Info wasteland: if Bethesda are making a Fallout 4, we won’t hear about it for "a while"
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Todd Howard is like one of those flowers in Borneo that only blooms once every seven years, when a Skyrim or Fallout 3 is imminent. Catch him then and he’ll muster 100 words per minute; any other time in the cycle, and he’s a mystery wrapped within an enigma tucked inside an elder scroll.
His sage-like tone at the recent D.I.C.E. summit was disconcerting for that reason: Howard said he had no timeframe to give for Bethesda’s next game announcement - but suggested “it’s gonna be a while”.
Wildstar reveals Adventures: holodeck simulation quests that can take you anywhere
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Adventure time, come on grab your friends, it’s time to travel to Wildstar’s simulated lands, where fictional instanced scenarios unfold and a glowing green holographic overlord judges your group’s performance in Matrix-vision. Carbine has just revealed Adventures, a wackier take on instanced dungeon gameplay that eschews the confines of reality by virtue of that most convenient of sci-fi narrative devices, a fully featured holodeck.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a tenner for its Steam launch - 30 free days included
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Steam’s ‘You’ve played’ hour counter is open to interpretation - and not just because it’s unreliable. It’s a number which, when cross-referenced with your progress in Dark Souls, can quantifiably define how rubbish you are. It can be a badge of honour. Or it can be a timely reminder to maybe go for a walk instead, just this once.
I mention this because it’s something Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn players might want to consider before they begin playing it via Steam, where it’s just been added. You can lie to yourself, but the hour counter will not lie to you.
Lion's Arch burns in Guild Wars 2 today
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The penultimate chapter of the Scarlet Briar arc kicks off in Guild Wars 2 today. Escape from Lion’s Arch sees the titular city under siege from Scarlet’s forces. As she attempts to burn the commercial heart of Tyria, “Guild Wars 2 will never be the same,” says ArenaNet.
Irrational Games "winding down" as Ken Levine moves on to a new endeavour
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The last slice of BioShock Infinite DLC, Burlal at Sea Episode 2, is about to roll out. It’s the conclusion of the Infinite arc, but it also now looks like it might be the end of BioShock entirely, as Irrational Games is “winding down”.
In a letter on the Irrational website, Ken Levine revealed that he’s starting a “smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two.” Only 15 of Irrational’s staff will be kept on by Levine as he goes down this new path.
Warlords of Draenor to bring back Skirmishes and add a PvP spectator mode
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Since announcing Warlords of Draenor at BlizzCon, Blizzard have been listening to players - I hope you didn’t say anything too lewd - and tweaking their plans in regards to the PvP experience. Trial of the Gladiator is out, Skirmish is back and an official spectator mode is in the works.
Cliff Bleszinski is done with consoles "PC is where I'm going to wind up"
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Cliff Bleszinski has moved on, and not just from Epic Games, which he left a year and a half ago. He’s moved on from consoles. In 2008, as Gears of War 2 was about to launch, he said that it would never come to PC, that it was a platform in disarray, that the future was consoles all the way. “PC is where I'm going to wind up,” he says now.
Of course, PC gaming now couldn’t be further away from its 2008 state. All anyone could talk about was piracy and how consoles had all the AAA goodies. Now we’re in the midst of an indie renaissance, crowd-funded labours of love and communities growing around developing games. Bleszinski is moving with the times.
Blackguards gets some vengeful DLC next month
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I was rather surprised by Daedalic’s Blackguards. A massive departure from the adventure game studio, it had more in common with the criminally underrated Temple of Elemental Evil than anything the developer had produced before.
What it lacked in decent writing or sympathetic characters, it more than made up for in riveting combat demanding plenty of tactical nouse. The environment is a weapon in Blackguards, and is as likely to wipe your party as it is to assist them. Knowing when and how to use it is key.
It launched at the end of last month, and Daedalic’s already preparing to roll out the first piece of DLC, Untold Legends, launching March 4th for £3.99.
Two free DLC packs and an update: It's a good time to be a Company of Heroes 2 player
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After going head-to-head against Total War: Rome II, Company of Heroes 2 walked out of Sega and Steam’s blood-soaked arena victorious, yesterday. The games were pitted against each other, with players being given the opportunity to unlock some free DLC by racking up victories.
CoH 2 players will now be able to get their hands on two free DLC packs until February 22nd just in time for the game’s first major 2014 update, Aftermath, which dropped today.
$60 boost to level 90 appears in World of Warcraft shop
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How much would you pay to boost your character from 1-90 in World of Warcraft? A tenner? Maybe a bit more? How about $60? WoW Insider spotted a new service in the shop between server restarts offering players a quick boost to max level for $60 today.
That’s the full price of a game, and not a cheap one, at that. There’s also a good chance it’s how much you’d spend getting up to 90 were you to take it very slowly. Is the chance to skip the leveling process worth that?
New Unreal Engine 4 Video Shows Off Real-Time Cloth Simulation, Features A Nice “Minion” Surprise
Our reader ‘Christian Hecht’ has informed us about a new project he’s been working on. Christian has created a test sequence on cloth simulation, rendered in real-time via Unreal Engine 4. Christian has used a Minion – yes yes, one of THOSE Minions – to showcase the real-time cloth simulation, and you can view a video from this test sequence below. Enjoy! Continue reading
Kingdom Come: Deliverance – One Hour Of Gameplay Footage
Warhorse Studios has showcased a playable build of Kingdom Come: Deliverance. According to the team, this is the same build the company was showing to publishers last year. This video is one hour long, so sit back and enjoy the show! Continue reading
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter – New Screenshot & Videos Show Off Vegetation
The Astronauts has released a new screenshot and two videos, showcasing the vegetation that will be present in The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter looks really promising, and The Astronauts’ Adam Bryla has posted a story about how the development team approached 3D foliage. It’s an interesting post, so make sure to read it if you are interested in this title. Enjoy! Continue reading
Kingdom Come: Deliverance & Star Citizen Will Share Technology
I’m pretty sure that Chris Roberts was whispering to himself one of Dr. Betruger’s lines from Doom 3 – “Amazing things will happen here soon, you just wait” – the moment he launched the crowd-funding campaign for Star Citizen. Indeed, it seems that amazing things are about to happen in the PC front, as Warhorse Studios and Cloud Imperium will be sharing various techniques between them. Continue reading
Monstrum Greenlight Campaign Launched
Team Junkfish announced today the launch of their Greenlight Campaign for their game Monstrum. Monstrum isset for release in Late Q3 for Windows with plans to launch on Mac and Linux platforms, complete with Oculus Rift support. Continue reading
Illusionstar Games Chooses CRYENGINE over Unreal Engine 4, Has Two Titles Under Development
IllusionStar Games has announced that after months of testing both Unreal Engine 4 and CRYENGINE, the later engine will be the official game engine for all its titles. The company did not reveal why it has chosen Crytek’s engine over Epic’s engine, however it did confirm that it is currently working on two unannounced titles. Continue reading
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