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http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Thu, 24 Oct 2013 22:38:39 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gran-turismo-6-ps3-bundle-coming-to-brazil/1100-6415776/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2354443-gt6bundle.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354443" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2354443-gt6bundle.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354443"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2354443-gt6bundle.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Today during the Brazil Game Show, Sony announced a special <a href="/gran-turismo-6/" data-ref-id="false">Gran Turismo 6</a> PlayStation 3 bundle, to be released in Brazil and the rest of Latin America later this year.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The bundle features Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna on its packaging. Sony will also roll out various online updates after launch focused around the driver.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The announcement of the PS3 bundle is part of a broader relationship between PlayStation and the <a href="http://senna.globo.com/institutoayrtonsenna/ingles/home/index.asp" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Ayrton Senna Institute</a>, a charitable organization founded after Senna's death in 1994.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Gran Turismo 6 will be released exclusively for PS3 on December 6. The special bundle has not been announced for regions outside of Latin America.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on Gran Turismo 6, check out <a href="/gran-turismo-6/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6408391" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6408391/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p> Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gran-turismo-6-ps3-bundle-coming-to-brazil/1100-6415776/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/solstice-arena-review/1900-6415505/ <p style="">In a genre where clones and knockoffs are the norm, Solstice Arena is a bright, refreshing beacon. In its entry into the multiplayer online battle arena foray, Zynga has created a fun and breezy game that has the same feel as <a href="/dota-2/" data-ref-id="false">Dota</a> and <a href="/league-of-legends/" data-ref-id="false">League of Legends</a>, but is played in brief 5- to 15-minute spurts rather than taking the better part of an hour. With the free-to-play "speed MOBA" Solstice Arena, the developer has proven it has the chops to compete with the big boys.</p><p style="">Solstice Arena puts you in a three-versus-three battle with the all-too-common final goal of destroying the enemy base. Each team's guardian is guarded by three towers. But rather than forcing you to wait on heroes to grind by killing minions and siege towers alongside an army, the game abandons both the concept of in-match levels and minions altogether. Instead, gold is earned through pickup style power-ups and a single capturable chest in the middle of the map.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6415736" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6415736/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">You must establish control of the center of the map to capture the chest through a sort of channeling mechanism that slowly turns the chest toward your side. That channel can be instantly interrupted by even a heavy sigh from the opponents, however. So each team of three dances precariously around the chest, waiting for the perfect moment to engage. Whether that engagement comes when the giant ogre leaps onto a defenseless mage or the steam-powered robot launches his arm to hook your assassin into the tower and nonchalantly throw him over his shoulder, rest assured the engagement will happen, and it will be over quickly.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p style="">Earth, moon, sun, void, and iron. While Captain Planet won't be summoned by the combination of these, you have to find the perfect combination to maximize their potential.</p></blockquote><p style="">Spells and abilities in Solstice Arena have only one casting resource: cooldowns. This means there's no waiting around for your mana to recharge and no waiting to build enough fury to reach the optimal moment of attack. That moment is ready and waiting when all three of your abilities are off cooldown. The action is nearly constant, and in the 12 minutes it takes to play a match, it's rare that standoffs take more than half a minute.</p><p style="">You can purchase items from the spawn platform to improve your character's abilities. Rather than deciding which items from the whole arsenal you'd like as in other MOBAs, you're given a choice of one head item, an accessory, an off-hand, a weapon, boots, and body armor, and you may carry only one of each. Most items grant you only two of the game's five attributes, and each item has three base choices that can be upgraded into three final tier-three choices, each with a different passive enhancement that can greatly improve your character's fighting potential. Bludgeons help you keep a target in place, robes improve the caster's damage or healing, and belts help you wear the pants in the family by making you immune to certain crowd-control abilities.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354359-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354359" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354359-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354359"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2354359-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>The small map means constant action.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Earth, moon, sun, void, and iron. While Captain Planet won't be summoned by the combination of these, you have to find the perfect combination to maximize their potential. Each attribute is tied to a stat such as attack damage, movement speed, cooldown reduction, attack speed, or defense. In addition to earning them through items, you also earn attributes that spawn as capturable power-ups around the map and smaller bonuses through instant pickups.</p><p style="">One of the primary innovations to speed the game up is that you don't have to wait around for items and attributes to siege the enemy's base. Towers are active only while a player is alive and away from his or her spawn point. If an entire enemy team is dead, or if they have retreated to heal, their towers simply won't fight back. An early sweep of the enemy team results in a power play, guaranteeing some free time to begin pecking away at the tower's defenses. As the game goes on and respawn times get longer, these power plays become much more dangerous, and a full team being aced at the wrong time could result in a quick defeat.</p><p style="">The game is limited at present by its meager hero pool. With only 20 heroes to choose from, and steep costs to unlock them, things become redundant in longer play sessions. You see many of the same faces and same groups of faces over and over across your games. Zynga somewhat offsets this by offering a fair helping of heroes in a free trial rotation, which refreshes every few days, but playing with or against players who have not unlocked a hero of their own means that what you see is all trial heroes, all the time.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354362-0007.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354362" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354362-0007.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354362"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2354362-0007.jpg"></a><figcaption>The oracle won't fight back if everyone is dead.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Fortunately, character designs are all quite different from one another, and each hero has a unique style. Whether that style involves playing from the back lines as a high-powered mage of the sun, or turning to stone and spinning through the ranks of your foes, or throwing down a music box to pacify your foes while you spin around healing your teammates, heroes have signature abilities, and there don't yet appear to be redundancies among them. Each ability can be upgraded between games, as winning (or participating) earns experience for that hero. Each skill has three different paths that can be upgraded, but only two may be selected for the five additional skill points put into each skill. You can use these upgrades to suit your gameplay whims, whether that means making areas of effect larger, making stun durations longer, or just making skills pack a bigger wallop when you connect with an enemy.</p><p style="">While I have been exclusively playing the PC version released on Steam, it's imperative to mention that this game is cross-platform with iOS and Mac. The three platforms are seamlessly integrated with one another, and at any given time your teammates or opponents could be playing on an iPad or iPhone while you sit at your computer with a mouse and keyboard. I was unable to discern in my play who was playing from what media, which speaks well of the cross-platform support. The mobile format suits the game's short, burst play sessions to allow those on the go to be able to squeeze in a game or two in transit before returning to their PC, or simply sitting on their couch and continuing to play on the iPad.</p><blockquote data-align="center" data-size="large"><p style="">While the lack of rage-filled hate speech is welcome, the ability to educate players is sorely missed.</p></blockquote><p style="">There are a few expected features missing from Solstice Arena. Tooltips for abilities can only be read outside a game, so there is no way to refresh your memory mid-game on what exactly an ability does. Because some nuanced effects, such as bonus damage, amplified damage, or damage reduction, aren't communicated clearly through visual effects, this can be problematic at times. Each hero also has a passive perk, which is unique to that hero. These can also be seen only at the character select screen, and are not visible anywhere in-game unless it grants a stat boost that is communicated in that player's buff bar during a match. I didn't know these perks existed until after several hours of playing.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354365-0004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354365" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354365-0004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354365"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/416/4161502/2354365-0004.jpg"></a><figcaption>Each skill can be customized to your taste.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Additionally, there is no in-game chat function. This means you needn't worry about toxic players who berate, blame, and insult teammates who underperform. However, you're unable to help out teammates who may be playing or building poorly. The only form of communication in the game is through a single ping every few seconds. You cannot tell your teammate, "Don't hook the spinning guy into our team," or say, "Hey, build Nullifying Belt," when your opponents have stacked a roster full of silences. While the lack of rage-filled hate speech is welcome, the ability to educate players is sorely missed.</p><p style="">Players looking for a deep, rich experience will find themselves stuck in the shallow end of the pool. The short encounters and matches make for a lack of substantial depth in the game. However, with the upgradable abilities and the various perks on each tier-three item, there are more effective item builds depending upon the opponent's composition, and playing the same way each time will not get the most efficient play out of your hero. Clever players are free to deviate from the recommended items in order to play their hero beyond its defined role, but with ability scaling tied directly to certain resources, there are some boxes you simply can't think outside of.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354366-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354366" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354366-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354366"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2354366-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Capture resources to power up.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Solstice Arena is explosive fun, and its short matches quickly entice you into the "just one more game" mentality so common in compelling multiplayer experiences. And though the game is great for the PC, each match's brevity makes Solstice Arena a fantastic choice for gaming on the go. If you have an iOS device, get Solstice Arena. f you don't have an iOS device, get Solstice Arena for your PC. It's as simple as that. The 10 minutes you play at a time will quickly add up to hours you've invested into this delightfully fast MOBA experience.</p> Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/solstice-arena-review/1900-6415505/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/solstice-arena-stunning-victory-crushing-defeat-ga/2300-6415736/ A hero finds comfort in cold death. Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/solstice-arena-stunning-victory-crushing-defeat-ga/2300-6415736/

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Thu, 24 Oct 2013 22:38:39 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gran-turismo-6-ps3-bundle-coming-to-brazil/1100-6415776/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2354443-gt6bundle.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354443" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2354443-gt6bundle.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354443"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2354443-gt6bundle.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Today during the Brazil Game Show, Sony announced a special <a href="/gran-turismo-6/" data-ref-id="false">Gran Turismo 6</a> PlayStation 3 bundle, to be released in Brazil and the rest of Latin America later this year.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The bundle features Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna on its packaging. Sony will also roll out various online updates after launch focused around the driver.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The announcement of the PS3 bundle is part of a broader relationship between PlayStation and the <a href="http://senna.globo.com/institutoayrtonsenna/ingles/home/index.asp" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Ayrton Senna Institute</a>, a charitable organization founded after Senna's death in 1994.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Gran Turismo 6 will be released exclusively for PS3 on December 6. The special bundle has not been announced for regions outside of Latin America.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on Gran Turismo 6, check out <a href="/gran-turismo-6/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6408391" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6408391/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p> Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gran-turismo-6-ps3-bundle-coming-to-brazil/1100-6415776/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/solstice-arena-review/1900-6415505/ <p style="">In a genre where clones and knockoffs are the norm, Solstice Arena is a bright, refreshing beacon. In its entry into the multiplayer online battle arena foray, Zynga has created a fun and breezy game that has the same feel as <a href="/dota-2/" data-ref-id="false">Dota</a> and <a href="/league-of-legends/" data-ref-id="false">League of Legends</a>, but is played in brief 5- to 15-minute spurts rather than taking the better part of an hour. With the free-to-play "speed MOBA" Solstice Arena, the developer has proven it has the chops to compete with the big boys.</p><p style="">Solstice Arena puts you in a three-versus-three battle with the all-too-common final goal of destroying the enemy base. Each team's guardian is guarded by three towers. But rather than forcing you to wait on heroes to grind by killing minions and siege towers alongside an army, the game abandons both the concept of in-match levels and minions altogether. Instead, gold is earned through pickup style power-ups and a single capturable chest in the middle of the map.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6415736" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6415736/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">You must establish control of the center of the map to capture the chest through a sort of channeling mechanism that slowly turns the chest toward your side. That channel can be instantly interrupted by even a heavy sigh from the opponents, however. So each team of three dances precariously around the chest, waiting for the perfect moment to engage. Whether that engagement comes when the giant ogre leaps onto a defenseless mage or the steam-powered robot launches his arm to hook your assassin into the tower and nonchalantly throw him over his shoulder, rest assured the engagement will happen, and it will be over quickly.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p style="">Earth, moon, sun, void, and iron. While Captain Planet won't be summoned by the combination of these, you have to find the perfect combination to maximize their potential.</p></blockquote><p style="">Spells and abilities in Solstice Arena have only one casting resource: cooldowns. This means there's no waiting around for your mana to recharge and no waiting to build enough fury to reach the optimal moment of attack. That moment is ready and waiting when all three of your abilities are off cooldown. The action is nearly constant, and in the 12 minutes it takes to play a match, it's rare that standoffs take more than half a minute.</p><p style="">You can purchase items from the spawn platform to improve your character's abilities. Rather than deciding which items from the whole arsenal you'd like as in other MOBAs, you're given a choice of one head item, an accessory, an off-hand, a weapon, boots, and body armor, and you may carry only one of each. Most items grant you only two of the game's five attributes, and each item has three base choices that can be upgraded into three final tier-three choices, each with a different passive enhancement that can greatly improve your character's fighting potential. Bludgeons help you keep a target in place, robes improve the caster's damage or healing, and belts help you wear the pants in the family by making you immune to certain crowd-control abilities.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354359-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354359" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354359-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354359"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2354359-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>The small map means constant action.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Earth, moon, sun, void, and iron. While Captain Planet won't be summoned by the combination of these, you have to find the perfect combination to maximize their potential. Each attribute is tied to a stat such as attack damage, movement speed, cooldown reduction, attack speed, or defense. In addition to earning them through items, you also earn attributes that spawn as capturable power-ups around the map and smaller bonuses through instant pickups.</p><p style="">One of the primary innovations to speed the game up is that you don't have to wait around for items and attributes to siege the enemy's base. Towers are active only while a player is alive and away from his or her spawn point. If an entire enemy team is dead, or if they have retreated to heal, their towers simply won't fight back. An early sweep of the enemy team results in a power play, guaranteeing some free time to begin pecking away at the tower's defenses. As the game goes on and respawn times get longer, these power plays become much more dangerous, and a full team being aced at the wrong time could result in a quick defeat.</p><p style="">The game is limited at present by its meager hero pool. With only 20 heroes to choose from, and steep costs to unlock them, things become redundant in longer play sessions. You see many of the same faces and same groups of faces over and over across your games. Zynga somewhat offsets this by offering a fair helping of heroes in a free trial rotation, which refreshes every few days, but playing with or against players who have not unlocked a hero of their own means that what you see is all trial heroes, all the time.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354362-0007.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354362" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354362-0007.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354362"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2354362-0007.jpg"></a><figcaption>The oracle won't fight back if everyone is dead.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Fortunately, character designs are all quite different from one another, and each hero has a unique style. Whether that style involves playing from the back lines as a high-powered mage of the sun, or turning to stone and spinning through the ranks of your foes, or throwing down a music box to pacify your foes while you spin around healing your teammates, heroes have signature abilities, and there don't yet appear to be redundancies among them. Each ability can be upgraded between games, as winning (or participating) earns experience for that hero. Each skill has three different paths that can be upgraded, but only two may be selected for the five additional skill points put into each skill. You can use these upgrades to suit your gameplay whims, whether that means making areas of effect larger, making stun durations longer, or just making skills pack a bigger wallop when you connect with an enemy.</p><p style="">While I have been exclusively playing the PC version released on Steam, it's imperative to mention that this game is cross-platform with iOS and Mac. The three platforms are seamlessly integrated with one another, and at any given time your teammates or opponents could be playing on an iPad or iPhone while you sit at your computer with a mouse and keyboard. I was unable to discern in my play who was playing from what media, which speaks well of the cross-platform support. The mobile format suits the game's short, burst play sessions to allow those on the go to be able to squeeze in a game or two in transit before returning to their PC, or simply sitting on their couch and continuing to play on the iPad.</p><blockquote data-align="center" data-size="large"><p style="">While the lack of rage-filled hate speech is welcome, the ability to educate players is sorely missed.</p></blockquote><p style="">There are a few expected features missing from Solstice Arena. Tooltips for abilities can only be read outside a game, so there is no way to refresh your memory mid-game on what exactly an ability does. Because some nuanced effects, such as bonus damage, amplified damage, or damage reduction, aren't communicated clearly through visual effects, this can be problematic at times. Each hero also has a passive perk, which is unique to that hero. These can also be seen only at the character select screen, and are not visible anywhere in-game unless it grants a stat boost that is communicated in that player's buff bar during a match. I didn't know these perks existed until after several hours of playing.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354365-0004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354365" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354365-0004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354365"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/416/4161502/2354365-0004.jpg"></a><figcaption>Each skill can be customized to your taste.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Additionally, there is no in-game chat function. This means you needn't worry about toxic players who berate, blame, and insult teammates who underperform. However, you're unable to help out teammates who may be playing or building poorly. The only form of communication in the game is through a single ping every few seconds. You cannot tell your teammate, "Don't hook the spinning guy into our team," or say, "Hey, build Nullifying Belt," when your opponents have stacked a roster full of silences. While the lack of rage-filled hate speech is welcome, the ability to educate players is sorely missed.</p><p style="">Players looking for a deep, rich experience will find themselves stuck in the shallow end of the pool. The short encounters and matches make for a lack of substantial depth in the game. However, with the upgradable abilities and the various perks on each tier-three item, there are more effective item builds depending upon the opponent's composition, and playing the same way each time will not get the most efficient play out of your hero. Clever players are free to deviate from the recommended items in order to play their hero beyond its defined role, but with ability scaling tied directly to certain resources, there are some boxes you simply can't think outside of.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354366-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354366" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2354366-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2354366"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2354366-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Capture resources to power up.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Solstice Arena is explosive fun, and its short matches quickly entice you into the "just one more game" mentality so common in compelling multiplayer experiences. And though the game is great for the PC, each match's brevity makes Solstice Arena a fantastic choice for gaming on the go. If you have an iOS device, get Solstice Arena. f you don't have an iOS device, get Solstice Arena for your PC. It's as simple as that. The 10 minutes you play at a time will quickly add up to hours you've invested into this delightfully fast MOBA experience.</p> Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/solstice-arena-review/1900-6415505/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/solstice-arena-stunning-victory-crushing-defeat-ga/2300-6415736/ A hero finds comfort in cold death. Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/solstice-arena-stunning-victory-crushing-defeat-ga/2300-6415736/

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http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 23 Oct 2013 22:17:27 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/counter-logic-gaming-s-chauster-discusses-his-decision-to-retire/1100-6415743/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1490/14900166/2353027-s3_clgchauster_2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2353027" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1490/14900166/2353027-s3_clgchauster_2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2353027"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1490/14900166/2353027-s3_clgchauster_2.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Earlier today, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/counter-logic-gaming-s-support-player-chauster-retires-jungle-moves-to-bench/1100-6415746/" data-ref-id="1100-6415746">GameSpot reported that long standing Counter Logic Gaming</a> member Steve "Chauster" Chau is retiring from competitive League of Legends. Chauster has been a scene mainstay since his founding membership in CLG in 2010.</p><p style="">Last night, GameSpot had the chance to speak with Chauster about his decision to retire, his career, and his future.</p><p style=""><strong>GameSpot eSports: Why did you decide that now was the time to retire?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">Chauster: There are a number of reasons for why I am retiring. Being a pro player is great, but there are also many downsides that most people don't see. You have to literally dedicate your entire life to just have the chance at being the best. No one is in this business to be second best. After some self-reflection in current months I have come to realize that my heart isn't where it used to be, and it is apparent in my performance. I don't see myself playing league competitively in my thirties, it is better to step out now.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Having been a professional player since the start of competitive League of Legends esports, what has surprised you the most about the direction the scene took?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: As for the competitive scene, the biggest surprise to me is the fact that the scene in NA is arguably the weakest of all the regions. Despite having the game first, we somehow end up being behind in gameplay. The attitude with which we take this game is very casual, and as of yet there seems to be no quick fix. As for the E-sports side, I am surprised that League of Legends expanded so quickly. Establishing a league like LCS was something I would have never imagined possible while playing this game.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: You are the only top-tier professional League of Legends player to have competed in every role. Do you think this is a unique personal versatility you possess or could any player perform in any role?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I don't think that any player could play every role, but I don't think it is a trait unique to myself. Being able to play every role requires knowledge surrounding every role as well as the mechanics to back it up. Very few players are smart enough to understand the intricacies of each position while maintaining godlike mechanics. You would have to play a ridiculous amount of games in all positions, something that only non LCS players can accomplish as they don't have any commitments. I was lucky that I played a ridiculous amount of games before the competitive scene existed, which is why I find it a lot easier to play every role.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: How did the pressures, responsibilities, and expectations change for you as a pro player from 2010 to your retirement now in 2013?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: The responsibilities as a professional player were probably the biggest change from 2010-2013. Back in 2010, I didn't even stream. I sat on my ass, played solo queue, and went to an event once every few months. Eventually there were quotas for streaming, sponsorship obligations, practice hours, and curfews to name a few. Life is not easy these days. As for pressure, the pressure has always been the same. I just played every game to win. Expectations on the other hand, turned a complete 180. CLG used to be the dominant team in NA, I expected to win every single game. Nowadays I expect us to play our game and whatever happens happens.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: What will you miss about being a professional player?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I will miss traveling around the world and meeting fans. I will miss all the exposure that I have received in recent years that I would never would have had otherwise. I will miss my my team and all the friends I have made in these past few years. College was a great experience, but professional gaming was definitely the highlight of my life thus far.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Looking back on your career, do you have any regrets?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: My biggest single regret was not taking the initial plunge to stream. I had a giant window of opportunity as I was relevant before Hotshot was a big thing (I was around when he was switching platforms with 50 viewers). However, being a poor guy just out of college with no income, I couldn't justify paying for a hundreds for a computer. Little did I know :(</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: You spent your entire career on Counter Logic Gaming, what are some of your most memorable moments with the team professionally?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: My most memorable and professional moments in League of Legends would have to be winning the first LCS regionals over Curse. We secured the last spot in LCS, and all the stress we had was released. There was no more uncertainty for our future.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: How about memorable moments outside of a professional setting? Any fun stories or moments from your travel, or living with the team?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: The most memorable moments I have had with the team are all either awkward as hell or hilarious arguments, and there are too many to recount in an interview like this. The most awkward memory I've had on the team was when we decided to replace Voyboy. We had to tell him the bad news. Hotshot, Doublelift, and I all went into a room together to brace ourselves to give poor Voy the decision we made. Jiji was still in Seattle, so he wasn't present. Upon waiting for Kelby to fetch Voyboy, we were making small talk and then randomly started bursted out laughing. We were then caught with the laughing fit. We would laugh whenever one of us made eye contact with each other. Kelby obviously had no idea what was going on, but he did the talking for us as he was the manager at this point. All during the discussion, I would catch Doublelift or Hotshot's eye and just begin to laugh and turn away. I couldn't help it, and neither could they. Everyone was just holding back laughter while Kelby told Voy that he was going to sit bench. We didn't think the situation was funny, it was a nervous laughter. Doing shit like this hits the soul.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: What, if anything, do you consider the high point or crowning achievement of your career?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I consider the fact that I am the only person to play all roles at the top level as well as being the only 2 time WCG champion in League of Legends my crowning achievement.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: What do you think CLG's chances are going forward, without you competing on the team?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I think that CLG's chances are not based on the roster at all. I think that whoever they pick up will be insignificant outside of international superstars, and that the improvement will come with the infrastructure and the direction to which they will be heading towards. CLG has always had great individual talent, but can never bring it together. If CLG can bring it together early in the season, I feel that with a little bit of time they can become an international threat.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Doublelift attributes much of his success to the lessons you taught him early in his career and considers you his closest friend on the team. What do you think of his current position in the league and what do you see in his future?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: Doublelift is currently in a very unique place. Skillwise he is arguably the best ADC. Fanbase wise, he is hands down the best. I see him as the most valuable NA player in terms of marketability. I don't see Doublelift putting much individual effort to further his brand in the near future. Someone's gotta talk some sense into him, maybe you should do it Travis.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: If you plan on staying in the scene, what do you plan on doing? If not, what will you do after your career in esports?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I will continue to stay in the League of Legends scene. I plan on becoming a streamer and analyst, although I don't know if many teams have the resources or necessity to acquire an analyst. While streaming, I will also be going back to school, unless a full time gig in something League of Legends related is actually worth chasing.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: If Riot offered you the opportunity to be a shoutcaster or analyst for their broadcast, would you take that?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: Depends on the offer. I don't think I have what it takes to become a shoutcaster like the ones Riot is currently showcasing. I also don't think Riot needs someone with my level of expertise to do analyst work.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Any words of wisdom you would pass on to the next generation of LoL pro gamers?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: Try to become marketable, be a fan favorite! Also, acquire a coach ASAP since teams without a sixth man tend to have dysfunctional dynamics.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Any final words to your fans and the League of Legends community as you retire?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: Thanks to the fans and the community for your interest in both me and the League of Legends scene. I would not have been in such a privileged position without your support, and I would not have had the same enjoyable experience without you as well. Take care, don't rage, and try to work with your teammates in solo queue. pls</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6411082" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6411082/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p> Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:55:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/counter-logic-gaming-s-chauster-discusses-his-decision-to-retire/1100-6415743/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-next-generation-of-basketball-is-a-lot-like-th/2300-6415722/ Tom is dazzled by the impressive visuals in NBA 2K14, but doesn't feel the improvements he hoped for on the PlayStation 4. Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:45:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-next-generation-of-basketball-is-a-lot-like-th/2300-6415722/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/140-review/1900-6415504/ <p style="">In modern electronic music, the rhythm of dubstep--and most club music--typically moves at a brisk 140 beats per minute. Those who are familiar with the club scene would agree that when the music plays hot, the audience lets loose with an overwhelming urge to move and sway with the rhythm as if one entity. The feeling can be difficult to describe to someone who hasn't been on the dance floor. 140 is a 2D platformer that attempts to re-create this coalesced consciousness without the overpriced ticket rates, sweatiness, and questionable substances. The game blends colorful, abstract visuals and an exciting soundtrack that invites you to solve 140's secrets by tapping into the heart of the music and moving with the beat.</p><p style="">A pet project of programmer Jeppe Carlsen, who was lead gameplay designer of 2010's <a href="/limbo/" data-ref-id="false">Limbo</a>, 140 takes some cues from Playdead's macabre indie platformer. And like its cousin, the game unceremoniously drops you into a world fraught with deadly pitfalls and ensnaring lures. 140 provides a generous number of checkpoints throughout each of the game's three stages, thus delivering an inherent sense of awareness and accomplishment through its deceptively deadly design. You guide the protagonist--a square that transforms into a ball when moving and a triangle when jumping--through a series of clever puzzles designed to be solved by using a blend of brainpower, spatial awareness, and precise muscle control.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2352999-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2352999" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2352999-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2352999"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2352999-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>Static is not your friend.</figcaption></figure><p style="">140 looks clean and simple, forgoing organic architecture in favor of sharp angles reminiscent of a bygone era. Colorful blocks dance to the hi-hats and bass drops that compose the energetic soundtrack. Though made up of simple shapes, the game is a spectacle of color, animation, and noise, which works harmoniously against a backdrop composed of bars rising and falling to the music, much like a graphic equalizer.</p><p style="">The soundtrack powers the platforming in 140. Blocks disappear and reappear, jump pads activate and launch you over obstacles or across a room, and lifts move around the environment, all in accordance to the beat. Some blocks slowly dissipate when touched, while others may form a snaking path that can either aid or hinder your progress. Advancement in a stage requires you to survive long enough to nab a "key," disguised as a lazily floating orb. Acquiring the orb and guiding it to a clearly distinguished trigger point sparks an explosive aural and visual metamorphosis of the stage, allowing further progression with newly appeared platforms that stir to life with the music's sudden change in pace.</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p style="">Much like the dance floor full of sweating, swaying concertgoers, moving to the music while solving puzzles brings an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.</p></blockquote><p style="">The soundtrack for 140 is more than just music; it is its heartbeat. Putting your finger on the game's pulse is the most enjoyable way to play. Much like the dance floor full of sweating, swaying concertgoers, moving to the music while solving puzzles brings an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. There was more than one occasion when I felt my body moving in tune to the soundtrack, my fingers tapping at the keyboard while my head nodded along. Sadly, this sense of accomplishment is something not easily repeated. Once the puzzles are mastered, further visits don't feel particularly rewarding, and while completing the game lets you access any one of the three stages in the menu, I didn't feel compelled to give it a second run.</p><p style="">The platforming in 140 is superb. It wasn't possible for me to escape the game unscathed, but most of my deaths were brought on by miscalculating a jump or being just a little too quick on the draw. There was never a moment when I blamed the game for my failings. During the first half hour, the game's learning curve ramps up at a steady pace. This allows you to test the game's boundaries and freely explore the environment. However, the game sharply increases its level of challenge in the second half, turning what was once a game about puzzle solving and rhythm into one of fast-killing traps that prefers quick reflexes over brainpower. It is not enough to ruin the entire experience, but the difficulty spike is too jarring.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2353001-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2353001" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2353001-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2353001"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2353001-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Platforms and puzzles shift according to the music.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Each of the roughly 20-minute stages is capped with a boss battle against geometric shapes made of the antagonistic static that haunts 140's many corridors. Breaking the familiar pacing of the game, the boss fights rely more on quick muscle movement than planning and execution. Each of the three battles brings a different challenge; one mimics bullet-hell shooters, while another flings triangles at you that destroy on impact. The final encounter is particularly tough, requiring mental gymnastics combined with fast reflexes, and completing the game unlocks three Dark World levels--basically the inverse of the originals, but with an additional challenge: you are given only one chance to complete the level. One slipup and it's back to the menu screen.</p><p style="">Though the brutal rise in difficulty near the end mars the adventure, it doesn't ruin the overall mood, and the cover charge is more than reasonable for this particular night at the club. Grab a colorful cocktail and head to the dance floor!</p> Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:13:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/140-review/1900-6415504/

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 23 Oct 2013 22:17:27 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/counter-logic-gaming-s-chauster-discusses-his-decision-to-retire/1100-6415743/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1490/14900166/2353027-s3_clgchauster_2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2353027" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1490/14900166/2353027-s3_clgchauster_2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2353027"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1490/14900166/2353027-s3_clgchauster_2.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Earlier today, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/counter-logic-gaming-s-support-player-chauster-retires-jungle-moves-to-bench/1100-6415746/" data-ref-id="1100-6415746">GameSpot reported that long standing Counter Logic Gaming</a> member Steve "Chauster" Chau is retiring from competitive League of Legends. Chauster has been a scene mainstay since his founding membership in CLG in 2010.</p><p style="">Last night, GameSpot had the chance to speak with Chauster about his decision to retire, his career, and his future.</p><p style=""><strong>GameSpot eSports: Why did you decide that now was the time to retire?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">Chauster: There are a number of reasons for why I am retiring. Being a pro player is great, but there are also many downsides that most people don't see. You have to literally dedicate your entire life to just have the chance at being the best. No one is in this business to be second best. After some self-reflection in current months I have come to realize that my heart isn't where it used to be, and it is apparent in my performance. I don't see myself playing league competitively in my thirties, it is better to step out now.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Having been a professional player since the start of competitive League of Legends esports, what has surprised you the most about the direction the scene took?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: As for the competitive scene, the biggest surprise to me is the fact that the scene in NA is arguably the weakest of all the regions. Despite having the game first, we somehow end up being behind in gameplay. The attitude with which we take this game is very casual, and as of yet there seems to be no quick fix. As for the E-sports side, I am surprised that League of Legends expanded so quickly. Establishing a league like LCS was something I would have never imagined possible while playing this game.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: You are the only top-tier professional League of Legends player to have competed in every role. Do you think this is a unique personal versatility you possess or could any player perform in any role?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I don't think that any player could play every role, but I don't think it is a trait unique to myself. Being able to play every role requires knowledge surrounding every role as well as the mechanics to back it up. Very few players are smart enough to understand the intricacies of each position while maintaining godlike mechanics. You would have to play a ridiculous amount of games in all positions, something that only non LCS players can accomplish as they don't have any commitments. I was lucky that I played a ridiculous amount of games before the competitive scene existed, which is why I find it a lot easier to play every role.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: How did the pressures, responsibilities, and expectations change for you as a pro player from 2010 to your retirement now in 2013?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: The responsibilities as a professional player were probably the biggest change from 2010-2013. Back in 2010, I didn't even stream. I sat on my ass, played solo queue, and went to an event once every few months. Eventually there were quotas for streaming, sponsorship obligations, practice hours, and curfews to name a few. Life is not easy these days. As for pressure, the pressure has always been the same. I just played every game to win. Expectations on the other hand, turned a complete 180. CLG used to be the dominant team in NA, I expected to win every single game. Nowadays I expect us to play our game and whatever happens happens.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: What will you miss about being a professional player?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I will miss traveling around the world and meeting fans. I will miss all the exposure that I have received in recent years that I would never would have had otherwise. I will miss my my team and all the friends I have made in these past few years. College was a great experience, but professional gaming was definitely the highlight of my life thus far.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Looking back on your career, do you have any regrets?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: My biggest single regret was not taking the initial plunge to stream. I had a giant window of opportunity as I was relevant before Hotshot was a big thing (I was around when he was switching platforms with 50 viewers). However, being a poor guy just out of college with no income, I couldn't justify paying for a hundreds for a computer. Little did I know :(</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: You spent your entire career on Counter Logic Gaming, what are some of your most memorable moments with the team professionally?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: My most memorable and professional moments in League of Legends would have to be winning the first LCS regionals over Curse. We secured the last spot in LCS, and all the stress we had was released. There was no more uncertainty for our future.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: How about memorable moments outside of a professional setting? Any fun stories or moments from your travel, or living with the team?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: The most memorable moments I have had with the team are all either awkward as hell or hilarious arguments, and there are too many to recount in an interview like this. The most awkward memory I've had on the team was when we decided to replace Voyboy. We had to tell him the bad news. Hotshot, Doublelift, and I all went into a room together to brace ourselves to give poor Voy the decision we made. Jiji was still in Seattle, so he wasn't present. Upon waiting for Kelby to fetch Voyboy, we were making small talk and then randomly started bursted out laughing. We were then caught with the laughing fit. We would laugh whenever one of us made eye contact with each other. Kelby obviously had no idea what was going on, but he did the talking for us as he was the manager at this point. All during the discussion, I would catch Doublelift or Hotshot's eye and just begin to laugh and turn away. I couldn't help it, and neither could they. Everyone was just holding back laughter while Kelby told Voy that he was going to sit bench. We didn't think the situation was funny, it was a nervous laughter. Doing shit like this hits the soul.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: What, if anything, do you consider the high point or crowning achievement of your career?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I consider the fact that I am the only person to play all roles at the top level as well as being the only 2 time WCG champion in League of Legends my crowning achievement.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: What do you think CLG's chances are going forward, without you competing on the team?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I think that CLG's chances are not based on the roster at all. I think that whoever they pick up will be insignificant outside of international superstars, and that the improvement will come with the infrastructure and the direction to which they will be heading towards. CLG has always had great individual talent, but can never bring it together. If CLG can bring it together early in the season, I feel that with a little bit of time they can become an international threat.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Doublelift attributes much of his success to the lessons you taught him early in his career and considers you his closest friend on the team. What do you think of his current position in the league and what do you see in his future?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: Doublelift is currently in a very unique place. Skillwise he is arguably the best ADC. Fanbase wise, he is hands down the best. I see him as the most valuable NA player in terms of marketability. I don't see Doublelift putting much individual effort to further his brand in the near future. Someone's gotta talk some sense into him, maybe you should do it Travis.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: If you plan on staying in the scene, what do you plan on doing? If not, what will you do after your career in esports?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: I will continue to stay in the League of Legends scene. I plan on becoming a streamer and analyst, although I don't know if many teams have the resources or necessity to acquire an analyst. While streaming, I will also be going back to school, unless a full time gig in something League of Legends related is actually worth chasing.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: If Riot offered you the opportunity to be a shoutcaster or analyst for their broadcast, would you take that?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: Depends on the offer. I don't think I have what it takes to become a shoutcaster like the ones Riot is currently showcasing. I also don't think Riot needs someone with my level of expertise to do analyst work.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Any words of wisdom you would pass on to the next generation of LoL pro gamers?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: Try to become marketable, be a fan favorite! Also, acquire a coach ASAP since teams without a sixth man tend to have dysfunctional dynamics.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GS: Any final words to your fans and the League of Legends community as you retire?</strong></p><p dir="ltr" style="">C: Thanks to the fans and the community for your interest in both me and the League of Legends scene. I would not have been in such a privileged position without your support, and I would not have had the same enjoyable experience without you as well. Take care, don't rage, and try to work with your teammates in solo queue. pls</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6411082" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6411082/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p> Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:55:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/counter-logic-gaming-s-chauster-discusses-his-decision-to-retire/1100-6415743/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-next-generation-of-basketball-is-a-lot-like-th/2300-6415722/ Tom is dazzled by the impressive visuals in NBA 2K14, but doesn't feel the improvements he hoped for on the PlayStation 4. Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:45:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-next-generation-of-basketball-is-a-lot-like-th/2300-6415722/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/140-review/1900-6415504/ <p style="">In modern electronic music, the rhythm of dubstep--and most club music--typically moves at a brisk 140 beats per minute. Those who are familiar with the club scene would agree that when the music plays hot, the audience lets loose with an overwhelming urge to move and sway with the rhythm as if one entity. The feeling can be difficult to describe to someone who hasn't been on the dance floor. 140 is a 2D platformer that attempts to re-create this coalesced consciousness without the overpriced ticket rates, sweatiness, and questionable substances. The game blends colorful, abstract visuals and an exciting soundtrack that invites you to solve 140's secrets by tapping into the heart of the music and moving with the beat.</p><p style="">A pet project of programmer Jeppe Carlsen, who was lead gameplay designer of 2010's <a href="/limbo/" data-ref-id="false">Limbo</a>, 140 takes some cues from Playdead's macabre indie platformer. And like its cousin, the game unceremoniously drops you into a world fraught with deadly pitfalls and ensnaring lures. 140 provides a generous number of checkpoints throughout each of the game's three stages, thus delivering an inherent sense of awareness and accomplishment through its deceptively deadly design. You guide the protagonist--a square that transforms into a ball when moving and a triangle when jumping--through a series of clever puzzles designed to be solved by using a blend of brainpower, spatial awareness, and precise muscle control.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2352999-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2352999" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2352999-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2352999"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2352999-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>Static is not your friend.</figcaption></figure><p style="">140 looks clean and simple, forgoing organic architecture in favor of sharp angles reminiscent of a bygone era. Colorful blocks dance to the hi-hats and bass drops that compose the energetic soundtrack. Though made up of simple shapes, the game is a spectacle of color, animation, and noise, which works harmoniously against a backdrop composed of bars rising and falling to the music, much like a graphic equalizer.</p><p style="">The soundtrack powers the platforming in 140. Blocks disappear and reappear, jump pads activate and launch you over obstacles or across a room, and lifts move around the environment, all in accordance to the beat. Some blocks slowly dissipate when touched, while others may form a snaking path that can either aid or hinder your progress. Advancement in a stage requires you to survive long enough to nab a "key," disguised as a lazily floating orb. Acquiring the orb and guiding it to a clearly distinguished trigger point sparks an explosive aural and visual metamorphosis of the stage, allowing further progression with newly appeared platforms that stir to life with the music's sudden change in pace.</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p style="">Much like the dance floor full of sweating, swaying concertgoers, moving to the music while solving puzzles brings an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.</p></blockquote><p style="">The soundtrack for 140 is more than just music; it is its heartbeat. Putting your finger on the game's pulse is the most enjoyable way to play. Much like the dance floor full of sweating, swaying concertgoers, moving to the music while solving puzzles brings an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. There was more than one occasion when I felt my body moving in tune to the soundtrack, my fingers tapping at the keyboard while my head nodded along. Sadly, this sense of accomplishment is something not easily repeated. Once the puzzles are mastered, further visits don't feel particularly rewarding, and while completing the game lets you access any one of the three stages in the menu, I didn't feel compelled to give it a second run.</p><p style="">The platforming in 140 is superb. It wasn't possible for me to escape the game unscathed, but most of my deaths were brought on by miscalculating a jump or being just a little too quick on the draw. There was never a moment when I blamed the game for my failings. During the first half hour, the game's learning curve ramps up at a steady pace. This allows you to test the game's boundaries and freely explore the environment. However, the game sharply increases its level of challenge in the second half, turning what was once a game about puzzle solving and rhythm into one of fast-killing traps that prefers quick reflexes over brainpower. It is not enough to ruin the entire experience, but the difficulty spike is too jarring.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2353001-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2353001" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2353001-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2353001"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2353001-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Platforms and puzzles shift according to the music.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Each of the roughly 20-minute stages is capped with a boss battle against geometric shapes made of the antagonistic static that haunts 140's many corridors. Breaking the familiar pacing of the game, the boss fights rely more on quick muscle movement than planning and execution. Each of the three battles brings a different challenge; one mimics bullet-hell shooters, while another flings triangles at you that destroy on impact. The final encounter is particularly tough, requiring mental gymnastics combined with fast reflexes, and completing the game unlocks three Dark World levels--basically the inverse of the originals, but with an additional challenge: you are given only one chance to complete the level. One slipup and it's back to the menu screen.</p><p style="">Though the brutal rise in difficulty near the end mars the adventure, it doesn't ruin the overall mood, and the cover charge is more than reasonable for this particular night at the club. Grab a colorful cocktail and head to the dance floor!</p> Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:13:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/140-review/1900-6415504/

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Glare Review

You are the Shiner.

The Shiner is a powerful guardian with a single objective: to obliterate the darkness that has recently begun encroaching upon the galaxy. Armed with magical light that allows you to push away foul mist and nasty creatures, you advance through a series of treacherous environments set on mostly barren planets, banishing all that is murky.

Glare is in many respects a conventional 2D platformer, meaning that you're called upon to perform many precise jumps. The unique hook in this case is your ability to cast a bright beam on enemies and the world around them, often while airborne. You must master that skill to thrive. At first, you use the dazzling beam to repel projectiles and push away the floating purple aliens and skittering nasties that crowd your space, but the beam's use soon grows beyond such basic utility. Shadowy plant life in the background is brought to the foreground when you shine light in the right spot, allowing the vegetation to propel you toward higher ground. Switches can also be activated, producing zip lines and other helpful means of navigation. Early on, you gain the ability to fire bullets, but you must often choose between illumination and firepower. In tough spots, controlling crowds of strange beasts means alternating. If you are being swarmed by gliding enemies that suddenly emerge from a portal, it's easy to become overwhelmed until you clear out a safe path.

Sure, aim for the sky! It's not like you have to worry about running out of batteries or anything.

You start your tour of the galaxy by exploring a verdant forest environment known as Tree World. From there, you go on a voyage through the expected environmental tropes, traversing desert, rock, ice, and lava. The locations feature detailed foliage, intricate rock formations, and sparkling ravines covered in ice and snow--familiar but attractive locations in which background beauty and foreground dangers are easily distinguished. Each new environment introduces a couple of new monsters, but you generally deal with the same four or five critters.

Glare offers an inventive mechanic that could have given rise to a memorable adventure, but then fails to build meaningfully on that early promise.

Monsters roam in the alien environs, but fights against these beasts are just an afterthought. Your most fearsome opponent is the generous supply of spiked vines that flourish on each planet. Brushing against the razor-sharp barbs spells instant death, even if you have taken no prior damage. Sometimes, those vines seem cheap in areas you're forced to hurry through, with you running or falling into a pit of spikes you couldn't have seen coming, but for the most part, stages are designed in a manner that avoids producing such frustrating circumstances. Even when you stumble across an exception to that rule, the levels benefit from a generous checkpoint system. There are a few cases where checkpoints are more frugal than normal, but you rarely lose much ground when monsters or spikes produce an unpleasant death.

Hanging around spikes all the time can be bad for your health. Didn't Buffy teach you that much?

Glare's controls are every bit as responsive as they should be in a game of this sort. You begin with the ability to jump long distances, bound up walls in narrow vertical shafts, and rush down slopes. Special pedestals you come across in each level grant access to additional moves, but a lot of those enhancements don't require direct player input. For instance, you gain the ability to dash along certain slopes to build speed that allows you to clear wider gaps, but you don't have to do anything more than run along the appropriate path to enjoy the benefits.

Mild puzzle elements provide occasional interludes, but such moments are too traditional to be interesting. They typically require you to find a missing piece to a machine that allows you to open a locked door. In this case, you press a switch to make the piece appear and rush forward so that you can nab it in time. Once you grab it, you easily place it where it needs to go, and the door opens. A more successful attempt to vary the tempo comes elsewhere, when you ride winged creatures across fields of spikes while blasting enemies out of the air. In another case, you ascend a wide vertical shaft by fashioning makeshift ledges out of fragile bubbles. The game could have used more inventive moments like these.

It's always better to jump over this fellow than to face his charge.

At least the bosses keep things fresh. Most of them briefly turn the game into a twin-stick shooter along the lines of Geometry Wars. You float around an enclosed chamber, chipping away at the boss's armor so that its weak point appears and you can blast it. The foe at the end of each successive stage becomes more difficult than the previous one, but the process is never overly frustrating, and those encounters are a nice change of pace from the standard platforming segments that lead up to them.

Glare is satisfying as it goes--it just doesn't go far enough. There are only six stages in all, and the first and last ones can be cleared quickly, especially once you are familiar with them. The first five areas each contain hidden artifacts that lie well off the beaten path, but there's no obvious benefit to finding them, and you don't get to use abilities gained in later stages when you head back to early ones. Securing a better time isn't really motivation to return, unless you're the sort who particularly enjoys speed runs: there's no way to easily share your triumphs with friends or rivals.

Glare offers an inventive mechanic that could have given rise to a memorable adventure, but then fails to build meaningfully on that early promise. This is an entertaining pit stop that can tide you over on your journey to a bigger, brighter galaxy.

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Glare Video Review

Posted by Jason Venter and Mary Kish | Oct. 22, 2013 6:05pm

Glare offers an inventive mechanic that could have given rise to a memorable adventure, but then fails to build meaningfully on that early promise. This is an entertaining pit stop that can tide you over on your journey to a bigger, brighter galaxy.

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League of Legends player makes close to $1M per year

Professional League of Legends player Carlos "Ocelote" Rodriguez has revealed that he makes almost $1 million per year.

Carlos "ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago Credit: Leaguepedia

The 23-year-old disclosed his earnings in a recent interview with Spanish newspaper ABC (translated by The Daily Dot), where he discussed his role as captain in competitive gaming team SK Gaming.

Rodriguez totalled his annual earnings at €600,000 to €700,000, equivalent to approximately $950,000. He stated that the amount is made up of a combination of tournament winnings, merchandising income, salary, live streaming games, and personal sponsors.

Speaking about the money he has made, Rodriguez said, "Now is the time to save and help the family."

SK Gaming recently placed seventh during the group stages in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Europe Summer Season and did not progress to the world stage.

LCS is an annual event hosted by League of Legends developer Riot Games. It culminates with the LCS World Championship held at the conclusion of each season. The event sees League of Legends teams from around the world compete for a $2 million prize pool.

For more on this year's LCS World Championship, including the winning team, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

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League of Legends

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House of Horrors - SCP: Containment Breach

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The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 Review - Testing My Faith

Over many years and many intellectual properties, developer Telltale Games has honed its aptitude for creating player-guided, story-driven games, culminating with last year's critically acclaimed series, The Walking Dead. Now it has introduced player agency to another comic series, Fables, which proves to be an uneasier fit. The bold artistic style and lively characters bring creator Bill Willingham's world to life vividly, but giving you control over a strong personality in this rich universe has a diminishing effect on both.

I own the first trade paperback in the comic series, titled Fables: Legends in Exile. It had been a few years since I'd read it, but when I started playing The Wolf Among Us, it all came flooding back to me. The premise: colorful characters out of fables and fairy tales have been forced out of their magical homelands and now live in modern society. Bound together in a secret community, they must face the troubles of mundane life as well as a few challenges unique to them; nonhuman folks must constantly maintain a costly glamour spell in order to appear human, lest they be sent upstate to the farm where conditions are less than desirable.

There are centuries of viciousness behind that snarl.

It's an immediately intriguing setting, one that drew me in as effectively in the comic as it does in the game. Affinity for beloved characters from my childhood mixed with empathy for their unhappy exile and made me yearn to learn all I could about their plight. The Wolf Among Us is quick to introduce a great example: Mr. Toad. Once the quirky, wealthy owner of the stately Toad Hall, Mr. Toad is now the landlord of a run-down tenement house that is currently playing host to a violent domestic dispute. His brusque cynicism speaks volumes about his change of fortune, and there's an undeniable charm in having an adversarial conversation with a cranky, bipedal toad.

As the Big Bad Wolf (call him "Bigby"), you have a part to play in this dialogue. You're the Fabletown sheriff, and you have to respond to the ruckus in Toad's building, but not before confronting him about his conspicuous nonhuman appearance. Whether you give him a hard time or let it slide this time is up to you, and you can choose your dialogue responses from among four choices (one of which is usually to remain silent). To keep things moving, you have a limited amount of time to choose your response before the scene moves on, and this can urge you to be a bit more instinctual with your choices, as opposed to letting you carefully deliberate as long as you like.

Dialogue choices are the beating heart of the gameplay experience in The Wolf Among Us. By taking a substantial degree of control over Bigby's lines, you take on an active role in shaping his character and, by extension, the story. Having a part to play in the story makes you an active participant and is meant to make you more invested in the characters, events, and world of the game. Many narrative-heavy games have been immensely enriched by this kind of investment, including Beyond: Two Souls, which I had finished a few days earlier and found utterly engrossing. Telltale's previous tales have benefitted greatly from giving the player control through choice, but The Wolf Among Us is poorer for it.

Instead of feeling like I was molding my own character in the game, I felt like I was diminishing a character from the comic book.

So why did this technique work so wonderfully with The Walking Dead yet falter here? The difference and the disconnect lie in the nature of the protagonists. In The Walking Dead, you played as Lee Everett, a character created specifically for the video game adaptation of the comic series. Though his past is eventually fleshed out, he begins the episodic series as a largely blank slate. This leaves a lot of room for his character to develop and, more importantly, a lot of room for you to create his identity. With each choice you make, you are claiming parts of Lee's personality for yourself and becoming more invested in his struggles.

The same is true for Bigby Wolf; with each choice you make, you are claiming parts of his personality for yourself. However, while playing as Lee is like filling a role, playing as Bigby is like taking one over. With every dialogue choice, you are imposing your personality on a strong character; Bigby has a dark past that he has tried to escape in his new life, and the struggle between his reformed attitude and his true nature is a gripping one. It's not that any of the dialogue options feel wildly out of character, because they don't, and the sharp writing throughout strikes a great grim tone with a few welcome beats of levity.

Rather, the issue is that in shaping Bigby's responses, I really just wanted to know what Bigby would do rather than choosing myself. By choosing sympathetic, indifferent, or harsh options, I felt like I was shutting off other parts of his personality that might be truer or more interesting than the ones I was choosing. Bigby's strong persona was already well established in this world, and I felt like an interloper. Instead of feeling like I was molding my own character in the game, I felt like I was diminishing a character from the comic book.

This feeling nagged me throughout the game, but I was still eager to see this first of five planned chapters through to its conclusion. Encountering other characters, like the boozy flying monkey or one of the three not-so-little pigs, was a regular treat, and interacting with the hard-working Snow White and the hard-drinking Woodsman left me even more sympathetic than I'd been to begin with. Bigby's investigations lead to some startling discoveries and hint nicely at the conflicts to come (though how much those conflicts diverge from arcs in the comic series, I couldn't say). With strong dialogue and interesting characters, The Wolf Among Us tells a stimulating tale.

There are spikes of action as well that lend some extra drama to the proceedings and offer provocative peeks at what happens when Bigby lets his claws come out. These scenes rely entirely on those double-edged swords: quick-time events. While these scripted skirmishes are exciting and nicely choreographed, the large button prompts tend to draw your attention away from the action, though one type of prompt does counteract this by making you look at environmental elements. Beyond: Two Souls had similar fight scenes, but instead of looking for a prompt, you had to take your directional cue from the protagonist's body language by paying close attention to the dramatic action taking place. I felt invigorated as I closely watched my character's movements, while in The Wolf Among Us, I felt enervated as I waited for the on-screen prompts.

It's hard out there for a pig.

Certain conversations were also plagued with a similarly draining mechanic. Intermittently, the game displays a message in the corner of the screen informing you how a character reacted to something you said or did. Lines like "Snow White is still skeptical of you" or "Toad will remember that" are meant to be teasers of consequences to come, but they feel like placeholder captions for sentiments that should be expressed through animation or dialogue. The Wolf Among Us conveys a range of emotion through the natural flow of the game, making these messages stand out like so many sore thumbs.

After the few hours it took to complete this chapter, I wasn't certain I how I felt about playing the next chapter. The characters and the world of The Wolf Among Us create a strong draw, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was somewhere I didn't belong. The world of Fables is so rich and so intriguing, is there really room for player agency? In The Walking Dead, zombies are a variable that allow for flexible dramatic staging. In Fables, the fairy tale characters are constants on a dramatic stage that is already set. Without an inherent narrative flexibility, The Wolf Among Us makes an awkward fit for the winning Telltale formula.

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Blizzard wins $7 million in bot company lawsuit

New GTA Online title update out now

Latest update for multiplayer mode hits Xbox 360 and PS3; addresses vanishing vehicle bug; game now available via Games on Demand for $60.

DICE considered delaying Battlefield 4 on Xbox One, PS4

Patrick Bach says people fail to grasp how difficult it can be to develop alongside new hardware; game won't use Xbox One Cloud servers at launch.

Apple's October 22 event confirmed

New iPads and Macs expected at San Francisco event next week.

Watch Dogs delayed to spring 2014

[UPDATE] "From the beginning, we have adopted the attitude that we will not compromise on quality," Ubisoft says; Amazon and GameStop release statements on bundle orders.

Users report save-corrupting bug in Pokemon X and Y

All copies of the game reported to be affected by bug that can corrupt save files.

Nintendo confirms save-breaking Pokemon X and Y bug, promises fix

Nintendo confirms save-breaking Pokemon X and Y bug, promises fix

Reality Check - Do we need 60 FPS on PS4 and Xbox One?

Cam investigates frame rates and wonders if the next generation truly needs 60 fps.

PS4 costs $1,850 in Brazil

Next-generation console going for 3,999 Brazilian Real in South American country due to import fees and taxes.

Windows 8.1 now available

First major update to operating system adds boot-to-desktop option.

The Point - Should you hold off on next gen?

Now that Watch Dogs has been delayed, Danny wonders if you should wait until next year to buy an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4.

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Gamespot's Site Mashup

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sun, 20 Oct 2013 23:09:48 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pax-aus-2014-details-announced/1100-6415671/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2348985-paxaus_gold.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2348985" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2348985-paxaus_gold.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2348985"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/280/2802776/2348985-paxaus_gold.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> The Penny Arcade Expo will be returning to Melbourne for its second inaugural PAX Aus from October 31 to November 2 next year.</p><p style="">The announcement was made by Louise Asher, the Victorian minister for innovation, services, and small business. The Victorian Coalition government is a major sponsor of PAX Aus, and played an "important role" in ensuring the event was hosted in the state of Victoria.</p><p style="">PAX Aus 2014 will be hosted at a new venue, the Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre, which will increase the event's capacity.</p><p style="">President of Penny Arcade Robert Khoo confirmed the continued partnership with the Victorian Coalition government.</p><p style="">"Not only have they helped us secure a much-needed larger venue for the show, but they've paved the way for talented local creators to be showcased on the global stage. The games community here is incredible, and PAX Australia is here to stay," Khoo said.</p><p style="">Tickets for this year's event were completely sold out in the months leading up to the show, which was hosted at <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pax-australia-confirmed-for-melbourne/1100-6398556/">Melbourne Showgrounds</a>. The event marked the first time the expo has gone international.</p><p style="">According to organisers, PAX Aus combines an international program with local content and community events, including international guests, speakers, musicians, developers, and Australian industry representatives.</p><p style="">At present, PAX events are also held on both coasts of the United States: PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington, and PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6411828" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6411828/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Sun, 20 Oct 2013 17:32:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pax-aus-2014-details-announced/1100-6415671/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/new-releases-batman-arkham-origins-deus-ex-directo/2300-6415665/ This week in New Releases: Batman Arkham Origins, Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Path of Exile! Sun, 20 Oct 2013 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/new-releases-batman-arkham-origins-deus-ex-directo/2300-6415665/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-v-review-southland-sprawl/1900-6415483/ <p style="">Grand Theft Auto V deserves accolades for its innovative triumvirate of antiheroes, its many and varied missions, and the sprawling depiction of Los Santos and the hillbilly outbacks. But to rip off what an erudite author once said about Oakland, there is no "there" there. I can't imagine any scenario in which a literary icon like Gertrude Stein would be critiquing a video game, but that legendary putdown can also apply to the Greater Los Santos Area. There is something missing in GTAV that makes the game less engaging than the sociopathic sandboxes of GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas, the two GTA games that will perpetually be my measuring sticks for the franchise.</p><p style="">What is missing most of all is a solid sense of place. Both Vice City and San Andreas reveled in nostalgia. Vice City reeked of the '80s, from the pitch-perfect radio stations to the Crockett and Tubbs lookalikes that showed up in their Testarossas--er, Cheetahs--when you cranked your wanted level to three stars. San Andreas evoked the early 1990s in a similar way. San Andreas' theme was not as developed as Vice City's, but the game still depicted a recognizable time and place in its grim cartoon look at Los Angeles--with sidelong glances at LA County, San Francisco, and Las Vegas--during the explosion of rap and the racial tension that saw a good chunk of SoCal go up in flames after the Rodney King verdict.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414795" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414795/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Both San Andreas and Vice City seemed like real places. Rockstar's biggest achievement in these games was in creating places that you wanted to visit. Vice City was most successful at this. I practically moved to Vice City; I knew the streets by name and could find my way around there better than in the real world. This devotion speaks to Vice City's power to invade my waking thoughts. Long after the game's release, I would go for long drives around town, listening to the radio and indulging my inner hooligan in a rampage or three. The same is true of San Andreas, although the allure of the '80s theme usually won out before I got the San Andreas disc into the system. Rockstar hasn't forgotten how to do this sort of thing. I liked visiting the faux West of Red Dead Redemption just as much as I did Vice City, and still load up the game to ride around the lonely prairie.</p><p style="">GTAV, much like its immediate predecessor, GTAIV, is too almost-modern for its own good. While the setting is ostensibly today, the plot goes back to the 2008-2009 depths of the Great Recession. The story feels dated, and not in the good way of Vice City and San Andreas, which were intentionally retro. Instead of thinking, "Cool! That Exploder: Evacuator Part II movie commercial perfectly sums up how dumb action movies really were in 1986!" you're thinking, "Man, the developers started writing this stuff a long time ago."</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">Look beyond the jokey stuff, and you discover an unrelentingly bleak, black-hearted look at humanity.</p></blockquote><p style="">Not that the economy is really a whole lot better today, of course. But worries about the housing crisis, the implosion of Lehman Brothers, and the bursting of the housing bubble in the US--all things that clearly motivated a lot of the storyline in GTAV--are not exactly current. We've moved on to new economic meltdowns, like the stateside debt ceiling crisis. It's critique of mainstream media is equally archaic; taking shots at reality television for being crass also isn't cutting-edge comedy. Grand Theft Auto V was a clearly expensive game to make and obviously took a long time to develop, but a story that is only contemporary when work begins in earnest on a project of this magnitude ultimately looks dated. It suffers from the curse of trying to be too current.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346987-8904847019-2052375-634490_20130826_003.jpg+" data-ref-id="1300-2346987" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346987-8904847019-2052375-634490_20130826_003.jpg+" data-ref-id="1300-2346987"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2346987-8904847019-2052375-634490_20130826_003.jpg+"></a><figcaption>The triumvirate of protagonists represents the before, after, and way after of humanity.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Los Santos, at least, is brilliantly realized, particularly as a technical achievement. The city and the surrounding meth-producing rural environs form the most realistic depiction of a metropolitan area to ever grace a game. The whole burg lives and breathes, offering colorful slices of life whether you're creeping through backyards in the dead of night or just wandering down the sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon. I don't think I ever encountered any window dressing; all of the people seemed to be present in their own moments, not just there to serve as my personal backdrop. But it's so damn big. I long for the simpler layouts of Vice City and even the more sprawling San Andreas. You could get to know them in a reasonable amount of time, which added to that easy sense of familiarity that turned them into real places in short order.</p><p style="">This is the most personable GTA game, with a strong emphasis on the three lead characters that delves into their psyches (and even into your own psyche by the end of the storyline). That isn't always a good thing, especially when it comes to Trevor, who's probably the most reprehensible dirtbag protagonist in the history of gaming, if not everything. Still, I couldn't look away. Trevor's most malevolent lines were also some of the most hilarious in the game. He forms a vital part of the triumvirate of playable characters, which are a commentary on life in 2008-era America. Trevor represents bottoming out, while burned-out Michael is the guy who's got it all and is still up to his neck in ennui (he's sort of Tommy Vercetti, 25 years later), and up-and-coming Franklin is the man on the rise who's eager to do anything to make the money needed to be regarded as a success in Los Santos. The three are a before, after, and way after.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346990-6795455625-22383.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2346990" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346990-6795455625-22383.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2346990"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2346990-6795455625-22383.jpg"></a><figcaption>Scripted missions are the best part of GTAV, especially the multipart heists.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The script is brilliant, from the start with Franklin and his idiotic buddy Lamar, through Michael's spoiled-brat family life, through Trevor's meth-lab murders, through the multiple-choice endings. GTAV gets back to the psychopathic comic strip best represented in the craziness of Tommy Vercetti in Vice City, but with more plot points and tighter characterizations to hold the story together. This game hates everyone and everything, expressing an unrelentingly bleak, black-hearted look at humanity, with even the few rays of sunlight bookended by atrocity. Trevor shows mercy on occasion, though the biggest act of charity he offers in the entire game comes right after introducing a guy to creative uses for a car battery and a monkey wrench.</p><blockquote data-align="left"><p style="">The appeal of exploring the map on your own has been diminished.</p></blockquote><p style="">If you have a dark sense of humor, there are more laugh-out-loud moments here than in all of the previous GTA games combined. Being able to switch between the members of this trio at will is a great mechanic that accentuates the humor. Flipping over to see what Trevor is doing almost always results in tuning in to pure insanity. My favorite such event was dropping in on him just as he was looming over a bikini-clad girl on Vespucci Beach, while wearing nothing but a filthy muscle shirt and tighty whities, saying something about her licking his white bits. Such moments are likely scripted, given how this Walter White moment led directly into a mission opening where Trevor dropped his undies in front of hapless Floyd, but it all seems organic when you're playing.</p><p style="">Missions have also been laid out almost perfectly, with loads of options as to how you play them, especially when it comes to the big multipart heists that see you planning and executing jobs with the help of hired operatives. Events get overly surreal at times, with the trio working together to form something of a James Bond team adept at everything from flying planes to scuba diving. Still, it's all incredibly captivating, and the game does everything at least reasonably well. Flying and landing planes, for instance, still aren't fully enjoyable tasks, but they've come a long way since San Andreas.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346995-9641516373-22383.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2346995" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346995-9641516373-22383.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2346995"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2346995-9641516373-22383.jpg"></a><figcaption>Women have few roles to play in GTA V. Here's the most common.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Unfortunately, the appeal of exploring the map on your own has been diminished. Attempts at free-form chaos inevitably had me switching back to the scripted stories and missions, which yielded far more entertainment. The only thing I enjoyed about exploring was stumbling upon random occurrences, such as robberies, an apparent bus hijacking, and police shootouts with other criminals. Yet even these great little touches paled in comparison with the scripted missions, and core components of the game design have been tweaked to raise the profile of scripted story at the cost of the open-world concept that has powered previous GTAs. You can still go gonzo in style, but it's not nearly as easy to explode in a random manner when the mood strikes you.</p><p style="">One reason the zaniness feels so limited is that the police are extraordinarily good at what they do and extremely aggressive. They arrive on the scene of even one- and two-star wanted level incidents almost immediately, and a police chopper is quick to show up the moment you hit three stars. Police boats roar up quickly if you try to take to the waves, and cops shoot extremely well, to the point where they can tag you with bullets from a good block away. Basic patrol cars accelerate almost as well as the average Pegassi Infernus, and their drivers are expert at cutting you off and blocking you in. If you want to go on a satisfying tear, you need to armor up, make sure you have loads of the best hardware that Ammu-Nation carries, and have a zippy car nearby. Walking out of a hospital in a bad mood and going berserk with cathartic anger generally gets you wasted again in very short order.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">It's a lot more fun to escape the cops by slamming a car into a Pay 'n' Spray booth at a hundred miles an hour than it is to cower in an alley for five minutes while the police gradually give up their pursuit.</p></blockquote><p style="">You can still go on rampages and evade the police, of course, but you have to do it more realistically by switching cars, hiding in bushes, ducking into somebody's backyard, hanging out in a parking garage, and so forth. This is a more lifelike way of ditching the boys in blue, but it's not very entertaining, especially if you like the intensity of one-man-stand firefights. The best way to eliminate a wanted level now is to hide. I had the most success by driving off-road where the cops couldn't follow me very well. Then I just stuck the car in a gully and sat back until my wanted level vanished completely.</p><p style="">Long gone are the days when you could clock six stars (the game now tops out at five stars), get the army after you, and still escape justice simply by scraping into a Pay 'n' Spray a second ahead of the long arm of the law. Pay 'n' Spray shops have actually been pulled out of GTAV entirely in favor of Los Santos Customs, which is more of a car modification garage than a ready way to escape the cops, since it's useless unless you've already lost your pursuers. Magic car paint in Vice City and San Andreas may have been pretty ridiculous, but it was also a great game mechanism that emphasized the catch-me-if-you-can excitement that made sandbox rampages so integral a part of the GTA experience. It's a lot more fun to escape the cops by slamming a car into a Pay 'n' Spray booth at a hundred miles an hour than it is to cower in an alley for five minutes while the police gradually give up their pursuit.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/6/5/8/2/2236582-gsm_169_gta_v_vr_ps3_091513_m1_320.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2236582" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/6/5/8/2/2236582-gsm_169_gta_v_vr_ps3_091513_m1_320.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2236582"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/6/5/8/2/2236582-gsm_169_gta_v_vr_ps3_091513_m1_320.jpg"></a><figcaption>World-weary Michael is a memorable character who seems like a Behind the Music look at Tommy Vercetti, 25 years later.</figcaption></figure><p style="">This is a considerably different style of game than either San Andreas or Vice City, with more structure and less of that eyes-wide-open world where the most fun was surveying the landscape and seeing what kind of trouble you could get into. This is a new GTA, one that is a great game on its own terms, but also one that fails to capture the magic of the freestyle adventures that set the tone for the series. I can't see myself coming back to GTAV very often now that I've wrapped the main storyline, save to check out the expansions that Rockstar is undoubtedly prepping for 2014, or to get into the multiplayer, if and when it lives up to its potential. Here, because the game's structure is so tight, done is done. That's typical of how I play games. But it isn't typical of how I play GTA games.</p> Fri, 18 Oct 2013 15:29:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-v-review-southland-sprawl/1900-6415483/

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sun, 20 Oct 2013 23:09:48 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pax-aus-2014-details-announced/1100-6415671/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2348985-paxaus_gold.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2348985" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2348985-paxaus_gold.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2348985"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/280/2802776/2348985-paxaus_gold.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> The Penny Arcade Expo will be returning to Melbourne for its second inaugural PAX Aus from October 31 to November 2 next year.</p><p style="">The announcement was made by Louise Asher, the Victorian minister for innovation, services, and small business. The Victorian Coalition government is a major sponsor of PAX Aus, and played an "important role" in ensuring the event was hosted in the state of Victoria.</p><p style="">PAX Aus 2014 will be hosted at a new venue, the Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre, which will increase the event's capacity.</p><p style="">President of Penny Arcade Robert Khoo confirmed the continued partnership with the Victorian Coalition government.</p><p style="">"Not only have they helped us secure a much-needed larger venue for the show, but they've paved the way for talented local creators to be showcased on the global stage. The games community here is incredible, and PAX Australia is here to stay," Khoo said.</p><p style="">Tickets for this year's event were completely sold out in the months leading up to the show, which was hosted at <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pax-australia-confirmed-for-melbourne/1100-6398556/">Melbourne Showgrounds</a>. The event marked the first time the expo has gone international.</p><p style="">According to organisers, PAX Aus combines an international program with local content and community events, including international guests, speakers, musicians, developers, and Australian industry representatives.</p><p style="">At present, PAX events are also held on both coasts of the United States: PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington, and PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6411828" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6411828/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Sun, 20 Oct 2013 17:32:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pax-aus-2014-details-announced/1100-6415671/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/new-releases-batman-arkham-origins-deus-ex-directo/2300-6415665/ This week in New Releases: Batman Arkham Origins, Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Path of Exile! Sun, 20 Oct 2013 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/new-releases-batman-arkham-origins-deus-ex-directo/2300-6415665/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-v-review-southland-sprawl/1900-6415483/ <p style="">Grand Theft Auto V deserves accolades for its innovative triumvirate of antiheroes, its many and varied missions, and the sprawling depiction of Los Santos and the hillbilly outbacks. But to rip off what an erudite author once said about Oakland, there is no "there" there. I can't imagine any scenario in which a literary icon like Gertrude Stein would be critiquing a video game, but that legendary putdown can also apply to the Greater Los Santos Area. There is something missing in GTAV that makes the game less engaging than the sociopathic sandboxes of GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas, the two GTA games that will perpetually be my measuring sticks for the franchise.</p><p style="">What is missing most of all is a solid sense of place. Both Vice City and San Andreas reveled in nostalgia. Vice City reeked of the '80s, from the pitch-perfect radio stations to the Crockett and Tubbs lookalikes that showed up in their Testarossas--er, Cheetahs--when you cranked your wanted level to three stars. San Andreas evoked the early 1990s in a similar way. San Andreas' theme was not as developed as Vice City's, but the game still depicted a recognizable time and place in its grim cartoon look at Los Angeles--with sidelong glances at LA County, San Francisco, and Las Vegas--during the explosion of rap and the racial tension that saw a good chunk of SoCal go up in flames after the Rodney King verdict.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414795" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414795/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Both San Andreas and Vice City seemed like real places. Rockstar's biggest achievement in these games was in creating places that you wanted to visit. Vice City was most successful at this. I practically moved to Vice City; I knew the streets by name and could find my way around there better than in the real world. This devotion speaks to Vice City's power to invade my waking thoughts. Long after the game's release, I would go for long drives around town, listening to the radio and indulging my inner hooligan in a rampage or three. The same is true of San Andreas, although the allure of the '80s theme usually won out before I got the San Andreas disc into the system. Rockstar hasn't forgotten how to do this sort of thing. I liked visiting the faux West of Red Dead Redemption just as much as I did Vice City, and still load up the game to ride around the lonely prairie.</p><p style="">GTAV, much like its immediate predecessor, GTAIV, is too almost-modern for its own good. While the setting is ostensibly today, the plot goes back to the 2008-2009 depths of the Great Recession. The story feels dated, and not in the good way of Vice City and San Andreas, which were intentionally retro. Instead of thinking, "Cool! That Exploder: Evacuator Part II movie commercial perfectly sums up how dumb action movies really were in 1986!" you're thinking, "Man, the developers started writing this stuff a long time ago."</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">Look beyond the jokey stuff, and you discover an unrelentingly bleak, black-hearted look at humanity.</p></blockquote><p style="">Not that the economy is really a whole lot better today, of course. But worries about the housing crisis, the implosion of Lehman Brothers, and the bursting of the housing bubble in the US--all things that clearly motivated a lot of the storyline in GTAV--are not exactly current. We've moved on to new economic meltdowns, like the stateside debt ceiling crisis. It's critique of mainstream media is equally archaic; taking shots at reality television for being crass also isn't cutting-edge comedy. Grand Theft Auto V was a clearly expensive game to make and obviously took a long time to develop, but a story that is only contemporary when work begins in earnest on a project of this magnitude ultimately looks dated. It suffers from the curse of trying to be too current.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346987-8904847019-2052375-634490_20130826_003.jpg+" data-ref-id="1300-2346987" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346987-8904847019-2052375-634490_20130826_003.jpg+" data-ref-id="1300-2346987"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2346987-8904847019-2052375-634490_20130826_003.jpg+"></a><figcaption>The triumvirate of protagonists represents the before, after, and way after of humanity.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Los Santos, at least, is brilliantly realized, particularly as a technical achievement. The city and the surrounding meth-producing rural environs form the most realistic depiction of a metropolitan area to ever grace a game. The whole burg lives and breathes, offering colorful slices of life whether you're creeping through backyards in the dead of night or just wandering down the sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon. I don't think I ever encountered any window dressing; all of the people seemed to be present in their own moments, not just there to serve as my personal backdrop. But it's so damn big. I long for the simpler layouts of Vice City and even the more sprawling San Andreas. You could get to know them in a reasonable amount of time, which added to that easy sense of familiarity that turned them into real places in short order.</p><p style="">This is the most personable GTA game, with a strong emphasis on the three lead characters that delves into their psyches (and even into your own psyche by the end of the storyline). That isn't always a good thing, especially when it comes to Trevor, who's probably the most reprehensible dirtbag protagonist in the history of gaming, if not everything. Still, I couldn't look away. Trevor's most malevolent lines were also some of the most hilarious in the game. He forms a vital part of the triumvirate of playable characters, which are a commentary on life in 2008-era America. Trevor represents bottoming out, while burned-out Michael is the guy who's got it all and is still up to his neck in ennui (he's sort of Tommy Vercetti, 25 years later), and up-and-coming Franklin is the man on the rise who's eager to do anything to make the money needed to be regarded as a success in Los Santos. The three are a before, after, and way after.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346990-6795455625-22383.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2346990" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346990-6795455625-22383.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2346990"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2346990-6795455625-22383.jpg"></a><figcaption>Scripted missions are the best part of GTAV, especially the multipart heists.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The script is brilliant, from the start with Franklin and his idiotic buddy Lamar, through Michael's spoiled-brat family life, through Trevor's meth-lab murders, through the multiple-choice endings. GTAV gets back to the psychopathic comic strip best represented in the craziness of Tommy Vercetti in Vice City, but with more plot points and tighter characterizations to hold the story together. This game hates everyone and everything, expressing an unrelentingly bleak, black-hearted look at humanity, with even the few rays of sunlight bookended by atrocity. Trevor shows mercy on occasion, though the biggest act of charity he offers in the entire game comes right after introducing a guy to creative uses for a car battery and a monkey wrench.</p><blockquote data-align="left"><p style="">The appeal of exploring the map on your own has been diminished.</p></blockquote><p style="">If you have a dark sense of humor, there are more laugh-out-loud moments here than in all of the previous GTA games combined. Being able to switch between the members of this trio at will is a great mechanic that accentuates the humor. Flipping over to see what Trevor is doing almost always results in tuning in to pure insanity. My favorite such event was dropping in on him just as he was looming over a bikini-clad girl on Vespucci Beach, while wearing nothing but a filthy muscle shirt and tighty whities, saying something about her licking his white bits. Such moments are likely scripted, given how this Walter White moment led directly into a mission opening where Trevor dropped his undies in front of hapless Floyd, but it all seems organic when you're playing.</p><p style="">Missions have also been laid out almost perfectly, with loads of options as to how you play them, especially when it comes to the big multipart heists that see you planning and executing jobs with the help of hired operatives. Events get overly surreal at times, with the trio working together to form something of a James Bond team adept at everything from flying planes to scuba diving. Still, it's all incredibly captivating, and the game does everything at least reasonably well. Flying and landing planes, for instance, still aren't fully enjoyable tasks, but they've come a long way since San Andreas.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346995-9641516373-22383.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2346995" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2346995-9641516373-22383.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2346995"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2346995-9641516373-22383.jpg"></a><figcaption>Women have few roles to play in GTA V. Here's the most common.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Unfortunately, the appeal of exploring the map on your own has been diminished. Attempts at free-form chaos inevitably had me switching back to the scripted stories and missions, which yielded far more entertainment. The only thing I enjoyed about exploring was stumbling upon random occurrences, such as robberies, an apparent bus hijacking, and police shootouts with other criminals. Yet even these great little touches paled in comparison with the scripted missions, and core components of the game design have been tweaked to raise the profile of scripted story at the cost of the open-world concept that has powered previous GTAs. You can still go gonzo in style, but it's not nearly as easy to explode in a random manner when the mood strikes you.</p><p style="">One reason the zaniness feels so limited is that the police are extraordinarily good at what they do and extremely aggressive. They arrive on the scene of even one- and two-star wanted level incidents almost immediately, and a police chopper is quick to show up the moment you hit three stars. Police boats roar up quickly if you try to take to the waves, and cops shoot extremely well, to the point where they can tag you with bullets from a good block away. Basic patrol cars accelerate almost as well as the average Pegassi Infernus, and their drivers are expert at cutting you off and blocking you in. If you want to go on a satisfying tear, you need to armor up, make sure you have loads of the best hardware that Ammu-Nation carries, and have a zippy car nearby. Walking out of a hospital in a bad mood and going berserk with cathartic anger generally gets you wasted again in very short order.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">It's a lot more fun to escape the cops by slamming a car into a Pay 'n' Spray booth at a hundred miles an hour than it is to cower in an alley for five minutes while the police gradually give up their pursuit.</p></blockquote><p style="">You can still go on rampages and evade the police, of course, but you have to do it more realistically by switching cars, hiding in bushes, ducking into somebody's backyard, hanging out in a parking garage, and so forth. This is a more lifelike way of ditching the boys in blue, but it's not very entertaining, especially if you like the intensity of one-man-stand firefights. The best way to eliminate a wanted level now is to hide. I had the most success by driving off-road where the cops couldn't follow me very well. Then I just stuck the car in a gully and sat back until my wanted level vanished completely.</p><p style="">Long gone are the days when you could clock six stars (the game now tops out at five stars), get the army after you, and still escape justice simply by scraping into a Pay 'n' Spray a second ahead of the long arm of the law. Pay 'n' Spray shops have actually been pulled out of GTAV entirely in favor of Los Santos Customs, which is more of a car modification garage than a ready way to escape the cops, since it's useless unless you've already lost your pursuers. Magic car paint in Vice City and San Andreas may have been pretty ridiculous, but it was also a great game mechanism that emphasized the catch-me-if-you-can excitement that made sandbox rampages so integral a part of the GTA experience. It's a lot more fun to escape the cops by slamming a car into a Pay 'n' Spray booth at a hundred miles an hour than it is to cower in an alley for five minutes while the police gradually give up their pursuit.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/6/5/8/2/2236582-gsm_169_gta_v_vr_ps3_091513_m1_320.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2236582" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/6/5/8/2/2236582-gsm_169_gta_v_vr_ps3_091513_m1_320.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2236582"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/6/5/8/2/2236582-gsm_169_gta_v_vr_ps3_091513_m1_320.jpg"></a><figcaption>World-weary Michael is a memorable character who seems like a Behind the Music look at Tommy Vercetti, 25 years later.</figcaption></figure><p style="">This is a considerably different style of game than either San Andreas or Vice City, with more structure and less of that eyes-wide-open world where the most fun was surveying the landscape and seeing what kind of trouble you could get into. This is a new GTA, one that is a great game on its own terms, but also one that fails to capture the magic of the freestyle adventures that set the tone for the series. I can't see myself coming back to GTAV very often now that I've wrapped the main storyline, save to check out the expansions that Rockstar is undoubtedly prepping for 2014, or to get into the multiplayer, if and when it lives up to its potential. Here, because the game's structure is so tight, done is done. That's typical of how I play games. But it isn't typical of how I play GTA games.</p> Fri, 18 Oct 2013 15:29:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-theft-auto-v-review-southland-sprawl/1900-6415483/

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