Monday, March 28, 2016

New Games

New Games


If you love boys loving each other, you may love Monstrous Lovers

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:00 PM PDT

Monstrous Lovers is a visual novel just picked up by publisher Sekai Project that is currently crowdfunding on Indie Go Go. Like most visual novels I end up writing about ("How to bang your dragon" was a good joke, all), Monstrous Lovers has a few hooks to it, too.

You play a sort of Ugly Americans peacekeeping bureaucrat between humans and monsters and end up banging one of them. There's even a Spanish version planned.

"Monstrous Lovers is a boy's love visual novel with a focus on dating non-human characters inspired by classic horror movies. Through four different routes and eight endings, the game explores themes like identity and belonging, and the lenghts [sic] people are willing to go to reach their goals. As the player gets to know the cast, they will also learn more about their problems and the ways to help them overcome them."

The project has raised $700 out of its $11,500 goal at time of writing.

If you love boys loving each other, you may love Monstrous Lovers screenshot

Reality Pump isn't done with Two Worlds II

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 01:30 PM PDT

I'm not sure which piece of news surprises me more: that Reality Pump intends to make another Two Worlds game "over the next 36 months," or that the studio is continuing to spend time on Two Worlds II with a new engine update and multiple DLC packs planned for this year.

According to publisher Topware Interactive, eight multiplayer maps and two single-player expansions, Call of Tenebrae and Shattered Embrace, are in production. The official site has some screenshots.

Tenebrae, which is due out in Q2 2016, has to do with horrible rat people called The Chosen murdering Dar Pha. I had to look up who that was, having never played the game, and the Wikia page calls the character a "mysterious and extremely attractive half-Orc assassin." Boys will be boys.

The engine enhancements will bring about "a much higher level of character and landscape detail, an HD-GUI, in addition to tons of in-game achievements, co-op multiplayer, and lots of new in-game features and upgrades." Two Worlds II is several years old, so the timing is odd, but it has its fans.

As for Two Worlds III (this naming scheme is so silly I'm actually fond of it), there isn't much of substance to share yet. The game is only now about to move past the "concept stage."

Topware Interactive [Facebook via GameSpot]

Reality Pump isn't done with Two Worlds II screenshot

Hey, that's totally Gargos in this Killer Instinct Season 3 trailer

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 12:30 PM PDT

Tomorrow is Killer Instinct Season 3 day. To celebrate, I brought you this helpful launch trailer which recaps a lot of familiar ground at a quick pace and also throws down some notable dates.

As far as new characters, expect to find Kim Wu, Rash (Battletoads), Arbiter (Halo), and Tusk tomorrow morning. Then it's going to be Mira in April, Gargos in May, somebody in June, and another addition in July. We already know that General RAAM (Gears of War) is on the docket, so presumably he'll be out sooner than later. The video also covers other aspects of S3, like Shadow Lords and updated visuals.

Chris has the pricing breakdown over here. It varies depending on how much content you want.

In short, new players are looking at $60 on Xbox One or $50 on Windows 10 for everything across all three seasons (minus Killer Instinct Classic and KI2 Classic for the latter), while folks who just want the eight new fighters of Season 3 and don't mind missing extra cosmetic items will only need to pay $20.

Hey, that's totally Gargos in this Killer Instinct Season 3 trailer screenshot

Artistic photos I took in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 12:00 PM PDT

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune may be a bad game, but that didn't stop me from taking a few artsy photos via Owner mode.

Artistic photos I took in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune screenshot

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NIS names new Vita game after sex with me

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 11:30 AM PDT

The busy folks over at NIS have announced another new game, World’s Longest 5 Minutes, which, well, I've already done the joke in the headline. Mostly because there's little else to say.

It is coming to PS Vita in Japan on July 28 and that's all we know for now. There is a very blank teaser site up with a five minute countdown to nothing.

NIS names new Vita game after sex with me screenshot

Destructoid Community Interview: FlanxLycanth

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 11:00 AM PDT

This time, on Drago--I mean, Destructoid Community Interviews, we get a look at Destructoid's very own Kanye West, FlanxLycanth. Whenever someone needs identifying, you can always count on Flanx to ask the million-dollar question: "Who the fuck is [person X]?"

A longtime community member who's known for being an avatar that crosses two of America's greatest pastimes, Kanye West and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, his participation in the community goes well past the front page, but now's your chance to really find out who the fuck FlanxLycanth is.

Destructoid Community Interview: FlanxLycanth screenshot

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Modular guns are the coolest thing from Homefront: The Revolution so far

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 10:45 AM PDT

I feel like a lot of first-person shooters fail to appreciate the closeness proferred by the shooty game point-of-view of choice, so it's neat to see Homefront: The Revolution embracing it with this modular weapon system. It reminds me a bit of Metro 2033, with its constant analog immediacy. What could have been a d-pad-relegated "ammo type" button or some such actually becomes fully modeled weapons that come apart, which is a neat touch.

Of course this is Homefront, a self-serious game with the silliest of premises, so we can't let it slide completely. Trying to shoehorn "upgrades" into a civil rebellion narrative is weird ('we'll only give you the good guns you need to kill your opressors once you've proven yourself!") along with needing to write themselves into a scenario where, in fake, North Korea-occupied 2029, people are making crossbows and shit (North Korea's soldiers all have guns with biometrics that can only be fired by the registered owner, haha.

More important, though, is the uncanny accent of this video's narrator. We can't quite pin it down in the Destructoid office. I see hints of a British English speaker trying for an American accent (go re-watch Saw and laugh at Cary Elwes try to be American...or don't, probably, it's not great), but Chris disagrees. We all agree it sounds off, though, unless we just don't have an ear for fake, NK-occupied 2029 American dialects..

Then again if you want to straight marvel over a truly bad accent, please cop Law and Order's Vincent D'Onofrio in that new movie about perhaps the most famous soccer player in the world, Pelé. This biopic is set in Brazil, shot in Brazil, and mostly stars Brazilians, including in the lead role, but it is all in spoken English. Which is how we get D'Onofrio trying to...speak English with a Brazilian accent as if he were speaking Brazilian Portuguese after all? It's confusing as hell theoretically (it's some Tom Cruise in Valkyrie shit) and worse in practice. Words...are...not supposed to work that way, Vincent!!!

Modular guns are the coolest thing from Homefront: The Revolution so far screenshot

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Halo Wars is backward compatible on Xbox One now, too

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 10:30 AM PDT

On a day when everyone looks to the future (a future in which they have a headset affixed to their skull), Xbox looks backward. Some would say Microsoft's trying to walk the universe-balancing tightrope and keep virtual reality from becoming real reality; others -- the less aggrandizing -- would say it's just bolstering its backward compatibility library.

Whatever your view, there is one indisputable truth: Halo Wars, Soulcalibur II, and King of Fighters '98 are all now available to play on Xbox One via Xbox 360 emulation. These three games bring the backward compatibility list nearing 150-strong.

Since the program's rolling out last fall, Microsoft has been increasingly speedy in moving more games to backward compatibility. Just last week, two different sets were added, including Dark Souls. That means that while part of your brain is envisioning a VR-addled future, another part of your brain can envision a future where that Xbox 360 goes in the closet for good.

@MajorNelson [Twitter]

Halo Wars is backward compatible on Xbox One now, too screenshot

Bandai Namco announces 'VR Zone' location in Tokyo

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 10:00 AM PDT

Ha VR-toid!

This takes me back to the '90s, where "VR" was rampant and basically amounted to nothing more than wearing a TV on your head.

Bandai Namco is embracing modern advances though, and is opening up VR Zone: Project i Can (zuh?) in Toyko. Seemingly aware that it may fail, the location is only around for a few months in Tokyo Plaza, from April 15 to October. It's 5870 square feet in size, and they only take appointments, no walk-ins!

Playable games include "rescue a cat at 200 meters up" and "escape a hospital ward."

VR Zone [Project i Can]

Bandai Namco announces 'VR Zone' location in Tokyo screenshot

New PS4 reportedly to be announced before PlayStation VR launch

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 09:45 AM PDT

As we accepted last week, another PlayStation 4 is going to be released. The latest corroboration, from The Wall Street Journal, backs up Kotaku and Eurogamer sources with a twist of its own new information about the "PS4.5" or "PS4K," a half-step of iteration meant to deliver a PlayStation 4 capable of better graphics -- "ultra-high definition resolution graphics" -- and support for Sony's upcoming PlayStation VR headset.

Wall Street Journal sources noted that the new PS4 would support, "higher-end gaming experiences," including virtual reality. More importantly, according to WSJ, the "enhanced graphics and power" of the new PlayStation 4 will not split the fan base. That also means that "PS4K," a cute nickname, probably isn't an indication of the actual resolution potential. Upgrades and accommodations for VR that could also translate to more particle effects or what have you makes a lot more sense.

"Existing PlayStation 4 owners would need to buy the new model to take full advantage of the enhanced graphics and power," the report said. "Though it is likely that the current model and the coming one would share the same software catalog." To be fair, that's what everyone reasonably expected, but good to have fears allayed all the same. Even the New Nintendo 3DS only has two games that don't work on the older hardware.

It makes sense, though, that this specialty device aims "to capture gamers willing to pay for a richer gaming environment, including a high-end virtual-reality experience." The PlayStation 4 has sold gangbusters, but that rate can't continue, so Sony could use a decent excuse for the hardest-of-core to double dip.

The WSJ report adds that the new PS4 will be announced before the PlayStation VR drops in October, though it feels like a miss to be announced ahead of the PS VR and not released by the time PS VR comes out (if it's indeed designed to bolster that experience). Maybe an E3 announcement and a simultaneous launch with PlayStation VR?

Sony Plans New PlayStation for Graphics-Heavy Games [The Wall Street Journal]

New PS4 reportedly to be announced before PlayStation VR launch screenshot

Dark Souls III on PS4 doesn't suffer the same frame rate issues as on Xbox One

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 09:30 AM PDT

Even though Bandai Namco would really prefer that people didn't, plenty of folks went ahead and downloaded Dark Souls III weeks ahead of time via the Japanese Xbox One store. This allowed that version of the game to get performance tested ahead of schedule. The results weren't ideal.

Dark Souls III on Xbox One has a few shortcomings. For one, the game runs at a native 900p resolution that's upscaled to 1080p. Second, it suffers frame rate drops from its baseline of 30fps, sometimes down to around 20fps during boss fights.

As it turns out, the Dark Souls III on PlayStation 4 doesn't have these same problems. In the above-embedded video, Digital Foundry does a side-by-side comparison and finds that the game mostly runs at a rock-solid 30fps on PS4. 

However, an issue common to both versions of the game is that the Bloodborne engine has difficulties with its frame-pacing. The frames aren't always ordered evenly, and the result is a stuttering sensation. It seems as if the game's dropping frames, even though that's not the case.

With all this in mind, the PS4 version of Dark Souls III is definitely the superior console choice. Still, Digital Foundry plays down the differences between the two, noting that Dark Souls III on Xbox One is "perfectly enjoyable."

Dark Souls III on PS4 doesn't suffer the same frame rate issues as on Xbox One screenshot

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Here is all of our Oculus Rift launch coverage in one place

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 09:00 AM PDT

Today is Oculus Rift launch day for a ton of people, but most importantly, judgment day for those of you who haven't pulled the trigger on VR yet. As such, we have a ton of resources at your disposal to figure it out, and you can always ask us questions whenever you see fit.

I have access to our pre-launch review unit, and our own Jed Whitaker will be joining the fray very soon with coverage for other launch titles. More coverage is on the way which we will update here, so bookmark this page and come back whenever you need more resources.

Here is all of our Oculus Rift launch coverage in one place screenshot

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Here's a hot new Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue screenshot

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 08:45 AM PDT

Remember what I said 30 minutes ago? That whole spiel about "it's 2016, we ain't writing about screenshots, show us some dang video!" It was a lie. It was a rhetorical framing device to fill up the meat up in a post about a trailer for a new video game that some of y'all are interested in, but that I don't have much more to talk about besides minute details (release systems, date, etc.) because, let's be real, we're just writing about a commercial. That's what a trailer is. A commercial for the internet and for websites, which is fine; the game looks pretty a'ight.

This, too, then is just rhetorical framing in an effort to pull even more meat from the 'ol brain nethers to flesh out a post about the hilariously-named Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue.

Referring back to our past coverage -- with the prior link-back, but also here, more directly -- "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a PS4-exclusive collection with a high-definition remake of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance that was originally a Nintendo 3DS exclusive, a new series of cinematics called Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover, and Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep--A Fragmentary Passage which takes place directly after the original Birth by Sleep."

Hell of a collection coming 2016. Here's a picture of Daybreak Town, from it, from the Kingdom Hearts Twitter account. Incidentally, today is the 14th anniversary of the first Kingdom Hearts' Japanese release, which means that Sora is now 28. Fucking millenials.

Here's a hot new Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue screenshot screenshot

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Anamanaguchi leaks its own game after strained developer relations

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 08:44 AM PDT

This is a weird one. Over the past three years, musical group Anamanaguchi (past credits include Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Bit.Trip Runner) has been involved in making the game Capsule Silence XXIV in that it was creating the soundtrack and also had a hands-on role in development. Today, the band leaked the game to the public.

Anamanaguchi is seemingly fed up with developer NHX's role in the project. Media relations people are telling the band to act professionally, and Anamanaguchi wants none of it. For a better idea (yet still tough to discern) of what's going on, take a look at the group's Twitter page.

Here are some choice picks:

Anamanaguchi leaks its own game after strained developer relations screenshot

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Oculus gives developers the greenlight to sell on Steam, other platforms

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 08:30 AM PDT

Virtual reality feels like one big mystery. For years now, the public has been largely in the dark about what this platform would be like, what would be needed to run a virtual reality headset, what the cost would be, what the realistic consumer feasibility would be, etc.

Even though the first wave of the first-to-market high-end VR headsets released today, questions are still being answered. This morning, Oculus clarified whether developers who made games for the Oculus Rift would be stuck selling those titles only on the Oculus storefront. The short answer is: No, no they will not.

In a post on the platform's developer site, Oculus gives some insight as to how this open approach will work. "As a developer, you don’t have to be in the Oculus Store -- you can sell outside, and when you do that you can you use your own IAP if you prefer, and we don’t take a cut. You can also request keys (royalty free) to sell your Oculus PC app on other stores, while making it available to the community through the Oculus platform," the post reads.

Although the platform is ostensibly open, users have to perform one step to ensure everything works. There's an option that needs to be enabled to allow games from unknown sources. These titles may not have gotten the proverbial seal of approval from Oculus, hence the extra required step.

Still, this doesn't jive with everyone. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, who recently blasted Microsoft's games on Windows initiative, isn't down with Oculus hiding games away. This morning, he tweeted "Very disappointing. Oculus is treating games from sources like Steam and Epic Games as second-class citizens."

Oculus PC SDK 1.3 Now Available [Oculus]

Oculus gives developers the greenlight to sell on Steam, other platforms screenshot

Toukiden 2 is looking good in its first gameplay trailer

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 08:15 AM PDT

Toukiden's follow-up was announced last year at the Tokyo Game Show and since we've seen nothing but screenshots. Nice screenshots, mind. But writing about new screenshots is so 2008 or, perhaps, 2000-and-late. The point is that it's 2016 which means we best be writing about video.

And it looks pretty good! I still prefer the game's 2D art to anything else about it, but when you're making a 3D monster hunter, that can only be an aesthetic flourish. Are there 2D takes on Monster Hunter yet like there are with Souls games?

Toukiden 2 is getting a PS4 demo on the Japanese side on April 11 ahead of its release on PS4, PS3, and Vita on June 30. Western release plans have yet to be announced.

Mr. 3000!

Toukiden 2 is looking good in its first gameplay trailer screenshot

Wow, Akuma's appearance in Tekken is really faithful

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 08:00 AM PDT

So uh, hey! Akuma is in Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, which is currently in Japanese arcades now. But it's not just a half-assed homage, as Bandai Namco has basically translated his entire set of animations from Street Fighter IV.

Want proof?  Just check out this video from toitoi123, which gives us a breakdown of nearly every move in his arsenal. It's...crazy accurate right down to the Shun Goku Satsu.

Wow, Akuma's appearance in Tekken is really faithful screenshot

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SNES game about Bill Clinton's cat may finally get released pending crowdfunding

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 07:30 AM PDT

Just the other day I was asked, "What game that was cancelled and never released do you most wish you could play?" Without hesitation, I answered Socks the Cat.

You see, I'm a big fan of collecting and playing unreleased games mostly in the form of ROMs to be played via emulators. I was overjoyed when critically acclaimed The California Raisins: The Grape Escape for NES was finally released online for all to play since it was cancelled just before release and got as far as having reviews written for it. 

Now, I might get to play the cancelled but nearly finished SNES prototype of the game that stars Bill Clinton's famous cat, Socks, and I couldn't be more excited.

SNES game about Bill Clinton's cat may finally get released pending crowdfunding screenshot

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I played VR for 10 hours straight, here's what happened

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 07:00 AM PDT

People often call me a "madman" or "robot" for playing games for lengthy periods of time, much of which results in the coverage you see here. The secret is that a lot of projects involve long lead times, but just as often, it's crunch-time. This past week I've been balancing my schedule between the Oculus Rift and Dark Souls III, which have both, as you can probably expect, taken up basically all of my time.

But one virtual reality-related odyssey was especially on my mind. Recently at GDC, Kotaku's Keza MacDonald wrote about her experience using VR headsets for an entire day, leading to all sorts of questions from our readership. So, for science, I decided to give a marathon session a go.

I played VR for 10 hours straight, here's what happened screenshot

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Metroid Prime: Federation Force sure has a lot of walking

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 06:30 AM PDT

GameXplain has posted the above gameplay footage lasting just over 18 minutes showing off an entire level in the upcoming Metroid Prime: Federation Force, a game that I was pretty hyped for; past tense. I'm all about slow, lonely exploration, but when you add three friends into the mix it ends up feeling like a bit of a crawl, the same way I feel about Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

I'm thinking Nintendo is trying to capture the feeling of past Metroid titles where you mostly wander through an alien land in isolation, but it just doesn't look fun here. I could see if there was some tension to be built up, but that doesn't seem to happen as enemies look easy to defeat without much fuss. I'm hoping that the boys at GameXplain were playing on an easy difficulty, or Nintendo ups the difficulty and enemy health before it launches sometime in 2016. As it stands now, it looks boring as hell.

Nintendo, now I have doubts...I have such doubts.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force sure has a lot of walking screenshot

We're one day away from the closest to StarCraft: Ghost we're going to get

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 06:00 AM PDT

Blizzard is doubling down on StarCraft, having just tied up the new trilogy. Instead of packing it in for a sequel, it's continuing development with Nova Covert Ops, a miniseries of sorts.

The first pack is out tomorrow, which will cover three (of nine) solo missions, and here's a recap of what to expect story-wise. As a reminder, you will not need StarCraft II proper to play Covert Ops. I won't have access until launch with everyone else (as is customary with Blizzard), but stay tuned for some thoughts this week.

We're one day away from the closest to StarCraft: Ghost we're going to get screenshot

Esper 2 has Shaun of the Dead's Nick Frost and is out today

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 05:30 AM PDT

Lovely boy Nick Frost of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame is lending his voice to Esper 2, a game about dealing with an outbreak of people having telekinetic abilities apparently caused by some kind of villain on a quest to obtain a mysterious artifact. It looks far cooler in action than it sounds on paper, trust me.

Esper 2 is available now on Gear VR and on Oculus Rift starting today if you were lucky enough to receive yours already.

[Header image by James Leighton-Burns for the Observer]

Esper 2 has Shaun of the Dead's Nick Frost and is out today screenshot

Review: Adventure Time: Magic Man's Head Games

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 05:00 AM PDT

VR is a weird thing. Developers are trying all sorts of different experiences, some of which are essentially the same as what we're playing right now (just with a different point of view), some are wholly VR oriented with immersive control schemes, and others are somewhere in the middle.

Adventure Time: Magic Man's Head Games is a good representation of both philosophies. I just wish there was more...game here.

Review: Adventure Time: Magic Man's Head Games screenshot

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That Yo-Kai Watch Three Kingdoms spinoff is adorable

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 04:30 AM PDT

There's probably zero chance of this coming west anytime soon (we don't even have the sequel or the other pair of Buster spinoffs), but Yo-Kai Sangokushi looks amazing. It's an amalgam of the cast of the series proper and the tactical gameplay of Three Kingdoms.

A bunch of little shorts just went live in Japan, and show off the core characters of the franchise in appropriately feudal situations.

Yo-Kai Sangokushi is out on April 2 in Japan.

That Yo-Kai Watch Three Kingdoms spinoff is adorable screenshot

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As it turns out, I am very good at Orcs Must Die! Unchained

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 04:00 AM PDT

You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I've played a video game or two in my day. No, my life isn't all pining over closed Wendy's and listening to Fastball. I've been known to "get down" with the interactive entertainment from time to time.

That's why, while it may have been a surprise to everyone else in the meeting, I was not at all amazed by my Orcs Must Die! Unchained proficiency. I was expecting it. Dead tired from days and miles of GDCing, I still mustered the energy to put on a clinic. I was Steph Curry if Steph's teammates all had the athletic acumen of your average games journalist. Now, I'm not saying I'm a national hero, but I am saying that I don't know how everyone restrained themselves from throwing me up on their shoulders and parading me around the room.

Let's rewind a bit. What I was playing was Orcs Must Die! Unchained, the new five-player cooperative mode. I've had slight exposure to the game before, having also previewed it in Boston a few years back. It has changed since then, developer Robot Entertainment tweaking it along the way to be a better free-to-play experience.

As it turns out, I am very good at Orcs Must Die! Unchained screenshot

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Review: Adr1ft

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 03:00 AM PDT

I'm of two minds when it comes to modern walking simulators. On one hand, they satisfy the craving I have for obtuse, old-school adventure games, a genre that basically does not exist anymore. On the other, they tend to be a bit too simplistic, and the actual narrative can be hit or miss.

But with Adr1ft for the Oculus Rift, we're entering a new era of virtual simulation, and I, for one, am excited.

Review: Adr1ft screenshot

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Review: EVE: Valkyrie

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:02 AM PDT

Virtual reality software providers are in a weird spot this early in the game. They need to push the tech to its limits to really sell people, while other developers have to provide traditional experiences that help justify the platform.

The latter is basically what CCP Games did for EVE: Valkyrie.

Review: EVE: Valkyrie screenshot

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Review: Lucky's Tale

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:01 AM PDT

Lucky's Tale was always going to be a tough sell. It's a bundled-in Oculus Rift launch game, which is often used as a tech demo for prospective buyers -- so to a lot of people, it probably looks like something that isn't a system seller.

And those people are probably right, but I had a damn good time playing it.

Review: Lucky's Tale screenshot

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Review: Oculus Rift

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:00 AM PDT

I will never forget my first experience with virtual reality. I was at a county fair as a child, and there was a large line for a "virtual NASCAR" racing game. I took one look at the helmet, and that's all I needed to see -- I wanted in. Of course, reality took hold of me after actually getting into the enclosure, and was far less impressive than my imagination. The tech simply wasn't there, and I felt like I was just wearing a TV on my head.

But VR has made a lot of strides in the past few decades. Manufacturers have figured out how to cram two 1080p screens (one for each eye) into a tiny space, and software has progressed to the point where developers can work with 60 frames per second or higher to create a better experience.

The term "immersive" is thrown around more than Katt Williams these days, but in this case, it's true. As a skeptic who has just spent roughly one week with the Oculus Rift, I'm sold.

Review: Oculus Rift screenshot

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Would you spend a whole paycheck on a Mortal Kombat statue?

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 01:00 AM PDT

You're going to need quite a bit of expendable income to get in on this statue. Pop Culture Shock has announced a 28-inch Reptile collectible that will only clock in at 350 units. It's also $750.

But you know what? Mortal Kombat has such a storied history and huge base of fans, both new and old, that I think these will sell out. It helps that there's interchangeable parts that show him in human and reptile form, as well as a neat base and other added effects like ooze and a skeleton head.

Reptile [Pop Culture Shock via Game Informer]

Would you spend a whole paycheck on a Mortal Kombat statue? screenshot

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MMO News

MMO News


Weekly Recap #283 Mar. 28th – OMDU, Atlas Reactor, EoS & More!

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 06:42 PM PDT

Weekly Recap #283 Mar. 28th – OMDU, Atlas Reactor, EoS & More!

A quick look and discussion for every major announcement and update during the week! This week we discussed updates from the following games: Smite, Warframe, Rift, Metal Assault, Tree of Savior, Blade & Soul, Wildstar, Cabal 2, Echo of Soul, Star Trek Online, Orcs Must Die! Unchained, Chronicle: RuneScape Legends & Atlas Reactor!

Weekly MMO News summary for the week ending March 28th, 2016 (Mar. 21st – Mar. 28th).

Smite celebrates its 2nd anniversary and goes into Open beta on PS4:
http://mmohuts.com/news/smite-enters-open-beta-playstation-4

Warframe celebrates its 3rd anniversary with a new exclusive item:
http://mmohuts.com/news/warframe-celebrates-third-anniversary

Rift’s 5th Anniversary Celebration continues:
http://mmohuts.com/news/rift-5th-anniversary-celebration-continues

WarpPortal Resurrects Metal Assault, now available on steam:
http://mmohuts.com/news/warpportal-resurrects-metal-assault

Tree of Savior Adjusts its Launch Plans and starts early access now:
http://mmohuts.com/news/tree-savior-adjusts-launch-plans

Blade & Soul Silverfrost Mountains Expansion Now Live:
http://mmohuts.com/news/blade-soul-silverfrost-mountains-expansion-now-live
http://mmohuts.com/news/blade-soul-state-game-march-2016

WildStar's next update, Destination Arcterra, launches March 30th:
http://mmohuts.com/video/wildstar-destination-arcterra-trailer

Cabal 2 released its bonus update known as Cartel Extension:
http://mmohuts.com/news/cabal-ii-cartel-extension-now-live

Echo of Soul launches the massive Wrath of the Goddess expansion:
http://mmohuts.com/video/echo-soul-wrath-goddess-teaser
http://mmohuts.com/news/echo-soul-wrath-goddess-expansion-launched

PWE announces Season 11.5 for Star Trek Online:
http://mmohuts.com/video/star-trek-online-temporal-front-trailer

Orcs Must Die! Unchained finally heads to open beta on March 29th:
http://mmohuts.com/news/orcs-must-die-unchained-open-beta-launches-march-29th

Chronicle RuneScape Legends begins open beta testing:
http://mmohuts.com/video/chronicle-runescape-legends-open-beta-trailer-2
http://mmohuts.com/news/chronicle-runescape-legends-review

Atlas Reactor heads into a weekend long open alpha:
https://www.atlasreactorgame.com/en/2016/03/play-in-our-open-alpha/

The post Weekly Recap #283 Mar. 28th – OMDU, Atlas Reactor, EoS & More! appeared first on MMOHuts.

Star Crusade

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 03:27 PM PDT

The post Star Crusade appeared first on MMOHuts.

Gloria Victis

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 03:20 PM PDT

The post Gloria Victis appeared first on MMOHuts.

Spirit Master

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:57 PM PDT

The post Spirit Master appeared first on MMOHuts.

Shattered Skies

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:51 PM PDT

The post Shattered Skies appeared first on MMOHuts.

Flower Knight Girl

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:36 PM PDT

The post Flower Knight Girl appeared first on MMOHuts.

Smite Ordo Solarus Amaterasu Skin Preview

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:24 PM PDT

Smite reveals another new skin in the Protect & Support patch, the Ordo Solarus Amaterasu skin.

The post Smite Ordo Solarus Amaterasu Skin Preview appeared first on MMOHuts.

Tree of Savior Adjusts Launch Plans

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 02:09 PM PDT

After some vocal community feedback, IMC Games has made some clarification and changes to its Tree of Savior early access launch plan and transition to free to play.

On March 17, a letter from the developers explained why it created the exclusive access plan, stating:

The main concern we had with the Steam launch was whether we could provide a stable service upon release to a massive international audience.

There are numerous factors that can cause instability, but we anticipate that one of the main causes would be a higher concentration of players than we expected. Many unprecedented problems may affect the servers and creating waiting queues to counter this would merely cause inconvenience for everyone. Furthermore, intrusion of numerous bot accounts would also bring detrimental results to the server and the community.

We thought that the best way to provide a much more pleasant and stable gaming environment would be to estimate the approximate amount of players before the massive international release. This would prepare us to respond ideally as we gradually increase the player base.

However, the team then admitted that they had not anticipated seeing a large divide in the gaming community for a three month gap of release.

Instead, Tree of Savior will transition to F2P on April 28, 2016. This reduces the early access period to only one month. Founder’s Packs will also be able to be purchased at a 30% discount from April 21 to April 27 to compensate for the lack of head start for late purchasers.

While IMC Games states that it will not create new worlds immediately on release, it will be prepared to create new worlds if there is a sufficient influx of new players. Founder’s Pack owners will be given one free 1-time team transfer to change worlds after new worlds are created to let players join their friends or move to less populated worlds.

Find more about the final transition here.

The post Tree of Savior Adjusts Launch Plans appeared first on MMOHuts.

Echo of Soul: Wrath of the Goddess Expansion Launched

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 01:20 PM PDT

Echo of Soul has added a host of new content with its new Wrath of the Goddess expansion. The update includes a level cap raise, new dungeons, a new continent, and more.

Players will find they can now reach level 70 with their characters, along with access to a variety of new skills and new ultimate skills.

Players who reach level 70 will find plenty of new challenges. Burning Plain and Vaulted Plain offer two new large-scale hunting grounds with a completely new set of rewards. Two new solo dungeons, Aedis Infernum and Clone Lab, and three party dungeons, Fellglow Spire, Asha’s Tomb, and Shadowflame Mine, offer rich rewards for those capable of completing them. There are also some important changes made to Infinite Dungeon size, bosses, and rewards.

The new continent Kharath is jam-packed with content, including two large cities (Bernicia and Redvale) and almost 400 new quests, plus a special Guild Hunt. PvPers will also discover some new changes, including Team Arena now being 3v3 (previously 5v5), Battlefield Daily Quests, Guild Dominion, and new equipment.

Another major change for players is that outfit stat points and appearance have been split, allowing players to change the appearance of their equipped item while receiving the same stats. Costumes will be registered whenever players obtain them, and remain permanently accessible for the character. Mounts, too, will also be bound to a character instead of being stored in the inventory.

Players can also discover new items, including an 18-slot bag, Vivid Jewl Casing, a Remote Merchant, and Magic Lamp Season 10.

There are many more massive changes in this expansion, so make sure to read the full patch notes.

The post Echo of Soul: Wrath of the Goddess Expansion Launched appeared first on MMOHuts.

Need for Speed 2015 PC Port Review

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 12:46 PM PDT

The Need for Speed series has always had a special spot in my heart. I spent countless hours playing through Need for Speed: Most Wanted on my GameCube back in 2005. A lot of fun times were had in that game, and it stood out to be my favourite game from the series. After my GameCube, I did not spend too much time on consoles aside from the occasional Nintendo games such as Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart when friends are over, or my trusty 3DS while away from my computer. Since that time, none of the newer Need for Speed games stood out on PC, and to be frank, were not very fun to play. I would mess around with them for an hour or two, sometimes less, and then move on to more interesting racing games such as Project Cars or Mario Kart.

However, the latest installment to the series, simply titled Need for Speed, caught my eye with its exclusive PC trailer. The game was originally released for consoles last year but the PC version was delayed to presumably provide a better experience for PC gamers. Delays are usually looked down upon as we all just want to play the latest games as soon as possible. I mean, we're getting Need for Speed (2015) in 2016; even the name doesn't make sense now. Fortunately, games such as Grand Theft Auto V have shown us that sometimes having a delay to properly port to the PC is not so bad. Read on for my thoughts on the latest Need for Speed game and whether this delay was worth the wait.

 

The cut scenes feature real actors

The basis of Need for Speed is street racing and police pursuit. Players work towards becoming the best street racer by participating in events, purchasing new cars, and upgrading and customizing their own cars. This game does not stray from this main theme and still feels like your typical Need for Speed game. It doesn't bring anything mind blowing to the table but instead sticks to its roots as an arcade street racer. This can be either good or bad but after seeing more than 20 Need for Speed games, it would have been nice to see something new and unique.

Sometimes simply taking an already working model and making slight tweaks and improving the graphics can be enough. If it wasn’t we would have seen signature sports games die out a decade ago. After playing this rendition of Need for Speed, I felt extremely nostalgic of my initial GameCube adrenaline rush of racing down streets with police right on my tail. You will not see anything revolutionary in the latest installment, but the fun factor is still present. With the genre moving ever harder to the side of realistic simulation racers, fans of Need for Speed may feel a breath of fresh air to get such a good looking arcade racer.

 

It wouldn’t be NFS without the police pursuits

Enough reminiscing about the series' history and the past – let's talk gameplay. After booting up the game, I was pleased to see a nice UI throughout. The menu easily gets what you want done in a jiffy so you can focus on racing. However, the tooltips left me confused and lost for a while. Although I was using a steering wheel peripheral, it kept giving me hints with keyboard shortcuts. It wasn't until I picked up a controller that the tooltips actually began to make sense.

There are a decent amount of options available to modify controls and graphics but the options do not go as deep as their competition. As promised in the PC reveal trailer, we now have support for 4K, unlocked framerates, manual transmission, and support for steering wheels. Ever since I picked up my Logitech G27, my love for racing games has grown. While the wheel works great in realistic simulators, I was looking forward to seeing how it performed in an arcade racer.

Arcade racers do not feature 1 to 1 input, there is some magic done behind the scenes to make the driving experience easier and more 'arcade' like. It's easy to maneuver around corners at high speeds, making drifting look easy. Maneuvers requiring great talent and practice in the real world become child's play. When using a keyboard or controller, this behind the scenes magic can be done without interfering with the player's controls. However, on a wheel, you expect the car to move according to the position of the wheel and with force feedback (which makes the wheel have resistance and turn automatically depending on the car) this behind the scenes magic can end up not being behind the scenes at all. When I turn my wheel, my car does not turn as much as I would expect; you can easily find yourself making multiple rotations to move your car where you need it to go. You are able to mess around with the wheel sensitivity settings but when a wheel is supported out of the box, the default controls should feel natural. I am not the only one having issues with the game's wheel support.

 

You can customize many aspects of your car

At times it does feel nice to be able to drift around corners using a wheel, but more often than not you are fighting with the wheel to get it to do what you want. The force feedback seems to be especially strong, I am always fighting to turn the wheel and letting it go for even a second will cause it to snap back to the middle. For those of you who have driven cars, it is natural for the wheel to slowly rotate back to its neutral position. This makes it much easier to turn and drive but it snaps back way too quickly in this game. Furthermore, the clutch and H-Shifter is not supported in NFS. You are forced to use your paddles to shift if you prefer manual mode which can become quite awkward when you are constantly rotating the wheel to drift. It would have been nice to see clutch and shifter support to improve the control you have over your car. It is important to note that I do not have a separate peripheral for my handbrake, so while I did find it awkward to press a button on my wheel to drift, it would have been much more natural if I did have this extra peripheral.

After giving up on the wheel and moving to an Xbox controller, the game became much more fun to play. While not as fast as other cars, even your starting car is quite fast and lets you enjoy the arcade style of the game without barring it from an initial car grind. All events have some level requirement which lets even your slower vehicles have a chance to win. As you accumulate reputation by participating in events or through open world objectives such as doing donuts or reaching a high speed, more parts will become available for purchase. These parts can improve various aspects of your car such as horse power and traction. It was great to see additional options such as enabling or disabling various driving assists or changing tire pressure to improve grip or drifting capabilities.

 

The graphics look great!

If you are not the type to slowly upgrade a vehicle, entirely new vehicles are available for sale. All of the cars in Need for Speed are based on real models such as the Porsche 911 and Lamborghini Aventador. These cars look great with the game's photo realistic graphics and sound even better. I only wish interior views were available; I prefer to limit my field of view to how it should be in the real world.

Once you are happy with your vehicle, you can roam the world in this always online game to race other players or participate in events scattered across the map. The world is quite large and gives you room to joyride and explore. Unfortunately you are always seeing the world in the dark, there are no day/night cycles. This also means that, like in the real world, the city is quite dead. You do not expect to see many cars during the night and find yourself having the roads to yourself (watch out for the cops though!). The city looks great but the environment could use some work. Just because it’s eternal night does not mean that nothing should be going on!

It's not all bad as you can see other players driving around, interact (crash) with, and even challenge them to races. Even with these players and some AI, the roads still feel quite empty and what should be a street race ends up feeling just like a regular closed circuit track.

 

While there is no vehicle damage, you can still total your car

Conclusion: Maybe Next Time

Need for Speed is quite fun to play but is not a game I can recommend or see myself continue to play. It's a fun game to fool around in from time to time but with the full price tag ($90 here in Canada!), I would point my wallet towards other racing games. If you are a fan of realistic racing simulators, check out Project Cars. If you are a fan of arcade racers, and do not already play Mario Kart, Wincars Racer is showing serious potential.

I do not want to say too many bad things about the game because it looks like Ghost and EA are headed in the right direction by listening to the PC community and providing us a game that is not a simple copy and paste from the console versions. Additional effort was put in to provide better graphics, unlocked framerates, and steering wheel support. It was great to see this being offered, but in the end the game was not very fun to play, which should be the main goal. If future releases continue to focus on PC specific features but also improve support for steering wheels, I can see myself having a blast playing the 23rd Need for Speed game.

Tip: Origin Access lets you try this game out for 10 hours and gives 10% off all purchases. It is still cheaper to purchase Origin Access for $5/month (you can cancel right away) and buy the game than it is to just buy the game without Origin Access. I suggest trying out the game before committing the full price towards it.

Graphics: 4/5
The game looks great. However, while we all know that rainy nights make cars look amazing, it can get quite dull over time. It would have been great to see more changes to the environment instead of just focusing on a wet and dark night.

Control: 3/5
Having solid controls is a must for racing games. Like previous installments in the series, controllers work great. However, the trailer promised steering wheel support, and I was looking forward to using my Logitech G27. Unfortunately, it did not feel natural driving with the steering wheel and my clutch and H-Shifter were not supported.

Features: 4/5
There is a good amount of content available with multiple types of race events for players.

Customization: 4/5
While other players have been complaining about there not being enough customization, I was quite pleased with how much you could change in an arcade racer.

Community: 3/5
You will see players driving around or participating in races in your world. However, there is not much additional interaction unless you challenge them to races.

Overall: Good 3/5

The post Need for Speed 2015 PC Port Review appeared first on MMOHuts.

MMORPG News

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World of Warcraft: Legion Alpha - Revitalizing Group Play & Class Fantasies?

Posted: 28 Mar 2016 06:02 AM PDT

While the World of Warcraft: Legion alpha -- well, technically it's still called that, though the servers say beta but that's just nitpicking -- has introduced testers to a lot of new features, zones, the Demon Hunter and some of the lore behind the expansion, those things pale in comparison to the new way of playing that most will encounter both in PvE and in PvP.

General: Taichi Panda Celebrates Anniversary With New Game Mode

Posted: 27 Mar 2016 03:58 AM PDT

Snail Games has annoucned that its mobile RPG Taichi Panda has been updated in celebration of its anniversary. Players can look forward to new 5v5 PvP mode as well as a new mount, pet and other team events.

General: Legacy Quest: A Retro 3D Pixel Walk Down Memory Lane

Posted: 27 Mar 2016 09:06 AM PDT

Legacy Quest is a mobile title from Nexon that aims to bring a nostalgic retro feel to players who love 3D pixel art. We had the opportunity to chat with members of the development team to find out more. Read on!

Dying Light: 18 Million Zombies Smashed During Buggy Frenzy

Posted: 27 Mar 2016 03:49 AM PDT

Techland has revealed a new infographic to show off the statistics from the recently held Dying Light event called Buggy Frenzy. Developers had asked players to run over 5 million zombies during the specified time period. Players, however, exceeded expectations by taking out 18.1M and as a result earned a pair of new Buggy skins.

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward: Latest Letter From The Producer Reveals Much New Info

Posted: 27 Mar 2016 03:43 AM PDT

On Saturday, March 26th, Final Fantasy Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida and Community Manager Toshio Murouchi took part in the latest Letter From The Producer broadcast. During the event, a lot of new information was released to give players a glimpse at plans for the next several months.
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