http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:42:31 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/2014-independent-games-festival/2300-6417847/ See which of your favorite Independent game titles took home a win from the 2014 Independent Games Festival! Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:49:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/2014-independent-games-festival/2300-6417847/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/splinter-cell-movie-gets-the-bourne-identity-director/1100-6418422/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/7/7/8/2042778-710740_20130611_004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042778" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/7/7/8/2042778-710740_20130611_004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042778"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/2/7/7/8/2042778-710740_20130611_004.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Doug Liman is reportedly in final negotiations to direct <em>Splinter Cell</em>, a film adaptation of Ubisoft's stealth-action game series Tom Clancy's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/tom-clancys-splinter-cell/" data-ref-id="false">Splinter Cell</a>.</p><p style="">According to <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/doug-liman-final-talks-direct-689757" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Hollywood Reporter</a>, Liman (<i>The Bourne Identity, Mr and Mrs Smith</i>) will be developing the movie with New Regency. Tom Hardy has been named to star in the feature film, which has a planned release date of 2015.</p><p style="">The latest entry in the Splinter Cell series, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-blacklist/" data-ref-id="false">Splinter Cell: Blacklist</a>, was released in August last year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Wii U. Ubisoft revealed that game sales failed to meet initial targets, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/splinter-cell-blacklist-underperforms-with-2-million-sold/1100-6416144/" data-ref-id="1100-6416144">selling approximately 2 million copies</a> last year.</p><p style="">For more on Splinter Cell: Blacklist, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-blacklist-review/1900-6412806/" data-ref-id="1900-6412806">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6412933" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6412933/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:31:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/splinter-cell-movie-gets-the-bourne-identity-director/1100-6418422/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/creating-bioshock-infinite-s-elizabeth/2300-6417846/ Behind the critical success of BioShock Infinite is the game's heart and soul, Elizabeth. Not only did Elizabeth carry the narrative weight of BioShock Infinite on her shoulders, she was also a robust AI that allowed for many systemic interactions. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:25:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/creating-bioshock-infinite-s-elizabeth/2300-6417846/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/south-park-stick-of-truth-developer-obsidian-s-next-game-has-a-lot-of-tanks/1100-6418421/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417825" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417825/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Obsidian, the developer behind <a href="/south-park-the-stick-of-truth/" data-ref-id="false">South Park: The Stick of Truth</a> and <a href="/fallout-new-vegas/" data-ref-id="false">Fallout: New Vegas</a> revealed the trailer for their next project, <a href="/armored-warfare/" data-ref-id="false">Armored Warfare</a>, during the GDC Awards ceremony earlier tonight. In case you missed it, you can watch the reveal again in the trailer above, but the modern tank combat game will probably immediately call to mind another<a href="/world-of-tanks/" data-ref-id="false"> multiplayer tank-based shooter from Wargaming.</a> </p><p style="">We'll have more details on Obsidian's game straight from GDC in the coming days. However, you can sign up for the game's beta right now on <a href="http://aw.my.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">ArmoredWarfare.com</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style="">Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinHaywald" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @JustinHaywald</a></p><p style="">Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/south-park-stick-of-truth-developer-obsidian-s-next-game-has-a-lot-of-tanks/1100-6418421/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/armored-warfare-announcement-trailer/2300-6417825/ Take a look at the announcement trailer for Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming game, Armored Warfare. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 20:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/armored-warfare-announcement-trailer/2300-6417825/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/infamous-developer-tells-the-origin-story-of-secon/2300-6417845/ Sucker Punch Productions recounts the development of its Infamous series and how their studio has grown. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 20:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/infamous-developer-tells-the-origin-story-of-secon/2300-6417845/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-wins-gdc-game-of-the-year-award/1100-6418420/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417816" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417816/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">GDC may still have another two days, but as usual, Wednesday ends with the Game Developers Conference awards show. Chosen by the Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Board, here are the winners and nominees. And in case you missed them, the show also handed out awards to the best indie games of 2013. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/papers-please-wins-grand-prize-in-independent-games-awards-show/1100-6418419/" data-ref-id="1100-6418419">Papers, Please took top honors, but you can read that full list here. </a></p><h3>Game of the Year</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li></ul><strong>Nominees</strong><span>:</span></li><li>Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)</li><li>Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)</li><li>Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo EAD Tokyo/Nintendo)</li><li>Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix)</li></ul><h3>Innovation Award</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>DEVICE 6 (Simogo)</li><li>Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li><li>The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)</li></ul><h3>Best Audio</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: <ul><li>BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games)</li></ul></li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Forza Motorsport 5 (Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Games)</li><li>Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)</li><li>Saints Row IV (Volition/Deep Silver)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li></ul><h3>Best Debut</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: <ul><li>The Fullbright Company (Gone Home)</li></ul></li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Blue Manchu (Card Hunter)</li><li>Galactic Cafe (The Stanley Parable)</li><li>Squad (Kerbal Space Program)</li><li>Undead Labs (State Of Decay)</li></ul><h3>Best Design</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: <ul><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li></ul></li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)</li><li>The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)</li><li>Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo EAD Tokyo/Nintendo)</li><li>Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix)</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Best Downloadable Game</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>Papers, Please</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (Starbreeze/505 Games)</li><li>Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)</li><li>Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)</li><li>Resogun (Housemarque/Sony)</li><li>The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Best Handheld/Mobile Game</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>DEVICE 6 (Simogo)</li><li>Fire Emblem: Awakening (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)</li><li>Ridiculous Fishing (Vlambeer)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Best Narrative</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (Starbreeze/505 Games)</li><li>Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)</li><li>Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix)</li><li>The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)</li></ul><h3>Best Technology</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)</li><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li><li>Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerrilla Games/Sony)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Best Visual Art</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>DmC: Devil May Cry (Ninja Theory/Capcom)</li><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li><li>Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (Level 5/Namco Bandai)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li></ul><p style="">And a few other awards:</p><ul><li>Audience Award Winner: Kerbal Space Program</li><li>Lifetime Achievement Winner: former chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Ken Kutaragi</li><li>Pioneer Award Winners: League of Legends creators Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill</li><li>Ambassador Award Winner: Feminist Frequency creator Anita Sarkeesian</li></ul> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-wins-gdc-game-of-the-year-award/1100-6418420/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/papers-please-wins-grand-prize-in-independent-games-awards-show/1100-6418419/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417816" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417816/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">The Game Developers Conference in San Francisco is an event for and by developers, and no where is that more evident than in the Independent Game Festival's Award's ceremony.</p><p style="">The show, which was introduced by IGF chairman Bradon Boyer and hosted by Capy Games' Nathan Vella, draws attention to and celebrates some of the best games of last year, both big and small. Papers, Please walked away with three awards, including the show's grand prize, but here's a list of all the winners and nominees:</p><h3>Seumas McNally Grand Prize:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Papers, Please</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>DEVICE 6</li><li>Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!"</li><li>Don't Starve</li><li>Jazzpunk</li><li>Papers, Please</li><li>The Stanley Parable</li></ul><h3>Excellence in Narrative:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Papers, Please</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>DEVICE 6</li><li>Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!"</li><li>Papers, Please</li><li>Paralect</li><li>The Stanley Parable</li><li>The Yawhg</li></ul><h3>Excellence in Audio:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: DEVICE 6</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Crypt of the NecroDancer</li><li>Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!"</li><li>Samorost3</li><li>The Stanley Parable</li><li>The Yawhg</li></ul><h3>Excellence in Design:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Papers, Please</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>868-HACK</li><li>Crypt of the NecroDancer</li><li>Don't Starve</li><li>Mushroom 11</li><li>TowerFall Ascension</li></ul><h3>Nuovo Award</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Luxuria Superbia</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Corrypt</li><li>Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!"</li><li>Extrasolar</li><li>Papers, Please</li><li>Perfect Woman</li><li>Save the Date</li><li>SoundSelf</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Excellence in Visual Art</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Gorogoa</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>DEVICE 6</li><li>Drei</li><li>Perfect Stride</li><li>Samorost3</li><li>The Banner Saga</li></ul><h3>Best Student Game:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Risk of Rain</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Cyber Heist</li><li>Engare</li><li>Foiled</li><li>Museum of Simulation Technology</li><li>Rhythm Doctor</li><li>Symmetrain</li><li>Westerado</li></ul><p style="">Audience Award Winner: The Stanley Parable</p> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/papers-please-wins-grand-prize-in-independent-games-awards-show/1100-6418419/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-breakdown-first-impressions-of-sony-s-project-m/2300-6417843/ Peter got a chance to test Sony's new VR headset at GDC 2014. He compares it to Oculus and talks about the future of VR. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-breakdown-first-impressions-of-sony-s-project-m/2300-6417843/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-s-project-morpheus-vr-device-won-t-launch-in-2014-1000-price-point-unlikely/1100-6418418/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2470560-projectmorpheus.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2470560" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2470560-projectmorpheus.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2470560"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2470560-projectmorpheus.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony has ruled out a 2014 launch for its <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">virtual reality headset Project Morpheus</a>. PlayStation president of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told GameSpot today that this won't happen because Sony engineers are continuing to iterate on the device and they won't have a feature-complete version ready anytime soon.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">We asked Yoshida directly if a 2014 launch date for Project Morpheus had been ruled out and his response was: "Yes. That we can say comfortably because we are still making changes to the hardware."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The current iteration of the Project Morpheus headset is a non-final prototype. Sony has pledged to continue to improve the device over time to boost its ability to deliver a feeling of "presence." However, the company has not laid out a specific roadmap for what changes are the highest priority.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Oculus VR is also keeping the release date for the Oculus Rift consumer version under wraps. A <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/we-truly-believe-virtual-reality-will-change-the-world-oculus-rift-devs-say/1100-6418402/" data-ref-id="1100-6418402">second iteration of the development kit will launch this summer</a>, with the consumer version to follow, though it's not clear when that will be.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2470576-morpheuspeter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2470576" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2470576-morpheuspeter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2470576"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1179/11799911/2470576-morpheuspeter.jpg"></a><figcaption>GameSpot editor Peter Brown trying out Project Morpheus today at GDC</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Also in our interview with Yoshida today, the PlayStation executive addressed the matter of pricing for Project Morpheus. He wasn't ready to talk firm pricing plans, but he did say that you won't have to spend $1000 to get your hands on the device, as is the case with <a href="http://store.sony.com/WFS/SNYUS/en_US/-/USD/wearable-hdtv-2d-3d-virtual-7.1-surround-sound-zid27-HMZT3W/cat-27-catid-3D-Personal-Viewer" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Sony's HMZ head-mounted display line</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to Yoshida, the HMZ line is priced in such a way that Sony makes money on every unit sold. This model doesn't normally apply to game hardware, though, as consoles are often sold at or below cost, and become profitable with the sale of games, accessories, and services.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yoshida said Sony often prices its gaming hardware lower than other non-gaming Sony devices and explained that he doesn't expect this to change with Project Morpheus. As such, Yoshida explained that a $1000 price point "doesn't necessarily indicate the pricing that we're gonna have" for Project Morpheus.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As for the competition, Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-will-be-affordable-says-creator/1100-6418068/" data-ref-id="1100-6418068"> said this month</a> that the device will be "affordable" because he doesn't want it to be a "rich person's toy."</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><em>Check back in the days ahead for even more GameSpot coverage of Project Morpheus, including a breakdown of the differences between Sony's device and Oculus Rift.</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417843" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417843/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:03:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-s-project-morpheus-vr-device-won-t-launch-in-2014-1000-price-point-unlikely/1100-6418418/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/volume-gameplay-gdc-2014/2300-6417842/ Mike Bithell stops by the GameSpot office to show off Volume for PC. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:36:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/volume-gameplay-gdc-2014/2300-6417842/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gentlemen-highlights-multiple-players/2300-6417841/ Chris, Erick, Kevin and Maxwell don their monocles and curly mustaches to determine who is the most gentlemanly. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:27:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gentlemen-highlights-multiple-players/2300-6417841/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-review/1900-6415707/ <p style="">The key to understanding Hearthstone lies in its very name. Not only does it refer to the white-and-turquoise rock that has sent the World of Warcraft faithful back to inns since 2004; it also suggests friendly competition far removed from the battles and weighty stratagems of other collectible card games. Its cozy syllables evoke not laborious campaigns lasting hours, but quick matches that take no longer than it takes to gulp down a mug of ale. If <a href="/world-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false">World of Warcraft</a> is the everyman's massively multiplayer online game, this is the everyman's collectible card game, and for the most part, Blizzard has justified the fanfare that erupted when it first appeared last March.</p><p style="">Few other card games rival its personality, which reveals itself in the little things, such as the way you can tap iron gongs and fiddle with water mills on the board in the 90 seconds when you're awaiting a challenger's next move, or in the way a chorus of rough-and-tumble dwarves and orcs erupts in cheers when you've made a good move. You find it in the flashier details as well, such as the way the mage's arcane missiles pelt enemy heroes with sound files yanked from World of Warcraft, or in the way some of Warcraft's most exaggerated figures guide through a tutorial that's as helpful as it is fun. The emo night elf Illidan from <a href="/warcraft-iii-battlechest/" data-ref-id="false">Warcraft III</a> and WOW's Burning Crusade expansion wraps up the swift campaign, still spouting his convictions that we're unprepared.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372636-stormwind.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372636" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372636-stormwind.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372636"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2372636-stormwind.jpg"></a><figcaption>Superficial simplicity betrays Hearthstone's lurking strategic depth. </figcaption></figure><p style="">That may well be true for card gaming tenderfeet, but it rarely matters. One of the great strengths of Hearthstone is that it embraces players who shied from the know-it-alls at Magic: The Gathering events in comic shops or missed the heydays of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. What's more, it caters to players burned by the caustic personalities in multiplayer games like League of Legends and Dota 2 by limiting communication with random players to preset responses. (Friends can chat with and battle each other, but to prevent exploits, these matches offer no form of reward or advancement.) In true Blizzard form, Hearthstone shatters barriers to entry while supplying the means to access greater challenges if you seek them.</p><p style="">Indeed, card gaming veterans will find much to love beyond the cheesy puns and happy aesthetic. Hearthstone adopts the familiar model of whittling down the opposing player's hit points with attack points from cards, but it simplifies the often cumbersome resource mechanics of other games for a mana bar that automatically expands with the passing of each turn. It's a system geared toward speed, and hero abilities that don't depend on cards--like the mage's fireball--act as wild cards that can keep you in the fight even when surrounded by minions. It's a lunch breaker's game, and indeed, the toughest matches rarely last more than 15 minutes.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372598-grom+hellscream.png" data-ref-id="1300-2372598" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372598-grom+hellscream.png" data-ref-id="1300-2372598"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1197/11970954/2372598-grom+hellscream.png"></a><figcaption>Talk about a descriptive name!</figcaption></figure><p style="">Blizzard manages to bless Hearthstone with significant depth in spite of such nods to speed. There's a wide assortment of cards with specific abilities in play here, some of which are part of the nine unlockable decks modeled on familiar World of Warcraft classes, and others of which come with the massive bundle of cards that you can use with all the decks. Using the hunter deck, you might spring a trap by unleashing three weak snake cards after an enemy attacks his or her minions; your opponent might fend off the attacks by tossing down a tanky card with "taunt," thereby forcing the snakes to attack the taunting card instead of the main hero. But still further strategies await: your mage could incapacitate the taunting card with a frost nova, thereby letting you have a go at your opponent's hero.</p><p style="">All this worked well when beta invites shot out a year ago, but Hearthstone now enjoys a commendable degree of balance in the wake of months of tweaks and player suggestions. It's more apparent in the early levels, when most challengers you meet haven't built powerful decks through their winnings from daily quests and simple leveling, but flashes of it remain at higher levels when players start slapping down legendary cards with alarming frequency. Hearthstone's class decks perform a little of the same service as alts in an online role-playing game; once you get tired of one class, you can jump on another and start leveling it from scratch for a varied experience.</p><p style="">Over time, perhaps inevitably, the process of leveling and building killer decks devolves into a grind. Blizzard gives you the option to craft your own cards to counter it, although it's here that the veterans enjoy a significant advantage over card-gaming rookies. Hearthstone simplifies many of the necessary actions, such as destroying excess cards and neatly arranging the available cards in a flipbook of sorts, but the uninitiated get few clues as to what to focus on. In the worst cases, you might waste your material on a worthless card or (the horror) accidentally disintegrate one of the best in your deck. Nevertheless, card crafting is a good way to fill in the gaps for the unlucky. If you can't get a card to appear from the packs you buy through your winnings (or indeed, real-world money), you can usually make it if you have the materials.</p><p style="">The best way to break this tedium is to break into the Arena mode. Arenas come with an entry fee, although it's usually negligible if you manage to complete the daily quests, which have you doing things like winning matches with a specific deck or dealing 100 damage to enemy heroes. The allure of Arena lies in the leveling of the playing field. Rather than bringing your own decks into the battle, you're only allowed to choose from one of three classes, and then you need to build your deck by choosing one of the random cards Hearthstone throws at you until you complete a full deck of 30 cards. The outcome can still be outrageously imbalanced. Some schmuck might swim in legendary cards, while the one you have never gets drawn from the deck. Of course, it works both ways. The next Arena match could shower you with legendaries like Ragnaros instead.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372630-rogue+vs+hunter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372630" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372630-rogue+vs+hunter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372630"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2372630-rogue+vs+hunter.jpg"></a><figcaption>Uh oh--it's magic!</figcaption></figure><p style="">As is the case with any collectible card game, a degree of randomness affects each action in Hearthstone. It's possible you'll end up with nothing but sorry cards beyond the capable starter decks--I suffered the same fate after I lost my godly deck in a planned wipe halfway through the beta--but there's always the chance of scoring big as well. Still, that randomness might drive players to toss some cash at Blizzard for new card packs (priced at $1.50 each), but the beauty of Hearthstone is that you never feel much if any need to fork out cash. It's a free-to-play game in the best sense of the word, and even the interface for unloading your cash is more stylish than it normally is in such ventures.</p><p style="">Hearthstone features no built-in spectator mode, nor does it offer a replay mode, which could have been helpful in learning from your mistakes. Features such as team battles that make Magic's digital duel games so fun make no appearances here, and the daily quests take long enough to complete that you'll sometimes want to spend cash if you want to play in the Arena. But such objections are minor in light of the breezy but brainy experience Blizzard delivers here, particularly for the massive segment of the populace that's never played a collectible card game. If it's dumbed down, then it's in good hands. If any developer's good at weeding out the chaff of more robust games in a particular genre, surely it's Blizzard.</p> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:01:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-review/1900-6415707/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-exclusive-driveclub-did-experiment-with-virtual-reality-but-that-s-not-why-it-was-delayed/1100-6418417/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/1/3/6/7/2051367-704524_20130820_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2051367" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/1/3/6/7/2051367-704524_20130820_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2051367"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/1/3/6/7/2051367-704524_20130820_005.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/driveclub-delayed-to-early-2014-sony-confirms/1100-6415646/" data-ref-id="1100-6415646">delay of PlayStation 4-exclusive racing game Driveclub to spring 2014</a> had nothing to do with the fact that developer Evolution Studios was experimenting with a virtual reality version of the game. PlayStation president of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told GameSpot today that rumors to that effect are false.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"There's a rumor about the reason of the pushback of Driveclub was to make it Morpheus compatible...that's totally untrue," Yoshida said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yoshida also discussed the virtual reality version of Driveclub that Evolution Studios made using what is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">now known as Project Morpheus</a>. When trying it for himself during a trip to their UK office, he said it worked well when driving at low speeds. He explained that he was able to look around the world and enjoy its scenery.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">However, when he put his foot on the gas, so to speak, the experience fell apart and he began to feel the effects of motion sickness, he said. "It's kind of difficult and sickening," Yoshida said about his experiences at this level.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Right now, Evolution Studio is "not working on Morpheus at all," and is instead putting "all the effort" into finishing the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Explaining the Driveclub delay in October 2013, Yoshida said, "the extra time we're giving the team means the visuals and overall experience are only going to get better. We can assure you that it will be worth the wait."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417843" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417843/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:31:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-exclusive-driveclub-did-experiment-with-virtual-reality-but-that-s-not-why-it-was-delayed/1100-6418417/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-video-review/2300-6417838/ Heavy strategy and a high degree of balance make Hearthstone a great card game. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:40:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-video-review/2300-6417838/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:42:31 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/2014-independent-games-festival/2300-6417847/ See which of your favorite Independent game titles took home a win from the 2014 Independent Games Festival! Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:49:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/2014-independent-games-festival/2300-6417847/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/splinter-cell-movie-gets-the-bourne-identity-director/1100-6418422/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/7/7/8/2042778-710740_20130611_004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042778" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/7/7/8/2042778-710740_20130611_004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042778"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/2/7/7/8/2042778-710740_20130611_004.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Doug Liman is reportedly in final negotiations to direct <em>Splinter Cell</em>, a film adaptation of Ubisoft's stealth-action game series Tom Clancy's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/tom-clancys-splinter-cell/" data-ref-id="false">Splinter Cell</a>.</p><p style="">According to <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/doug-liman-final-talks-direct-689757" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Hollywood Reporter</a>, Liman (<i>The Bourne Identity, Mr and Mrs Smith</i>) will be developing the movie with New Regency. Tom Hardy has been named to star in the feature film, which has a planned release date of 2015.</p><p style="">The latest entry in the Splinter Cell series, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-blacklist/" data-ref-id="false">Splinter Cell: Blacklist</a>, was released in August last year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Wii U. Ubisoft revealed that game sales failed to meet initial targets, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/splinter-cell-blacklist-underperforms-with-2-million-sold/1100-6416144/" data-ref-id="1100-6416144">selling approximately 2 million copies</a> last year.</p><p style="">For more on Splinter Cell: Blacklist, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-blacklist-review/1900-6412806/" data-ref-id="1900-6412806">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6412933" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6412933/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:31:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/splinter-cell-movie-gets-the-bourne-identity-director/1100-6418422/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/creating-bioshock-infinite-s-elizabeth/2300-6417846/ Behind the critical success of BioShock Infinite is the game's heart and soul, Elizabeth. Not only did Elizabeth carry the narrative weight of BioShock Infinite on her shoulders, she was also a robust AI that allowed for many systemic interactions. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:25:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/creating-bioshock-infinite-s-elizabeth/2300-6417846/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/south-park-stick-of-truth-developer-obsidian-s-next-game-has-a-lot-of-tanks/1100-6418421/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417825" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417825/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Obsidian, the developer behind <a href="/south-park-the-stick-of-truth/" data-ref-id="false">South Park: The Stick of Truth</a> and <a href="/fallout-new-vegas/" data-ref-id="false">Fallout: New Vegas</a> revealed the trailer for their next project, <a href="/armored-warfare/" data-ref-id="false">Armored Warfare</a>, during the GDC Awards ceremony earlier tonight. In case you missed it, you can watch the reveal again in the trailer above, but the modern tank combat game will probably immediately call to mind another<a href="/world-of-tanks/" data-ref-id="false"> multiplayer tank-based shooter from Wargaming.</a> </p><p style="">We'll have more details on Obsidian's game straight from GDC in the coming days. However, you can sign up for the game's beta right now on <a href="http://aw.my.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">ArmoredWarfare.com</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style="">Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinHaywald" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @JustinHaywald</a></p><p style="">Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/south-park-stick-of-truth-developer-obsidian-s-next-game-has-a-lot-of-tanks/1100-6418421/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/armored-warfare-announcement-trailer/2300-6417825/ Take a look at the announcement trailer for Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming game, Armored Warfare. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 20:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/armored-warfare-announcement-trailer/2300-6417825/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/infamous-developer-tells-the-origin-story-of-secon/2300-6417845/ Sucker Punch Productions recounts the development of its Infamous series and how their studio has grown. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 20:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/infamous-developer-tells-the-origin-story-of-secon/2300-6417845/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-wins-gdc-game-of-the-year-award/1100-6418420/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417816" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417816/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">GDC may still have another two days, but as usual, Wednesday ends with the Game Developers Conference awards show. Chosen by the Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Board, here are the winners and nominees. And in case you missed them, the show also handed out awards to the best indie games of 2013. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/papers-please-wins-grand-prize-in-independent-games-awards-show/1100-6418419/" data-ref-id="1100-6418419">Papers, Please took top honors, but you can read that full list here. </a></p><h3>Game of the Year</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li></ul><strong>Nominees</strong><span>:</span></li><li>Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)</li><li>Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)</li><li>Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo EAD Tokyo/Nintendo)</li><li>Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix)</li></ul><h3>Innovation Award</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>DEVICE 6 (Simogo)</li><li>Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li><li>The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)</li></ul><h3>Best Audio</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: <ul><li>BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games)</li></ul></li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Forza Motorsport 5 (Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Games)</li><li>Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)</li><li>Saints Row IV (Volition/Deep Silver)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li></ul><h3>Best Debut</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: <ul><li>The Fullbright Company (Gone Home)</li></ul></li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Blue Manchu (Card Hunter)</li><li>Galactic Cafe (The Stanley Parable)</li><li>Squad (Kerbal Space Program)</li><li>Undead Labs (State Of Decay)</li></ul><h3>Best Design</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: <ul><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li></ul></li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)</li><li>The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)</li><li>Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo EAD Tokyo/Nintendo)</li><li>Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix)</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Best Downloadable Game</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>Papers, Please</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (Starbreeze/505 Games)</li><li>Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)</li><li>Papers, Please (Lucas Pope)</li><li>Resogun (Housemarque/Sony)</li><li>The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Best Handheld/Mobile Game</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>DEVICE 6 (Simogo)</li><li>Fire Emblem: Awakening (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)</li><li>Ridiculous Fishing (Vlambeer)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Best Narrative</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons (Starbreeze/505 Games)</li><li>Gone Home (The Fullbright Company)</li><li>Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix)</li><li>The Stanley Parable (Galactic Cafe)</li></ul><h3>Best Technology</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)</li><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li><li>Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerrilla Games/Sony)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Best Visual Art</h3><ul><li><strong>Winner</strong>: <ul><li>BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games/2K Games)</li></ul></li><li><strong>Nominees</strong>:</li><li>DmC: Devil May Cry (Ninja Theory/Capcom)</li><li>The Last Of Us (Naughty Dog/Sony)</li><li>Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (Level 5/Namco Bandai)</li><li>Tearaway (Media Molecule/Sony)</li></ul><p style="">And a few other awards:</p><ul><li>Audience Award Winner: Kerbal Space Program</li><li>Lifetime Achievement Winner: former chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Ken Kutaragi</li><li>Pioneer Award Winners: League of Legends creators Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill</li><li>Ambassador Award Winner: Feminist Frequency creator Anita Sarkeesian</li></ul> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-wins-gdc-game-of-the-year-award/1100-6418420/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/papers-please-wins-grand-prize-in-independent-games-awards-show/1100-6418419/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417816" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417816/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">The Game Developers Conference in San Francisco is an event for and by developers, and no where is that more evident than in the Independent Game Festival's Award's ceremony.</p><p style="">The show, which was introduced by IGF chairman Bradon Boyer and hosted by Capy Games' Nathan Vella, draws attention to and celebrates some of the best games of last year, both big and small. Papers, Please walked away with three awards, including the show's grand prize, but here's a list of all the winners and nominees:</p><h3>Seumas McNally Grand Prize:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Papers, Please</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>DEVICE 6</li><li>Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!"</li><li>Don't Starve</li><li>Jazzpunk</li><li>Papers, Please</li><li>The Stanley Parable</li></ul><h3>Excellence in Narrative:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Papers, Please</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>DEVICE 6</li><li>Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!"</li><li>Papers, Please</li><li>Paralect</li><li>The Stanley Parable</li><li>The Yawhg</li></ul><h3>Excellence in Audio:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: DEVICE 6</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Crypt of the NecroDancer</li><li>Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!"</li><li>Samorost3</li><li>The Stanley Parable</li><li>The Yawhg</li></ul><h3>Excellence in Design:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Papers, Please</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>868-HACK</li><li>Crypt of the NecroDancer</li><li>Don't Starve</li><li>Mushroom 11</li><li>TowerFall Ascension</li></ul><h3>Nuovo Award</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Luxuria Superbia</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Corrypt</li><li>Dominique Pamplemousse in "It's All Over Once the Fat Lady Sings!"</li><li>Extrasolar</li><li>Papers, Please</li><li>Perfect Woman</li><li>Save the Date</li><li>SoundSelf</li></ul><p style=""> </p><h3>Excellence in Visual Art</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Gorogoa</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>DEVICE 6</li><li>Drei</li><li>Perfect Stride</li><li>Samorost3</li><li>The Banner Saga</li></ul><h3>Best Student Game:</h3><ul><li><b>Winner</b>: Risk of Rain</li><li><b>Nominees</b>:</li><li>Cyber Heist</li><li>Engare</li><li>Foiled</li><li>Museum of Simulation Technology</li><li>Rhythm Doctor</li><li>Symmetrain</li><li>Westerado</li></ul><p style="">Audience Award Winner: The Stanley Parable</p> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/papers-please-wins-grand-prize-in-independent-games-awards-show/1100-6418419/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-breakdown-first-impressions-of-sony-s-project-m/2300-6417843/ Peter got a chance to test Sony's new VR headset at GDC 2014. He compares it to Oculus and talks about the future of VR. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-breakdown-first-impressions-of-sony-s-project-m/2300-6417843/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-s-project-morpheus-vr-device-won-t-launch-in-2014-1000-price-point-unlikely/1100-6418418/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2470560-projectmorpheus.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2470560" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2470560-projectmorpheus.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2470560"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2470560-projectmorpheus.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony has ruled out a 2014 launch for its <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">virtual reality headset Project Morpheus</a>. PlayStation president of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told GameSpot today that this won't happen because Sony engineers are continuing to iterate on the device and they won't have a feature-complete version ready anytime soon.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">We asked Yoshida directly if a 2014 launch date for Project Morpheus had been ruled out and his response was: "Yes. That we can say comfortably because we are still making changes to the hardware."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The current iteration of the Project Morpheus headset is a non-final prototype. Sony has pledged to continue to improve the device over time to boost its ability to deliver a feeling of "presence." However, the company has not laid out a specific roadmap for what changes are the highest priority.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Oculus VR is also keeping the release date for the Oculus Rift consumer version under wraps. A <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/we-truly-believe-virtual-reality-will-change-the-world-oculus-rift-devs-say/1100-6418402/" data-ref-id="1100-6418402">second iteration of the development kit will launch this summer</a>, with the consumer version to follow, though it's not clear when that will be.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2470576-morpheuspeter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2470576" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2470576-morpheuspeter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2470576"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1179/11799911/2470576-morpheuspeter.jpg"></a><figcaption>GameSpot editor Peter Brown trying out Project Morpheus today at GDC</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Also in our interview with Yoshida today, the PlayStation executive addressed the matter of pricing for Project Morpheus. He wasn't ready to talk firm pricing plans, but he did say that you won't have to spend $1000 to get your hands on the device, as is the case with <a href="http://store.sony.com/WFS/SNYUS/en_US/-/USD/wearable-hdtv-2d-3d-virtual-7.1-surround-sound-zid27-HMZT3W/cat-27-catid-3D-Personal-Viewer" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Sony's HMZ head-mounted display line</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to Yoshida, the HMZ line is priced in such a way that Sony makes money on every unit sold. This model doesn't normally apply to game hardware, though, as consoles are often sold at or below cost, and become profitable with the sale of games, accessories, and services.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yoshida said Sony often prices its gaming hardware lower than other non-gaming Sony devices and explained that he doesn't expect this to change with Project Morpheus. As such, Yoshida explained that a $1000 price point "doesn't necessarily indicate the pricing that we're gonna have" for Project Morpheus.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As for the competition, Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-will-be-affordable-says-creator/1100-6418068/" data-ref-id="1100-6418068"> said this month</a> that the device will be "affordable" because he doesn't want it to be a "rich person's toy."</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><em>Check back in the days ahead for even more GameSpot coverage of Project Morpheus, including a breakdown of the differences between Sony's device and Oculus Rift.</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417843" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417843/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 19:03:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-s-project-morpheus-vr-device-won-t-launch-in-2014-1000-price-point-unlikely/1100-6418418/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/volume-gameplay-gdc-2014/2300-6417842/ Mike Bithell stops by the GameSpot office to show off Volume for PC. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:36:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/volume-gameplay-gdc-2014/2300-6417842/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gentlemen-highlights-multiple-players/2300-6417841/ Chris, Erick, Kevin and Maxwell don their monocles and curly mustaches to determine who is the most gentlemanly. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:27:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gentlemen-highlights-multiple-players/2300-6417841/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-review/1900-6415707/ <p style="">The key to understanding Hearthstone lies in its very name. Not only does it refer to the white-and-turquoise rock that has sent the World of Warcraft faithful back to inns since 2004; it also suggests friendly competition far removed from the battles and weighty stratagems of other collectible card games. Its cozy syllables evoke not laborious campaigns lasting hours, but quick matches that take no longer than it takes to gulp down a mug of ale. If <a href="/world-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false">World of Warcraft</a> is the everyman's massively multiplayer online game, this is the everyman's collectible card game, and for the most part, Blizzard has justified the fanfare that erupted when it first appeared last March.</p><p style="">Few other card games rival its personality, which reveals itself in the little things, such as the way you can tap iron gongs and fiddle with water mills on the board in the 90 seconds when you're awaiting a challenger's next move, or in the way a chorus of rough-and-tumble dwarves and orcs erupts in cheers when you've made a good move. You find it in the flashier details as well, such as the way the mage's arcane missiles pelt enemy heroes with sound files yanked from World of Warcraft, or in the way some of Warcraft's most exaggerated figures guide through a tutorial that's as helpful as it is fun. The emo night elf Illidan from <a href="/warcraft-iii-battlechest/" data-ref-id="false">Warcraft III</a> and WOW's Burning Crusade expansion wraps up the swift campaign, still spouting his convictions that we're unprepared.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372636-stormwind.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372636" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372636-stormwind.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372636"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2372636-stormwind.jpg"></a><figcaption>Superficial simplicity betrays Hearthstone's lurking strategic depth. </figcaption></figure><p style="">That may well be true for card gaming tenderfeet, but it rarely matters. One of the great strengths of Hearthstone is that it embraces players who shied from the know-it-alls at Magic: The Gathering events in comic shops or missed the heydays of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. What's more, it caters to players burned by the caustic personalities in multiplayer games like League of Legends and Dota 2 by limiting communication with random players to preset responses. (Friends can chat with and battle each other, but to prevent exploits, these matches offer no form of reward or advancement.) In true Blizzard form, Hearthstone shatters barriers to entry while supplying the means to access greater challenges if you seek them.</p><p style="">Indeed, card gaming veterans will find much to love beyond the cheesy puns and happy aesthetic. Hearthstone adopts the familiar model of whittling down the opposing player's hit points with attack points from cards, but it simplifies the often cumbersome resource mechanics of other games for a mana bar that automatically expands with the passing of each turn. It's a system geared toward speed, and hero abilities that don't depend on cards--like the mage's fireball--act as wild cards that can keep you in the fight even when surrounded by minions. It's a lunch breaker's game, and indeed, the toughest matches rarely last more than 15 minutes.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372598-grom+hellscream.png" data-ref-id="1300-2372598" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372598-grom+hellscream.png" data-ref-id="1300-2372598"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1197/11970954/2372598-grom+hellscream.png"></a><figcaption>Talk about a descriptive name!</figcaption></figure><p style="">Blizzard manages to bless Hearthstone with significant depth in spite of such nods to speed. There's a wide assortment of cards with specific abilities in play here, some of which are part of the nine unlockable decks modeled on familiar World of Warcraft classes, and others of which come with the massive bundle of cards that you can use with all the decks. Using the hunter deck, you might spring a trap by unleashing three weak snake cards after an enemy attacks his or her minions; your opponent might fend off the attacks by tossing down a tanky card with "taunt," thereby forcing the snakes to attack the taunting card instead of the main hero. But still further strategies await: your mage could incapacitate the taunting card with a frost nova, thereby letting you have a go at your opponent's hero.</p><p style="">All this worked well when beta invites shot out a year ago, but Hearthstone now enjoys a commendable degree of balance in the wake of months of tweaks and player suggestions. It's more apparent in the early levels, when most challengers you meet haven't built powerful decks through their winnings from daily quests and simple leveling, but flashes of it remain at higher levels when players start slapping down legendary cards with alarming frequency. Hearthstone's class decks perform a little of the same service as alts in an online role-playing game; once you get tired of one class, you can jump on another and start leveling it from scratch for a varied experience.</p><p style="">Over time, perhaps inevitably, the process of leveling and building killer decks devolves into a grind. Blizzard gives you the option to craft your own cards to counter it, although it's here that the veterans enjoy a significant advantage over card-gaming rookies. Hearthstone simplifies many of the necessary actions, such as destroying excess cards and neatly arranging the available cards in a flipbook of sorts, but the uninitiated get few clues as to what to focus on. In the worst cases, you might waste your material on a worthless card or (the horror) accidentally disintegrate one of the best in your deck. Nevertheless, card crafting is a good way to fill in the gaps for the unlucky. If you can't get a card to appear from the packs you buy through your winnings (or indeed, real-world money), you can usually make it if you have the materials.</p><p style="">The best way to break this tedium is to break into the Arena mode. Arenas come with an entry fee, although it's usually negligible if you manage to complete the daily quests, which have you doing things like winning matches with a specific deck or dealing 100 damage to enemy heroes. The allure of Arena lies in the leveling of the playing field. Rather than bringing your own decks into the battle, you're only allowed to choose from one of three classes, and then you need to build your deck by choosing one of the random cards Hearthstone throws at you until you complete a full deck of 30 cards. The outcome can still be outrageously imbalanced. Some schmuck might swim in legendary cards, while the one you have never gets drawn from the deck. Of course, it works both ways. The next Arena match could shower you with legendaries like Ragnaros instead.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372630-rogue+vs+hunter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372630" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2372630-rogue+vs+hunter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372630"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2372630-rogue+vs+hunter.jpg"></a><figcaption>Uh oh--it's magic!</figcaption></figure><p style="">As is the case with any collectible card game, a degree of randomness affects each action in Hearthstone. It's possible you'll end up with nothing but sorry cards beyond the capable starter decks--I suffered the same fate after I lost my godly deck in a planned wipe halfway through the beta--but there's always the chance of scoring big as well. Still, that randomness might drive players to toss some cash at Blizzard for new card packs (priced at $1.50 each), but the beauty of Hearthstone is that you never feel much if any need to fork out cash. It's a free-to-play game in the best sense of the word, and even the interface for unloading your cash is more stylish than it normally is in such ventures.</p><p style="">Hearthstone features no built-in spectator mode, nor does it offer a replay mode, which could have been helpful in learning from your mistakes. Features such as team battles that make Magic's digital duel games so fun make no appearances here, and the daily quests take long enough to complete that you'll sometimes want to spend cash if you want to play in the Arena. But such objections are minor in light of the breezy but brainy experience Blizzard delivers here, particularly for the massive segment of the populace that's never played a collectible card game. If it's dumbed down, then it's in good hands. If any developer's good at weeding out the chaff of more robust games in a particular genre, surely it's Blizzard.</p> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:01:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-review/1900-6415707/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-exclusive-driveclub-did-experiment-with-virtual-reality-but-that-s-not-why-it-was-delayed/1100-6418417/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/1/3/6/7/2051367-704524_20130820_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2051367" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/1/3/6/7/2051367-704524_20130820_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2051367"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/1/3/6/7/2051367-704524_20130820_005.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/driveclub-delayed-to-early-2014-sony-confirms/1100-6415646/" data-ref-id="1100-6415646">delay of PlayStation 4-exclusive racing game Driveclub to spring 2014</a> had nothing to do with the fact that developer Evolution Studios was experimenting with a virtual reality version of the game. PlayStation president of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told GameSpot today that rumors to that effect are false.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"There's a rumor about the reason of the pushback of Driveclub was to make it Morpheus compatible...that's totally untrue," Yoshida said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yoshida also discussed the virtual reality version of Driveclub that Evolution Studios made using what is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">now known as Project Morpheus</a>. When trying it for himself during a trip to their UK office, he said it worked well when driving at low speeds. He explained that he was able to look around the world and enjoy its scenery.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">However, when he put his foot on the gas, so to speak, the experience fell apart and he began to feel the effects of motion sickness, he said. "It's kind of difficult and sickening," Yoshida said about his experiences at this level.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Right now, Evolution Studio is "not working on Morpheus at all," and is instead putting "all the effort" into finishing the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Explaining the Driveclub delay in October 2013, Yoshida said, "the extra time we're giving the team means the visuals and overall experience are only going to get better. We can assure you that it will be worth the wait."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417843" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417843/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:31:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-exclusive-driveclub-did-experiment-with-virtual-reality-but-that-s-not-why-it-was-delayed/1100-6418417/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-video-review/2300-6417838/ Heavy strategy and a high degree of balance make Hearthstone a great card game. Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:40:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-video-review/2300-6417838/
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