http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 02 Jul 2014 22:42:32 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/official-pokemon-online-store-coming-in-august-cou/1100-6420894/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585158-screen+shot+2014-07-02+at+6.18.37+pm.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585158" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585158-screen+shot+2014-07-02+at+6.18.37+pm.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585158"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1534/15343359/2585158-screen+shot+2014-07-02+at+6.18.37+pm.png"></a></figure><p style="">If you felt like you always missed out on neat Japanese Pokemon merchandise exclusives that only came out in places like the Tokyo Pokemon Center, you may soon get a chance to buy them yourself. Nintendo today launched the countdown clock for an <a href="http://www.pokemoncenter.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">official online Pokemon Center</a>.</p><p style="">Of course, the US already has a Nintendo store in New York, and several smaller shops in Washington, but a site like this holds the promise of making limited-edition, Pokemon-specific items more easily accessible and readily available to other parts of the country. </p><p style="">Right now you can order three things: a plush Pikachu for $12.99, a set of Eevee evolution charms for $23.92, or a purple Mewtwo Tumbler for $17.50. The countdown isn't set to end until August 6, so we'll have quite a long wait to find out what exciting items the store will have available once it goes live. Personally, I'm holding out for a<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41o3aEXx0nL.jpg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> classy Pikachu in a polo</a>. </p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>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></strong></p><p style=""><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 18:16:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/official-pokemon-online-store-coming-in-august-cou/1100-6420894/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-forest-early-access-impressions/2300-6420042/ Teetering between moments of bone-chilling horror and utter beauty, The Forest is an early access title that aims to set itself apart from the over saturated genre of open world survival sims. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 16:42:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-forest-early-access-impressions/2300-6420042/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/trials-fusion-dev-teases-co-op-mode-and-new-areas-/1100-6420889/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585091-2763735669-waste.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585091" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585091-2763735669-waste.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585091"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2585091-2763735669-waste.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""><a href="/companies/redlynx/" data-ref-id="false">RedLynx</a>, developer of the 2D platforming-racing game <a href="/trials-fusion/" data-ref-id="false">Trials Fusion</a>, teased future plans for the game and detailed its first DLC pack today.</p><p style=""><a href="http://blog.ubi.com/trials-fusion-riders-of-the-rustlands-dlc/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">In an interview on the Ubisoft blog</a>, Creative Director Antti Ilvessuo said that a cooperative multiplayer mode is coming to Trials Fusion. He didn't explain this feature, but he did say, "Imagine playing Trials for your Teams, against other Teams on tracks and in tournaments and, in a little bit later down the road, online."</p><p style="">He also hinted where you will be able to ride in future Trials Fusion content. "We are planning to take the world of Trials Fusion to places that no Trials game has gone before," he said, "into the clouds, under the sea and even deep underground."</p><p style="">Ilvessuo also provided some new details for the game's first of six DLC packs. Called Riders of the Rustlands, the pack will take you to the outskirts of the futuristic city where the main game takes place. It launches on July 29.</p><p style="">The pack comes with a bunch of new tracks, challenges, and editor objects. It costs $4.99, but season pass holders can download it for free.</p><p style="">You can see the full list of what's included below.</p><ul><li>5 new achievements/trophies</li><li>10 new tracks <ul><li>6 classic Trials tracks</li><li>2 new Supercross tracks (local multiplayer)</li><li>One new Skill Game ("Laws of Motion")</li><li>One new FMX track ("The Gauntlet")</li></ul></li><li>18 new Track Challenges, including tasks such as: <ul><li>Infiltrate the Outsiders' hidden base</li><li>Compete in a game show against penguins</li><li>Find more secret squirrels</li></ul></li><li>New editor objects, including: <ul><li>Steel pipe set</li><li>Wooden ramp set</li><li>Computer mainframes</li></ul></li></ul><p style="">Trials Fusion DLC is planned to be released until May 2015. Free content updates will come between the packs, so keep an eye on GameSpot for future details on upcoming content.</p><p style="">When Fusion launched in April, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/trials-fusion-review/1900-6415733/" data-ref-id="1900-6415733">GameSpot thought that it was great</a>. Riders of the Rustlands will be available on <a href="/xbox-360/" data-ref-id="false">Xbox 360</a>, <a href="/xbox-one/" data-ref-id="false">Xbox One</a>, <a href="/playstation%204/" data-ref-id="false">PlayStation 4</a>, and <a href="/pc/" data-ref-id="false">PC</a>.</p><p style="">Where do you want to see future Trials packs go? What do you want to see from a co-op Trials mode? Let us know in the comments!</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/alexbnewhouse" rel="nofollow">Twitter @alexbnewhouse</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 16:18:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/trials-fusion-dev-teases-co-op-mode-and-new-areas-/1100-6420889/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/spoiler-alert-review/1900-6415811/ <p style="">A game based on a single gimmick can remain entertaining for only so long. Spoiler Alert, a 2D platformer from indie developer Megafuzz Games, flips the usual script by running each of its 100 levels filled with patterned enemies and scalable cliffs in reverse. The hand-drawn hero shuffles his feet backward as he un-jumps on enemies, sucks fireballs back into his gullet, and coughs up the coins collected when the level was originally conquered. It's a clever twist on a genre everyone is familiar with, but unfortunately, Spoiler Alert shows off its best and only trick almost immediately, and fails to introduce anything beyond it.</p><p style="">For reasons beyond understanding, you play as a spicy chili pepper who uses his stubby legs to moonwalk all the way to the "start" of the game. Since he has already conquered each level, the character simply walks backward as you control when and where he jumps. You revive crumpled enemies by reenacting well-timed jumps, while power-ups that give you the ability to breathe fire or throw hammers have to be collected and returned to their original positions before a world can be considered complete. The actions in which the character originally collected coins, dealt with enemies, and scaled obstacles must be re-created, giving you little wiggle room from level to level.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584983-2014-07-01_00004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584983" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584983-2014-07-01_00004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584983"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2584983-2014-07-01_00004.jpg"></a><figcaption>Character design is about as wacky as it gets.</figcaption></figure><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584985-2014-07-01_00015.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584985" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584985-2014-07-01_00015.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584985"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/416/4161502/2584985-2014-07-01_00015.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">The timing of it all can be frustrating early on: anticipating the arc of your jump to land on the lifeless body of a colorful gnome takes a few tries to get right. However, after you catch your groove, you can rush through an entire world packed with 30 unique stages in 10 to 15 minutes. Besting screen after screen of challenges is rewarding, but once you understand the mechanics and see the clear patterns, the one-note design becomes apparent and the flow continues uninterrupted. Spoiler Alert concludes not long after you defeat the first--or technically final--boss. You'd expect 100 levels to lead to hours of action, but since the majority of stages might last fewer than 10 seconds, you can easily see all of the provided content in under an hour's time. There's a certain satisfaction to mastering the game's timing and besting level after level without a hitch, but there's not enough content to back up the design. Spoiler Alert feels less like a full release and more like a paid trial. There's a speed run feature where you're asked to un-play the entire game from finish to start, but after you've un-beaten the game once, it's difficult to find motivation to trudge your way through it all again.</p><p style="">Take away the feature attraction of undoing stage after stage of activities, and you're left with a colorful yet monotonous runner devoid of challenge and inspiration in which the only substantial change between locations is the scenery. If you're unsatisfied with the suite of content provided, there's a level editor included with the Steam-exclusive Collector's Edition that allows you to flex the muscles of your imagination. All of the in-game assets are easily dragged and dropped into your own unique levels, and the simplicity and scope of Spoiler Alert's stages make creating your own reverse runner more straightforward and appealing than the typical suite of such tools.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584984-2014-07-01_00008.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584984" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584984-2014-07-01_00008.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584984"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2584984-2014-07-01_00008.jpg"></a><figcaption>This is the type of scenery you'd expect when the hero is a chili pepper.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The accessible creation options notwithstanding, the glitz covering this stunted platformer isn't enough to glamorize its one-note concept. Spoiler Alert fails to remain interesting over the course of its brief runtime, and while I found myself interested in seeing what would be thrown my way early on, a lack of imagination keeps the entire package from feeling complete. A unique concept needs a supporting cast of good ideas to flourish, and Spoiler Alert's lone conceit doesn't have the charms to carry the weight of an entire game on its shoulders.</p> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:47:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/spoiler-alert-review/1900-6415811/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/if-you-haven-t-tried-pc-gaming-then-it-s-about-time-you-did/1100-6420883/ <p style="">Everyone loves to argue whether gaming is better on consoles or PCs, but let's be honest: it really comes down to personal preference. But, if you haven't given PC gaming a chance, you really should. Free from the shackles of brand identity and oversight, the PC, as a platform, creates an ecosystem defined by freedom, first and foremost. It harbors innovation and experimentation, and apart from the associated cost of powerful hardware and the desire for console exclusive games, there's no reason why you shouldn't invest a little cash and take the plunge into the world of PC gaming.</p><p style="">Why, exactly? Allow me to elaborate.</p><h3><b>Thousands of Games to Choose From</b></h3><p style="">For starters, there are more games available on PC than there ever will be on a traditional console. PCs are backwards compatible with games that are years, if not decades, old. Granted, it takes know-how to overcome some operating system incompatibility issues, for which the Internet at large is a great resource, but there's nothing stopping you from playing most of the thousands of games released on PCs over the last 30 years or so. You've potentially got a lifetime's supply of games at your fingertips.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584935-allofthegames.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584935" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584935-allofthegames.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584935"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2584935-allofthegames.jpg"></a><figcaption>At the moment, there are 12,698 PC games available on Steam.</figcaption></figure><h3><b>Open Publishing Format</b></h3><p style="">Sure, there are quality-assurance tests to overcome to get your game onto Steam, Valve's digital game sales and distribution service and the most popular among consumers, but based on the variety of games in that catalog alone, it's a welcoming place for offbeat and unusual games. This leaves developers free to create games as they wish; they don't even have to worry about getting them rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. The bottom line: There are few bureaucratic concerns for developers when developing games for PC. If they want, developers can also skip the likes of Steam altogether and publish their games completely independently. They might not want to, but the point is, they can. There's no platform that's more open to technical and artistic experimentation than the PC, and as good as that is for developers, the resulting variety of games to choose from ultimately benefits consumers.</p><h3><b>Configurable Hardware That's Not as Expensive as you Think</b></h3><p style="">In terms of hardware, consoles are static products. The hardware inside, apart from maybe the hard drive, will never change simply because you want it to. PCs are great because, ultimately, you're in control of how powerful your machine is. Maxing out a PC can be extremely costly if you need to be on the cutting edge, but it's not an all or nothing game. You can upgrade your PC piece by piece, and since the price/performance ratio scales with time, you won't have to drop a huge sum of money in one fell swoop to keep up with rendering techniques and the capabilities of consoles.</p><p style="">Even if you're building a PC from scratch, you can get started without spending much more money than you would on a new console. In April, we tried to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/can-we-build-a-gaming-pc-on-a-console-budget/1100-6418829/" data-ref-id="1100-6418829" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/can-we-build-a-gaming-pc-on-a-console-budget/1100-6418829/">build a gaming PC</a> that's comparable in performance to a next-gen console for the same price as an Xbox One with a Kinect, which was the only option at the time. We built one machine based on AMD parts, and another with Nvidia and Intel hardware. Our tests prove that, at the time, a gaming PC running cross-platform games can outperform consoles in most cases, for about the same cost. Again, after a few years, you can throw a little more cash towards new parts, and theoretically topple the rendering capabilities of consoles. Yes, you may spend $200 to $300 on a single upgrade, but that's cheaper than buying a brand new console if/when the next generation arrives, which probably won't happen for a very long time.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584945-configurablehardware" data-ref-id="1300-2584945" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584945-configurablehardware" data-ref-id="1300-2584945"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2584945-configurablehardware"></a><figcaption>PC upgrades are a simple affair once you know what you're doing.</figcaption></figure><h3><b>The Potential to Play Games Anywhere, Anyway You Like</b></h3><p style="">One of the great things about hardware technology is that as it improves, it also tends to shrink in size. Therefore, we are now able to have thin laptops that are also powerful, and that means gaming on the go has never been easier or more convenient. Massive gaming laptops still exist, but with the likes of Razer's Blade and Blade Pro, we're beginning to see a shift, and it's possible to carry a device that's more powerful than a console, with its own screen, in your backpack.</p><p style="">It's also worth mentioning that, beyond laptops, PC gaming at home is no longer limited to the desktop. Technically, it never was, but it's now easier than ever to send a video signal to your living room. Again, Valve is leading the way with its in-home streaming application, which allows you to send content from your PC to a cheap and small device connected to a TV with little technical expertise required.</p><p style="">As a PC user, you also have a massive selection of accessories and peripherals to choose from. It's a bit of a wild west situation, in that manufacturers from all corners of the globe are experimenting with new hardware, especially now that virtual reality is a hot commodity, but that just means there's a greater chance you can find a mouse, keyboard, or controller that's perfectly suited to your needs. There are also solutions for people with disabilities, including controllers that work with your feet, eye movement, and gestures of all kinds. In terms of accessibility, the PC is second to none when it comes to gaming.</p><h3><b>Game Mods are Easy to Create and Share</b></h3><p style="">It's easier than ever for the player to double as a developer if they want get something new out of an existing game. Want to play <a href="/grand-theft-auto-iv/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="/grand-theft-auto-iv/">Grand Theft Auto IV</a> with the powers of Iron Man? No problem! Had enough of <a href="/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/">Skyrim</a>'s dragons? Swap them out with Macho Man Randy Savage! User-generated content continues to grow in popularity, and developers are getting better at giving people the tools they need to create add-ons and mods for their games, but the ubiquity of said tools, and their potential, is greatest on PC. In a lot of cases, PC games are highly flexible, allowing you to use external tools to create new assets, and alter code to change the behavior of in-game elements. Plus, with Valve's Steam Workshop pipeline, accessing and sharing mods is easier than ever. Mods allow players to explore the extent of their imagination and share it with the world, and for better or worse, anything goes on PC when it comes to mods.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584953-8674662512-5518-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584953" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584953-8674662512-5518-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584953"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2584953-8674662512-5518-.jpg"></a><figcaption>Macho Man Randy Dragon.</figcaption></figure><h3><b>Cheap Software and Services</b></h3><p style="">The Steam summer sale just wrapped, and those who dared to open their eyes and their wallets probably ended up buying a few more games than they reasonably needed. Why? Because so many great games were cheap to the point that it would be silly not to buy them. Maybe game X wasn't attractive at $20 because you weren't sold on its premise or gameplay. But when that same game is $5, the risk of investment wanes, and you're more likely to take a chance. The allure of low-risk purchases can lead to a backlog scenario that many PC gamers are all too familiar with, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Who cares if I have 20, 30, or 100 games in my Steam library that I haven't played yet? At least I have them should the day come that I run out of something to play.</p><p style="">To be fair, there are often sales on console games, but there are barriers to accessing those prices. Most of the time, you have to belong to a premium subscription service like PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold to get these discounts, but also, to play games online. Unless you're talking about subscription-based massively multiplayer online games, you're able to play online multiplayer PC games free of charge in nearly every case.</p><h3><strong>What About Consoles?</strong></h3><p style="">I still love console gaming as it exists today, but I appreciate it for different reasons than I do PC gaming. For now, there are reasons to argue for both sides of the PC vs. console debate, but if you've shied away from PCs in the past because they're not immediately user-friendly, consider giving PC gaming a chance for the reasons mentioned above, and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by everything the platform has to offer.</p> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:29:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/if-you-haven-t-tried-pc-gaming-then-it-s-about-time-you-did/1100-6420883/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/xenonauts-review/1900-6415810/ <p style="">Let's be honest. If aliens were to invade right now, chances are pretty good humanity would have a tough time of it, but we might have a chance. In 1979, though? Before we had stealth fighters, before we had directed energy weapons, before supercomputers or the Internet as we know it today? We'd be crushed. Xenonauts places the future of Cold War-era humankind on your shoulders, and it's about as punishingly difficult as it should be given the setting. If the brain-melting strategy doesn't scare you away, you'll find a beautifully atmospheric game that evokes the purest dread and desperation.</p><p style="">Any discussion of Xenonauts must make a nod to its clear inspiration, X-COM. While I'd like to say that this is a spiritual sequel to 1994's <a href="/x-com-ufo-defense/" data-ref-id="false">X-COM: UFO Defense</a>, it's a lot more accurate to say that it's more of a remake than even Firaxis' <a href="/xcom-enemy-unknown/" data-ref-id="false">XCOM: Enemy Unknown</a>. Xenonauts strikes a balance between large-scale, real-time global logistics and small-scale personnel tactics. You must capture and research alien technology in the dire hope that humanity can reverse-engineer weapons to match and ultimately exceed those of the invaders before it's too late. You may also name your squads after friends and family to make ckear the human costs of war. With these parallels, Xenonauts struggles to establish its own identity. There are only a handful of substantive differences between it and the games that preceded it, and while each difference adds a lot to the game, it's also impossible to shake the feeling that you've done this all before.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582167-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582167" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582167-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582167"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2582167-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>As you capture alien technology and pass it off to your research team, you learn more about your foes and move closer to discerning their true intentions.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The war for Earth is pretty slow at first. The aliens you face hail from a planet with an extremely thin atmosphere, and they have to modify their ships before they can land. This minor narrative touch may seem insignificant, but it gives the early hours coherence by explaining the slow ramp-up in the enemy offensive. It's apparent that you're living on borrowed time. These visitors aren't friendly, and they have Earth surrounded.</p><p style="">Your main goal is to construct and maintain bases that monitor and guard as much of the world's airspace as possible, as well as to launch ground missions to recover alien technology or capture one alien leaders. And thus rises the multilayered strategy that links everything together. You need cash to run your bases, supply your troops, and keep the aliens from wiping out humanity. Missions help keep the international community happy, which keeps the money flowing. Every mechanic feeds into another, and a weak plan on one front can have a lot of critical repercussions. When starting up Xenonauts for the first time, I attempted to build two bases right off the bat. I wanted to secure a decent chunk of the planet and steadily expand from there. Unfortunately, founding and supplying two facilities rapidly drains your cash and keeps you from being able to carefully invest in the development of new, efficient weapons and tech for your soldiers and fighter jets. That doesn't mean it's impossible, but poorly conceived plans lead to humanity's doom.</p><blockquote data-align="left" data-size="medium"><p style="">It's immediately apparent that you're living on borrowed time.</p></blockquote><p style="">Failing to protect some regions causes your program to steadily lose funding as those regions lose faith in the Xenonauts project. Because humanity as a whole is on the defensive, downing enemy aircraft is your bread and butter. You need to keep UFOs from bombing cities, abducting citizens, or straight-up attacking your bases. Initially, that's not a tall order. At first, only small craft like probes and corvettes can be modified to enter Earth's atmosphere. Intercepting them carries virtually no risk. You can have battles auto-resolve, with the game using basic aircraft statistics to determine the victor. If you prefer more direct interaction, you can play out the dogfights with a system that very closely resembles Cold War-era radar screens. Ships and planes are represented by green 2D sprites, and their firing arcs and weapon ranges are clearly displayed. If you're careful, manual dogfights can assist you in your path to victory. About midway through the game, I was lagging behind my fighter upgrades and couldn't keep up with the stronger, faster alien vessels, but I could still survive thanks to smart maneuvering. With a few careful clicks and some liberal use of my afterburners, I kept two of my jets in the aliens' blind spots and downed the ships before they could reach Dublin and initiate a wholesale slaughter.</p><p style="">When you can successfully scrap a UFO over land, you have a narrow window in which you can launch an automated airstrike to clear out all of the alien troops and pick up a moderate amount of cash, or you can choose to launch a ground mission. These have you organize landing squads to scavenge what alien tech you can and bring it back for future research. They also give your soldiers an opportunity to accumulate valuable battlefield experience, dramatically improving their stats over time. The surviving extraterrestrial troops and robots attempt to fight you off, making these missions dangerous propositions. The technological superiority of your foes makes itself readily apparent here; the extraterrestrial soldiers can immediately kill one of your soldiers if you're not extremely careful. Your weapons, and later your cheap imitations of the alien weapons, just aren't as effective. These ground missions help distinguish Xenonauts from its influences. Whereas XCOM: Enemy Unknown had small, tight levels that helped clearly identify threats, Xenonauts has sprawling levels with extremely limited visibility. Cover is also of limited use; in almost every case it can be destroyed with a few shots or a stray grenade. During night missions, your soldiers have severely limited visibility. The aliens, once again, have an advantage, with infrared vision. The result is an extremely lethal set of missions that help drive home the overwhelming danger posed by Earth's visitors.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582168-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582168" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582168-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582168"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2582168-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>I might be a little paranoid about what's on the other side of this door. But my fear is not unwarranted.</figcaption></figure><p style="">During one excursion, with a squad of battle-hardened veterans, I caught myself screaming at my computer screen, begging them to stop succumbing to a previously unknown line of alien androids for just a few more turns. After the anger and panic subsided, I realized I had no one else to blame but myself for the loss. Yes, Xenonauts is lethal, but never unfairly so. The environments are almost completely destructible with the right gear, and once you've cleared an area of civilians, wanton destruction comes with almost no penalty. Xenonauts necessitates a metered ruthlessness, a barely contained thirst for devastation that you periodically release to ensure absolute dominance. This is ultimately the game's single best design decision. Xenonaut's gameplay ably complements its narrative. You aren't just told to feel desperate; you must take desperate measures to have any hope of victory.</p><p style="">Unfortunately, while Xenonauts creates a network of mutually reinforcing sections, it borrows too heavily from the 1994 X-COM in some not-so-flattering ways. The user interface can be obnoxious and obtuse. Even with an internal game manual, I didn't figure out that right-clicking and dragging would change which direction a soldier was facing until a few too many hours into my first run. Outfitting your squads with the gear and equipment they need can also be a pain. In addition, the game's uninspired visuals lack the panache of its more recent competitor, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which magnified powerful attacks with its cinematic, over-the-shoulder camera. A similar brand of drama could have made Xenonauts' battles all the more thrilling, but the distant camera keeps the action at arm's length.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582169-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582169" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582169-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582169"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2582169-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Completing missions yields experience and war medals for your soldiers, which sets them apart from new recruits and further encourages you to protect them.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Xenonauts is an unlikely success, a challenging clone of a beloved classic with enough tweaks to entice fans and newcomers alike. It might look rather cheap at first glance, but underneath that rough exterior lies something special. Breaking the game down and looking at all of its pieces in isolation would do the game a disservice, because every facet helps focus the true luster of the whole.</p> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:08:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/xenonauts-review/1900-6415810/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/primary-assassin-s-creed-development-duties-shift-to-different-ubisoft-studio/1100-6420888/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419587" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419587/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft's crown jewel, the <a href="/assassins-creed-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed</a> franchise, is undergoing a shift, as the company today announced plans to have Ubisoft Quebec lead development of future games in the series.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This move takes the lead development duties out of the hands of Ubisoft Montreal, the longtime primary developer of the series.Quebec doesn't come in lacking any experience with Assassin's Creed; it's contributed to the series since 2010's <a href="/assassins-creed-brotherhood/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood</a>, having worked on <a href="/assassins-creed-revelations/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed: Revelations</a>, <a href="/assassins-creed-iii/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed III</a>'s Tyranny of King Washington DLC, and <a href="/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a>'s Freedom Cry DLC.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Since 2010, our understanding of the franchise has increased each year," said Ubisoft Quebec managing director Nicolas Rioux in an interview the official <a href="http://blog.ubi.com/ubisoft-quebec-assassins-creed/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Ubisoft blog</a>. He added, "We have the confidence of the brand team and also from Ubisoft to take leadership of an upcoming Assassin's Creed title. The team is ready for the next big step."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Quebec certainly doesn't lack for manpower; it has more than 350 people at its disposal and has plans to reach 425 employees by 2018. Presumably Ubisoft will continue to have multiple studios working on each Assassin's Creed game--<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/10-studios-are-working-on-assassin-s-creed-unity-that-s-three-more-than-ac4/1100-6419664/" data-ref-id="1100-6419664">ten studios, including Quebec and Montreal, are at work</a> on the upcoming <a href="/assassins-creed-unity/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed Unity</a>. It's unclear what role Ubisoft Montreal will play in the series going forward; even while leading development on the series, it's continued to work on a multitude of other projects, including <a href="/watch-dogs/" data-ref-id="false">Watch Dogs</a> and <a href="/far-cry-4/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry 4</a>. We also don't know exactly why Ubisoft is making this move, but we've contacted the company for comment and will report back with anything we learn.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Coinciding with this news regarding Assassin's Creed is word that Ubisoft plans to relocate its Quebec operations. It will be moving the studio to a new location in the St-Roch district of Quebec in spring 2016 that will be home to a "cutting-edge studio" for at least the next 14 years. From a previously announced $28 million CAD (about $26.2 million USD) investment in Ubisoft Quebec, $4 million CAD (about $3.75 million) will go toward the new digs. Quebec City has also announced a new program that will see it make a $500,000 CAD (about $468,000) investment to help outfit the new location.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft Quebec is already at work on a new Assassin's Creed game, although no details on that project were forthcoming. The only upcoming game in the series currently announced is Unity, which will be available for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-assassin-s-creed-unity-coming-to-xbox-one-ps4-and-pc-on-october-28/1100-6420262/" data-ref-id="1100-6420262">October 28</a>. A separate game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-2014-s-other-assassin-s-creed-game-will-let-you-play-as-a-templar/1100-6418593/" data-ref-id="1100-6418593">allowing players to assume the role of a Templar</a> is reportedly in the works for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There has been no official word on that as of yet, although Ubisoft has indicated it's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-not-ready-to-abandon-xbox-360-ps3-just-yet/1100-6419673/" data-ref-id="1100-6419673">not ready to abandon last-gen hardware</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Do you like the direction the Assassin's Creed franchise is headed in? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/primary-assassin-s-creed-development-duties-shift-to-different-ubisoft-studio/1100-6420888/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sniper-elite-iii-review-roundup/1100-6420885/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6420019" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420019/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">As a tactical, third-person shooter with an emphasis on sniping, <a href="/sniper-elite-iii/" data-ref-id="false">Sniper Elite III</a> is decidedly different from the industry's most popular shooters, like <a href="/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty</a> and <a href="/battlefield-hardline/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield</a>. But what, if anything, does that mean for the quality of the newly released shooter? We've rounded up a helping of reviews to help you decide if it's worth a look.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're in the market for a new shooter on the platform of your choice--it's available on PC and every current console that Nintendo doesn't have a hand in--it sounds as if you could do worse than Sniper Elite III. The game includes a campaign mode in addition to competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes, the latter of which lets you play through the entire campaign with another player.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sniper Elite III recently made headlines with its new game when it <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sniper-elite-3-steam-keys-bought-in-good-faith-revoked-as-result-of-scam/1100-6420803/" data-ref-id="1100-6420803">revoked an unspecified number of Steam keys</a> for the new shooter that were reportedly stolen. Those affected will be getting a piece of DLC for free.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A selection of reviews follow below. Look for GameSpot's soon; for more in the meantime, check out <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/sniper-elite-iii" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot sister site Metacritic</a>.</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><strong>Game:</strong> Sniper Elite III</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Developer:</strong> Rebellion</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Platforms:</strong> PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Release Date:</strong> July 1</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Price:</strong> $49.99 (PC, Xbox One, PS4); $39.99 (Xbox 360, PS3)</li></ul><h3 dir="ltr">Eurogamer -- 7/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"The package as a whole is still very much a rough diamond, but it's a definite improvement over its predecessor. The gruesome kill-cam remains a deliciously wrong thrill and the unifying force that holds the game together, but it's doubtful that it would be enough to paper over the cracks in a fourth game without a major overhaul of the AI and physics code. Even with its flaws, though, Sniper Elite 3 is a solidly enjoyable mid-tier action game. It may not hit the bullseye, but it's getting closer with every shot." [<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-06-26-sniper-elite-3-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="2014-06">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">Edge -- 5/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Campaign missions are lengthy, packed full of optional objectives that smooth your progress, such as taking out searchlight operators or disabling vehicles. A leveling system doles out new kit for your customizable loadout, and there's co-op and online multiplayer to contend with when Fairburne's mission is complete. But content is no substitute for quality, and while Sniper Elite III might have made for an engaging design document, it isn't much of a game." [<a href="http://www.edge-online.com/review/sniper-elite-iii-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">PC Gamer -- 70/100</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"It's all very similar to <a href="/sniper-elite-v2/" data-ref-id="false">Sniper Elite V2</a>, but SE3 does everything a little better, and it does the campaign much better. I wish I could celebrate its classic stylings without any caveats, but as much as I personally enjoy it, I can't look past the bugs, the exploitable AI, and the annoying movement system. The multiplayer is good, but there are too few maps and modes, and I'm not optimistic about mod support. I'm sure there will be plenty of DLC, though." [<a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/review/sniper-elite-3-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2584973" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584973-se3+xray.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584973-se3+xray.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584973"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2584973-se3+xray.jpg"></a><figcaption>A look at the game's X-ray kill cam.</figcaption></figure><h3 dir="ltr">IGN -- 8.2/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Sniper Elite III's open level designs and objectives pack in more than enough variety and stealthy tension to counterbalance its thin story and shaky enemy intelligence, and experimenting with its explosive traps is almost as fun as popping skulls with a sniper rifle. The skeleton-shattering, long-distance kills are still its riveting centerpiece, of course, but even without the element of dumb fun they offer, Sniper Elite III would still be a smart, unexpectedly memorable experience." [<a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/26/sniper-elite-iii-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">Game Informer -- 6.5/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"I openly admit that I love gory kills and living the hero sniper fantasy, but Sniper Elite III only partially delivers on the latter. If you can't get enough of dramatic, transparent shots of enemies getting shredded by sniper fire, Sniper Elite III has you covered in spades. If you're interested in more motivation beyond the glory of the kill, look elsewhere." [<a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/sniper_elite_3/b/playstation4/archive/2014/07/01/game-informer-review-sniper-elite-3.aspx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">Official Xbox Magazine -- 6/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Glitchy level geometry and the gung-ho tone render it a touch too charmless to rank as one of the great B-games, but it competently delivers on its premise. With each level supporting multiple different approaches past its idiotic guards, and stuffed with collectibles you'll easily overlook amid the drab design, it could easily soak up those long days waiting for the next Xbox One release. You'll know that you could be doing better things with your time, but you probably won't mind." [<a href="http://www.totalxbox.com/78692/reviews/sniper-elite-3-xbox-one-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">Rock, Paper, Shotgun</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"I'd love to have seen Rebellion weave more WW2 history into their solo campaign, and put a bit more love and novelty into their online play modes. Other than that, mark me down as a satisfied customer. The prospect of a second campaign playthrough--this time in Authentic mode (no threat radar, aiming aids, or saves!)--is genuinely enticing as is the thought of spending further evenings online, crouched in shadows, waiting and watching…" [<a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/06/30/sniper-elite-3-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 13:49:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sniper-elite-iii-review-roundup/1100-6420885/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-must-change-dungeon-keeper-ads-calling-it-free-rules-uk-ad-regulator/1100-6420884/ <p style=""> </p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2584923" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584923-dk.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584923-dk.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584923"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2584923-dk.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The agency in charge of regulating advertisements in the United Kingdom has decided Electronic Arts may not continue to run ads describing mobile game <a href="/dungeon-keeper/" data-ref-id="false">Dungeon Keeper</a>--<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-responds-to-dungeon-keeper-free-to-play-criticisms/1100-6417571/" data-ref-id="1100-6417571">widely criticized for its in-app purchases</a>--as a "free" game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This is the <a href="http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2014/7/Electronic-Arts-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_258907.aspx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">judgment</a> rendered today by the Advertising Standards Authority, the independent regulator of advertising in the UK. It deals with an email ad for Dungeon Keeper that makes repeated mentions of Dungeon Keeper being "free," which technically is true. But as anyone who has downloaded the iOS and Android game since its launch earlier this year will tell you, its free-to-play model makes it virtually impossible to play the game in any enjoyable way without spending money on in-app purchases.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A complaint was filed with the ASA over the ad by someone "who understood that gameplay was severely limited unless in-app purchases were made," but "challenged whether the ad was misleading because it omitted significant information."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">EA's response to the ASA was to claim that "gameplay without in-app purchasing is not severely limited. [It] also stated that all the features referenced in the ad were available during free play and that not all of them were gated by a timer." EA went on to note that it's possible to earn all three types of currency in the game through "normal in-game engagement and activity over time." Again, while this is technically accurate, many of the game's players would take issue with the amount of time it takes to earn any significant amount of gems, the premium currency that players can choose to buy with real-world money.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2584925" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584925-dk1.jpg" data-size="small" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584925-dk1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584925"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/123/1239113/2584925-dk1.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">This isn't a simple matter of players not wanting to pay for the game--Peter Molyneux, designer of the original Dungeon Keeper, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/peter-molyneux-on-free-to-play-dungeon-keeper-this-is-ridiculous/1100-6417611/" data-ref-id="1100-6417611">spoke out against the game shortly after its release</a>. "I felt myself turning around saying, 'What? This is ridiculous," he said in February. "I just want to make a dungeon. I don't want to schedule it on my alarm clock for six days to come back for a block to be chipped," he added, referencing the long waits players are subjected to unless they spend gems.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The ASA says EA provided data suggesting non-paying players have managed to make significant progress in the game and pointed to other games that use similar models. EA also indicated that a "timing mechanism" would be in place even if the game were not free-to-play.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Apparently EA's defense wasn't strong enough, because while the ASA acknowledges it is possible to play Dungeon Keeper without spending money, it "regarded it as extremely likely that players would reach a position where they would be unable to take any further meaningful or progressive action in the game until a timer had finished or been skipped, and that these periods would become longer and more significant, and the cost of skipping increasingly higher, as the player progressed."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Additionally, it feels that, based on the ad, "players would expect the gameplay progression and their ability to advance to be unhindered by unexpected and excessively onerous delays, and we therefore considered that the length and frequency of these countdown events was beyond that which would be reasonably expected by players."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What this all means is that the ad in question "must not appear again in its current form." EA has been told "to ensure that future ads made clear the limitations of free gameplay and role of in-app purchasing with regard to speeding up gameplay."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">EA CEO Andrew Wilson recently discussed Dungeon Keeper, stating the company "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-responds-to-dungeon-keeper-microtransaction-criticisms/1100-6420728/" data-ref-id="1100-6420728">misjudged the economy</a>." He also said, "For new players, it was kind of a cool game. For people who'd grown up playing Dungeon Keeper there was a disconnect there. In that aspect, we didn't walk that line as well as we could have. And that's a shame."</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:39:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-must-change-dungeon-keeper-ads-calling-it-free-rules-uk-ad-regulator/1100-6420884/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/exploring-the-new-worlds-in-world-of-warcraft-warl/2300-6420037/ Julio and Justin school Danny and Chris about the new character models and areas to explore in the latest WoW expansion. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/exploring-the-new-worlds-in-world-of-warcraft-warl/2300-6420037/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-boss-doesn-t-understand-why-some-people-only-want-to-play-aaa-games/1100-6420882/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2556900-u4_keyart_final_layered4_1402365483.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2556900" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2556900-u4_keyart_final_layered4_1402365483.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2556900"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2556900-u4_keyart_final_layered4_1402365483.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">PlayStation worldwide studios boss Shuhei Yoshida doesn't understand why some gamers only want to play big-budget AAA games. Speaking with <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-07-02-yoshida-i-dont-understand-people-who-only-want-aaa" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="2014-07">GamesIndustry International</a>, Yoshida acknowledged that some people gravitate towards AAA games exclusively, but said he wonders why people don't also give smaller-sized games a chance.</p><blockquote data-align="left"><p style="">"I do realize that some people are only interested in big-budget AAA games. I don't really understand those people" -- Shuhei Yoshida</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">"I hear complaints [about the lack of AAA games]. I do realize that some people are only interested in big-budget AAA games. I don't really understand those people," Yoshida said. "I don't know if they've tried some of the indie games and decided they're not interested. Maybe they haven't even tried. That's a key question."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yoshida pointed out that Sony offered acclaimed side-scrolling shooter <a href="/resogun/" data-ref-id="false">Resogun </a>for a while as a free download for PlayStation 4 PlayStation Plus subscribers owners, going on to say that not everyone took advantage of this deal for what he described as a "great, great game." Understanding how Sony can push gamers more towards excellent smaller-sized games is a "key question" for the company, Yoshida said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-sony-thinks-its-indie-strategy-can-t-just-be-copied/1100-6420781/" data-ref-id="1100-6420781">executive-level love for indie games</a>, PlayStation software product development head Scott Rohde said previously. Admiration for smaller games coming from the top of Sony makes it difficult for other publishers to match the company's indie strategy, he argues.</p><p style="">Of course, Sony supports much more than just smaller-sized games. Games that would be referred to as AAA in development at Sony studios right now include <a href="/the-order-1886/" data-ref-id="false">The Order: 1886</a>,<a href="/uncharted-4-a-thiefs-end/" data-ref-id="false"> Uncharted 4: A Thief's End</a>, <a href="/bloodborne/" data-ref-id="false">Bloodborne</a>, and<a href="/littlebigplanet-3/" data-ref-id="false"> LittleBigPlanet 3</a>, among others.</p><p style=""><em>What kinds of games do you play? Everything from AAA to indie? Let us know in the comments below!</em></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, 02 Jul 2014 12:11:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-boss-doesn-t-understand-why-some-people-only-want-to-play-aaa-games/1100-6420882/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-gist-5-awesome-e3-2014-trailers-you-may-have-m/2300-6420025/ We cover you off on 5 of the coolest looking trailers that debuted at E3 this year that you may have missed out on. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-gist-5-awesome-e3-2014-trailers-you-may-have-m/2300-6420025/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/fire-the-intern-sniper-elite-iii-nut-shot-fail-the/2300-6420036/ Alex the Intern has to get 3 nut shots in Sniper Elite 3 or lose his coveted position. We'll miss you Alex. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:54:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/fire-the-intern-sniper-elite-iii-nut-shot-fail-the/2300-6420036/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/divinity-original-sin-first-impressions-the-lobby/2300-6420034/ Kevin VanOrd shows off where he's currently at with his Divinity: Original Sin review and gives us a look at the skill and spell lists. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:40:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/divinity-original-sin-first-impressions-the-lobby/2300-6420034/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-what-s-being-changed-in-battlefield-hardline-following-the-beta/1100-6420881/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419919" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419919/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Electronic Arts <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-wake-of-battlefield-4-launch-issues-ea-overhauling-testing-process/1100-6420568/" data-ref-id="1100-6420568">doesn't want a repeat</a> of <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a>'s launch with <a href="/battlefield-hardline/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Hardline</a> this year, which is why players have already had the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-beta-extended-by-one-week/1100-6420592/" data-ref-id="1100-6420592">opportunity to participate in a beta test</a> (and will be able to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-beta-coming-to-all-platforms-this-fall/1100-6420797/" data-ref-id="1100-6420797">do so again this fall</a>). The beta that wrapped up last week has already resulted in significant changes to Hardline, some of which developer Visceral Games detailed today.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In a post on the official <a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/07/battlefield-hardline-communitys-wanted-list/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield blog</a>, lead multiplayer designer Thad Sasser unveiled the Community's Most Wanted list. He says Visceral will use this to "outline some of the fixes and improvements we are making to Battlefield Hardline based on feedback we received during the beta and what we're hearing from you." This will be updated in the run up to Hardline's launch on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-october-release-leaked-in-new-trailer/1100-6420148/" data-ref-id="1100-6420148">October 21</a>, "and beyond," making it sound as if Visceral will continue to be transparent about the changes it makes even after the final game is out--which is exactly what EA CEO Andrew Wilson <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-wake-of-battlefield-4-launch-issues-ea-overhauling-testing-process/1100-6420568/" data-ref-id="1100-6420568">has talked about doing</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What's currently laid out on the <a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/07/battlefield-hardline-communitys-wanted-list/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">list</a> is not a comprehensive look at every change being made as a result of the beta. It does, however, include a number of things beta players will be happy to see, like reducing the crazy amount of camera shake nearby players were subjected to when the crane collapsed on the High Tension map seen in the beta.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The current list of ten items on the CMW list, as described by Visceral:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><strong>Movement:</strong> There was a lot of feedback about slow movement speed and feeling "sluggish." We've increased player speed by 10%, and players will get a +10% bonus for running with your pistol out. It feels much faster now!</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Suppression:</strong> There were a lot of negative comments about the camera "bounce" when suppressed. We've changed the way suppression works--your aimpoint is no longer affected, but your situational awareness is.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Survivalist:</strong> We've heard both sides of the argument on the Survivalist gadget, it is pretty polarizing. Some of you hate it, some of you love it--either way, we agree it was overpowered. We've changed it to revive you at 1 health and auto-inject after 5 seconds.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>High Tension - Crane Camera Shake:</strong> A number of people called out the camera shake from this event as being too over the top. We're tuning this down.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>High Tension - Stairs in High Tension Bug:</strong> Stairs in High Tension should no longer pull players into the wall.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Elevated Objectives:</strong> We've added some feedback to help you find the objective when it's above or below you.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Special Vehicles:</strong> We're working on adding more special drivable vehicles like the Fuel Truck into all maps. We're also working on a handbrake for cars.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Stuck Vehicles:</strong> We're working on the ability to "nudge" vehicles with a melee attack to help get them unstuck or to be able to move past them. No promises, but the early prototype looks promising!</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Heavy Vehicle Damage:</strong> We've added "weak spots" in the rear of the heavily armored vehicles, making it much easier to bring them down!</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Vehicle Occupant List:</strong> We're working on adding the Bag Carrier icon to the list of teammates inside your vehicle, so that you can tell when the bag carrier gets in your vehicle.</li></ul><p style="">What do you make of these changes? Were there any other things you saw in the beta that you want changed prior to Hardline's launch? Let us know what you make of Visceral's attempt to be forthcoming with the changes it's making in the comments below.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:22:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-what-s-being-changed-in-battlefield-hardline-following-the-beta/1100-6420881/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 02 Jul 2014 22:42:32 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/official-pokemon-online-store-coming-in-august-cou/1100-6420894/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585158-screen+shot+2014-07-02+at+6.18.37+pm.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585158" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585158-screen+shot+2014-07-02+at+6.18.37+pm.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585158"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1534/15343359/2585158-screen+shot+2014-07-02+at+6.18.37+pm.png"></a></figure><p style="">If you felt like you always missed out on neat Japanese Pokemon merchandise exclusives that only came out in places like the Tokyo Pokemon Center, you may soon get a chance to buy them yourself. Nintendo today launched the countdown clock for an <a href="http://www.pokemoncenter.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">official online Pokemon Center</a>.</p><p style="">Of course, the US already has a Nintendo store in New York, and several smaller shops in Washington, but a site like this holds the promise of making limited-edition, Pokemon-specific items more easily accessible and readily available to other parts of the country. </p><p style="">Right now you can order three things: a plush Pikachu for $12.99, a set of Eevee evolution charms for $23.92, or a purple Mewtwo Tumbler for $17.50. The countdown isn't set to end until August 6, so we'll have quite a long wait to find out what exciting items the store will have available once it goes live. Personally, I'm holding out for a<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41o3aEXx0nL.jpg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> classy Pikachu in a polo</a>. </p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>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></strong></p><p style=""><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 18:16:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/official-pokemon-online-store-coming-in-august-cou/1100-6420894/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-forest-early-access-impressions/2300-6420042/ Teetering between moments of bone-chilling horror and utter beauty, The Forest is an early access title that aims to set itself apart from the over saturated genre of open world survival sims. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 16:42:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-forest-early-access-impressions/2300-6420042/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/trials-fusion-dev-teases-co-op-mode-and-new-areas-/1100-6420889/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585091-2763735669-waste.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585091" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585091-2763735669-waste.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585091"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2585091-2763735669-waste.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""><a href="/companies/redlynx/" data-ref-id="false">RedLynx</a>, developer of the 2D platforming-racing game <a href="/trials-fusion/" data-ref-id="false">Trials Fusion</a>, teased future plans for the game and detailed its first DLC pack today.</p><p style=""><a href="http://blog.ubi.com/trials-fusion-riders-of-the-rustlands-dlc/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">In an interview on the Ubisoft blog</a>, Creative Director Antti Ilvessuo said that a cooperative multiplayer mode is coming to Trials Fusion. He didn't explain this feature, but he did say, "Imagine playing Trials for your Teams, against other Teams on tracks and in tournaments and, in a little bit later down the road, online."</p><p style="">He also hinted where you will be able to ride in future Trials Fusion content. "We are planning to take the world of Trials Fusion to places that no Trials game has gone before," he said, "into the clouds, under the sea and even deep underground."</p><p style="">Ilvessuo also provided some new details for the game's first of six DLC packs. Called Riders of the Rustlands, the pack will take you to the outskirts of the futuristic city where the main game takes place. It launches on July 29.</p><p style="">The pack comes with a bunch of new tracks, challenges, and editor objects. It costs $4.99, but season pass holders can download it for free.</p><p style="">You can see the full list of what's included below.</p><ul><li>5 new achievements/trophies</li><li>10 new tracks <ul><li>6 classic Trials tracks</li><li>2 new Supercross tracks (local multiplayer)</li><li>One new Skill Game ("Laws of Motion")</li><li>One new FMX track ("The Gauntlet")</li></ul></li><li>18 new Track Challenges, including tasks such as: <ul><li>Infiltrate the Outsiders' hidden base</li><li>Compete in a game show against penguins</li><li>Find more secret squirrels</li></ul></li><li>New editor objects, including: <ul><li>Steel pipe set</li><li>Wooden ramp set</li><li>Computer mainframes</li></ul></li></ul><p style="">Trials Fusion DLC is planned to be released until May 2015. Free content updates will come between the packs, so keep an eye on GameSpot for future details on upcoming content.</p><p style="">When Fusion launched in April, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/trials-fusion-review/1900-6415733/" data-ref-id="1900-6415733">GameSpot thought that it was great</a>. Riders of the Rustlands will be available on <a href="/xbox-360/" data-ref-id="false">Xbox 360</a>, <a href="/xbox-one/" data-ref-id="false">Xbox One</a>, <a href="/playstation%204/" data-ref-id="false">PlayStation 4</a>, and <a href="/pc/" data-ref-id="false">PC</a>.</p><p style="">Where do you want to see future Trials packs go? What do you want to see from a co-op Trials mode? Let us know in the comments!</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/alexbnewhouse" rel="nofollow">Twitter @alexbnewhouse</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 16:18:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/trials-fusion-dev-teases-co-op-mode-and-new-areas-/1100-6420889/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/spoiler-alert-review/1900-6415811/ <p style="">A game based on a single gimmick can remain entertaining for only so long. Spoiler Alert, a 2D platformer from indie developer Megafuzz Games, flips the usual script by running each of its 100 levels filled with patterned enemies and scalable cliffs in reverse. The hand-drawn hero shuffles his feet backward as he un-jumps on enemies, sucks fireballs back into his gullet, and coughs up the coins collected when the level was originally conquered. It's a clever twist on a genre everyone is familiar with, but unfortunately, Spoiler Alert shows off its best and only trick almost immediately, and fails to introduce anything beyond it.</p><p style="">For reasons beyond understanding, you play as a spicy chili pepper who uses his stubby legs to moonwalk all the way to the "start" of the game. Since he has already conquered each level, the character simply walks backward as you control when and where he jumps. You revive crumpled enemies by reenacting well-timed jumps, while power-ups that give you the ability to breathe fire or throw hammers have to be collected and returned to their original positions before a world can be considered complete. The actions in which the character originally collected coins, dealt with enemies, and scaled obstacles must be re-created, giving you little wiggle room from level to level.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584983-2014-07-01_00004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584983" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584983-2014-07-01_00004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584983"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2584983-2014-07-01_00004.jpg"></a><figcaption>Character design is about as wacky as it gets.</figcaption></figure><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584985-2014-07-01_00015.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584985" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584985-2014-07-01_00015.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584985"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/416/4161502/2584985-2014-07-01_00015.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">The timing of it all can be frustrating early on: anticipating the arc of your jump to land on the lifeless body of a colorful gnome takes a few tries to get right. However, after you catch your groove, you can rush through an entire world packed with 30 unique stages in 10 to 15 minutes. Besting screen after screen of challenges is rewarding, but once you understand the mechanics and see the clear patterns, the one-note design becomes apparent and the flow continues uninterrupted. Spoiler Alert concludes not long after you defeat the first--or technically final--boss. You'd expect 100 levels to lead to hours of action, but since the majority of stages might last fewer than 10 seconds, you can easily see all of the provided content in under an hour's time. There's a certain satisfaction to mastering the game's timing and besting level after level without a hitch, but there's not enough content to back up the design. Spoiler Alert feels less like a full release and more like a paid trial. There's a speed run feature where you're asked to un-play the entire game from finish to start, but after you've un-beaten the game once, it's difficult to find motivation to trudge your way through it all again.</p><p style="">Take away the feature attraction of undoing stage after stage of activities, and you're left with a colorful yet monotonous runner devoid of challenge and inspiration in which the only substantial change between locations is the scenery. If you're unsatisfied with the suite of content provided, there's a level editor included with the Steam-exclusive Collector's Edition that allows you to flex the muscles of your imagination. All of the in-game assets are easily dragged and dropped into your own unique levels, and the simplicity and scope of Spoiler Alert's stages make creating your own reverse runner more straightforward and appealing than the typical suite of such tools.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584984-2014-07-01_00008.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584984" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584984-2014-07-01_00008.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584984"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2584984-2014-07-01_00008.jpg"></a><figcaption>This is the type of scenery you'd expect when the hero is a chili pepper.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The accessible creation options notwithstanding, the glitz covering this stunted platformer isn't enough to glamorize its one-note concept. Spoiler Alert fails to remain interesting over the course of its brief runtime, and while I found myself interested in seeing what would be thrown my way early on, a lack of imagination keeps the entire package from feeling complete. A unique concept needs a supporting cast of good ideas to flourish, and Spoiler Alert's lone conceit doesn't have the charms to carry the weight of an entire game on its shoulders.</p> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:47:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/spoiler-alert-review/1900-6415811/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/if-you-haven-t-tried-pc-gaming-then-it-s-about-time-you-did/1100-6420883/ <p style="">Everyone loves to argue whether gaming is better on consoles or PCs, but let's be honest: it really comes down to personal preference. But, if you haven't given PC gaming a chance, you really should. Free from the shackles of brand identity and oversight, the PC, as a platform, creates an ecosystem defined by freedom, first and foremost. It harbors innovation and experimentation, and apart from the associated cost of powerful hardware and the desire for console exclusive games, there's no reason why you shouldn't invest a little cash and take the plunge into the world of PC gaming.</p><p style="">Why, exactly? Allow me to elaborate.</p><h3><b>Thousands of Games to Choose From</b></h3><p style="">For starters, there are more games available on PC than there ever will be on a traditional console. PCs are backwards compatible with games that are years, if not decades, old. Granted, it takes know-how to overcome some operating system incompatibility issues, for which the Internet at large is a great resource, but there's nothing stopping you from playing most of the thousands of games released on PCs over the last 30 years or so. You've potentially got a lifetime's supply of games at your fingertips.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584935-allofthegames.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584935" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584935-allofthegames.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584935"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2584935-allofthegames.jpg"></a><figcaption>At the moment, there are 12,698 PC games available on Steam.</figcaption></figure><h3><b>Open Publishing Format</b></h3><p style="">Sure, there are quality-assurance tests to overcome to get your game onto Steam, Valve's digital game sales and distribution service and the most popular among consumers, but based on the variety of games in that catalog alone, it's a welcoming place for offbeat and unusual games. This leaves developers free to create games as they wish; they don't even have to worry about getting them rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. The bottom line: There are few bureaucratic concerns for developers when developing games for PC. If they want, developers can also skip the likes of Steam altogether and publish their games completely independently. They might not want to, but the point is, they can. There's no platform that's more open to technical and artistic experimentation than the PC, and as good as that is for developers, the resulting variety of games to choose from ultimately benefits consumers.</p><h3><b>Configurable Hardware That's Not as Expensive as you Think</b></h3><p style="">In terms of hardware, consoles are static products. The hardware inside, apart from maybe the hard drive, will never change simply because you want it to. PCs are great because, ultimately, you're in control of how powerful your machine is. Maxing out a PC can be extremely costly if you need to be on the cutting edge, but it's not an all or nothing game. You can upgrade your PC piece by piece, and since the price/performance ratio scales with time, you won't have to drop a huge sum of money in one fell swoop to keep up with rendering techniques and the capabilities of consoles.</p><p style="">Even if you're building a PC from scratch, you can get started without spending much more money than you would on a new console. In April, we tried to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/can-we-build-a-gaming-pc-on-a-console-budget/1100-6418829/" data-ref-id="1100-6418829" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/can-we-build-a-gaming-pc-on-a-console-budget/1100-6418829/">build a gaming PC</a> that's comparable in performance to a next-gen console for the same price as an Xbox One with a Kinect, which was the only option at the time. We built one machine based on AMD parts, and another with Nvidia and Intel hardware. Our tests prove that, at the time, a gaming PC running cross-platform games can outperform consoles in most cases, for about the same cost. Again, after a few years, you can throw a little more cash towards new parts, and theoretically topple the rendering capabilities of consoles. Yes, you may spend $200 to $300 on a single upgrade, but that's cheaper than buying a brand new console if/when the next generation arrives, which probably won't happen for a very long time.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584945-configurablehardware" data-ref-id="1300-2584945" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584945-configurablehardware" data-ref-id="1300-2584945"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2584945-configurablehardware"></a><figcaption>PC upgrades are a simple affair once you know what you're doing.</figcaption></figure><h3><b>The Potential to Play Games Anywhere, Anyway You Like</b></h3><p style="">One of the great things about hardware technology is that as it improves, it also tends to shrink in size. Therefore, we are now able to have thin laptops that are also powerful, and that means gaming on the go has never been easier or more convenient. Massive gaming laptops still exist, but with the likes of Razer's Blade and Blade Pro, we're beginning to see a shift, and it's possible to carry a device that's more powerful than a console, with its own screen, in your backpack.</p><p style="">It's also worth mentioning that, beyond laptops, PC gaming at home is no longer limited to the desktop. Technically, it never was, but it's now easier than ever to send a video signal to your living room. Again, Valve is leading the way with its in-home streaming application, which allows you to send content from your PC to a cheap and small device connected to a TV with little technical expertise required.</p><p style="">As a PC user, you also have a massive selection of accessories and peripherals to choose from. It's a bit of a wild west situation, in that manufacturers from all corners of the globe are experimenting with new hardware, especially now that virtual reality is a hot commodity, but that just means there's a greater chance you can find a mouse, keyboard, or controller that's perfectly suited to your needs. There are also solutions for people with disabilities, including controllers that work with your feet, eye movement, and gestures of all kinds. In terms of accessibility, the PC is second to none when it comes to gaming.</p><h3><b>Game Mods are Easy to Create and Share</b></h3><p style="">It's easier than ever for the player to double as a developer if they want get something new out of an existing game. Want to play <a href="/grand-theft-auto-iv/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="/grand-theft-auto-iv/">Grand Theft Auto IV</a> with the powers of Iron Man? No problem! Had enough of <a href="/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/">Skyrim</a>'s dragons? Swap them out with Macho Man Randy Savage! User-generated content continues to grow in popularity, and developers are getting better at giving people the tools they need to create add-ons and mods for their games, but the ubiquity of said tools, and their potential, is greatest on PC. In a lot of cases, PC games are highly flexible, allowing you to use external tools to create new assets, and alter code to change the behavior of in-game elements. Plus, with Valve's Steam Workshop pipeline, accessing and sharing mods is easier than ever. Mods allow players to explore the extent of their imagination and share it with the world, and for better or worse, anything goes on PC when it comes to mods.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584953-8674662512-5518-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584953" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2584953-8674662512-5518-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584953"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2584953-8674662512-5518-.jpg"></a><figcaption>Macho Man Randy Dragon.</figcaption></figure><h3><b>Cheap Software and Services</b></h3><p style="">The Steam summer sale just wrapped, and those who dared to open their eyes and their wallets probably ended up buying a few more games than they reasonably needed. Why? Because so many great games were cheap to the point that it would be silly not to buy them. Maybe game X wasn't attractive at $20 because you weren't sold on its premise or gameplay. But when that same game is $5, the risk of investment wanes, and you're more likely to take a chance. The allure of low-risk purchases can lead to a backlog scenario that many PC gamers are all too familiar with, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Who cares if I have 20, 30, or 100 games in my Steam library that I haven't played yet? At least I have them should the day come that I run out of something to play.</p><p style="">To be fair, there are often sales on console games, but there are barriers to accessing those prices. Most of the time, you have to belong to a premium subscription service like PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold to get these discounts, but also, to play games online. Unless you're talking about subscription-based massively multiplayer online games, you're able to play online multiplayer PC games free of charge in nearly every case.</p><h3><strong>What About Consoles?</strong></h3><p style="">I still love console gaming as it exists today, but I appreciate it for different reasons than I do PC gaming. For now, there are reasons to argue for both sides of the PC vs. console debate, but if you've shied away from PCs in the past because they're not immediately user-friendly, consider giving PC gaming a chance for the reasons mentioned above, and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by everything the platform has to offer.</p> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:29:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/if-you-haven-t-tried-pc-gaming-then-it-s-about-time-you-did/1100-6420883/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/xenonauts-review/1900-6415810/ <p style="">Let's be honest. If aliens were to invade right now, chances are pretty good humanity would have a tough time of it, but we might have a chance. In 1979, though? Before we had stealth fighters, before we had directed energy weapons, before supercomputers or the Internet as we know it today? We'd be crushed. Xenonauts places the future of Cold War-era humankind on your shoulders, and it's about as punishingly difficult as it should be given the setting. If the brain-melting strategy doesn't scare you away, you'll find a beautifully atmospheric game that evokes the purest dread and desperation.</p><p style="">Any discussion of Xenonauts must make a nod to its clear inspiration, X-COM. While I'd like to say that this is a spiritual sequel to 1994's <a href="/x-com-ufo-defense/" data-ref-id="false">X-COM: UFO Defense</a>, it's a lot more accurate to say that it's more of a remake than even Firaxis' <a href="/xcom-enemy-unknown/" data-ref-id="false">XCOM: Enemy Unknown</a>. Xenonauts strikes a balance between large-scale, real-time global logistics and small-scale personnel tactics. You must capture and research alien technology in the dire hope that humanity can reverse-engineer weapons to match and ultimately exceed those of the invaders before it's too late. You may also name your squads after friends and family to make ckear the human costs of war. With these parallels, Xenonauts struggles to establish its own identity. There are only a handful of substantive differences between it and the games that preceded it, and while each difference adds a lot to the game, it's also impossible to shake the feeling that you've done this all before.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582167-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582167" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582167-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582167"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2582167-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>As you capture alien technology and pass it off to your research team, you learn more about your foes and move closer to discerning their true intentions.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The war for Earth is pretty slow at first. The aliens you face hail from a planet with an extremely thin atmosphere, and they have to modify their ships before they can land. This minor narrative touch may seem insignificant, but it gives the early hours coherence by explaining the slow ramp-up in the enemy offensive. It's apparent that you're living on borrowed time. These visitors aren't friendly, and they have Earth surrounded.</p><p style="">Your main goal is to construct and maintain bases that monitor and guard as much of the world's airspace as possible, as well as to launch ground missions to recover alien technology or capture one alien leaders. And thus rises the multilayered strategy that links everything together. You need cash to run your bases, supply your troops, and keep the aliens from wiping out humanity. Missions help keep the international community happy, which keeps the money flowing. Every mechanic feeds into another, and a weak plan on one front can have a lot of critical repercussions. When starting up Xenonauts for the first time, I attempted to build two bases right off the bat. I wanted to secure a decent chunk of the planet and steadily expand from there. Unfortunately, founding and supplying two facilities rapidly drains your cash and keeps you from being able to carefully invest in the development of new, efficient weapons and tech for your soldiers and fighter jets. That doesn't mean it's impossible, but poorly conceived plans lead to humanity's doom.</p><blockquote data-align="left" data-size="medium"><p style="">It's immediately apparent that you're living on borrowed time.</p></blockquote><p style="">Failing to protect some regions causes your program to steadily lose funding as those regions lose faith in the Xenonauts project. Because humanity as a whole is on the defensive, downing enemy aircraft is your bread and butter. You need to keep UFOs from bombing cities, abducting citizens, or straight-up attacking your bases. Initially, that's not a tall order. At first, only small craft like probes and corvettes can be modified to enter Earth's atmosphere. Intercepting them carries virtually no risk. You can have battles auto-resolve, with the game using basic aircraft statistics to determine the victor. If you prefer more direct interaction, you can play out the dogfights with a system that very closely resembles Cold War-era radar screens. Ships and planes are represented by green 2D sprites, and their firing arcs and weapon ranges are clearly displayed. If you're careful, manual dogfights can assist you in your path to victory. About midway through the game, I was lagging behind my fighter upgrades and couldn't keep up with the stronger, faster alien vessels, but I could still survive thanks to smart maneuvering. With a few careful clicks and some liberal use of my afterburners, I kept two of my jets in the aliens' blind spots and downed the ships before they could reach Dublin and initiate a wholesale slaughter.</p><p style="">When you can successfully scrap a UFO over land, you have a narrow window in which you can launch an automated airstrike to clear out all of the alien troops and pick up a moderate amount of cash, or you can choose to launch a ground mission. These have you organize landing squads to scavenge what alien tech you can and bring it back for future research. They also give your soldiers an opportunity to accumulate valuable battlefield experience, dramatically improving their stats over time. The surviving extraterrestrial troops and robots attempt to fight you off, making these missions dangerous propositions. The technological superiority of your foes makes itself readily apparent here; the extraterrestrial soldiers can immediately kill one of your soldiers if you're not extremely careful. Your weapons, and later your cheap imitations of the alien weapons, just aren't as effective. These ground missions help distinguish Xenonauts from its influences. Whereas XCOM: Enemy Unknown had small, tight levels that helped clearly identify threats, Xenonauts has sprawling levels with extremely limited visibility. Cover is also of limited use; in almost every case it can be destroyed with a few shots or a stray grenade. During night missions, your soldiers have severely limited visibility. The aliens, once again, have an advantage, with infrared vision. The result is an extremely lethal set of missions that help drive home the overwhelming danger posed by Earth's visitors.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582168-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582168" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582168-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582168"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2582168-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>I might be a little paranoid about what's on the other side of this door. But my fear is not unwarranted.</figcaption></figure><p style="">During one excursion, with a squad of battle-hardened veterans, I caught myself screaming at my computer screen, begging them to stop succumbing to a previously unknown line of alien androids for just a few more turns. After the anger and panic subsided, I realized I had no one else to blame but myself for the loss. Yes, Xenonauts is lethal, but never unfairly so. The environments are almost completely destructible with the right gear, and once you've cleared an area of civilians, wanton destruction comes with almost no penalty. Xenonauts necessitates a metered ruthlessness, a barely contained thirst for devastation that you periodically release to ensure absolute dominance. This is ultimately the game's single best design decision. Xenonaut's gameplay ably complements its narrative. You aren't just told to feel desperate; you must take desperate measures to have any hope of victory.</p><p style="">Unfortunately, while Xenonauts creates a network of mutually reinforcing sections, it borrows too heavily from the 1994 X-COM in some not-so-flattering ways. The user interface can be obnoxious and obtuse. Even with an internal game manual, I didn't figure out that right-clicking and dragging would change which direction a soldier was facing until a few too many hours into my first run. Outfitting your squads with the gear and equipment they need can also be a pain. In addition, the game's uninspired visuals lack the panache of its more recent competitor, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which magnified powerful attacks with its cinematic, over-the-shoulder camera. A similar brand of drama could have made Xenonauts' battles all the more thrilling, but the distant camera keeps the action at arm's length.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582169-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582169" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2582169-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2582169"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2582169-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Completing missions yields experience and war medals for your soldiers, which sets them apart from new recruits and further encourages you to protect them.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Xenonauts is an unlikely success, a challenging clone of a beloved classic with enough tweaks to entice fans and newcomers alike. It might look rather cheap at first glance, but underneath that rough exterior lies something special. Breaking the game down and looking at all of its pieces in isolation would do the game a disservice, because every facet helps focus the true luster of the whole.</p> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:08:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/xenonauts-review/1900-6415810/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/primary-assassin-s-creed-development-duties-shift-to-different-ubisoft-studio/1100-6420888/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419587" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419587/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft's crown jewel, the <a href="/assassins-creed-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed</a> franchise, is undergoing a shift, as the company today announced plans to have Ubisoft Quebec lead development of future games in the series.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This move takes the lead development duties out of the hands of Ubisoft Montreal, the longtime primary developer of the series.Quebec doesn't come in lacking any experience with Assassin's Creed; it's contributed to the series since 2010's <a href="/assassins-creed-brotherhood/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood</a>, having worked on <a href="/assassins-creed-revelations/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed: Revelations</a>, <a href="/assassins-creed-iii/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed III</a>'s Tyranny of King Washington DLC, and <a href="/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a>'s Freedom Cry DLC.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Since 2010, our understanding of the franchise has increased each year," said Ubisoft Quebec managing director Nicolas Rioux in an interview the official <a href="http://blog.ubi.com/ubisoft-quebec-assassins-creed/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Ubisoft blog</a>. He added, "We have the confidence of the brand team and also from Ubisoft to take leadership of an upcoming Assassin's Creed title. The team is ready for the next big step."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Quebec certainly doesn't lack for manpower; it has more than 350 people at its disposal and has plans to reach 425 employees by 2018. Presumably Ubisoft will continue to have multiple studios working on each Assassin's Creed game--<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/10-studios-are-working-on-assassin-s-creed-unity-that-s-three-more-than-ac4/1100-6419664/" data-ref-id="1100-6419664">ten studios, including Quebec and Montreal, are at work</a> on the upcoming <a href="/assassins-creed-unity/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed Unity</a>. It's unclear what role Ubisoft Montreal will play in the series going forward; even while leading development on the series, it's continued to work on a multitude of other projects, including <a href="/watch-dogs/" data-ref-id="false">Watch Dogs</a> and <a href="/far-cry-4/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry 4</a>. We also don't know exactly why Ubisoft is making this move, but we've contacted the company for comment and will report back with anything we learn.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Coinciding with this news regarding Assassin's Creed is word that Ubisoft plans to relocate its Quebec operations. It will be moving the studio to a new location in the St-Roch district of Quebec in spring 2016 that will be home to a "cutting-edge studio" for at least the next 14 years. From a previously announced $28 million CAD (about $26.2 million USD) investment in Ubisoft Quebec, $4 million CAD (about $3.75 million) will go toward the new digs. Quebec City has also announced a new program that will see it make a $500,000 CAD (about $468,000) investment to help outfit the new location.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft Quebec is already at work on a new Assassin's Creed game, although no details on that project were forthcoming. The only upcoming game in the series currently announced is Unity, which will be available for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-assassin-s-creed-unity-coming-to-xbox-one-ps4-and-pc-on-october-28/1100-6420262/" data-ref-id="1100-6420262">October 28</a>. A separate game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-2014-s-other-assassin-s-creed-game-will-let-you-play-as-a-templar/1100-6418593/" data-ref-id="1100-6418593">allowing players to assume the role of a Templar</a> is reportedly in the works for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There has been no official word on that as of yet, although Ubisoft has indicated it's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-not-ready-to-abandon-xbox-360-ps3-just-yet/1100-6419673/" data-ref-id="1100-6419673">not ready to abandon last-gen hardware</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Do you like the direction the Assassin's Creed franchise is headed in? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/primary-assassin-s-creed-development-duties-shift-to-different-ubisoft-studio/1100-6420888/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sniper-elite-iii-review-roundup/1100-6420885/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6420019" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420019/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">As a tactical, third-person shooter with an emphasis on sniping, <a href="/sniper-elite-iii/" data-ref-id="false">Sniper Elite III</a> is decidedly different from the industry's most popular shooters, like <a href="/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty</a> and <a href="/battlefield-hardline/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield</a>. But what, if anything, does that mean for the quality of the newly released shooter? We've rounded up a helping of reviews to help you decide if it's worth a look.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're in the market for a new shooter on the platform of your choice--it's available on PC and every current console that Nintendo doesn't have a hand in--it sounds as if you could do worse than Sniper Elite III. The game includes a campaign mode in addition to competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes, the latter of which lets you play through the entire campaign with another player.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sniper Elite III recently made headlines with its new game when it <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sniper-elite-3-steam-keys-bought-in-good-faith-revoked-as-result-of-scam/1100-6420803/" data-ref-id="1100-6420803">revoked an unspecified number of Steam keys</a> for the new shooter that were reportedly stolen. Those affected will be getting a piece of DLC for free.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A selection of reviews follow below. Look for GameSpot's soon; for more in the meantime, check out <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/sniper-elite-iii" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot sister site Metacritic</a>.</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><strong>Game:</strong> Sniper Elite III</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Developer:</strong> Rebellion</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Platforms:</strong> PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Release Date:</strong> July 1</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Price:</strong> $49.99 (PC, Xbox One, PS4); $39.99 (Xbox 360, PS3)</li></ul><h3 dir="ltr">Eurogamer -- 7/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"The package as a whole is still very much a rough diamond, but it's a definite improvement over its predecessor. The gruesome kill-cam remains a deliciously wrong thrill and the unifying force that holds the game together, but it's doubtful that it would be enough to paper over the cracks in a fourth game without a major overhaul of the AI and physics code. Even with its flaws, though, Sniper Elite 3 is a solidly enjoyable mid-tier action game. It may not hit the bullseye, but it's getting closer with every shot." [<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-06-26-sniper-elite-3-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="2014-06">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">Edge -- 5/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Campaign missions are lengthy, packed full of optional objectives that smooth your progress, such as taking out searchlight operators or disabling vehicles. A leveling system doles out new kit for your customizable loadout, and there's co-op and online multiplayer to contend with when Fairburne's mission is complete. But content is no substitute for quality, and while Sniper Elite III might have made for an engaging design document, it isn't much of a game." [<a href="http://www.edge-online.com/review/sniper-elite-iii-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">PC Gamer -- 70/100</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"It's all very similar to <a href="/sniper-elite-v2/" data-ref-id="false">Sniper Elite V2</a>, but SE3 does everything a little better, and it does the campaign much better. I wish I could celebrate its classic stylings without any caveats, but as much as I personally enjoy it, I can't look past the bugs, the exploitable AI, and the annoying movement system. The multiplayer is good, but there are too few maps and modes, and I'm not optimistic about mod support. I'm sure there will be plenty of DLC, though." [<a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/review/sniper-elite-3-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2584973" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584973-se3+xray.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584973-se3+xray.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584973"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2584973-se3+xray.jpg"></a><figcaption>A look at the game's X-ray kill cam.</figcaption></figure><h3 dir="ltr">IGN -- 8.2/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Sniper Elite III's open level designs and objectives pack in more than enough variety and stealthy tension to counterbalance its thin story and shaky enemy intelligence, and experimenting with its explosive traps is almost as fun as popping skulls with a sniper rifle. The skeleton-shattering, long-distance kills are still its riveting centerpiece, of course, but even without the element of dumb fun they offer, Sniper Elite III would still be a smart, unexpectedly memorable experience." [<a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/26/sniper-elite-iii-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">Game Informer -- 6.5/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"I openly admit that I love gory kills and living the hero sniper fantasy, but Sniper Elite III only partially delivers on the latter. If you can't get enough of dramatic, transparent shots of enemies getting shredded by sniper fire, Sniper Elite III has you covered in spades. If you're interested in more motivation beyond the glory of the kill, look elsewhere." [<a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/sniper_elite_3/b/playstation4/archive/2014/07/01/game-informer-review-sniper-elite-3.aspx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">Official Xbox Magazine -- 6/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Glitchy level geometry and the gung-ho tone render it a touch too charmless to rank as one of the great B-games, but it competently delivers on its premise. With each level supporting multiple different approaches past its idiotic guards, and stuffed with collectibles you'll easily overlook amid the drab design, it could easily soak up those long days waiting for the next Xbox One release. You'll know that you could be doing better things with your time, but you probably won't mind." [<a href="http://www.totalxbox.com/78692/reviews/sniper-elite-3-xbox-one-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">Rock, Paper, Shotgun</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"I'd love to have seen Rebellion weave more WW2 history into their solo campaign, and put a bit more love and novelty into their online play modes. Other than that, mark me down as a satisfied customer. The prospect of a second campaign playthrough--this time in Authentic mode (no threat radar, aiming aids, or saves!)--is genuinely enticing as is the thought of spending further evenings online, crouched in shadows, waiting and watching…" [<a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/06/30/sniper-elite-3-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 13:49:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sniper-elite-iii-review-roundup/1100-6420885/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-must-change-dungeon-keeper-ads-calling-it-free-rules-uk-ad-regulator/1100-6420884/ <p style=""> </p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2584923" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584923-dk.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584923-dk.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584923"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2584923-dk.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The agency in charge of regulating advertisements in the United Kingdom has decided Electronic Arts may not continue to run ads describing mobile game <a href="/dungeon-keeper/" data-ref-id="false">Dungeon Keeper</a>--<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-responds-to-dungeon-keeper-free-to-play-criticisms/1100-6417571/" data-ref-id="1100-6417571">widely criticized for its in-app purchases</a>--as a "free" game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This is the <a href="http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2014/7/Electronic-Arts-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_258907.aspx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">judgment</a> rendered today by the Advertising Standards Authority, the independent regulator of advertising in the UK. It deals with an email ad for Dungeon Keeper that makes repeated mentions of Dungeon Keeper being "free," which technically is true. But as anyone who has downloaded the iOS and Android game since its launch earlier this year will tell you, its free-to-play model makes it virtually impossible to play the game in any enjoyable way without spending money on in-app purchases.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A complaint was filed with the ASA over the ad by someone "who understood that gameplay was severely limited unless in-app purchases were made," but "challenged whether the ad was misleading because it omitted significant information."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">EA's response to the ASA was to claim that "gameplay without in-app purchasing is not severely limited. [It] also stated that all the features referenced in the ad were available during free play and that not all of them were gated by a timer." EA went on to note that it's possible to earn all three types of currency in the game through "normal in-game engagement and activity over time." Again, while this is technically accurate, many of the game's players would take issue with the amount of time it takes to earn any significant amount of gems, the premium currency that players can choose to buy with real-world money.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2584925" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584925-dk1.jpg" data-size="small" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2584925-dk1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584925"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/123/1239113/2584925-dk1.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">This isn't a simple matter of players not wanting to pay for the game--Peter Molyneux, designer of the original Dungeon Keeper, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/peter-molyneux-on-free-to-play-dungeon-keeper-this-is-ridiculous/1100-6417611/" data-ref-id="1100-6417611">spoke out against the game shortly after its release</a>. "I felt myself turning around saying, 'What? This is ridiculous," he said in February. "I just want to make a dungeon. I don't want to schedule it on my alarm clock for six days to come back for a block to be chipped," he added, referencing the long waits players are subjected to unless they spend gems.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The ASA says EA provided data suggesting non-paying players have managed to make significant progress in the game and pointed to other games that use similar models. EA also indicated that a "timing mechanism" would be in place even if the game were not free-to-play.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Apparently EA's defense wasn't strong enough, because while the ASA acknowledges it is possible to play Dungeon Keeper without spending money, it "regarded it as extremely likely that players would reach a position where they would be unable to take any further meaningful or progressive action in the game until a timer had finished or been skipped, and that these periods would become longer and more significant, and the cost of skipping increasingly higher, as the player progressed."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Additionally, it feels that, based on the ad, "players would expect the gameplay progression and their ability to advance to be unhindered by unexpected and excessively onerous delays, and we therefore considered that the length and frequency of these countdown events was beyond that which would be reasonably expected by players."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What this all means is that the ad in question "must not appear again in its current form." EA has been told "to ensure that future ads made clear the limitations of free gameplay and role of in-app purchasing with regard to speeding up gameplay."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">EA CEO Andrew Wilson recently discussed Dungeon Keeper, stating the company "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-responds-to-dungeon-keeper-microtransaction-criticisms/1100-6420728/" data-ref-id="1100-6420728">misjudged the economy</a>." He also said, "For new players, it was kind of a cool game. For people who'd grown up playing Dungeon Keeper there was a disconnect there. In that aspect, we didn't walk that line as well as we could have. And that's a shame."</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:39:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-must-change-dungeon-keeper-ads-calling-it-free-rules-uk-ad-regulator/1100-6420884/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/exploring-the-new-worlds-in-world-of-warcraft-warl/2300-6420037/ Julio and Justin school Danny and Chris about the new character models and areas to explore in the latest WoW expansion. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/exploring-the-new-worlds-in-world-of-warcraft-warl/2300-6420037/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-boss-doesn-t-understand-why-some-people-only-want-to-play-aaa-games/1100-6420882/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2556900-u4_keyart_final_layered4_1402365483.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2556900" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2556900-u4_keyart_final_layered4_1402365483.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2556900"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2556900-u4_keyart_final_layered4_1402365483.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">PlayStation worldwide studios boss Shuhei Yoshida doesn't understand why some gamers only want to play big-budget AAA games. Speaking with <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-07-02-yoshida-i-dont-understand-people-who-only-want-aaa" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="2014-07">GamesIndustry International</a>, Yoshida acknowledged that some people gravitate towards AAA games exclusively, but said he wonders why people don't also give smaller-sized games a chance.</p><blockquote data-align="left"><p style="">"I do realize that some people are only interested in big-budget AAA games. I don't really understand those people" -- Shuhei Yoshida</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">"I hear complaints [about the lack of AAA games]. I do realize that some people are only interested in big-budget AAA games. I don't really understand those people," Yoshida said. "I don't know if they've tried some of the indie games and decided they're not interested. Maybe they haven't even tried. That's a key question."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yoshida pointed out that Sony offered acclaimed side-scrolling shooter <a href="/resogun/" data-ref-id="false">Resogun </a>for a while as a free download for PlayStation 4 PlayStation Plus subscribers owners, going on to say that not everyone took advantage of this deal for what he described as a "great, great game." Understanding how Sony can push gamers more towards excellent smaller-sized games is a "key question" for the company, Yoshida said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-sony-thinks-its-indie-strategy-can-t-just-be-copied/1100-6420781/" data-ref-id="1100-6420781">executive-level love for indie games</a>, PlayStation software product development head Scott Rohde said previously. Admiration for smaller games coming from the top of Sony makes it difficult for other publishers to match the company's indie strategy, he argues.</p><p style="">Of course, Sony supports much more than just smaller-sized games. Games that would be referred to as AAA in development at Sony studios right now include <a href="/the-order-1886/" data-ref-id="false">The Order: 1886</a>,<a href="/uncharted-4-a-thiefs-end/" data-ref-id="false"> Uncharted 4: A Thief's End</a>, <a href="/bloodborne/" data-ref-id="false">Bloodborne</a>, and<a href="/littlebigplanet-3/" data-ref-id="false"> LittleBigPlanet 3</a>, among others.</p><p style=""><em>What kinds of games do you play? Everything from AAA to indie? Let us know in the comments below!</em></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, 02 Jul 2014 12:11:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-boss-doesn-t-understand-why-some-people-only-want-to-play-aaa-games/1100-6420882/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-gist-5-awesome-e3-2014-trailers-you-may-have-m/2300-6420025/ We cover you off on 5 of the coolest looking trailers that debuted at E3 this year that you may have missed out on. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-gist-5-awesome-e3-2014-trailers-you-may-have-m/2300-6420025/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/fire-the-intern-sniper-elite-iii-nut-shot-fail-the/2300-6420036/ Alex the Intern has to get 3 nut shots in Sniper Elite 3 or lose his coveted position. We'll miss you Alex. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:54:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/fire-the-intern-sniper-elite-iii-nut-shot-fail-the/2300-6420036/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/divinity-original-sin-first-impressions-the-lobby/2300-6420034/ Kevin VanOrd shows off where he's currently at with his Divinity: Original Sin review and gives us a look at the skill and spell lists. Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:40:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/divinity-original-sin-first-impressions-the-lobby/2300-6420034/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-what-s-being-changed-in-battlefield-hardline-following-the-beta/1100-6420881/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419919" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419919/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Electronic Arts <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-wake-of-battlefield-4-launch-issues-ea-overhauling-testing-process/1100-6420568/" data-ref-id="1100-6420568">doesn't want a repeat</a> of <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a>'s launch with <a href="/battlefield-hardline/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Hardline</a> this year, which is why players have already had the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-beta-extended-by-one-week/1100-6420592/" data-ref-id="1100-6420592">opportunity to participate in a beta test</a> (and will be able to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-beta-coming-to-all-platforms-this-fall/1100-6420797/" data-ref-id="1100-6420797">do so again this fall</a>). The beta that wrapped up last week has already resulted in significant changes to Hardline, some of which developer Visceral Games detailed today.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In a post on the official <a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/07/battlefield-hardline-communitys-wanted-list/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield blog</a>, lead multiplayer designer Thad Sasser unveiled the Community's Most Wanted list. He says Visceral will use this to "outline some of the fixes and improvements we are making to Battlefield Hardline based on feedback we received during the beta and what we're hearing from you." This will be updated in the run up to Hardline's launch on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-october-release-leaked-in-new-trailer/1100-6420148/" data-ref-id="1100-6420148">October 21</a>, "and beyond," making it sound as if Visceral will continue to be transparent about the changes it makes even after the final game is out--which is exactly what EA CEO Andrew Wilson <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-wake-of-battlefield-4-launch-issues-ea-overhauling-testing-process/1100-6420568/" data-ref-id="1100-6420568">has talked about doing</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What's currently laid out on the <a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/07/battlefield-hardline-communitys-wanted-list/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">list</a> is not a comprehensive look at every change being made as a result of the beta. It does, however, include a number of things beta players will be happy to see, like reducing the crazy amount of camera shake nearby players were subjected to when the crane collapsed on the High Tension map seen in the beta.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The current list of ten items on the CMW list, as described by Visceral:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><strong>Movement:</strong> There was a lot of feedback about slow movement speed and feeling "sluggish." We've increased player speed by 10%, and players will get a +10% bonus for running with your pistol out. It feels much faster now!</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Suppression:</strong> There were a lot of negative comments about the camera "bounce" when suppressed. We've changed the way suppression works--your aimpoint is no longer affected, but your situational awareness is.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Survivalist:</strong> We've heard both sides of the argument on the Survivalist gadget, it is pretty polarizing. Some of you hate it, some of you love it--either way, we agree it was overpowered. We've changed it to revive you at 1 health and auto-inject after 5 seconds.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>High Tension - Crane Camera Shake:</strong> A number of people called out the camera shake from this event as being too over the top. We're tuning this down.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>High Tension - Stairs in High Tension Bug:</strong> Stairs in High Tension should no longer pull players into the wall.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Elevated Objectives:</strong> We've added some feedback to help you find the objective when it's above or below you.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Special Vehicles:</strong> We're working on adding more special drivable vehicles like the Fuel Truck into all maps. We're also working on a handbrake for cars.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Stuck Vehicles:</strong> We're working on the ability to "nudge" vehicles with a melee attack to help get them unstuck or to be able to move past them. No promises, but the early prototype looks promising!</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Heavy Vehicle Damage:</strong> We've added "weak spots" in the rear of the heavily armored vehicles, making it much easier to bring them down!</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Vehicle Occupant List:</strong> We're working on adding the Bag Carrier icon to the list of teammates inside your vehicle, so that you can tell when the bag carrier gets in your vehicle.</li></ul><p style="">What do you make of these changes? Were there any other things you saw in the beta that you want changed prior to Hardline's launch? Let us know what you make of Visceral's attempt to be forthcoming with the changes it's making in the comments below.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:22:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-what-s-being-changed-in-battlefield-hardline-following-the-beta/1100-6420881/
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