Cliffy B: Fans Have Huge Impact At Epic

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It’s not been long since Gears of War 2 ‘ s sixth title update was announced , and Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski (affectionately known as Cliffy B) admits that the fans are mainly to thank for the update.

It’s been a long road of evolution for Gears 2 multiplayer (and Bleszinski admitted that it was a little bumpy at first) but thanks to the input from fans, the team at Epic was able to work on the multiplayer – providing a smoother experience.

“We’ve always had a tradition of supporting our products as well as a continued culture of ongoing learning. The launch of Gears 2’s online was bumpy – Over the last while we’ve continued to tweak and refine that experience through regular title updates that not only improve the online performance and matchmaking times but also tune the game and weapon balance. Many of those game tweaks have come from our design team interacting with our fans on the official Epic forums.”

Considering Epic is hard at work on, it’s refreshing to see the company truly interacts first-hand with feedback from players – and is willing to make revisions to a previous title.

News of the sixth title update was posted on the Epic Forumsbefore it was posted anywhere else, and I think it emphasizes the relationship Epic has developed with its core fanbase.

“The gaming world right now is filled with so many stellar games vying for players attention and the best way to remain successful and relevant is by keeping your fans happy. Listening to them, interacting with them, and quite often simply giving them what they want when possible keeps them engaged as long term fans of your studio. Bungie and Blizzard have done a stellar job at this and we’re evolving into a studio that embraces our fan base more than ever. Besides, today’s Epic fan and promising UDK modder could be tomorrow’s star Epic programmer/designer.”

Truer words have never been said. An early rapport with gamers could make the difference when a successful programmer graduates and looking at job offers.

In either case, it’s good to see a game company interacting with fans – and most importantly, taking the feedback to heart.

Source: CVG

New Gears of War 3 Horde 2.0 Trailer Feat. Music By Ice-T

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Early this summer, I watched as actor/musician Ice-T and Epic Games ‘ Cliff Bleszinski exchanged engaged in some Twitter banter regarding Ice-T’s Gears of War fan obsession.

fan obsession. Not long after that, the pair came on stage together at the Xbox 360 E3 press conferenceto showcase some of the co-operative campaign gameplay in Gears of War 3 . See, real friendships form through Twitter.

Ice-T also performed a surprise concert during the Horde 2.0 showcaseevent at E3and solidified himself as a cog in the Gears of War marketing machine. In keeping with that love affair with, Microsoft and Epic Games released a new Horde 2.0 gameplay trailer which features music from Ice-T’s thrash metal band, Body Count.

The song is titled “Horde 2.0: Five Against All,” aptly named after the multiplayer mode’s 5-player co-op against waves of Lucusts and Lambent forces. The trailer showcases the type of action Gears fans are familiar with in addition to plenty of footage of the buildable defensive structures new to Horde 2.0.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cp34hiSFxk

We at Game Rant love Gears of War 3 and it was easily one of the best games shown at E3 (it won the Game Rant E3 2011 Awardfor best multiplayer). Not only did many of our team play countless hours of the Gears of War 3 beta, but we participated in a Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta tournamentand won (here’s the trophyto prove it). That all being said, this trailer is not a great selling point for those few who aren’t sold on picking up Gears of War 3 . The music, and how it’s cut together with gameplay footage, feels like a fan video, and not something the marketing teams at Epic and Microsoft would create on their own.

If you’re a gamer desperately looking for solid co-operative gaming experiences, definitely take a look, but unless you’re a diehard Ice-T/Body Count fan, this isn’t the best video.

If you’re fan, check out Epic’s latest developer diary video which discusses the end of the Gears of War trilogy.

Gears of War 3 launches on September 20th exclusively on the Xbox 360.

Follow me on Twitter @ rob_keyes.

Rainbow Six: Patriots’ Cancelled Because of Next-Gen Consoles

‘Rainbow Six: Patriots’ Cancelled Because of Next-Gen Consoles
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After months of speculation, Rainbow Six: Patriots was eventually confirmed in 2011 with a logo, a trailer and an intriguing plot about a patriotic, anti-government terrorist group.

was eventually confirmed in 2011 with a logo, a trailer and an intriguing plot about a patriotic, anti-government terrorist group. Many were excited by the long-running franchise’s return, but after long stretches of silence about the title, that interest somewhat fizzled out.

Fan support was piqued once more however, in spite of the radio silence from the publisher (and amidst rumours that Rainbow Six: Patriots had been cancelled), with mentions of the game on a developer’s professional profile. There was even staff shuffling, restructuringand promises that the game would be released, all while Patriots was on shaky ground.

So shaky, in fact, that we found that the game had been canned in favor of, which seems to be more of the team-based, tactical gameplay that we’re used to. But even with the heavy impact that Siege had at the Ubisoft press conference earlier this month, questions still remain about the game that so many fans were interested in playing. Finally, we have a concrete answer as to why Rainbow Six: Patriots was cancelled.

Speaking to Rock, Paper, Shotgun , Technical Artist Oliver Couture revealed that next-gen consoles were the primary reason behind the game’s cancellation, explaining that the final straw on the (already rather wary) camel’s back was the need to release the game on PS4 and Xbox One too.

“To be completely transparent, I worked on Patriots — on Rainbow Six for three-and-a-half years — and Patriots was old-gen. Xbox 360 and PS3. Next-gen consoles were just around the corner, and we were like, ‘OK, we want to also have a next-gen experience. What can we do for that?’ We were trying stuff out with destruction technology, and we realized destruction really changes the game. We tried to see how it could fit with old-gen, but it just didn’t work out. So for us it was just a better solution to clean the slate, reset, and make what’s best for the players.”

That’s not to say that all of the work on Rainbow Six: Patriots had to go to waste, though, as that’s certainly a great deal of work to dash in the bin. Specifically, the part that could be preserved for Rainbow: Six Siege is its single player, as the game has yet to find a solo counterpart to the multiplayer gameplay we saw at E3.

“We know that single-player is also an important part of the Rainbow Six experience. We understand that while this year we showed multiplayer — because we want to have fun playing against each other internally, it’s a good test to know if a game is fun — but we are 100 percent aware that single-player is a big part. We’re currently working on that too.”

What a final version of Rainbow Six: Siege ’s single player mode could offer is uncertain, but fans will be curious to know which, if any, parts of Patriots will be preserved. The parallels of Patriots ’ hard hitting story and the Occupy movements of 2011 (the year the game was announced) were impactful and presented in a cinematic way could have led to a fantastic game. They were also quite controversial.

“The scope of the single-player is not completely clear yet, so I cannot really elaborate on it. All I know is that the message we have on the production floor is like, ‘All the comments online, people are always talking about single-player. So we’re gonna have something for them.’ But I can’t say if it will be more cinematic [like Patriots was] yet.”

Rainbow Six: Siege isn’t scheduled to be released until sometime in 2015 (along with Ubi’s other Tom Clancy game, The Division ) so there’s still plenty of time for them to show off what Siege is made of and, of course, impress us the way Rainbow Six: Patriots did so many years ago.

Rainbow Six: Siege will release in 2015 for the PC, PS4, Xbox One.

Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Rainbow Six Siege’ Closed Alpha Video & First Impressions

‘Rainbow Six Siege’ Closed Alpha Video & First Impressions
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Expectations are riding high for Rainbow Six Siege , which represents Ubisoft’s next entry into their long running tactical shooter series.

, which represents Ubisoft’s next entry into their long running tactical shooter series. After the release of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 back in 2008, the series has gone through a long transitional period filled with delays and false starts. With the ill-fated Rainbow 6: Patriots suffering multiple delays before officially being canceledback in 2014, the franchise is looking to restore its past glory with Siege .

While Game Rant was able to attend a preview event for Rainbow Six Siege a week ago, the closed alpha has finally launched for select members of the public, giving us another chance to play the upcoming shooter. And so far, we’re really enjoying what this promising title is bringing to the table. The game seems to be a great point of entry for series veterans and newcomers alike.

With the closed Alpha now in full swing for those with a code, Rainbow Six Siege presents players with one game mode, two maps, and ten operators to select from (five for each team). Even with so little content on display, Siege manages to keep players engaged and thrilled with just the amount of randomness and variety that can happen in each match.

Upon arriving at the main menu, players will only have the Hostage Rescue game mode available to play. The premise of this mode is fairly simple: one team works to defend a hostage in a certain area of the map while the other team attempts to rescue and extract the NPC. Each match is set to a best-out-of-four scoring system with players switching sides after every round. Before the round officially begins, each team has a one minute “preparation phase”. It’s here that the attacking team can scout the map using camera bots while the team on defense uses that time to fortify the area with reinforced walls, jamming devices, blockades, and anything else at their disposal.

From there, the siege style match kicks off as each team tries it’s best to carefully eliminate the other while avoiding death. Yes, that’s right Ubisoft has brought no respawns back to the series. The tension quickly rises as the offensive team looks to find the best point of entry while the defenders keep an eye on all possible attack points. With breaching charges available, players never know where an enemy player may strike. One thing that rang true during the alpha was that whether playing on defense or offense, the experience proves to be balanced and fun regardless of the side players are on.

Rainbow Six Siege also presents players with five classes to pick from per side. The classes each have a unique look and a specific talent to help the team. For example, Mute is able to place down jamming devices that seriously hinder attacking player’s ability to scout the map during the preparation phase. Thermite, on the other hand, is equipped with an exothermic charge that is able to blow through barricaded walls. These class options help to add a new tactical layer to the experience and keep the matches feeling fresh.

Ubisoft’s brand new destruction engine, Realblast, is extremely satisfying even in this alpha state. Players are able to shred the maps to pieces, as bullets and explosions leave realistic holes (big and small) in the structures. Players can also breach glass windows or wooden baracades through melee attacks as well. While some of the physics are not yet up to release standards, this destruction element is a welcomed and terrifying addition to the experience.

One thing that stood out upon initially playing was that the defensive team no longer looks like a criminal faction that Ubisoft showed last year at E3. Instead, both teams are now based on classic Rainbow Six squads, Raven Shield and Rogue Spear. There’s been no word on why this change was made, though players can speculate that it better fits the class system in place now.

As mentioned above, the closed alpha introduces players to two small maps, one of which was shown extensively at Ubisoft’s E3 press conference last year. While the lighting and atmosphere from the trailer is absent here, House is still a multi-story home set in the suburbs. Defenders have multiple rooms they can choose to fortify while the attackers have multiple points of entry, as well as grappling hooks for scaling the sides of the building. The other available map, Plane, feels even more claustrophobic than House, as both teams battle it out inside of a parked passenger jet. There’s a lot more entry points than it appears and each match felt more and more tense due to the small spaces to work with.

There looks to be a number of hints towards features that will be in the retail version of the game inlcuding a banner and icon that point towards a progression system. Considering most multiplayer games typically go this route, it wouldn’t be surprising.

While the game is still in a alpha state, it ran very smoothly on PC and already looks impressive, due in large part to the Anvil-Next engine. Control wise, Siege is very responsive and easy to pick up; there’s not a huge amount of moves or abilities for players to master on the keyboard. For players not comfortable for using a keyboard and mouse, Ubisoft also managed to include a gamepad option that works really well.

With a lot of new elements being brought to the table, one thing that hasn’t changed in Rainbow Six Siege is the tactical nature of this franchise. Hostage Rescue demands players communicate and work as a team. While fans continue to wait for more information about the single player campaign or whether or not Ubisoft plans to bring back the popular Terrorist Hunt mode, the multiplayer alpha managed to leave a great impression even in such an early state of development.

Rainbow Six Siege is scheduled to arrive on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime later in 2015.

Rainbow Six: Siege’ Trailer: Always In Control

‘Rainbow Six: Siege’ Trailer: Always In Control
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Ubisoft is gearing up for the long-overdue return of the Rainbow Six series, a franchise that’s drastically evolved over the years from a super-tactical, planning-first style of shooter to an all out Hollywood blockbuster action FPS.

series, a franchise that’s drastically evolved over the years from a super-tactical, planning-first style of shooter to an all out Hollywood blockbuster action FPS. For the next iteration, Ubisoft has faced major challengesin choosing what direction to go in for the Tom Clancy series and ended up scrapping the project, previously titled Rainbow 6: Patriots , before going back to the drawing board.

What we have now is Rainbow Six: Siege , announced at E3 2014 with a gameplay trailer, a game that’s sort of remained under the radar when it comes to news update since it was demo’d during the summer, probably so Ubisoft can focus marketing on its four major 2014 fall releases, the last of which ( The Crew ) came out this week.

For the hardcore Rainbow Six fans however, Ubisoft has a blog for Siege that they’ve been posting updates to beginning last month, titled ‘Behind the Wall.’ The first covered the tools that attackers can use in a siege scenario, from operators deploying drones to gather intel and using the hook and winch system on the fly to rappel down a wall to breaching charges and using ballistic shields.

The second entry in the ‘Behind the Wall’ series covered the defensive side of the asymmetric gameplay. It detailed how the defender team – and this will all play into the tactical multiplayer – can set up barricades and barbed wire, use deployable shields and C4 traps and take advantage of surveillance systems to track incoming enemies.

The latest entry, teased in the video up top, is all about movement. Rainbow Six: Siege embraces the design principle of giving players full control of what they do. Whether you’re laying prone or standing near a wall, you can always lean, and you can enter cover, never bothered by on-screen prompts to do so. It’s 100% up to the player input and that’s the “always in control” philosophy. Below are the Golden Rules Ubisoft describes too accomplish this, applying them to what they dub the the 3Cs (Character, Control and Camera).

Gunther Galipot, user experience director and author of the Golden Rules:

“Because lethality is so high in Siege, every little thing counts and we never wanted the player to die because of something the game did.”

Galipot is referring the the return of the ‘no respawn’ rulein this Rainbow Six entry so he isn’t kidding when saying “lethality is so high in Siege.”

More: What Happened To ‘Rainbow 6: Patriots’?

Rainbow Six Siege will release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One but currently has no release date.

Follow Rob on Twitter @ rob_keyes.

Source: Ubisoft

Rainbow Six: Siege’ Takes Multiplayer & Destruction To Heart

‘Rainbow Six: Siege’ Takes Multiplayer & Destruction To Heart
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It’s not easy to keep major sequels a total secret these days, but it wasn’t until Ubisoft ‘s extended gameplay reveal of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege that the world knew for sure: one of the most acclaimed tactical shooter franchises was back.

that the world knew for sure: one of the most acclaimed tactical shooter franchises was back. The game boasted visuals that would turn even casual gamers’ heads, but was far smaller and more streamlined than had been expected. Now that we’ve had a chance to hear from the developers and play the game for ourselves, the reason for their choices is clear – and resulted in one promising multiplayer shooter.

That point bears repeating: Rainbow Six: Siege is a multiplayer game at its core, if that weren’t already clear from the announcement gameplay video. As is alluded to by the game’s official artwork, and was repeated for all in a behind-closed-doors demo at E3 2014, Siege is a shooter based on the concept of ‘The Wall’ – the line between the defenders, and the attackers seeking to tear their way through. In this case, ‘The Wall’ refers to actual walls; specifically those of the game’s suburban setting.

The first footage of the game in action made the premise clear: two teams of five enter the fray. One team of criminals barricades their home base, the other prepares to breach the building and escape with a hostage (after removing anyone who gets in the way). That basic structure is just about as straightforward as you can get, but seeing the game in action reveals much of the strategy and detail hidden beneath the surface.

From a first glance, it’s easy to assume that with such a minimalist premise Siege is something of a throwback to a time when mouse precision and teamwork were the only things that mattered in online multiplayer. Those skills will still be needed to succeed, but players have plenty more tricks in their bag to begin with. It is this first stage of the battle that can make or break a round or match, where those seeking to infiltrate the home must ‘Observe and Plan’ and those defending it begin to ‘Barricade and Trap.’

For the players who have occupied the home with the Hostage in tow, that means reinforcing walls, barricading windows, deploying barricades, and reshaping the home to give them an edge. For the police looking to rescue the Hostage, that means deploying drones of their own to see their opponents’ handiwork, and plan how best to put their unique classes (equipped with varied weapons, gadgets, and items) to work.

Both sides face high stakes from the start, as the Hostage’s position within the house (put to a vote) can make or break a round. On the other side, the police may discover where the Hostage is kept via their drone cameras, but knowing your enemy’s plan doesn’t make it any easier to foil.

It’s clear how key a role multiplayer and team cooperation will play in success on either side, but destruction is apparently just as important to the team at Ubisoft Montreal, claiming it to be “the center of the experience.” The released footage showed how breach charges and bullets will turn parts of the house into splinters and dust, but there is more depth than even that level of destruction implies.

In our demo, the developers put their time with the game to good use, with the Hostage-takers destroying entire walls of the house prior to the fight beginning, in an effort to supply themselves with better sightlines (take out the wall between bathroom and kitchen, and add a line of fire the other team may not expect). Technically, this stage of the match is just preparation for the actual gunfight; but stand outside a home and hear the explosions and gunfire of your enemies preparing their fort for an onslaught, and we doubt any player can feel truly confident.

Once both sides have finished shoring up their defenses (barricading as many windows as they wish, but fortifying only two walls per round), the ‘Action Phase’ begins. From that point on, the multiplayer shooter roots of the series shine, reminding any who may have thought they were playing some variant of Horde Mode that bullets do serious damage, and every downed teammate means longer odds of victory.

The gameplay itself is what any shooter enthusiast would expect: a variety of weapon types, and the most success coming from the alliance between a ranged shooter and a shielded point man. That doesn’t mean a well-placed Breach Charge can’t be triggered at the right moment as well, and even tossing explosive charges as a last ditch attempt for a kill is a legitimate strategy.

As is the case with most class-based, squad-oriented multiplayer shooters, exactly how satisfying or challenging the experience will be depends on the players. Learn to communicate as a team, and Ubisoft has managed to deliver the thrill of cooperative and competitive shooting, without all the bells and whistles that can cloud the air.

Exactly how big, how varied, or how lengthy the developer intends Rainbow Six: Siege to be is still unclear. But from what they have shown at E3 2014, Ubisoft Montreal made an admirable call in shifting direction on the game from a story-based epic to something just as satisfying – and far, far more addictive.

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Rainbow Six Siege will release in 2015 for the PC, PS4, Xbox One.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @ andrew_dyce.

E3 2015: ‘Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2’ Reveal Trailer, Story Details

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Last year, EA took the quirky casual tower defense style series Plants vs.

Plants vs. Zombies and gave it a shooter makeover. The result was the original, a goofy game in its own right that took the characters from the series and incorporated them into a class-based third-person shooter with a major focus on online multiplayer functionality.

Prior to E3 2015, EA began teasing an Xbox E3 briefingdebut for Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 , instead of saving the game’s CG announcement trailer for EA’s own E3 2015 press conference. They decided to announce it officially in the form of a cinematic trailer earlier today.

The cinematic trailer debuted during Microsoft’s E3 2015 press conference, and was introduced by Peter Moore of EA. This was fitting as Moore has been a part of some of Mcirosoft’s biggest E3 press conferences in the past, known for announcing Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto 4 by displaying “tattoos” of the games during the presentations. It’s also worth noting that the original Garden Warfare enjoyed timed exclusivity on Xbox platforms and PC, before finally releasing on PlayStation.

It is unknown at this point if Garden Warfare 2 shares timed exclusivity with Xbox as well, but the CG trailer did offer plenty of other information, namely in the way of story details. In the world of Garden Warfare 2 , it seems as though the titular zombies have established their own community called Zomburbia, and the standard roles of the characters are flipped. Instead of zombies invading the homes of the plants, the plants are looking to take down the zombies of Zomburbia.

The trailer indicates that the gameplay will likely be largely reminiscent of the first Garden Warfare . However, there appears to be new class types and certainly new costumes for the characters. Actual gameplay footage was not shown during Microsoft’s busy E3 press conference, but it’s possible that it’s being saved for an unveiling during EA’s press conference, which begins at 1pm PDT today.

Besides the potential for more Garden Warfare 2 footage , EA’s press conference is expected to bring the big guns. Mass Effect 4 has been teasedas making its proper debut during the show, and it will be joined by other major EA games such as Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst , the Need for Speed reboot, Star Wars Battlefront , and more. Considering the fact that all of these major games are scheduled to make appearances during EA’s conference, there’s a possibility that Garden Warfare 2 will get the shaft, but we will find out sooner rather than later.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is coming spring 2016. Specific platforms weren’t announced besides Xbox One, but expect the game to hit Xbox as well as PC and PS4 at the very least, and possibly even last-gen systems as well.

Why ‘Rainbow Six Siege’ Brings Back ‘No Respawn’ Rule

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In this modern age, there is no video game franchise more well-known to the mainstream than Call of Duty , with even non-gamers aware of the endless churn of kills and deaths that the modern shooter makes possible.

, with even non-gamers aware of the endless churn of kills and deaths that the modern shooter makes possible. But not every video game studio is following suit, as Ubisoftmade it clear when they revealed Rainbow Six Siege at E3 2014 that in their game, a slow and steady approach was best. And to make sure that the point is driven home, the game won’t simply return downed players back into the fight in the name of fun – once you’re down, you’re down for the count.

That thinking seems an exact opposite to what a publisher or shooter would aim for, as Titanfall used its emphasis on returning to a fight quickly as a selling point. It’s not hard to see why, since respawns have become every bit as expected as using the left trigger to aim, even if they first require players to count to ten and think about where they went wrong before jumping back into the fight. But in a blog post on their website, the Ubisoft team behind Rainbow Six Siege explained that the ‘No Respawn’ rule wasn’t in place from the start.

As we learned when speaking with the team and playing Siege for ourselves, the project began to pick up steam when three core pillars of the experience were identified: Teamwork, Tactics, and Tension. The first gameplay videoshowed all three of those at play – and the fact that every player’s life really was on the line (in the round, at least).

But when the team got to internally testing Siege , they did so without the ‘no respawn’ rule – which the team now refers to as One Life – and immediately found that the most seasoned ‘lone wolf’ shooters found their way to the top of the leaderboards time and again. But when creative director Xavier Marquis wondered what would happen if respawns were removed, they got a very clear answer. Suddenly, the lone wolves struggled, and the players who exercised patience instead of running and gunning started coming out on top.

Siege designer and former SOCOM dev Chris Lee offers more insight:

“It was a surprisingly good change and we didn’t think it was going to work. I thought that only the most hard-core players would like it. It turned out that it really opened up the game to many different types of players. The developers who were longtime FPS players initially found it difficult because they were only good at reaction time. They weren’t communicating, playing tactically, or thinking about the consequences.

“Developers who weren’t as good before played slower, thought carefully about the situation, and ended up doing better on the leaderboard. Because One Life rewards this kind of behavior, it puts well-rounded players at an advantage over pure run and gunners, which is what the Tom Clancy’s franchise is all about. They utilize a complete skill set and the rest of the development team really liked that, since going back to its roots is what we wanted to do and the rule stuck. It wasn’t something we predicted, and we were really happy with how it turned out.”

The lasting impression from our play session was just how slowly the match began, with the opposing team (either those attacking or defending) began weighing their options before attacking. Would that change if the players knew a respawn awaited them? It’s hard to say. But Ubisoft seems to think so, and there’s no denying the tension of knowing you’re one bad decision away from becoming a spectator.

The developers add that even if you’re removed from the action, you’re not technically out of the fight; assuming that you recall the ‘teamwork’ part of the game’s three pillars. Downed players may still gain access to security cameras or remote controlled drones, offering advice and warnings to their teammates still in the match.

Whether the remaining team will have time to react once bodies start dropping isn’t a guarantee, but any mechanics that give more patient, cautious players an edge – while increasing the challenge and stakes, as opposed to lowering them – is likely worth considering. And going by the accolades Siege has received thus far, that’s something most gaming outlets believe as well.

What are your thoughts on the change? Do you think Ubisoft knows the audience they’re targeting with a less forgiving approach to round-ending death, or are they underestimating how frustrated players might be if they’re forced to watch a three-minute round from the bleachers?

Rainbow Six Siege will release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One but currently has no release date.

Follow me on Twitter @ andrew_dyce.

Source: Ubisoft

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare’ DLC Adds New Map, Mode, & Ability Upgrades

‘Plants vs.

‘Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare’ DLC Adds New Map, Mode, & Ability Upgrades

When Electronic Artsfirst revealed their concept for Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare at E3 2013, we were appropriately excited to see the publisher doing something new and interesting with one of their most popular brands. However, what PvZ: GW promised and what it inevitably delivered weren’t exactly one in the same. For more on that make sure to read our review.

But, the game still has its moments, and is continuing to expand as a multiplayer experience. In fact, the title is slated to get yet another DLC drop tomorrow, March 18th.

This particular Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare DLC is titled the Garden Variety Pack and it includes a new map, a new mode, and 24 new ability upgrades – all for the low, low price of free. The pack also adds a new pirate zombie to Sharkbite Shores and Port Scallywag.

Likely the most intriguing element of the Garden Variety Pack is the new “Gnome Bomb” mode. The mode plays out like your typical bomb-based variant wherein two teams work to secure a neutral bomb — in the case a garden gnome with a bomb strapped to his back — and plant it in the other team’s base. Sounds simple enough.

The new mode reportedly works best on the new map Champ Town, which conveniently also comes packaged in with the Garden Variety Pack. PopCapclaims that the map is supposed to remind players of the smaller-scale urban maps seen in most popular shooters, but all we have are the above screenshots to go by. That should be a nice change of pace compared to the game’s larger maps, of which there are plenty.

And finally, the Garden Variety Pack will a total of 24 ability upgrades (3 each) to the game’s 8 zombie and plant classes. Although we don’t have any specifics, the ability upgrades won’t be that much different from those in the main game. That is, they will add a new handy flourish to one of the class’ base attack options.

All told, the Garden Variety Pack seems like a solid upgrade for Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare players. It adds enough new content into the fold that those looking for a change of scenery should be reinvigorated, and more importantly it comes free of charge. As we mentioned, the game certainly has its moments, especially for fans of the PvZ brand, and it’s nice to see Pop Cap is regularly supporting the game with free and paid upgrades.

What do you think of the Garden Variety Pack? What other modes would you like to see added to Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare ?

Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina

Need For Speed: Rivals’ Progression & Pursuit Gameplay Trailer and Screenshots

‘Need For Speed: Rivals’ Progression & Pursuit Gameplay Trailer and Screenshots
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In addition to a movie titled Need For Speed – which is set to release in March of next year – there is also a matter of the newest entry in the video game franchise.

which is set to release in March of next year – there is also a matter of the newest entry in the video game franchise. A new gameplay trailer for Need For Speed: Rivals has surfaced along with a slew of screenshots (watch the trailer at the top of the page).

The graphics alone in the trailer are nothing short of impressive but the implementation of challenges within the game will  increase replay value, and make the title more difficult than past entries in the series. As a result, despite the possibility of franchise fatigue, what has been shown of Need For Speed: Rivals seems to be promising.

Need For Speed: Rivals grants players the opportunity to pursue a career as a both a street racer, and as a member of law enforcement. The aforementioned challenges apply to both your career as a cop and high speed driver. Challenges in the ‘Progression and Pursuit’ trailer include, but are not limited to: escaping pursuits, drifting a specific distance, and busting racers. The driving interface looks superb, and the game itself looks polished.

The racing genre as a whole has lost a lot of steam as of late. Theandseries have not offered much more than just racing in recent years – though Forza Motorsport: Horizon tried its best. As a result, Need For Speed has typically been the primary franchise game in the genre that provides more than just racing around a track or through city streets.

Realism is a word that often comes to mind when thinking about a lot of core racing franchises, especially in comparisons to the Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo franchises, and The Need For Speed series may be at its best with Rivals . The inclusion of a “dynamic weather system” in Rivals to keep should add to the realism of the game – and also adds a level of difficulty when driving through inclement weather. Ghost Gameshas the responsibility of ensuring that Need For Speed remains a relevant racing franchise but the latest trailer and screenshots display that Electronic Artsand the developer have put forth a lot of effort. The major question is whether or not Need For Speed: Rivals will revolutionized the genre?

What are you most excited about for Need For Speed: Rivals ? What do you think about the latest trailer?

Need For Speed: Rivals is set to release on November 19th of this year.