Temple Of Yog Promises To \”Highlight The Uniqueness Of The Wii U\”

CHUDCHUD Industries have announced a new game in development for the Wii U eShop by the name of Temple of Yog .

. The developers promise to \”highlight the uniqueness of the Wii U and what is possible with the second-screen gaming experience\” when the game launches in 2015. Find out what the developer had to say in right herein our very own forums – with exclusive first lookat the game in action.

The player sends Tributes into the Temple to their inevitable demise. The roguelike staple of permadeath has meaning in this context. The player selects a Tribute of random class and stats that will always ascend to the Temple Zenith and return a lifeless body. Where this game breaks permadeath tradition is in the Village’s progress based on that Tribute’s death. As more sacrifices are made, more advancements to the Village occur, transforming it from a primitive backwater town to a futuristic acropolis.

The Temple is a human meat-grinder of progress and this game explores what it means to be complicit in that process. TEMPLE OF YOG also employs the roguelike standard of procedural content generation and applies it to an experience possible only on the unique hardware of the Wii U console. The Temple interior shifts and changes from floor to floor. Strange geometries transport Tributes to impossible realms. The player is immersed in two worlds, one of Light on the TV, and one of Shadow on the GamePad. Tributes swap between these worlds where rooms, puzzles, and creatures manifest themselves differently: a butterfly in Light might be a hellbeast in Shadow, a wall in Light might be a door in Shadow. The player will have to use this unique gameplay to overcome challenges to offer up a worthy sacrifice. The interplay between TV and GamePad and the procedural generation of those worlds highlight the uniqueness of the Wii U and what is possible with a second-screen gaming experience.

Check out the debut screens below, and don\’t forget to tell us what you think in the comments below!

Written by Alex Balderas

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Fallout 4 DLC Should Bring Peace to the Commonwealth

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Much of Fallout 4’s upcoming DLC seems to focus on combat and action.

upcoming DLC seems to focus on combat and action. Could Bethesda take an entirely different route with expansion packs for the post-apocalyptic RPG?

Hot on the heels of the core game’s success, Bethesda is currently putting the finishing touches on downloadable content for Fallout 4 . The post-apocalyptic RPG is due to receive at least three DLC packs over the course of its lifespan, and fans of the title are excited to see exactly what the developer brings to the table. Already, Fallout aficionados are intrigued by the first content pack, which is titled Automatron and is due to be released on March 22, 2016.

Although Bethesda has been coy about some details surrounding the pack, the gaming community already has a fairly decent idea of what to expect. The first DLC forwill revolve around creating robotic companions, as well as taking down a new menace threatening The Commonwealth. A mysterious robot master known as The Mechanist is building a robot army and terrorizing the wasteland, and it looks like it is up to the player character to stop them.

As it stands, fans of the series seem to be excited about what the DLC pack has in store. Alongside another plot line to resolve, the addition of buildable companions is certainly an intriguing one. However, Automatron looks to be a combat-heavy addition to an already largely action-oriented game.

In fact, all of Fallout 4’s DLC plansto date seem to have a heavy combat focus. The Automatron pack looks to be focused around fighting more robotic opponents, whilst Wasteland Workshop is apparently framed around capturing enemies from the wasteland, and then either taming them or having them fight to the death. Meanwhile, May’s Far Harbor expansion is set to include Bethesda’s largest add-on mapto date, granting players an entire new location to explore, complete with new quests, settlements, and characters.

The action focus of the DLC is perhaps to be expected. After all, Bethesda put additional effort into improving the combat mechanics of Fallout 4 in comparison to its predecessors, with the game’s developers finding inspiration in Bungie’s multiplayer shooter Destiny . However, there is an untapped potential to Fallout 4 , and one which could perhaps have been improved upon through engaging add-on packs: bringing peace to the wasteland.

Everything in Fallout 4 seems to be framed around this mission of bringing stability to the land – if, of course, the player chooses a more good-natured path over the chaotic one. Not only can the Sole Survivor develop trade routes and relationships with different well-intentioned groups in the Commonwealth, including The Minutemen and The Railroad, but there is also the potential to build settlements. In fact, this was one of the largest introductions to the world of Fallout through this iteration of the main series, with Bethesda promoting the mechanic heavilyin the run-up to the game’s release.

However, in spite of the addition of this feature to the title, settlement building has not quite reached the heights that many owners of the game possibly expected. Although there are plenty of building options to choose from, including pre-fabricated designs as well as huge custom-made buildings, a lot of the creation aspect of the title remains very much on the surface level. One of the criticisms often fired at Bethesdais that the developer creates huge, expansive worlds with very little soul, and that is perhaps best seen through the player’s own settlements in Fallout 4 .

The end goal of players who have focused their game around settlement building is often the notion of making the wasteland a safer place for its friendly inhabitants. However, there is a disappointing lack of a sense of progression when all is said and done. The player can improve as many settlements as possible, trying to reach that elusive Benevolent Leader trophy, but at the end of the day the wasteland is still likely to feel as dangerous as it did when the player began.

Of course, it’s understandable why Bethesda does not want the player to have too much of an impact on the world of Fallout 4 , aside from pre-designated moments in the game’s various branching plot lines. After all, if the wasteland is left entirely calm and peaceful, it doesn’t make for much continual play after the main plot has been completed. However, the futility of the player’s actions when it comes to building settlements to help others survive makes the exercise a little pointless – particularly when the Sole Survivor has answered each of Preston Garvey’s irritating settlement requests.

The addition of settlement building to Fallout was a great idea, and it really has the potential to change the way in which open world games of this nature operate. However, at the moment it feels a little like a wasted opportunity. Through the use of DLC, Bethesda could really make the settlement aspect of Fallout 4 into something that could be the envy of other games.

One way in which Bethesda could improve matters is by allowing the player greater freedom over where to build settlements in the wasteland, allowing the immediate ability to create and grow safe places for survivors throughout the Commonwealth. The empty voids left behind by player actions, such as conquests over bandit groups of mutant hangouts, have always been an issue with the modernseries, and the developer could do more to allow the player control over exactly how much of the wasteland can be made safe for its human population.

With greater player control, and perhaps even the ability to request aide from other peaceful groups in the Commonwealth to assist in the fight a la other RPGs such as, this could lead to the player being part of a real mission to make the wasteland safe. If the player so chooses, they could systematically drive out the bandits, ghouls, and mutant creatures that call the Commonwealth home, replacing dangerous areas with settlements that could farm and trade with each other. This could provide a strong end game for the player, after the more personal story of the main quest has been completed.

Ironically, Bethesda could also look to a spin-off of the Fallout franchise for assistance in this matter. Mobile title Fallout Shelter has proved to be incredibly popular, with the title addictively moreish as the player tries their best to improve matters in the Vault they control. This expansive nature is not quite as well implemented in Fallout 4 itself, and is something that could be improved with a sideways glance at this companion game.

At the end of the day, having a combat focus in Fallout is inevitable, and the gunplay of the title is perhaps the best in the series’ history. However, the developer could also look at other modes of gameplay to improve the Fallout 4 experience. Indeed, combining action with this long-term goal of wasteland peace could truly make even the most violent aspects of the game more rewarding, and turn the title into an even better experience for gamers.

Breakneck Action MMORPG Blade and Soul Launches Today in Western Territories

Generally, there are two distinct schools of thought when it comes to designing an MMORPG.

Generally, there are two distinct schools of thought when it comes to designing an MMORPG. There’s the traditional model, which employs combat based around global cooldowns, long casting animations, and more often than not, a multiplayer partying paradigm dubbed the Trinity – tanks, healers, and DPS classes. Then there’s the Action MMO, which tends to eschew the Trinity and global cooldown-based combat of traditional MMOs in favor of gameplay that resembles an action game, like the Devil May Cry series. Action MMOs typically have a harder time coming over to the West from their East Asian homelands, though Western fans of the genre regularly keep up with their overseas releases and are likely familiar with them through titles like Vindictus and Dungeon Fighter Online .

2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Action MMOs. Pearl Abyss’ Black Desert Online is set to release sometime this year, for example. And as of today, NCSOFT’s incredibly successful Blade and Soul is making its way to Western shores for free.

3DS Focused Nintendo Direct Announced For Japan

Nintendo of Japan today announced a new Nintendo Direct for the Japanese market.

Nintendo of Japan today announced a new Nintendo Direct for the Japanese market. This new broadcast is scheduled to be streamed on Friday 29th August at 7:ooam ET and 13:00pm CT. Nintendo have yet to reveal what will be shown, except that the event will focus solely on the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo have previously revealed small amounts of Wii U information during a supposedly 3DS only direct so watch this space.

[任天堂]明日8月29日（金）20：00から「Nintendo 3DS Direct 2014.8.29」を録画放送します。 #NintendoDirectJP http://t.co/0hf2lZhZnw

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) August 28, 2014

Nintendo Directs have been a continuous occurrence for the last few years, but have been in short supply over recent months. Nintendo\’s last Direct was the Hyrule Warriors focussed event which took place on August 5th. Before this there was a Japan-only 3DS event on July 11th, a week after another Japan-only Direct focused on Yokai Watch 2. It is possible that this new Nintendo Direct may also be a Japanese only affair, as word about European or North American versions would usually be confirmed by now.

Written by Alex Balderas

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Destiny’s April Update: What Could It Include?

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Destiny ‘s April Update promises to bring new PvE content, a higher Light level, new gear, and more.

‘s April Update promises to bring new PvE content, a higher Light level, new gear, and more. Here’s what we think could be coming to Destiny next month.

Bungie has set the date—come April 12 fans will be diving into the Destiny April Update, which promises new content more substantial than any of the live events that have come before it during‘s Year Two.

Going off what little detail Bungie has revealed about the April Update, we speculate on what the update could be bringing:

New PvE Challenges

This could be as broad or specific as one can read into it. Considering Bungie’s history of live events this year, and the fact that it appears the majority of the development team is working on the major expansion slated for later this year(and of course the sequel coming in 2017), it seems unlikely this is a bevy of new destinations.

What does seems likely is a PvE event much like Queen’s Wrath, which debuted only once, just a month after the launch of vanilla Destiny . That event was not particularly valued among the community, but it’s important to look at the context to see why it was a failure.

Queen’s Wrathwas an event where Petra Venj appeared in the Tower and offered bounties to complete. Once a bounty was completed, players were able to play a Nightfall-level version of a campaign mission, which had a higher level and special modifiers. The reward was exclusive Queen’s Wrath equipment that could only be earned through the event.

The problem was some of the player base wasn’t geared to complete the high level missions yet. And those who were soon discovered that the equipment they earned from completing the missions could be dismantled for Ascendant Shards, a highly desired material at the time, as it was required to fully level armor and raise a player’s level.

Bungie soon realized Queen’s Wrath had just provided an unintended fast track to get Ascendant Shards and level quickly and patched it within a day. Queen’s Wrath equipment would longer dismantle into Ascendant Shards, and without that benefit (especially when duplicate gear dropped from missions), all players gave up on the missions. The reward they wanted most had been taken away, and that pretty much sealed the fate of Queen’s Wrath. It’s never been seen in the game since.

Fast forward to Year Two with players looking for reasons to return to PvE. Queen’s Wrath (or an event like it) could return, offering high level PvE missions with special modifiers for exclusive rewards. Plus the economy is much different nowwith Legendary weapons now dismantling into Legendary Marks. This could be the perfect time to reintroduce such an event.

The other option is related to this picture Bungie put out above. Here is what appears to be Taken Guardians, or Guardians wearing a Taken shader. Notably, they are all wearing full sets of Prison of Elders armor and standing in the Reef, which is where the Prison of Elders is located. That has caused many to speculate that Prison of Elders, Destiny ‘s Horde/Firefight mode introduced in the House of Wolves expansion, could be returning to offer said PvE content.

Perhaps the Taken have broken into the Prison of Elders and now Guardians must enter to take on modified Taken versions of old enemies. Add to it that Bungie said the April Update would offer PvE “replayability” and consider that the language is almost identical to how Bungie described the Prison of Elderswhen it was introduced. It could be an easy way for Bungie to freshen up content and give players a “new” experience.

New and Updated Gear

Bungie has already said the Light level cap will be raised in the April Update with new gear to collect.

Expect the same Light system to stay in place—after all, it’s in a fairly great place right now. Light levels have usually increased by two numerals with expansions in the past, which would translate into a 20 point increase with the new system introduced in Patch 2.0 and The Taken King . An educated guess would put the new cap at 340.

New Quest with the Blighted Chalice Strike

New Quest confirmed. New Strike confirmed. Quests since The Taken King have run the gamut from simple to complex, multi-day undertakings. Since this is the only Quest mentioned in the update, here’s hoping it’s a long one.

As for the Blighted Chalice Strike, this will be the first added since Taken King. However, it will be interesting to see if the Strike features a completely new locale, or if it reuses assets already in the game.

For those who played The Dark Below , they’ll remember that the Chalice was the object in the Crota boss fightfrom the game’s second raid. Players could only regenerate their health while holding the Chalice. So it’s probably safe to assume that the new Strike will take Guardians back to the Hellmouth and the Ascendant Realm.

This appears to be corroberated if what one Reddit was able to data minemonths ago proves to  be accurate. Here’s a data mined description found for the Strike: “A blight of Taken now roosts In the Hellmouth. Unchecked, they could refocus the Darkness within and descend on the City.”

New Gear and Rewards

As for gear, the known exotics that remain MIAcould make their debut. Also expect all the vendor gear in the Tower to be updated from the Vanguard to the Crucible Quartermaster to the factions. Iron Banner and Trials of Osiris seem to be slowing down as well, as many players have collected all the armor and weapons those modes have to offer, so the gear exclusive to those modes could also potentially see an update. Trials might even take a short break, as players try to hit the new Light level cap.

It will be nice to get some fresh weapons in the game because the meta has pretty much solidified itself, and weapon variety has diminished. But remember, with every weapon season there are typically revamped versions of old favorites in the mix, so players should be able to find an equivalent to their tried-and-true favorites(with some lucky loot drops, of course).

When it comes to the mention of “New Rewards,” it’s likely to mean new shaders, Ghost shells, Sparrows, etc.

Sandbox and Crucible Updates

Every major update introduces new tweaks to the game, sometimes it’s weapon balancing or added features or just quality of life additions that make playing the game more pleasant. Expect some or all of the same here.

A weapon rebalanceis likely since Bungie said it wanted to keep a more regular upkeep of the Crucible weapon experience in Year Two.

And More…

While on the topic of the Crucible, there’s a lot of buzz in the Destiny community right now that “Crucible Updates” or the “And More” could refer to custom and private games being added to Destiny . First off, there is no evidence for this rumor, but it’s definitely one of the most hoped for featuresby fans. And doing so could add tons of replayability and sustainability to Year Two.

It seems unlikely, but with so much desire for private matches, it could happen. After all Bungie is the developer who brought gamers Forge and Custom Games in Halo . Just imagine what fans could do with custom modifiers.

Does the fact that DICE added private matchesto Star Wars Battlefront post-launch give some hope that it’s possible? Maybe, but that could be irrelevant as it’s a different developer and game. Either way, big fingers crossed on this one.

The other buzz going around the Destiny community refers back to the picture of the Guardians who appear to have been Taken. Are these new enemies? Is this related to a specific mechanic in the new Strike? Is it a Shader? It’s all up in the air right now, but that same Reddit user who discovered the description of the Blighted Chalice Strike may have also discovered the answer on this one. It appears that it will be a shader. Perhaps even the reward at the end of that new Quest.

Some more speculation under the “And More” category—could this new Update also add more story and/or lore? Expect new Dead Ghostsand Grimoire cards for sure. With The Taken King ‘s new focus on storytelling, perhaps new cutscenes could be coming as well to push the story along.

Perhaps the Queen of the Reef (who Bungie confirmed to be aliveand returning in the future) will make an appearance, calling Guardians back to the Reef to take on more missions to clear out the Taken. It could happen, especially if the Prison of Elders plays a major part in the Update’s PvE content or if Queen’s Wrath gets a revamp.

Lastly, fans have been hoping that Bungie would do something with the old raids, Vault of Glassand Crota’s End. There has been no mention of it, but Bungie could choose to revitalize those experiences by either releasing higher level versions or introducing new enemies (such as the Taken) into them, but that’s speculation at this point.

Regardless of which of these theories may or may not come to fruition in the April Update, fans are looking forward to see new content make its way to Destiny .

What do you think is likely to be in Destiny ‘s April Update? Do you think we overlooked anything? Let us know in the comments!

The Top 5 Irish Video Game Characters

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To celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, Game Rant takes a look back at some of the gaming industry’s best Irish characters of all time.

Now that St. Patrick’s Day is upon is, it seems like everyone is ‘Irish For A Day’, as overpriced t-shirts seem to enjoy declaring. With all the focus on the Irish today, we thought we’d spend a little time reflecting on some of the gaming industry’s most prominent Irishmen.

These characters have a special place in our hearts (and hard drives), and we’d like to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day by shining a light on some of the best Irish game characters from the last several years.

Patrick McReary ( Grand Theft Auto 4 )

One of Grand Theft Auto 4’s more memorable characters (who doesn’t perpetually ask you to go bowling), Packie is the youngest of the McReary crime family. Niko is introduced to him when assigned as protection for a cocaine deal that goes south, and the fighting Irishman grows closer to Niko after being impressed with his skillset.

Packie is one hell of a gunman, and basically exudes loyalty to those he befriends. He also brings gamers one of the best robbery missions of all time (Three Leaf Clover), which is one of the most difficult missions of the entire game.

Packie may have been given the classic Rockstar stereotype treatment (though perhaps not so far as Red Dead Redemption’s Irish, who is literally just a drunk old man named after an entire Country), but something about the energetic Irishman made him an instant fan favorite. He also appeared in both The Lost and The Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony , and is even an employable heist character in

Frank Bilders ( Far Cry 2 )

Bilders hails from Northern Ireland, but we’re going to include him all the same. He was raised in an IRA family, grew up smuggling arms through the Republic of Ireland, and was known to break a few kneecaps and let bullets do the talking as he progressed through the ranks.

In short, Bilders could have been a Sons of Anarchy character, but the brutal enforcer plies his trade ininstead. He’s one of the game’s many playable characters, and certainly isn’t someone we would like to be enemies with.

After serving time in prison, where rumors stipulate that Bilders continued his work for the IRA and was involved in the murder of several loyalists, Bilders was offered amnesty in exchange for services getting the dirt on ‘more dangerous’ prison inmates. He flew the coop straight out of Ireland for good, where he continued a career of drugs, intimidation, and in general being one of the gaming industry’s most underrated enforcers.

Shay Cormac ( Assassin’s Creed Rogue )

Born to Irish immigrants in New York, Shay grew up to be a Colonial Rite of the Templar Order and the main protagonist of. Shay had a rough childhood, but living in a rough part of town allowed him to hone his swordsmanship and fighting abilities. This led to employment with the Assassins, but a morale dilemma eventually leads the Irish assassin to renounce his loyalty to them, having refused to follow orders from a group who would shrug off the mass death of innocent lives.

This theme recurs again throughout the game, and Shay’s actions exemplify what makes him so much of a badass: he has the skills to do anything he wants and be a top-tier killer, but he chooses to fight for the innocent people who can’t defend themselves.

Rogue may not have been the greatesttitle, but it certainly gave us one of the best Irish-American characters to date. He’s the Batman of Assassin’s Creed , except he misread the part about not killing.

Atlas ( BioShock )

Okay, okay, we know ! Atlas the character is an Irishman, but it’s all an act. Now, would you kindly let us continue? Atlas is one the most well-written characters of all time, and his twist-ending storyline led to BioShock becoming one of the gaming industry’s biggest successes.

Atlas is a revolutionary figure in the underwater colony of Rapture, and was able to build a resistance of disillusioned citizens and rally a force against Andrew Ryan. Atlas is a working class Irishman with a Dubliner accent, and he chimes in on the short wave radio as the player’s guide. Atlas is a figure shrouded in mystery, and astute players may notice subtle hints about him strewn around Rapture as they progress through the game.

Eventually, it is revealed that Atlas was actually Frank Fontaine the entire time, and everything from Atlas’s wife and kids to the Irish accent were a hoax. Perhaps the most truly Irish thing about Atlas is that he is so convincing. With aCollection rumored to be in the works, gamers may be able to relive Atlas’s deceit soon enough.

He may have been a lie, but we’re counting the character of Atlas on the list – he’s too good of a character not to acknowledge.

Sean Devlin ( The Saboteur )

The ultimate freedom fighter incarnate, Sean Devlin is a man of the people.is an underrated game, and was the swan song of the now defunct Pandemic Studios. Sean Devlin was a simple mechanic before the Nazi invasion of France, where he happened to be situated as the invasion unfolded. The personable Irishman was eventually drafted into resistance forces, where his talent for sabotage made him a force to be reckoned with.

Though Sean was reluctant to join the resistance, it’s remarkable how embedded the Irishman gets in aiding a country which isn’t his homeland to begin with. The stalwart Irishman is good in a fight, great with explosives, and has the added benefit of being a pretty suave ladies man, too. He may not look like the most dangerous Irishman out there, but we’d like to see anyone else single-handedly lead the resistance of Nazi-occupied France.

That’s our list of the top 5 Irish videogame characters (honorable mentions go to Nina Williams from Tekken and Jack O’Hara from Commandos )! Let us know if you agree with the list – we’d love to hear some more Irish video game characters get some recognition.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, everyone!

This Week\’s North American Downloads – Steamworld Dig, The Fall & Thorium Wars

Out this week:
For the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS we have Professor Layton Vs Ace Attorney and Thorium Wars: Attack of the Skyfighter .

Releasing this week on the Nintendo eShop on Wii U are Steamworld Dig and the Kickstarter-funded sci-fi game The Fall .

Coming to Virtual Console on Wii U are MEGA MAN X3 and Donkey Kong Jr. Math .

Steamworld Dig Game Description: After its positive reception on Nintendo 3DS, indie hit SteamWorld Dig is making its way to Wii U for the first time. In this platform mining adventure, take on the role of Rusty as he arrives at an old mining town in great need. Explore an underground world full of secrets, treasure and terrors with interface elements that use the Wii U GamePad controller.
The Fall Game Description: Explore an alien world in this unique blend of action game play and adventure-game puzzles in The Fall, which launched Aug. 26. Take on the role of ARID, the artificial intelligence within a high-tech combat suit, as you struggle to save the suit\’s unconscious human occupant. Get ready for a disturbing and engrossing journey as you explore the world of The Fall.

Professor Layton Vs Ace Attorney Game Description: Join forces with expert investigator Professor Layton and ace attorney Phoenix Wright in this unbelievable crossover adventure. Find out what new twists they bring to the courtroom as they solve puzzles and debunk witnesses\’ lies. Cross-examine multiple witnesses at the same time to uncover the mysteries of the magical city of Labyrinthia. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney will be available in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS at midnight ET on Aug. 29.
Azure Striker GUNVOLT Game Description: From Inti Creates and featuring the talents of Keiji Inafune, the creator of the Mega Man series, Azure Striker GUNVOLT takes the best aspects of Japanese 16-bit classics and updates them with new play mechanics and slick graphics. For a limited time, the game comes with a free digital code to download the 8-bit nostalgia-fueled MIGHTY GUNVOLT as well. Azure Striker GUNVOLT will be available in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS on Aug. 29.
Thorium Wars: Attack of the Skyfighter Game Description: Pilot one of three Skyfighters across alien worlds to protect Earth. Push your dogfighting skills to their limits in this futuristic 3D aerial shooter, available exclusively in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

MEGA MAN X3 Game Description: Every Thursday in August, Nintendo and Capcom are bringing classic Mega Man games to the Virtual Console service in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U. Mega Man X and his partner, Zero, must discover why an antivirus has failed to turn robots from destructive Mavericks into peace-loving Reploids. Run, jump, dash, scale walls, avoid obstacles and fight enemies in eight challenging stages as you hunt for the latest cure.
Donkey Kong Jr. Math Game Description: Learning can be fun, especially when you play along with Donkey Kong Jr.! Practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division by directing Junior, a cute little monkey, who must climb up and down vines to collect numbers and symbols in order to solve the math problems his father gives him. Compete with a friend in a race to solve problems in Game A, or add more challenge with Game B. Of course, you can also practice on your own! This game is perfect for younger players who are looking for a fun and easy way to develop their math skills!

Special Offers:

Nintendo 3DS –

Select Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games from Capcom are now up to 60 percent off in the Nintendo eShop. This offer is valid until 8:59 a.m. PT on Sept. 4. Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo is 50 percent off (reduced from $7.99 to $3.95) from 9 a.m. PT on Sept. 3 through 8:59 a.m. PT on Sept. 24 in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. Soccer Up 3D is 71 percent off (reduced from $6.99 to $1.99) until 9 a.m. PT on Sept. 17 in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS.

Nintendo Wii U –

Select Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games from Capcom are now up to 60 percent off in the Nintendo eShop. This offer is valid until 8:59 a.m. PT on Sept. 4.

Keep up to date with all the official Nintendo announcements and exclusive new game information by following the official Nintendo Enthusiast Twitter feed @NINTENthusiast, Facebookpage, and Google Pluspage.

Written by Alex Balderas

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New unicorns will rise from the ashes of 2016’s funding downturn

In what now looks like a halcyon afternoon back in early October, I was moderating a panel of entrepreneurs and venture investors on the topic of how to raise series A funding.

Image Credit: Pixabay

In what now looks like a halcyon afternoon back in early October, I was moderating a panel of entrepreneurs and venture investors on the topic of how to raise series A funding. Very quickly, the conversation ran away from me. Instead of talking about which metrics and milestones would most likely lead to successful fundraising, I found myself listening to a conversation about how to pursue additional rounds of angel and seed funding. Some of the audience chimed in to suggest that with so much private capital available, there were benefits to delaying a series A round. As the panelists prattled on, my stomach sank.

What I was hearing struck me as blasphemous. In my view of company formation, the best startups built themselves with rigorous execution: Get an idea, bootstrap a proof of concept, build a prototype, maybe even launch a commercial product. To secure that initial raise, founders would commit to concrete, measurable goals, which, when reached, would propel them to a series A. And then it would be the same pattern for successive investment rounds: Raise money to accomplish clearly defined objectives, achieve them, and then repeat and repeat until the company was profitable and ready for an IPO or sale. If the objectives were not attained, then the startup would most likely be shuttered.

What a difference six months makes. Just as the public market slide for tech stocks triggered a tightening in the funding environment for existing startups and helped subject some high-flying companies to markdown valuations – CloudFlare, Taboola and Twilio, for starters, there’s also been a negative trickle-down effect on the youngest of companies. The torrent of venture money seemingly available to nascent, early stage companies may be slowing to, well, a trickle.

Above: Aileen Lee, Cowboy Ventures

Despite the obvious pain for the affected companies, this resetting of the VC-entrepreneur ecosystem could be a good thing. Over the past couple months, several venture investors with whom I spoke saw evidence of a silver lining.

“Some of the best companies get started during difficult years in our economy,” said Aileen Lee, founder and partner at Cowboy Ventures. “Later this year, or in 2017, will be a really good time to start a company.”

Lee described how challenging times can improve entrepreneur quality and their company’s culture. Teams that come together in trying circumstances often tend to be creative and geared toward execution. “I’m optimistic from that perspective,” Lee said.

Joe Horowitz, managing general partner at Icon Ventures, said, “We’re already seeing a demonstrative shift in entrepreneurs from optimizing pricing towards valuing the quality of the investors they want to work with.” Horowitz explained that very often “those companies built with enduring value were started during more challenging times, when capital was expensive, and [as a consequence] use it accordingly.”

Above: Joe Horowitz, Icon Ventures

In a recent guest post for VentureBeat ( 2016: The year VC investors return to capital efficiency), Horowitz described how Icon made five investments at the end of 2008, during what was for many startups a nuclear winter — the depths of the financial crisis. “All five businesses turned out to be successful companies with strong exits,” Horowitz wrote. Among those investments was Palo Alto Networks, which went public in 2012 with $65 million of invested capital (after four financings) and today is worth more than $13 billion.

Lee pointed to Uber and Airbnb as examples of solid companies founded during the most recent downturn. An examination of notable companies with birth years 2008 and 2009 provides additional evidence. According to VB Profiles, 43 unicorns were created during the recessionary mess, among them Airbnb and Uber. (Disclosure: VB Profiles is a cooperative effort between VentureBeat and Spoke Intelligence.)

(The full VB Profiles Unicorn landscape is available here.)

Lee explained that, since their founding, both companies have grown at an accelerated pace as investment money became easier to obtain. “We live in the age of Uber and Airbnb, two incredibly disruptive companies that have benefitted from the enormous amount of capital available.”

Thus, even while it’s easy to welcome a return to “traditional” venture investment rounds with valuations that make sense, there’s always a twist to the logic, some exceptions that make the rule. ““The whole narrative is built on exceptions and there are so few successes,” Lee said, cautioning me against a conclusion that only trying times birth great businesses. “Every successful company is by definition an outlier.”

Even as many venture capitalists urge fiscal cautionon their portfolio companies as they help them manage through the current downturn, some will be looking to form solid partnerships with a new set of entrepreneurs. These are the company founders who are undaunted by the current climate and bent on rigorous execution – not on raising multiple seed rounds. And it’s the relationships between them and their investors that lie at the heart of value creation, and which, over time — and with prudent doses of capital — will help startups grow billion dollar horns.

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Apple’s Windows-bashing is mean-spirited and pointless

“The majority of people who come to an iPad Pro are coming from a PC,” declared Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, while introducing the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in Cupertino.

Above: Phillip Schiller at Apple Event March 21, 2016.

Image Credit: VentureBeat

At today’s product event, Apple stumbled backwards in time by trashing the computing devices used by hundreds of millions of would-be customers — 600 million, in fact.

in Cupertino. This is “designed to appeal to Windows users,” Schiller pronounced with affectionate disdain for those not yet converted to the Mac/iOS religion.

Schiller continued his enthusiastic contempt by citing an unsourced statistic that there are “600 million PCs in use over 5 years old.” And, naturally, he suggested that these beloved personal computers ought to be tossed in favor of Apple’s new $599 tablet.

Schiller’s macho rhetoric was unseemly and low-brow when compared to the “ Hello, I’m a Mac. And I’m a PC.” ad campaign featuring Justin Long as a Mac and John Hodgman as a PC. The fun and good-natured commercials aired from 2006 to 2009. They also led some people to question whether Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were the inspiration for Long’s character, hip and casual, and Hodgman’s character, uncool and nerdy, respectively.

A couple of years later, even as they remained competitors, Jobs and Gates described their longtime friendship and revealed their feelings for one another at a 2011 conference. Speaking of Gates, Jobs quoted from a Beatles song, “You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.”

The same year, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak declared the Mac vs PC debateirrelevant. “You don’t have to be in the Macintosh versus PC side of the world anymore,” Wozniak said. “We’ve broken free of that.”

Yet, five years later, here was Schiller speaking with gusto about selling tablets to people who use PCs. He termed the new iPad Pro “the ultimate replacement for all those old PCs in the world.” Not exactly a compelling sales pitch.

Today’s Windows-bashing was a far cry from the gentler era captured by the “Hello, I’m a Mac” commercials:

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Daum Games Releases New Update Trailer for Upcoming MMORPG Black Desert Online

Yesterday, Netherlands-based publisher Daum Games released a trailer for Pearl Abyss’ Action-MMORPG, Black Desert Online , which showcased the second part of the game’s Valencia update.

, which showcased the second part of the game’s Valencia update. The update introduces an entire new desert-based zone for players to explore called Valencia.

Little word has been given on the content that will be included in the update, but it’s nice to see Black Desert Online ’s gorgeous world unfolding before our very eyes. So far, this second Valencia update will include a new bounty hunting system in Valencia’s World PvP. It will also include a new Jail system, where players with bad karma ratings will be sent to a sulphur mining camp and will have to work their way to freedom. Many players are eager to see how the Jail system will be implemented, as XL Games introduced a similar system in their MMORPG ArchAge with mixed results.

Record of Lodoss War MMORPG Set to Release in Early 2016

Back in 2013, Japanese High Fantasy novel, anime, and manga series Record of Lodoss War emerged from the past to meet gamers with plenty of nostalgia in MMORPG form.

emerged from the past to meet gamers with plenty of nostalgia in MMORPG form. The MMO, titled Record of Lodoss War Online, entered alpha testing stage and was quickly scrapped, with little word from its developer L & K Logic Korea on the project’s development. Now, two years later, Lodoss Online has emerged once more with an early 2016 release date.

Producer Shinji Goda and brand manager Hitoshi Kato allegedly revealed these plans in an interview last Friday, alongside the revival of the game’s official website. L & K Logic Korea, developers of Red Stone Online, will be developing Lodoss Online , and GameOn will be publishing the game. Lodoss Online will present the game world from an isometric perspective, and players will be able to choose from a variety of hero classes from the original series, including Esquires (knights) and Oracles (healers). So far, the game seems to be Japan and Korea-only, though no official statement has been made on any other foreign localization efforts.

The game will be taking place in the setting of the Grey Witch arc, which encompasses the original novel series’ second book, the manga’s first volume, and the first halves of both the OVA (original video animation) and the TV show. Fan favorites from this chapter of the series– the knight Parn, the high elf shaman Deedlit, the Oracle Etoh, and others – will make an appearance as NPCs in the game.

Rumor: Smash Bros 3DS Bundle To Launch In North America Plus Two New Wii U Bundles

North American gamers were left feeling rather jealous this time last week when Nintendo of Europe revealed a special edition 3DS XL would be launching alongside Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS when it launches this October.

when it launches this October. Fortunately, the same source who revealedseveral bundles this time last year is back and has revealed that the North American market would be receiving it\’s own hardware bundle in anticipation for the first portable entry in the popular series.

According to the source this new piece of hardware will be slightly different to the currently announced European one. Not confirming too many details they\’ve claimed that it will \”be bluer than the European one\”, but there\’s a chance that the red-themed 3DS XL might become a retailer exclusive. When talking about the Wii U there are two new bundles planned, both featuring the Black Wii U console, but with either New Super Mario Bros U or Lego City: Undercover.

Written by Alex Balderas

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Quantum Break: Why I’m Worried

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Quantum Break appears to be one of the year’s most highly anticipated games.

appears to be one of the year’s most highly anticipated games. However, find out why one writer fears that Quantum Break may be a financial flop.

Before I begin, let me say that I am personally excited for Quantum Break . In fact, I am fairly confident thatcould very well end up being one of my favorite games of the entire year, based on how much I have enjoyed Remedy’s previous work, and how great the game looks in action. Whether or not Quantum Break will end up being a quality game is not what I am worried about, however. Rather, I am worried that Quantum Break will be a financial flop.

One doesn’t have to look far into Remedy’s past to see that the company has sometimes struggled meeting sales expectations out of the gate. Take Alan Wake , for example. Even though the game sold what would be considered a respectable amount for any other game, the fact that it had such a long development cycle made its initial sales disappointing.

That’s not to say that people weren’t excited to play Alan Wake . On the contrary, Alan Wake was one of the most pirated Xbox 360 games released. However, when one looks at how much Alan Wake was pirated in its early days compared to how many copies it sold, one has to wonder if it was due to a lack of consumer confidence in the product. After all, Alan Wake is not a “typical” video game, and so it’s easy to see how some may be a bit apprehensive about taking the plunge with it. Quantum Break also has many unique qualities that make it far from being a “typical” video game release, putting it at risk to encounter the same problems as Alan Wake .

Even though Alan Wake ‘s sales weren’t bad by any means, and in fact improved greatly once the game was ported to PC, those other compounding issues – piracy and its long development cycle – certainly didn’t help the game. I feel like Alan Wake ‘s long development period and comparatively disappointing initial sales are the main reasons why we sadly have yet to see the long-rumored Alan Wake sequel.

Since Alan Wake was one of my favorite games of the previous generation, I sincerely hope Quantum Break avoids suffering a similar fate, despite it also having a long development cycle. I want the game to be a big sales success right off the bat so that gamers aren’t deprived of more stories in the Quantum Break universe, as we have been with Alan Wake .

Sadly, I fear that Quantum Break fans will indeed be short on sequels that further the game’s intriguing universe, and there are some decisions that Microsoft and Remedy have made that have me feeling this way. For example, Quantum Break ‘s launch traileris one that I found confusing, as it failed to convey what the game actually entails. The launch trailer, while exciting and sporting a wicked Nirvana cover, completely fails to explain what the gameplay will be like in Quantum Break , what the plot is, and it also completely ignores the game’s live-action cutscenes.

Those live action cutscenes, that basically amount to a Quantum Break companion TV showby the way, are another reason why I fear the game will not meet sales expectations. It represents a very unique way to tell a story, and the fact that Quantum Break ‘s TV show has 40 variationsdefinitely makes me excited to see all the ways the game’s story can change. However, I can see other gamers scratching their heads at the live-action content because the idea of watching 20-minute long episodes can be rather off-putting. It also doesn’t help matters that the aforementioned Quantum Break launch trailer fails to mention this element of the game, despite it appearing to be such an integral part of the experience.

Now, one way that Quantum Break could potentially avoid being a financial flop is if gamers respond well to its PC port. As some may recall, the PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider greatly outsold the Xbox One versionof the game, and so perhaps Quantum Break will experience a similar sales boost from the PC gaming community.

Alternatively, releasing Quantum Break on PC could prove detrimental to the game’s sales. The reason being that Quantum Break has been marketed as one of the Xbox One’s premiere exclusive games since it was first revealed back in 2013. Some gamers have probably even purchased an Xbox One in anticipation of playing Remedy’s latest, and now those gamers may feel disgruntled that the game is also seeing release on PC. While it would be silly to refrain from buying the game on Xbox simply because it will also be available on PC, there are many people that have no reservations about cutting off their nose to spite their face.

Maybe I’m just being pessimistic. After all, I really have no idea what the budget was like for Quantum Break , so perhaps its development wasn’t so expensive that its long in-work cycle will be a big issue (though Quantum Break ‘s Hollywood castpoints to the game costing quite a bit to make). The PC version of the game is greatly expanding its potential audience, and the choice to release Quantum Break on PCcould help the game be the sales success it might not have been as a pure Xbox One exclusive. Ultimately, time well tell, and I’m hoping that Quantum Break ‘s sales show that I never had any reason to be worried.

Quantum Break will be available on April 5th for PC and Xbox One.

Mighty No. 9 Gets A New Release Date

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The video game industry isn’t always a perfect world where developers have every opportunity to follow their dreams and succeed.

The video game industry isn’t always a perfect world where developers have every opportunity to follow their dreams and succeed. The market is driven primarily by money, and even the most famous directorsaren’t safe from developers deciding their time is up. Whatever the circumstances, sometimes developers aren’t able to directly pursue sequels to the games that made them famous. Even then, when that happens, gamers are treated to an exciting new possibility: spiritual successors.

One of the most notable spiritual successor projects currently in development is the product of a massively successful Kickstarter campaignand a beloved industry veteran. Keiji Inafune’s Mighty No. 9 is the Mega Man creator’s take on how he would’ve developed the franchise that Capcom currently owns, and it has gamers excited about some classic, Mega Man inspired action for the current generation of consoles and PCs.

Unfortunately, Mighty No. 9 has been hindered by constantly shifting release dates and multiple delays in development, which has played a part in quelling some of the initial excitement surrounding the game. For those fans still eagerly anticipating Inafune’s new project, Comcept, the studio in charge of the game’s production, has once again given Mighty No. 9 a target date for release.

Comcept announced today thatwill be coming to consoles and PCs on February 9, 2016 in North America, with a worldwide release to come a few days later on February 12. The game will be available on virtually every platform currently seeing game production, due to a stretch goal incentive that Inafune and Comcept listed in their Kickstarter campaign. Mighty No. 9 reached its funding in under 48 hours once its project page went live, so it’s safe to say the ambitious release plan isn’t just bravado on Comcept’s part.

Mighty No. 9 is, of course, followed ubiquitously by mentions of the Mega Man series, a byproduct of Inafune’s ties to the beloved platformer. The constant comparisons aren’t unjust, either: the game is very similar to the Mega Man games of old, with some modern twists on the classic formula. The most notable differences are the game’s difficulty, which is scaled back relative to how punishing the older Mega Man games could be, and its speed, as the pace of Mighty No. 9 is much faster than its inspiration.

Alongside the different mechanics and quirky character design, Mighty No. 9 looks to make just enough tweaks to an already successful outline to create a new niche in the gaming world. Given his track record with past games and the promise Mighty No. 9 shows, as long as the February release date sticks, Inafune should find plenty of forgiveness from a fanbase ready to see what he has to offer next.

Did you back Mighty No. 9 on Kickstarter? Do you believe this release date is the final one? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Mighty No. 9 releases for for Linux, Mac, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, 3Ds, and Vita, finally, on February 9, 2016 in North America. A worldwide release will follow on February 12.

Megaman Spiritual Successor Mighty No. 9 Is Delayed Again, This Time to 2016

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Kickstarter video game projects are becoming more and more common, raising critical funds for developers and rewarding eager fans.

are becoming more and more common, raising critical funds for developers and rewarding eager fans. While some indie titles have needed crowdfunding to get off the ground, other large companies have even taken the opportunity to use Kickstarter campaigns as a way of testing the water to see if there’s interest in a title, like with.

Part of what motivates gamers to contribute to these fundraising efforts is the promise of certain rewards, and the understanding that the finished product will be available by a certain date. Unfortunately, not all game developers meet these deadlines, and it would appear that another successful Kickstarter is about to disappoint its backers.

Mighty No. 9 , a spiritual successor to Megaman, used Kickstarter to gather the funds necessary to create the game. The Kickstarter campaign performed incredibly well, accruing over $900,000 in just two days. However, according to information from Gamestop and released by Game Informer, COMCEPT is not meeting the deadline it set for itself for the release of the game.

Retailers recently shifted the release date forto 2016, and Gamestop has confirmed that this placeholder was provided by publisher Deep Silver, suggesting that the game has been quietly delayed. This is the second time the game has been delayed, as Kickstarter backers were originally promised a release window of Spring in 2015, and it was then delayed to September 15, 2015. COMCEPT has has refrained from commenting or confirming this delay, but isn’t debating the new information, either.

Unfortunately for fans, this new delay is more evidence of the problem with crowdfundingbeing used to fund games. While it’s a great way for developers who could otherwise never create their game to raise interest and money in the proposed titles, deadlines often aren’t met, or projects are cancelled altogether. The fund-raising system isn’t perfect for developers, either, as was shown by the Kickstarter effort for the game Dimension Drive . A last-minute backer supplied the 7,000 Eurosnecessary for the game to receive funding, only to revoke their bid at the last possible second, causing the developer to not receive a penny.

Kickstarter and other crowdfunding methods of raising money for video game projects is a great idea, in theory, but with only one-third of fully-funded Kickstarter campaigns delivering a finished product, it’s far from a perfect science. It’s unfortunate that the fans who put the money forward to getmade are probably not going to receive the game this year, especially since the developer has refrained from directly announcing the second delay to its backers.

Mighty No. 9 is estimated to release sometime during 2016 for PS4, Wii U, Xbox One at retail, and digital-only for PC, Ps3, Xbox 360, Mac, and Linux.

Source: Game Informer

Sales research startup Mattermark raises $7.3 million, now valued at $42 million

Mattermark , which has evolved rapidly from a database to help investors rank startups into a sales intelligence service, today announced that it has raised $7.3 million in series B funding and is valued at $42 million.

into a sales intelligence service, today announced that it has raised $7.3 million in series B funding and is valued at $42 million. The equity investment was led by Foundry Group and Jon Hallett, with participation from existing investors. (Disclosure: VentureBeat occasionally publishes opinion pieces from Foundry Group’s Brad Feld.) Total funding to date is $18.4 million.

Above: Mattermark’s founders: Kevin Morrill, Danielle Morrill, and Andy Sparks.

Image Credit: Mattermark

According to cofounder and CEO Danielle Morrill, “we’ve evolved a lot from our ‘Bloomberg for Startups'” origins, and the startup is finding success with its sharpened focus.

Based in San Francisco, the three-year-old Mattermark now has 50 employees; 500 customers drawn from the ranks of large corporations, private equity, and sales and marketing firms; and is generating $300,000 in monthly revenue, according to a company statement. The company will use the investment to build out its sales force and continue creating what it calls “an un­killable SaaS company.”

Mattermark’s service offers one­-click integrations with a wide range of sales tools, like LinkedIn and Salesforce; spreadsheets, like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets; and an API for software developers to write custom solutions that tie into the Mattermark platform. Mattermark’s customers use the service for lead discovery and qualification, detailed company information, as well as up-to-the-minute data on a prospect’s brand footprint and employee headcount trends.

More information:

Created by entrepreneurs drawing on our broad range of operational experiences to measure the signals of growth that matter most. Mattermark track the progress of the world’s most promising startups to help investors find deals faste... read more »

New! Track Mattermark's Landscape to stay on top of the industry in 3 minutes a day. Understand the entire ecosystem, monitor innovation, and track deal flows. Learn more.

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Guild Wars 2 Cheater Stripped Naked, Killed, and Deleted

Cheaters in online games are seemingly everywhere these days, ruining what should otherwise be good clean fun for countless gamers everywhere.

Cheaters in online games are seemingly everywhere these days, ruining what should otherwise be good clean fun for countless gamers everywhere. To that end, the developers of Guild Wars 2 have recently made very clear what they think of cheaters in their popular MMORPG.

A player known by the username J T Darkside was accused by many of being a cheater, using third party software to teleport himself inside enemy structures, allowing him to capture them without having to fight through any defenses. He had also gifted himself extraordinary levels of speed and power, ensuring that no player could best him in combat.

His antics were caught on camera by at least one members of the Guild Wars 2 community:

Startups, what would you do with $2 billion? Accel has 9 big ideas

Even with all the talk these days of investors having short arms and thin wallets, money from limited partners continues to flow into venture capital funds.

Image Credit: Steve Bowbrick/Flickr

Even with all the talk these days of investors having short arms and thin wallets, money from limited partners continues to flow into venture capital funds. Accel Partners earlier today announcedthe closing of a pair of U.S. funds totaling $2 billion.

Accel is creating a $500 million fund for early stage companies and a $1.5 billion fund for later stage businesses. “We are excited about what’s ahead. Technology is central to the way people live and work around the world, evolving the way we communicate, learn, shop, travel” and more, said Ryan Sweeney, growth fund manager at Accel.

The size of these funds and their apparently generalist approach suggests both confidence in innovation writ large and in an investment strategy with some built-in hedges. In 2015, consumer, mobile and Saas led Accel’s investments by category:

Above: Accel’s 2015 investments by category

The 30-plus year old firm has offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, London and Bangalore.  Earlier this year, the firm described nine areas of focus, each worthy of fascination and future innovation.

A “quantified, autonomous future” made possible by the “confluence of predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision technologies.” Think intelligent machines, drones, and self-driving cars. “The social graph continues to reorient how people interact.” Think crowdfunding for everything from donations to how we listen to music. “Enterprise-grade tools [that] change the way businesses collaborate, communicate and innovate.” Think collaboration platforms and workplace software. “Open source software” causes “a rethinking of the technology engine in the enterprise.” Think the billions of lines of code that now power business software. A “golden age of video” is upon us. Think mobile production, distribution and monetization of video. “Augmented/virtual reality experiences … hint at a future where video evolves into something immersive and interactive.” Think Oculus, acquired by Facebook, and Niantic, which emerged from Google. Growth of an “APX Economy” where third-party APIs basically replace business processes. Think non-core capabilities like payment systems, analytics and search. “Hardening security.” Think defense against hackers and ransomware, let alone defending cyber warfare. People can “capitalize on their talents wherever they are.” Think the rise of an “on-demand economy” but on a global scale.

These nine big ideas will likely serve as a roadmap for Accel’s future investments and provide inspiration for entrepreneurs seeking some of that $2 billion.

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Everquest II Introducing A Prison Server For Cheaters

One of the last long-running MMORPGs to survive Blizzard’s near monopolization of the industry via World of Warcraft is Daybreak studios’ Everquest II .

. Daybreak recently announced on the official Everquest II forumstheir intention to implement what can be called a “prison” server.

According to the forum post, “players who are caught breaking our rules and disrupting EQ2 live server gameplay will be flagged for this server, and no others — ever. Characters on these accounts will be copied to Drunder (the ‘prison server’) and can never leave or transfer to another server.” And while Drunder is specifically for the rule-breakers and ne’er-do-wells, other players will be allowed to request a transfer into this special server.

Players interested in transferring over voluntarily should take heed, however. As stated in the forum post, “You won’t be able to move individual characters to this server, while maintaining characters from the same account on another server. This is a ONE-WAY trip for an entire account forever.”

E3 2015: Mighty No. 9 Hides Something New in Something Familiar

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It’s impossible to talk about Mighty No.

Mighty No. 9 without mentioning Mega Man . After all, they’re practically the same game. Mighty No. 9 is designed by Keiji Inafune, the man who created Mega Man and designed his earliest adventures. Mighty No. 9 achieved its (then) record-setting Kickstarter successby billing itself as a “spiritual successor” to Capcom’s long-neglected Blue Bomber. The game plays the same, the characters look the same – No. 9 (named Beck) might’ve been designed by Dr. White, not Dr. Light, but developer Deep Silver’s not fooling anyone.

Deep Silver’s staff knows it, too. During the game’s E3 demo, one developer explained Mighty No. 9’s dash move to a new player. The newbie, a little confused, asked, “Sort of like Mega Man X? ”

The developer sighed. “Sort of,” he said.

And in large part, that’s the point – fans wanted another Mega Man game, and Inafune promised to give them one. Ultimately, however, that could be a problem. Mega Man’s last two entrieshad NES-style graphics for a reason; Mighty No. 9 isn’t competing against its 8-bit predecessor, it’s competing against nostalgia. If the game doesn’t live up to fans’ memories of Mega Man – not necessarily the games themselves – it’s not going to go over well.

However, after about an hour with Mighty No. 9’s E3 demo, it looks like Deep Silver has things pretty much in hand. Like Mega Man, Beck absorbs enemies’ abilities. Levels can be played in any order, but one path is better than the others; every boss is weak against another boss’ ability (defeated bosses will also help out in certain levels). There’s some platforming, which involves dodging flurries of enemy projectiles (and enemies themselves) while timing shots so that they land at just the right moment. Visually, the game has a bright sci-fi aesthetic that recalls.

But Mighty No. 9 isn’t a pure Mega Man experience, either. For one, while Mighty No. 9 can get pretty tough, it’s not as brutal and unforgiving as classic Mega Man titles – at least, not the levels on display. Levels are filled with checkpoints, and the stages aren’t nearly as long as Mega Man’s (or, maybe because they’re easier, they just don’t feel as long). When things get chaotic, sometimes it’s easier to just suck up the damage and use brute force to push through. While lives are a limited commodity, and a Game Over resets any checkpoints, it’s often easier to go on damaged than waste time trying to navigate a particularly tricky section (of course, the game can be made much more challenging with its one-hit death mode).

The other big difference between Mega Man and Mighty No. 9 is the game’s speed. Mighty No. 9 moves a lot faster than Mega Man , thanks almost entirely to Beck’s dash mechanism. After an enemy takes a certain amount of damage, it changes color and starts flashing. Pressing a button makes Beck jump horizontally (even while in mid-air); if he hits a wounded enemy during a dash, the baddie’s destroyed instantly. The faster that Beck dashes into a wounded enemy, the more points he gets; in fact, the only way to get combos going is to hit enemies for 100% damage. Miss once, and the combo meter restarts.

The dash also figures prominently in Mighty No. 9’s platforming challenges, and it’s a key factor in boss fights. Beck whittles away boss’ health until they’re wounded, but in order to make the damage stick, Beck needs to hit them with a dash as soon as possible. Delay, and some of that health comes back.

This fundamentally changes the pace of the game. Beck dashes constantly – doing otherwise completely ruins the combo system – leading to a fairly relentless push forwards. As one developer said, when a really skilled player takes control, Beck’s feet never hit the ground. After every level, Mighty No. 9 gives players a letter grade; anyone who wants the top score better get used to dashing all of the time.

Whether or not the change of pace is good or bad depends on the players’ expectations. For what it’s worth, we really liked it – Mighty No. 9 feels familiar, but it isn’t just a clone of Inafune’s past classics, and that was enough to make the hour-long playthrough whiz by (in fact, we were so engrossed in the game that a Deep Silver representative had to politely kick us out of the room). Fans who expect a pure Mega Man experience won’t be as pleased, and should probably stick with Capcom’s upcoming.

But look, while those games are great, they’ve been around for years. Mighty No. 9 isn’t just an off-brand sequel; it’s a game that takes something new and wraps it in something familiar. The end result is a blast: the mechanics are different, but the essence of Mega Man shines through, providing something for both returning fans and curious newcomers. Mighty No. 9 isn’t going to be the biggest or best game of the year, but anyone who’s got fond memories of the original Mega Man series should make sure to check it out this fall.

Mighty No. 9 comes out September 15 for Linux, Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U. 3DS and Vita versions will arrive later.

Opinion: Trolling in The Division is Actually a Good Thing

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While The Division ‘s launch might not be the smoothest in gaming history, one writer believes the recent drama concerning player griefing in-game is missing the point.

I was thirteen when I started playing Halo 2 online. I had to convince my parents that an online subscription fee just to play games I already owned anyways was worth it, an endeavor I had imagined would carry me to age fifteen before I actually managed any progress. Somehow, the argument only lasted a few weeks, and an excellent report card later, I had a network cable hooked into the back of my Xbox and an Xbox Live subscription in my dad’s name. I was ready to dive in to the world of online, competitive Halo 2 .

It took approximately twenty minutes before I’d shut the game off and removed my headset. While I would play Halo 2 online with friends and at LANs, I’d never play the multiplayer online on my own with a headset on again. I don’t know what the many early teens playing what I consider to be Bungie’s magnum opus were going through in high school, but if my conversations with them in that twenty minutes were any indication, they were very angry about it.

Player griefing isn’t a concept unique to shooters within the gaming industry, and it can take a number of different forms. In MMOs like World of Warcraft , for instance, gamers adventuring on a PvP server are liable to run into high-level trolls (the personality, not the race) who will kill them incessantly. Some will even patiently wait for the player to run back to their corpse and resurrect themselves, only to find that the ganker had merely moved out of their line of sight to kill them again. In shooters, however, griefing often gets a lot more personal. Playing online often puts players into groups of strangers armed with both internet anonymity and a microphone, and the results are about as pleasant as one would typically expect.

In my first hours with The Division , however, I’ve run into the same kind of griefing many others have reported on. Ubisoft has included player collision detection within its new game, and while it has certainly made The Division a bit more realistic, it has also led to the kind of problems that veterans of MMOs could have told the developers about when they first conceived of the idea. When a game is expected to have thousands of people playing it online at any given time, giving players the ability to physically impose a roadblock on others is likely going to cause some issues, whether they are doing it intentionally or not. Case in point – the frequent Agents acting like bouncers around entrances to the Dark Zone or safe houses, impeding player progress while doing jumping jacks.

Like many gamers, I was irritated by the fact that people were logging into The Division with the express purpose to make others’ experiences with the game slightly more inconvenient. While exiting the Dark Zone after a successful loot run wherein I formed a ragtag trio of Agents working together to kill PKers, however, the thought dawned on me – it was quiet. While the local voice-chat had allowed me to direct my new allies toward the occasional enemy, there was not an incessant string of gibberish coming from those around me. Even better, had that been the case, The Division offers players in the Dark Zone the chance to go rogue and kill their teammates at any point. I am, sadly, not above using an online replication of a shotgun to halt the curse-laden ramblings of a fourteen year-old should I be forced to listen to them.

Essentially, The Division as a shooter seems to offer a caveat to the usual online experience in the genre. Ubisoft has made it much less likely to run into the quintessential FPS troll at the small cost of a three-to-ten second inconvenience around doorways and mission hubs. It might not be a perfect system, but that’s a trade I’m willing to make whenever the offer is made.

Of course, running into people and intentionally trying to make another player’s time with the game difficult or irritating is never fun, but the freedom to do so is essential as games evolve into more MMO/insert-other-genre-here hybrids by basing more of their content online. Developers are constantly looking toward what will keep a playerbase ensnared within a single product for as long as possible, and, at least for pure MMOs like Black Desert Online , the answer has been to let players do as much as they possibly can, and that includes being mean to others. MMOs have had griefers for as long as they’ve had PvP and player hubs, but the genre hasn’t suffered any from the existence of these gamers.

That’s because certain levels of player griefing are objectively more acceptable than others. While griefing over an internet connection and voice chat can lead to genuinely scarring or hurtful occurrences, PKing can simply lead to a frustrated player logging out and taking some time off, while blocking entrances and exits is even more harmless than the norms established in both shooters and MMOs. Players are likely much happier having their march to The Division ‘s end-gametemporarily halted by somebody doing their best impression of a pylon than someone harassing them over chat.

Am I arguing that the players who are engaging in the type of behavior that has slowed players’ level progression in The Division are people I want to have around while I’m gaming? Certainly not. However, the fact is these people exist and play the same games I do whether I like it or not. With that being the case, The Division ‘s current outlet for player griefing seems a lot healthier than it does at first glance. While shooters that are based mostly online have long had a reputation for exclusionary behavior towards people of different backgrounds, The Division has made the most toxic channels for griefing less integrated in its gameplay. The end result is a group of players united against the mostly harmless evil of griefers standing in doorways and an online FPS/MMO hybrid that has taken steps toward combining the best elements of shooters and MMOs alike without continuing the worst of their traditions.

Is it perfectly reasonable to complain about the player collision issues currently in The Division ? Absolutely. Will Ubisoft eventually patch this behavior out of the game? I’d certainly bet on it. Before it goes, however, Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment should consider the fact they might have inadvertently created one of the most inclusive, harmless methods of griefing in a hybrid MMO game to date – and if both parties agree to remove it, something more sinister and less goofy might turn up in its place.