without mentioning TITANFALL, outside of that once.

Since The Wire officially had its last episode on March 9 of 2008, and many people were mourning for at least a week six years ago because of that... expect to see a lot of gifs in honor of the greatest show of all time. 

This week's Weekly News Round-Up Is Sponsored By:

No, not really... but of they want to back up the Metal Gear truck to my house and unload a whole bunch of merchandise I will be theirs forever and do anything they want -- up to and including killing a man. I can be bought. Get this game on March 17.

I hope you enjoy this week, and tell me what you think in the comments below or follow me on Twitter @ArtBathednCrime and yell at me there.


SHOTS FIRED!!! Microsoft Takes Aim At Sony Concerning "Games With Gold"
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-s-phil-spencer-says-games-with-gold-is-fundamentally-different-than-playstation-plus/1100-6418195/

Phil Spencer says that "Games With Gold" is different because you get to keep the games even if you don't renew your subscription., which admittedly is a bonus. But I would imagine a lot of Playstation users will always have Playstation Plus because you need it to play most online games, so the rental-type service isn't really that bad.

But I'm jealous because in the past "Games With Gold" has offered games such as Halo 3... a game that pretty much every Xbox owner must have had anyway.


Newegg Is Offering The Xbone With A Free Game
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-comes-with-free-game-on-newegg/1100-6418194/

If you buy an Xbone from online retailer Newegg for 500 dolla dolla billz, you get a free game! You can choose between Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4 (makes a good beverage coaster), Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Need For Speed: Rivals, NBA 2K14 and... Just Dance 2014.

Or, by the time you read this, you can get the TITANFALL bundle.


I Am Sorry, For I Have Failed

I mentioned TITANFALL again.


Bobby Kotick Receives A Measly 7.85 Million Dollar Bonus
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/activision-blizzard-ceo-bobby-kotick-receives-7-85-million-bonus/1100-6418250/

This news makes me so sad. The Blizzard CEO only got a 7.85 million dollar bonus due to his performance in 2013. As we all know, Blizzard basically pumps crack into the streets in the form of WoW, Starcraft and Diablo, so he should be commended for his drug dealing skills.

EA States That When You Push Innovation You Miss Other Things

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-on-battlefield-4-simcity-issues-when-you-push-innovation-you-miss-other-things/1100-6418234/

Yeah, like functional games. Releasing sequels that may slightly improve on the games prior isn't innovation either. Shut up EA.


EA Cuts Jobs At Plants vs Zombies Studio
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-cuts-jobs-at-plants-vs-zombies-studio/1100-6418302/

Apparently 40 people lost their jobs. Always sad to see layoffs.



Ubisoft Has A Bunch Of Games Planned
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-has-assassin-s-creed-splinter-cell-and-three-more-unannounced-games-in-the-works/1100-6418209/

Quoted from Gamespot:

Ubisoft Toronto's Current Development Pipeline:

• New Assassin's Creed
• Two new IP
• New Splinter Cell game
• Mystery game based on one of Ubisoft's "biggest" franchises

Necessary Jade Raymond Picture:

I have no sex appeal to market so I use the sex appeal of others.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2 Is Comin' April 17
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/11/incredible-adventures-of-van-helsing-2-gets-a-release-date

The first was surprisingly good, so anybody who hasn't played it should go play it meow. Then play the sequel which I can only assume will be more Van Helsinger than the original.


The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Is Delayed Until 2015
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/11/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-release-date-delayed-to-2015

If you haven't killed yourself because of the headline, you can expect the game in February of next year. It'll be okay, they just want to make the game the best it can possibly be.


Xbox One Live's Core Services Were Limited This Week, Not TITANFALL's Fault
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/11/xbox-ones-live-core-services-limited-not-titanfalls-fault

Xbox Live had some issues this week, but don't worry, they made sure to inform us that it wasn't TITANFALL's fault... which was unnecessary because like your troubled child, nothing is ever really TITANFALL's fault.

Here's A Shocker, Flappy Bird Creator Considering Bringing The Game Back
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/11/flappy-bird-creator-considering-bringing-the-game-back

Dong Nguyen recently had an interview in Rolling Stone and he stated that he's considering bringing the game back, but with a precaution that people should take a break from it. Personally I don't see the appeal because the game is ass, and he didn't say that it's coming back for sure by any means... but I wonder what is making him consider it? Hmm..

Don't Have Enough MMOs? The Wildstar Release Date Leaked
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/11/wildstar-release-date-leaked

The MMO is a growing genre that up until recently had no popularity whatsoever, so it's nice to see Wildstar coming out pretty soon to finally breathe some life into this dying genre. It comes out on June 3.


Yakuza Forced Ubisoft To Reveal Watch Dogs At E3
http://www.destructoid.com/ubisoft-forced-watch-dogs-e3-reveal-minimum-pc-specs-defined-271858.phtml

Okay, so I'm just kidding about the Yakuza thing. In reality Ubisoft forced the Watch Dogs reveal at E3 that year where it erupted and completely consumed the gaming world. New consoles what? We have Watch Dogs.

The specs were also revealed, so, there's that too. The specs are in the link above. What? You thought that I was going to show them? What do you think this is?

Fine:
IntelCore 2 Quad Q8400 2.66Ghz or AMDPhenom II X4 940 3.0Ghz, 6GB RAM, 1024 VRAM DirectX 11 Shader 5.0 SCard: DirectX9 25 GB.

Don't say that I don't love you.


Speaking of Watch Dogs...
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-beta-download-found-on-xbox-one/1100-6418231/

It's also possible that there will be a beta before the final release.

The Last Of Us Movie To Re-Tell The Story of The Game
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-reason-why-the-last-of-us-movie-is-sounding-good/1100-6418282/

Really, it's a funny concept when you think about it -- a video game adaption in movie format that tells the story of the game. So strange.

To those who haven't played The Last of Us, here's a basic rundown of the story: Two people try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world run by infected. Never been done in the movies before... should be good!

SHOTS FIRED!!! 2 Sony Vs Microsoft Again
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-fires-off-another-shot-at-xbox-policies/1100-6418280/

Adam Boyes took a shot at Microsoft over their policies for ID@Xbox which basically limits independent developers in the sense that every game they release must be released on the Xbox One at the same time as any other console, so no timed exclusives.

Adam Boyes figured that was stinky so he released this image on Twitter, the place where everyone goes to feud:

Um... pwned? Do people say pwned anymore? Well I do.

 Will this be the Biggie vs Pac of this decade? Time will tell.


Sony Talks The Last Guardian
http://www.destructoid.com/sony-i-love-that-people-are-still-interested-in-the-last-guardian-271839.phtml

Scott Rhode said, "You’re going to be very frustrated by this answer, but it is 100 percent the God’s honest truth, and that is that we want to make great games. And when we see that the public is so interested in a specific game, of course that drives us to want to complete that game. But it also drives us to want to make it great. We would not want to ship that game if we don’t think it’s great."

He said that the game is in the mix.

We've been waiting at least 73 years for this game.

And this is all we get?

Stallion83 Basically Becomes A God Among Gamers Who Love Unlocking Achievements
http://kotaku.com/watch-live-as-a-hero-gets-a-gamerscore-of-over-one-mill-1542821937/1542852654/+lukeplunkett

Though I'm not a guy who really gets caught up in that kind of thing, I have to give props to any gamer who accomplishes anything substantial within gaming. Congrats, comrade, for reaching a gamerscore of 1 million.

Never has this been more appropriate.

Masahiro Sakurai Doesn't Give A Shit About Your Console War
http://kotaku.com/smash-bros-creator-reviews-the-ps4-1542882797

Masahiro Sakurai has a badass name. He also created Kirby and Smash Bros. Guess what he also does? He likes the PS4, despite being a Nintendo guy... a concept that is immune to fanboys of any console.


Shovel Knight Is Delayed
http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/12/5502070/shovel-knight-delay

Shovel Knight is the game about Triple H (a little bit of humour for anybody who has ever paid attention to what the Internet Wrestling Community thinks) has been delayed by a few weeks in order to offer a better product. Whew, at least it's only a few weeks.


Never Fear, The Fun Box Is (T)Here... Er, In China
http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/12/5501608/china-getting-its-own-native-built-gaming-console-the-fun-box

So China has its own console coming out soon, and if you remember, the video game ban was lifted not too long ago. So um, yeah, The Fun Box. The Fun Box.

Does this mean China world domination in video games? Probably.


Wii U Is Outpacing PS4 In Japan
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/13/wii-u-sales-outpacing-playstation-4as-in-japan

So, you wouldn't believe it but the Wii U is actually outpacing the PS4. The Wii U sold more systems in its first three weeks than the PS4 has. Well, that's embarassing.


Hideo Kojima Wants To Make A Silent Hill
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/kojima-would-like-to-work-on-silent-hill-is-he-a-good-fit-for-the-series/1100-6418299/

Gamespot asks, is he a good fit? Are you nuts? Of course he is... he's Hideo Kojima.

So the news is that he wants to make a new Silent Hill, but also would be interested in a free-to-play adventure game even though it seems unlikely. He doesn't want to make puzzle or card games.


Hideo Also Wants Snake in New Super Smash Bros. But It's Probably Not Happening
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/14/kojima-open-to-snake-returning-in-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u

I loved Snake in Smash Bros. but it appears that he isn't going to be there this time around, despite Hideo asking really politely to have him put in. What a nice guy.


Hold Your Horses, A Second MMO Hits The Market In the Future
http://ca.ign.com/videos/2014/03/14/swordsman-announcement-trailer

Following the buzz of Wildstar and this new avenue to explore in PC gaming, there's a martial arts-inspired MMO titled Swordsman coming out. There's a video in the link above, and it looks like Jon Jones is finally going to fight Daniel Cormier.

I just hope that we don't get flooded with MMOs to the point that they become stale.


Playstation 4 Going Up In Price In Canada
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/14/playstation-4-prices-going-up-in-canada

On March 15th (holy crap that's today!), the PS4s are going up in price, same with the camera and Dual Shock 4. I would say go out and get one before it's too late, but if you're just finding this out today then it's too late, you've already been hit (Limp Bizkit - Head For The Barricade reference, since nobody actually listens to that garbage but me).

Canada is the greatest country on Earth. Obviously.


Now Onto Some Good News -- Crazy Taxi!
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-crazy-taxi-game-revealed-here-s-everything-we-know/1100-6418312/

Yay! New Crazy Taxi!

...For mobile.

In the link there is a rundown of everything they know so far but I've just become depressed because everything I hold dear gets sequels on phones. Hopefully it's good but, uh, forget it. Fuck this.


Josef Fares Thinks Very Highly Of His New Game
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/designer-of-acclaimed-brothers-says-next-project-is-something-that-hasn-t-been-done-before/1100-6418313/

So Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons seemed to really catch on, and now Fares says the next game will be something we haven't seen before.

Fares... I've been on the internet for over 10 years, there's nothing I haven't seen before.

No User-Generated Content For Infamous 3: Second Son
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-game-infamous-second-son-won-t-support-user-generated-content/1100-6418317/

So unlike Infamous 2, there wont' be user-generated content as part of Second Son. There won't be a demo either. Which means you're in the dark about as much as you can be with the internet connecting everybody at all times, infecting your brain until you can't take it anymore, to the point where you explode and start watching reruns of Heroes while you wonder how they could mess up something so great so bad.

Ahem.

I don't know where I was. So, moving on...


More Details About Hyper Light Drifter
http://www.destructoid.com/here-s-some-info-on-how-hyper-light-drifter-is-going-to-play-271956.phtml

The game is going to be hard but never unfair, with enemies being smart and the battles being more thoughtful. I don't even care, just give me the game right NOW! Inject it into me, it doesn't matter, I just want it.


Infamous Was Going To Be Animal Crossing With Superheroes
http://www.destructoid.com/infamous-started-as-an-animal-crossing-like-game-271958.phtml

This makes the whole "Villager is a psycho" meme even more terrifying.

In what is probably the funniest, strangest and most awesome news of the past week (and possibly my life), Infamous was going to be like Animal Crossing, but with you being a superhero. I am always down for Animal Crossing, and this sounds amazing. I want this instead of Second Son, not that I think Second Son will be bad.


New Steam Controller Prototype
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-the-latest-steam-controller-prototype/1100-6418327/

On the left is the new design.

I guess I close out the news this week with an image of the new design for the Valve Steam controller. Personally, I think it looks kind of stupid but I'm sure it'll be functional and fine. They're going to show it off next week at GDC so make sure to stay tuned.


Oh Wait, There's More! Let's Talk About Skype On Xbox One
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/15/skype-for-xbox-one-receives-many-new-features

Always reliable Skype has some updates for the Xbox One version and these inclu