Taylor Swift Mobile Game Hopes to Follow Kim Kardashian’s Success

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Following the huge success of celebrity tie-in game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood , Glu announces that it will be making a mobile game with Taylor Swift.

Country/pop phenom Taylor Swift has had one incredible year. Not only has the international superstar conquered the charts with her most recent album 1989 but she also took on Apple Music (getting Apple to change its payment policy) and her 1989 tour also grossed over $150 million worldwide. But, unsatisfied with just dominating the music industry, Swift may soon be following in the footsteps of Kim Kardashian, having now partnered with Gluto make her very own mobile game.

Niccolo de Masi, Glu Chairman and CEO, says that “I am thrilled to welcome Taylor Swift, an award-winning singer, musician and songwriter, to Glu’s family”. Pointing to the fact that Swift has a following of over 227 million people (just on Twitter, she has 70.5 million followers), de Masi explains that “Taylor and her global fan base expect a new and highly differentiated mobile gaming experience”.

de Masi also states that “Glu is equally committed to designing never before seen gameplay elements that utilize Taylor’s unique creativity”. Gameplay details or a potential release date were not disclosed but Glu “will spend the required development time to ensure this innovation is achieved”.

While it may seem like an unusual move for the singer, who is known more for her lyrical and vocal ability rather than her game development talents, it actually makes good sense. For a start, many of Taylor Swift’s peers have already gotten into the mobile game business.

Last year, Pocket Gems releasedwhile Glu also signed … Baby One More Time singer Britney Spears to a five year deal, having now released Britney Spears: American Dream . Moreover, following 1989’s huge sales, Swift is also expected to release more music this year (she appeared at the iHeartMedia Summit this week, leading some to suggest she’s hyping up a new single) and a mobile game could potentially impact that song’s success.

This is also a smart business move for Glu. The company previously revealed that divisive mobile title, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood (a game that sees players get rich and famous with the famous socialite’s help) made $74.3 million and Glu expects to rake in half of its revenue from these celebrity tie-ins between now and 2020.

Additionally, Chief Financial Officer Eric Ludwig called Katy Perry mobile game Katy Perry Pop one of the company’s “biggest disappointments” of last year, causing Glu to lower its revenue and profits forecasts for 2016. With Taylor Swift arguably the biggest popstar on the planet right now, Glu’s partnership with the singer should help the company make up for those losses and then some.

Source: Spin, Digital Spy

Here’s The First ‘Destiny’ Player To Hit Level 30

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Destiny’s initial level cap comes in at level 20, to which developer Bungie has said in the past that’s when the real game really begins.

has said in the past that’s when the real game really begins. Players can further increase their levels last 20 by finding and equipping special (and rare) equipment that increases their Light level, which is required to tackle Destiny’s later missions like its first raid, the Vault of Glass.

Many players have criticized Destiny’s leveling mechanics for how its end game content is simply a grind, and the infrequency of good loot drops makes it feel like an even bigger chore. Recently, exploits like the “ Loot Cave” – a cave players stand outside of and shoot wave after wave of respawning enemies to farm item drops – have been found that make the post-level 20 climb easier to manage, but it’s still a bit of a tedious process. This is why the news that someone has already reached level 30 is very impressive; even more so when you consider that Destiny has only been out for two weeks.

American player Mark Edward Neace Jr. is the world’s first person to hit level 30 in Destiny . Known as BGTV N3AC3Y on Xbox Live and Bungie.net, N3AC3Y reached level 30 as an Exo Male Hunter, though it’s not his only Guardian. In fact, N3AC3Y has three Guardian characters in total, with the other two being a level 20 Human Male Hunter and a level 21 Exo Female Hunter.

According to, 107 hours 15 minutes and 22 seconds was spent playing Destiny and leveling to 30. Approximately 25% of his play time was spent in the competitive multiplayer Crucible mode, while the previously mentioned Vault of Glass raid took 13 hours 6 minutes 40 seconds. You may recall that the first team to finish the raid, PrimeGuard, took nearly 11 hours. And despite the fact that 107 hours sounds like a lot of time (because it is), N3AC3Y didn’t pull all-nighters trying to hit the level cap. A tweet from Tier1Destiny, his clan, explains that he didn’t nothing out of the ordinary, but still managed to reach level 30 first.

Fun fact: @N3ac3ydidn't get an early copy of the game, didn't play non stop, and still won the race to level 30 #itswhatyouputinthetime— Tier 1 (@Tier1Destiny) September 22, 2014

On Twitter, Mark Edward Neace Jr. celebrated his level 30 accomplishment, which was met with many kudos from fellow Destiny players and even the Cryptarch parody account:

I'm the world's first 30 in @DestinyTheGame http://t.co/7W6NAg7C4j... Holy Ef. @NinjaPGL @Nak3dHalo @Gamesager @Bungie @dbo_tweets @Xbox— Mark Edward Neace Jr (@N3ac3y) September 22, 2014

Expect other Destiny players to soon hit the level 30 milestone, if some haven’t already. With Bungie adding in more and more content post-launch, like “The Queen’s Wrath,”players will have many more opportunities to level up. Hopefully it becomes easier over time.

Sources: Eurogamer, Destinydb, Mark Edward Neace Jr

Britney Spears Getting Mobile Game

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Pop music sensation Britney Spears is known for a lot of things.

Pop music sensation Britney Spears is known for a lot of things. She achieved notoriety in the 90s for her hit singles Baby One More Time and Oops!…I Did It Again , but fell out of the limelight during the early 2000s. Suffice to say, Spears took a hiatus for several years before returning to the music scene. Since then, she has made a comeback, with a new single set to drop on May 5th.

But now Britney is going to be known for more than her publicized personal struggles and pop music. Britney Spears is getting her very own video game.

Video game company Glu Mobile, known for their casual tiles on Androidand iOSdevices, have signed a five-year deal with the singer to develop a game for mobile devices. The game currently lacks a name or any true gameplay details, but it will feature Britney’s likeness, her voice, as well as her creative input.

The creative merits of Spears when it comes to gaming is not exactly a proven commodity, but Glu didn’t sign her to take advantage of her ability to create a quality video game. Rather, they’re mostly just interested in the star power that Spears brings to the table, and they hope to take advantage of her millions of fans that will undoubtedly download the game when it releases in 2016.

This isn’t the first time Glu has signed a deal with a pop music star. Just a few months ago, they announced a similar deal that was reached with Katy Perry. The Katy Perry mobile game lacks any concrete gameplay information either, unfortunately, but again, the success of the game will largely have to do with the musician’s name and likeness.

While concrete gameplay info is still not available, it is possible that both the Britney Spears game and the Katy Perry game will be very similar to that of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood , a hyper-casual mobile title that has brought Glu tremendous success. The game is so successful that the star, Kim Kardashian, earned $85 millionlast year from the game alone, with the mobile title itself generating over $200 million.

Those unfamiliar with the concept of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood should know that there isn’t a steep narrative to follow. The game is all about climbing through Hollywood’s ladder of fame with virtual pal Kim Kardashian. It’s free to download, but it generates its massive profits using a dizzying amount of microtransactions. As previously stated, it wouldn’t be farfetched to assume that the Britney Spears and Katy Perry video game projects from Glu will follow a similar model.

Whereas Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian are relatively new to gaming, this Britney Spears project technically marks the second video game starring the singer. In 2002, near the height of her popularity, Spears was featured in Britney’s Dance Beat , a music/rhythm game that saw release on Game Boy Advance, PC, and PS2 to lukewarm critical reception.

In any case, there will now be at least two official Britney Spears video games in the world, but with a five-year deal signed, before it’s all said and done, there will probably be many more. Those looking forward to the untitled Britney Spears mobile game can download it for their iOS or Android device at some point in 2016.

Source: Games Industry

Henry Cavill Ignored Zack Snyder’s Superman Phone Call to Play World of Warcraft

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Batman v Superman star Henry Cavill appears on Conan O’Brien and talks about the time that he missed Zack Snyder’s Superman call because he was playing World of Warcraft .

Before Henry Cavill was playing the iconic role of Superman in films such as Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , he apparently spent his time playing World of Warcraft . Cavill reminded everyone of his World of Warcraft past on the latest episode of Conan , pointing out that his time playing the game almost cost him the part of Superman.

According to Cavill, he was in the midst of a dungeon when his phone rang. Instead of answering the phone immediately, which someone waiting for a callback to play Superman might do, Cavill just let the phone ring. He then glanced at who was calling, and realized that it was director Zack Snyder. But before Cavill could answer the call, Snyder had already hung up.

Of course, we know that it all worked out for Cavill, as he is now co-starring in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , which is currently the highest grossing film at the box office. However, it’s somewhat strange to think that World of Warcraft of all things almost cost him the role of one of the most famous superhero characters in history.

See Cavill explain the story of how he almost missed his chance to play Superman in the DC Extended Universe to Conan right here:

Cavill’s clear enjoyment of video gaming means that he would probably be willing to reprise the role of Superman in, say, an open world Superman game from Rocksteady. After all, Cavill was apparently so absorbed into playing World of Warcraft that it almost cost him the biggest role of his career to date, so it would make sense that he would want to be involved with the gaming industry in a more meaningful capacity.

Having said that, it seems like the DC video games have remained largely separate from the films. In fact, the Batman: Arkham games have drawn more inspiration from the DC Animated Universe than the live action DC films, bringing voice actors from Batman: The Animated Series such as Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroyback to reprise their roles as The Joker and Batman, respectively. Considering this, it seems like the more likely scenario is that if the rumored Superman video game does indeed exist, George Young Newbern (who played Superman in Justice League Unlimited ) would have a better shot being cast than Henry Cavill.

Gaming is no longer the niche hobby that it once was, and as a result, expect it to be more common for celebrities to openly discuss their video gaming habits. This will probably prove especially true for younger celebrities that had a chance to grow up with video games, like Henry Cavill and Ronda Rousey, and eventually, there will probably be more celebrity gamersthan there are celebrities that don’t play video games.

World of Warcraft is currently available for PC.

Source: Game Informer

Destiny: Bungie Reveals the Queen of the Reef’s Fate

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Is Destiny ‘s Mara Sov, Queen of the Reef dead or alive?

‘s Mara Sov, Queen of the Reef dead or alive? Bungie reveals the character’s fate and teases the past version of Destiny ‘s story as well as its future.

In Destiny , the Queen of the Reef is a major character in the lore and story of the game. She helps get the player to the original campaign’s last level, and her realm of the Vestian Outpost was heavily featured in Destiny ‘s second expansion, House of Wolves .

In the opening cinematic of The Taken King expansion, the Queen, Mara Sov, and her forces are engaged in a grand space battle with Oryx, the titular villain of the expansion. Things quickly turn South for Sov and it appears as though she is destroyed by a giant blast. The Destiny community has said the lore from the game (known as the Grimoire) hints that she still lives, but today Bungie confirmed it to be true—the Queen of the Reef is alive.

The news came during Bungie’s weekly stream, a new endeavor for the developer as it tries to open up communication with its community during this time between content drops. In today’s stream focusing on the Audio Team at Bungie, the voice actor between Mara Sov, Kirsten Potter, was a in-studio guest.

While talking with Creative Story Lead CJ Cowan, Cowan revealed that Bungie has big plans for Mara Sov in the future of the franchise:

“This is totally spoiling like Destiny 2020 or something but when we get to that world down the road where that original pirate Queen comes out, I think it’s going to be a really powerful moment.”

When he says “original pirate Queen” he is referring to the preceding conversation, where Potter and Cowan were discussing how Destiny ‘s story—and the Queen’s character—has changed over development.

In what seemingly confirms previous rumors that Destiny’s original story was scrappeda year away from launch, Potter said Mara Sov’s character completely changed. In the original version of Destiny ‘s story, Sov was a space pirate who had “lots of weapons” and who actively fought other characters, presumably in cutscenes that existed in the original story.

Cowan said that during Destiny ‘s development the team at Bungie and Potter spent “two to three years working on the version of the Queen […] where she was the pirate.” In essence, she was a much grittier character before the rewrites.

After that time, as Potter says, she was put on break, presumably at the point that Destiny ‘s original story written by longtime Bungie veteran Joe Statenwas thrown out and rewritten. When Potter was brought back to Bungie to continue work on Destiny she was presented with the version of the Queen fans now know, and told “this is the new story.”

Bungie’s stream turned into a fascinating reveal, not only for the future of Mara Sov’s character, but also giving fans a glimpse into the past. It’s unclear when the Queen may reappear in Destiny ‘s story—perhaps she could return for the big Spring updateor the major expansion coming this fall. Or she might be missing in action until the full sequel coming next year.

Are you excited to see the Queen return in Destiny at some point in the future?

Source: Bungie

Destiny’: Crucible Trailer Reveals Competitive Multiplayer Modes

‘Destiny’: Crucible Trailer Reveals Competitive Multiplayer Modes
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While much has been made of Destiny ‘s unique take on the cooperative campaign, developer Bungie has, for the most part, played coy with regards to their competitive multiplayer .

. We know from hands-on previewsand the Destiny betathat multiplayer in Destiny comes in the form of The Crucible, but those who did not participate in either of those unique opportunities are mostly in the dark. Until now.

As part of their Gamescom 2014 presence, Bungiehas debuted a new trailer for Destiny that focuses exclusively on The Crucible. More specifically, the trailer introduces players to the handful of game modes that will be available to Crucible players this fall. Check it out above.

Obviously, Bungie isn’t revolutionizing multiplayer with Destiny ‘s offerings, but instead they are delivering a solid selection of game modes that gamers tend to enjoy. There’s Rumble for those who like to lone wolf online, Control for fans of Capture-and-Hold mode types, and Skirmish for those players who want to battle online with only their 3-person Fireteam.  The other three game modes are titled Clash, Salvage, and Combined Arms.

In addition to The Crucible modes unveil, Bungie also revealed more about their PlayStation-exclusive content. They unfortunately didn’t provide any hard details, but we now know that Playstation gamers will get exclusive access to the Dust Palace Strike mission and the Exodus Blue multiplayer map.

Fear not Xbox gamers, Bungie also had some special details for you as well – confirming that the first expansion for Destiny , titled The Dark Below, will launch this December. Again, Bungie wouldn’t say much, but at least gamers have some idea as to how invested Bungie is in their game. Recently there have been concerns with regards to limited content and exploration opportunities, but if Bungie has a healthy selection of expansions planned then that could be enough.

Although Destiny has already garnered the interest of a great many of gamers — it’s GameStop’s most pre-ordered new IP ever — there are clearly those who are still on the fence. As a current-gen experience, there is a lot to take in. However, those who do take the plunge on current-gen this fall, and who also happen to be interested in Destiny , can net themselves a pretty sweet PS4 bundlethat includes a Glacier White console & Dual Shock 4 controller, as well as a digital copy of the game.

It might seem strange that, less than a month from release, Bungie is still detailing new features and modes, but clearly that’s a sign of Destiny ‘s expansive nature. This is not meant to be a singular piece of entertainment, but a huge universe capable of sustaining an entire franchise. We’ll see if Bungie can deliver in early September.

What do you think of the competitive multiplayer modes for Destiny ? Have you already pre-ordered the game?

Destiny releases September 9, 2014 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina

Destiny’ Team Knows They Must Earn Sequels, Starts with Beta Test

‘Destiny’ Team Knows They Must Earn Sequels, Starts with Beta Test
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With the Destiny beta already in full swing (on PlayStation platforms), gamers are getting their first sample of Bungie ‘s upcoming shooter.

‘s upcoming shooter. Those who participated in the recent alpha testalready have some understanding as to how Destiny ‘s world, systems, and multiplayer work, but that was only the first part of the equation for Bungie. Now comes the larger test: how the game performs under a large player load and how players respond to the game.

See, as Bungie Community Manager David “Deej” Dague explained to TrustedReviews the beta represents the developer’s “first date” with players. They hope that the relationship can span years, and of course several titles, but a lot of that potential rests with the success of this beta test.

It’s no secret that Bungie and publisher Activisionaren’t looking to stop at just one with Destiny; after all, with a reported $500 million budgetthis franchise has already drawn a significant investment from Activision. However, whether or not gamers show any interest in a second or third Destiny is wholly dependent on their reception to this first game, and sales of this first game could rise or fall based on how this beta test goes.

“We have to do our jobs to build a big, beautiful world that people do truly want to explore further,” he told us. “We have to capture their imaginations with a story that has them asking more questions as they get to the end of this first game.”

Obviously, Bungie is a developer with a strong pedigree, but no matter how popular Halo may be Destiny is still a new IP and therefore a risky endeavor. And even though the game might share some similarities with Halo , its approach is completely different.

With Destiny , Bungie is trying to build a sprawling universe that players can explore as they see fit. They can venture out to the Moonone day, or fight the Fallen on Marsthe next. Even Destiny ‘s multiplayer, called the Crucible, is a lot more fast-paced than Halo ‘s online component, something that Bungie says is by design.

So, while gamers are sampling Destiny’ s wares for the next week and a half (don’t worry Xbox gamersyou’ll get your chance), they should know that this is Bungie’s first step towards, as Dague puts it, “earn[ing] the right to put a number on the box.” Ideally, the journey would begin here, continue on September 9thwhen the finished game hits stores, and last for more than a decade. For now, though, “it is just Destiny.”

Do you think that Destiny will be successful enough to warrant future sequels? What do you think of the beta so far?

Destiny releases September 9, 2014 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: TrustedReviews(via CVG)

Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina

Destiny: Xur Will Only Sell One New Exotic Item Per Week [UPDATED]

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[UPDATE: Community Manager has added clarification to the comments about the exotic armor engrams.

[UPDATE: Community Manager has added clarification to the comments about the exotic armor engrams. It appears Xur will still sell one armor item per class. See below:] Exotics that previously only dropped in POE can drop from Legacy Engrams Xûr will continue to sell one piece of Exotic armor per class None of the information I am giving is a promise about what will happen tomorrow

With the year-long wait for Destiny: The Taken King finally over, Guardians are undoubtedly spending as much time as possible exploring all that the new expansion for Bungie’s popular sci-fi MMO has to offer. So far, the new missions, gear, and strikeshave been a plentiful bounty for fans of the game, and Destiny diehards are sure to block off the majority of their weekends in order to take on Oryx in the new and much vaunted King’s Fall raid.

A fresh weapon re-balance has also been introduced – along with the possible forthcoming inclusion of an exotic known as Touch of Malice– and the Agent of the Nine, more familiarly known as Xûr, is back to hawk more of his wares, with new guns and items. However, the vendor is going to be switching up his selling tactics when it comes to Year 2 of.

The news of the exotics dealer’s altered practices comes courtesy of the first Bungie Weekly Update since The Taken King released a couple of days ago. According to Destiny ‘s senior design lead Tyson Green, as opposed to the Agent of the Nine previously selling one exotic weapon, three exotic armor pieces (one per class), and an exotic engram, Xûr will now start offering only one new exotic item per week – that can be a Taken King exotics – which will either be the weapon or the engram.

Surely, some Destiny players will be disappointed by the news, but Green assures fans that the change is being made in order to keep the retailer’s stock fresh. Regarding the matter, the senior design lead says:

“In Year One, Xûr was a community ‘loot drop,’ a shared rallying point that everyone could cheer or curse. In Year Two, Xûr’s offerings have been changed so that he will select either a specific Exotic Weapon or an Exotic Engram for sale every week. This change is due primarily to our desire to give players more direct paths to acquiring the Exotics they want through Quests and gameplay experiences, and to avoid repetition in his inventory.”

Destiny ‘s senior design lead then goes on to confirm that Xûr will also be selling a new consumable called the Three of Coins, and it enacts the chance for bosses to drop exotic engrams, including weapon engrams. Plus, Xûr will also choose a legacy engram every week, which will contain Year 1 exotics with their attack and defense levels set as they were during Year 1.

As Xûr has said during his debut of Taken King exotics via Destiny ‘s Instagram, “My will is not my own, Guardian”, so should players be upset with the trader’s new policies, they should take it up with Bungie, as the developers are the ones pulling the strings. If nothing else, the studio has at least made good on their promise to offer substantial alterations for Year 2, but this may not have been the adjustment that fans had in mind.

What do you think about Xur only selling one new exotic item per week during Year 2 of Destiny ? Do you believe it will help make what he offers even more appealing and reduce item redundancy, or do you believe the change will end up hurting game experiences in the long run?

Destiny: The Taken King is available now for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: Bungie

Destiny Player Crosses King’s Fall Jumping Puzzle Touching Only 1 Ship

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One Destiny player has discovered a way to cross the jumping puzzle in the King’s Fall raid by only using the starting ship before traversing the entire expanse.

Destiny: The Taken King ‘s raid, King’s Fall, has been called the biggest raid Bungie has ever created. It took about seven hours for the first teamto overcome its challenges when it came out but since then, players have beaten‘s newest raid much faster and with smaller groups, including one player besting Oryx solo.

As with many of the activities in Destiny , players find new ways to overcome the game’s challenges, or create challenges of their own. One, Chadlantison reddit, found a way to cross the jumping puzzle in King’s Fall solo only riding the starting ship.

The method involves using the Sunbreaker Titan, a sword, and the Twilight Garrison exotic chest armor. All these help keep a character moving through the air across the entire expanse of the jumping puzzle. Here’s a video of the long jump across:

Chadlantis sets up his Titan with max Agility, the tIncreased Height jump ability, and the Suncharge ability, which lets the player “Press R1 during Hammer of Sol to hurl yourself forward.” That ability in particular comes into play at the end of his jump.

The player starts his long traversal using the sword’s slash ability to move through the air without plummeting downward. That move, coupled with the Titan exotic chest armor Twilight Garrison gets him most of the way across. Twilight Garrison is a new exotic released in the December Updatethat possesses the Tactical Air Support perk, which allows a player to perform a mid-air evade maneuver in any direction. At the end of the jump, as Chadlantis nears the other side, he activates Hammer of Sol and uses the Suncharge ability to charge the rest of the way to safety.

No doubt the feat is impressive, but currently it can only be performed by Sunbreaker Titans with the proper equipment. Speaking of, the Increased Height, maxed agility, and Twilight Garrison appear to be key components to pulling off the jump, pbut layers should be able to use any sword (legendary or exotic) to make it across.

At this point, no one else has successfully made the same jump with another class, but we can guarantee some are trying. Like solo-ing Crota, getting across the jumping puzzle in unique ways has opened the raid to new challenge runners. Perhaps there’s a way for the Bladedancer subclass to do it, as it seems to be the preferred class for such long jumps as this.

Have you tried to make this jump across in Destiny ‘s King’s Fall raid?

Source: Destiny reddit

Fallout 4’s Gun Combat is Inspired by Destiny

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Bethesda reveals that Fallout 4 ‘s new gun combat has largely been inspired by Destiny , Bungie’s somewhat polarizing RPG/first-person shooter hybrid game.

As we saw at E3, Fallout 4 looks to be bringing significantly improved combat to the franchise by revamping the VATS system, and by offering tighter gunplay. It’s easy to be impressed by the snippets ofcombat we’ve seen so far, but some fans may be surprised at what title actually inspired the shooting mechanics seen in the game.

As it turns out, Bethesda has modeled Fallout 4 ‘s shooting mechanics after Destiny , the popular FPS/RPG hybrid from Bungie. A major factor behind this is that both Destiny and Fallout 4 are locked at 30fps, making Destiny an ideal reference point for the Fallout 4 designers when it came to creating the game’s combat system.

Speaking to Game Informer, Todd Howard of Bethesda had this to say about the design philosophy behind Fallout 4 ‘s shooting mechanics:

“The main difference in the way we develop [and other studios] is that we will develop with as many knobs as possible. We’re always thinking of scale. We’re not a team that is just going to make eight guns and spend forever on one gun. We knew we were going to have thousands, so we needed to develop a gun system that had all of the dials.”

For the most part, Fallout 3 ‘s shooting mechanics – that is, those that involved actually aiming down the sights and shooting – left much to be desired, so it makes sense for Bethesda to try to refine them in Fallout 4 . Furthermore, it’s also a clever move for Bethesda to model the gunplay in Fallout 4 after Destiny , considering the latter’s massive popularity ( 25 million playersand counting), and Bungie’s reputation as being a premiere FPS developer.

This could also explain why Josh Hamrick, a developer that previously worked on Destiny , jumped ship to Bethesda earlier this year. Hamrick is now a senior systems designer at Bethesda, and worked to fine tune Fallout 4 ‘s firearms. Since Bethesda is modeling Fallout 4 ‘s gunplay after Destiny ‘s, it’s understandable for the company to bring someone that actually helped develop Destiny into the fold.

Those that dislike Destiny shouldn’t worry about the game’s influence having a negative impact on the quality of Fallout 4 , however. Even with Josh Hamrick working on the game’s firearms and Bethesda admitting to a Destiny influence, the game still very much has its own identity. All things considered, it’s doubtful that Destiny ‘s influence on Fallout 4 would have even been noted if not for Bethesda bringing it to light.

How do you feel about Destiny ‘s gun combat influencing the shooting mechanics of Fallout 4 ? Are you worried that it will have a negative impact on the overall quality of the game, or are you looking forward to Fallout 4 ‘s gunplay? Sound off in the comments below and let us know your thoughts on Fallout 4 ‘s surprise inspiration.

Fallout 4 will be available on November 10th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: GameSpot

5 Cool Features Fallout 4 is Missing

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Fallout 4 is a gigantic game, but I felt that there were a few pieces missing to the puzzle.

is a gigantic game, but I felt that there were a few pieces missing to the puzzle. Read on to find out what missing features I feel could have made the game even better!

The world of Fallout 4 is chock-full of amazing sidestoriesand countless Easter Eggs, but now that the honeymoon period is over, we’ve acknowledged a few thiswas missing. These features have all been in the series at one point or another, and their inclusion would have ultimately helped rocket the game to an even higher reception, although it evidently fared perfectly fine without their inclusion.

Bethesda did a great job populating the commonwealth of Boston with interesting characters, quests, and locales, but every now and then gamers probably come across something – or a lack of something – that would irk them. I had a few of these same thoughts across 60-odd hours of playtime, and some of them were certainly avoidable. Without further ado, here’s 5 things that Fallout 4 should have had:

Craftable Ammo

Fallout 4 drastically changed the feel of the series when it placed such a large emphasis on crafting. Suddenly, junk items had much more tangible value, and players could craft their own armor and weapons, or even build entire settlements from the ground up. With this focus on crafting, it felt very strange that ammunition couldn’t be crafted from any of the spare materials lying around. New Vegas had Reloading Benches for this exact purpose, so why drop the feature from Fallout 4 if the game was poised to bring a focus on crafting?

Fallout 4 was only out for a few days before one intrepid fan made his own Ammo Crafting modification, and the current download count for it shows this is something many gamers are certainly interested in. If players can add recon scopes to rifles using duck tape adhesive and a few screws, it makes sense that they ought to be able to craft the bullets for the gun, too.

Armor Display Mannequins

Boston is teeming with a borderline-creepy amount of mannequins, so it’s a little weird players can’t put any in their settlements and use them to display different pieces of armor and apparel they collect. Skyrim houses featured plenty of armor display mannequins, and it was sad to see that they didn’t transition over into the Commonwealth. While it’s great that the renewed focus on power armor brought Power Armor Stands, the bulky suits of armor can technically be left anywhere, and we wish standard clothes had their own way to be displayed in the Sole Survivor’s home.

The same case could be made for weapon racks, but at least Fallout 4 fans have a modification that adds those into the game. The only way to display clothes is to drop the folded apparel models, which just isn’t the same thing as actually placing them on a mannequin so gamers can admire what the clothes would actually look like on a person.

The Robobrain and Giant Ants

The robobrain is a robotic NPC that has been in every Fallout title up to Fallout 4 . It was likely removed to let the new assaultron robot grab a bigger spotlight, but I found myself missing the ol’ brain-bearing strangle-machine. Though most of the robobrains reportedly used brains from chimpanzees, a number of robobrains from previous Fallout titles played host to human brains, and had personalities from their owners. This led to some interesting storylines, and it feels amiss that Bethesda would drop the iconic robot from their lineup for the first time ever.

Likewise, Giant Ants would have fit well into the setting, and the inclusion of Fire Ants would have made a lot of the bug-based combat more interesting, since most bug enemies rely on close melee attacks. Many gamers have commented that Boston has an over-reliance on mirelurks, and whilst that makes sense considering its broad coastline, the abundance of armored shells in the area makes for some tiresome combat. When every bug-type enemy is seemingly either flying or shell-based, a flaming warrior would have been the perfect way to heat things up.

Hardcore Mode

Another feature introduced by Obsidian Entertainment in, hardcore mode gave ammunition a weight value and made the character get hungry and thirsty. It added plenty of depth, strategy, and challenge to New Vegas , and I feel like it would have brought a nice optional experience to Fallout 4 .

The inclusion of a Hardcore Mode would also have made settlements all the more important, as having farms and water purifiers would carry much more importance to someone who felt the pangs of hunger and thirst. In regular gameplay, most players don’t touch the pile of tatos that build up in settlement inventories, and it feels like Bethesda Studios missed a golden opportunity to include a hardcore mode where it would shine the most.

Low Intelligence Dialogue

For those who don’t know about the low intelligence playthrough, it has a simple premise: if a player had an extremely low intelligence stat, that player would often be able to say ridiculous things, and essentially never made a sentence that was grammatically appropriate.

Given how expensive recording unique dialogue lines for everything would have been now that Fallout 4 introduced a voice protagonist for the first time, it’s understandable why Bethesda nixed the classic feature. The studio also retooled the conversation system into a 4 button experience, which would make the inclusion of a constant fifth dialogue option much harder to stylistically include.

The legendary Low Int dialogue playthroughs brought plenty of laughs as the player stumbled their way through each conversation or shouted out ‘ICECREAM!’ whenever prompted for a password, and I can’t help but miss the absurd joy that the low intelligence dialogue options brought me.

Despite the lack of the above features, Fallout 4 is still an immensely enjoyable title, but I can’t help but feel like it could have been even more. The game has less quests than Skyrim offers, and whilst I’m not likely to replay the game anytime soon, I know I would hop right in if I could do another playthrough in Hardcore Mode.

What do you think about the above list, Ranters? Is there anything you felt Bethesda Game Studios should have included in Fallout 4 ?

Fallout 4 is currently available on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Fallout 4 Mod Helps Keep Track of Companions

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One Fallout 4 fan creates a helpful mod that allows players keep track of the action-RPG’s covey of companions throughout the entirety of the Wasteland.

Thanks to the Fallout 4 modder known as “drdanzel”, fans of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic title will now be able to keep tabs on where to find each and every companionno matter if they’re currently in players’ parties or not. Of course, this means that whenever fans dismiss the characters from taking part in any further quests, but then decide to later reenlist an inactive companion for their services, it will be a lot easier tracking them down.

Known as “Where Are You Now”, drdanzel’s Fallout 4 mod adds miscellaneous quests that provide map and compass markers assigned to individual companions. Fans can toggle the “missions” on and off to see the characters come up on their Pip-Boys.

Currently, the Fallout 4 mod uses batch files to add the quest to players’ quest logs, which only has to be done once, after which can be toggled at will. Once Bethesda releases the official Garden of Eden Creation Kit mod tools(AKA GECK), drdanzel promises to modify it so that the quest will be added automatically.

Obviously, this is far from the first Fallout 4 mod in existence, but it may very well be one of the most helpful creations from fans since the game’s release, especially since it’s incredibly easy to lose track of a desired companion once they’re not currently in use. A close second would be the mod allowing each weapon parts on all guns, with the script that stops Preston Garvey’s settlement requestscoming in at solid third place.

Should fans be content with Fallout 4 ‘s base gameplay settings, but wish for an even wackier Wasteland, there are plenty of other fan-made changes that can provide hours of entertainment. For starters, there’s the Macho Man Randy Savage modthat turns all of the open world title’s Deathclaws into a frighteningly mutated version of the famous professional wrestler. Naturally, there are also much zanier creations, such as the Thomas the Tank Engine mod, which injects the children’s show character into a variety of bizarre and inappropriate scenarios.

With so many mods being available for Fallout 4 , there’s no question that players are going to have their favorites. However, it’s hard to argue against the practicality and universal appeal of drdanzel’s “Where Are You Now” mod. With nearly 15,000 downloads since its inception on January 8 of this year, it’s undeniable that it is a much sought-after feature. Truthfully, considering the overall quality of Fallout 4 , it’s strange that Bethesda didn’t incorporate such a worthwhile gameplay attribute to begin with.

Fallout 4 is out now and is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: NexusMods(via)

Fallout 4 DLC Teases Power Core Generator and Companion Travel?

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Fans on Reddit speculate at potential new features coming to Fallout 4 based on a couple of subtle hints within the screenshots for the recently announced DLC packs.

Bethesda made a lot of fans very happy by finally announcing its Fallout 4 DLC plans earlier this week. While fans were treated to a brief overview of each content pack, there’s still a lot of details that people are wondering about. Fan speculation has already begun to run rampant, especially on Reddit, where some eagle-eyed users may have potentially spotted a few unannounced elements including a certain canine companion and what appears to be a power core generator within the DLC screenshots.

Looking closer at the artwork for the Far Harbor downloadable content pack, players can clearly see what appears to be an inquisitive Dogmeat looking over the side of the boat with the player character. As such, fans have begun to speculate that this could be confirmation that companions would be able to travel with the player. In addition, looking at the official screenshot for the Wasteland Workshop add on, near the top of the player built structure appears to be a power core generator, potentially hinting that fans would finally be able to build one using the workshop crafting menu.

It’s worth noting that in previous Fallout games, companions were not able to join the player when traveling to new downloadable content areas. This would mark the first time that players would be allowed to bring companions such as Dogmeatwith them. Considering the Far Harbor DLC centers its story around a case from Nick Valentine specifically, it would make sense that the player would be allowed to travel with someone.

After releasing a new update for the console versionswhich subtly improves the visuals and performance, Bethesda also teased that the new DLC is right around the corner including a completely revamped survival mode. While new content is always welcome, many fans have continued to wonder when console mods would be making their first appearance. Unfortunately, Bethesda has remained fairly tight lipped on the subject, simply commenting that they’d be available soon.

Fallout 4 fans should also be aware that Bethesda is planning on increasing the season pass price by 20 dollars starting on March 1. Currently, the season pass is priced at $30, which is a steal when considering each of the just announced three DLC pack prices. With even more planned for the game this year, the total value is now estimated to be closer to $60. Due to the added content on the way, Bethesda will be raising the price to $50, so fans are encouraged to purchase the pass before the permanent price increase hits.

How do you feel about bringing companions along? Is there something else your hoping to see Bethesda add into the game through downloadable content? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Fallout 4 is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Source: Reddit

Fallout 4 Mod Gives Dogmeat an Okami Skin

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Modder Ammyeh releases a mod for the PC version of Fallout 4 that makes Dogmeat resemble the white wolf Amaterasu from Capcom’s critically acclaimed Okami series.

Months after the game’s release, the support for Fallout 4 shows no signs of slowing down. While Bethesda is offering an upcoming official update that will add “ destructible environments” to the PC version of, the modding community has also done its part in providing a steady stream of content for the game, with the latest mod making Dogmeat resemble Amaterasu from Okami .

In the world of Okami , Amaterasu is a white wolf with incredible powers, and is notable for her distinctive red markings. Modder Ammyeh must be a fan of Capcom’s Legend of Zelda -inspired franchise, as their Amaterasu skin for Dogmeat looks incredible, and is very accurate to the source material. Those that wish to download the mod can do so by visiting Ammyeh’s Nexusmods page.

As fans of Okami know, there’s a lot more to Amaterasu than just her unique look. Unfortunately, none of her special abilities or attacks are added to Fallout 4 in the mod. Of course, that would have been a monumental undertaking, and what Ammyeh has accomplished with the Okami mod is still very impressive by itself.

In the meantime, it would be interesting to see this Okami mod combined with the Fallout 4 cel-shaded graphics mod. After all, the original Okami game was praised for its cel-shaded art style, and combining the two mods could result in an even more true-to-form version of Amaterasu in Fallout 4 .

Regardless, hardcore fans of Okami that own Fallout 4 on PC may find it hard to pass up the opportunity to have more Okami in their lives. Capcom has largely ignored the franchise since the release of Okami HD on PS3four years ago, and this mod could represent the only chance players have to hang out with Amaterasu on new-gen consoles

While we wait for news on another game in the Okami series, players will have to tide themselves over by exploring the Commonwealth with the franchise’s hero. In the meantime, expect plenty more mods to release for Fallout 4 in the coming months, especially when Bethesda finally spills the beans on when fans can expect to see Fallout 4 mods on consoles.

Are you impressed by the Amaterasu Dogmeat skin mod for Fallout 4 ? Would you like to see more Okami -themed content added to the game later on? Would you love a chance to play a new Okami on current gen consoles? Drop a comment below and leave us your thoughts on the Okami mod that is now available for Fallout 4 .

Fallout 4 Battle Video: 20,000 Robots VS. The Commonwealth

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One battle-obsessed Fallout 4 fan pits an army of 20,000 robots against the entirety of the Commonwealth, as the factions duke it out for supremacy of the Wasteland.

YouTuber and Fallout 4 fan Cosmic Contrarian is back with his first large-scale battle of 2016 for Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic RPG, as a legion of 20,000 Generation 2 Synthsand Assaultrons attempt to take over the Commonwealth and Minutemen settlements like Bunker Hill and Minutemen Castle. According to the YouTuber’s calculations, creating the absolutely massive conflict was extremely labor intensive, as it took “somewhere between 80 and 120 hours of planning, recording, editing and applying post production to sound and visuals.”

Although the veritable war in thefootage is described as a fight between man and machine, the former has its own secret weapon for survival in the form of the giant democracy-defender known as Liberty Prime. Recent and long-time fans of Bethesda’s franchise are undoubtedly familiar with the nearly skyscraper-sized automaton and its sheer power, and if they aren’t, another relatively new video should give folks a crash-course in the robot’s might, as 1000 Deathclaws battle 10 Liberty Primes.

As seen in the video below, the campaign is a long, sprawling struggle of epic proportions — the clip clocks in at almost 25 minutes — with Settlers, Raiders, Minutemen, and Brotherhood of Steel Knights all banding together to save the Boston Commonwealth and its iconic landmarksfrom destruction. Of course, rather than spoil the fun, fans should take the time to give it a gander if only for the intro, as it’s reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers ‘ Battle of Helm’s Deep, wherein innumerable Uruk-Hai orc descend upon King Théoden of Rohan and his people.

Should fans get a kick out of Cosmic Contrarian’s Fallout 4 clip, they should be happy to know that this isn’t his first attempt at staging all-out carnage in Bethesda’s action-RPG. As it happens, one of the YouTuber’s most popular set-pieces features 1000 Deathclaws versus 100 Brotherhood of Steel soliders.

While having different Fallout 4 factions attack each other simply for the sake of it is Cosmic Contrarian’s bread and butter, the YouTuber has also experimented with including narrative in his creations. Several weeks ago, in fact, he put together a pretty solid alien invasion videothat depicts a group of extraterrestrials beginning a planetary takeover in Diamond City due to peace negotiations breaking down between them and the humans.

With Cosmic Contrarian having contributed so much time and effort into entertaining fans for absolutely free, it would be understandable if he decided to take a break from making stuff related to Fallout 4 altogether. Thankfully, though, the YouTuber has promised to improve upon his already impressive body of work with even more content in the future. However, his latest enterprise will definitely be a tough act to follow.

Fallout 4 is out now and is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Cosmic Contrarian – YouTube

Give Dogmeat a Backpack with This Fallout 4 Mod

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A Fallout 4 modder releases a new mod for the sole survivor’s canine companion Dogmeat, giving him a customizable backpack that increases his inventory space.

Companions in Fallout 4 can lend a helpful hand in combat, but many players bring them along purely because of their ability to carry excess equipment, items, and junk, lightening the sole survivor’s load. Dogmeatcan also carry the sole survivor’s equipment, although how exactly he’s carrying any of it is unclear. While Bethesda didn’t provide an answer to this conundrum, one modder has stepped in to help the process make a little more sense.

While other companions can presumably carry the sole survivor’s extra stuff in their pockets or the equipment they’re carrying, Dogmeat – realistically speaking – doesn’t have any way to carry the pounds of extra junk that the sole survivor gives to him. Modder Higeyosihas stepped in to make this process make a little more sense, and they’ve added yet another cute accessory to the faithful pup.

Higeyosi’smod, entitled Dogmeat’s Backpack , allows Dogmeat to carry a bag on his back. The backpack comes in three different styles, ranging from an assortment of small pouches to a large satchel bag. In addition to just looking charming on the happy dog’s back, the backpacks actually increase the limit of weight he can carry, so players may find it beneficial to their treks through the wasteland. Best of all, the mod works together with other armorsmith mods, allowing players to hand-craft the backpack for their dog themselves.

Dogmeat, like the other companions in Fallout 4 , can be equipped with certain cosmetic items that allow the player to customize his appearance in the base game. Players can easily equip goggles and bandanas to the pooch, but with a little extra work, he can also be given an entire set of doggy armor. Unfortunately, unlike the backpack mod, Dogmeat’s armordoesn’t add any actual defense perks to the pooch, but given Dogmeat’s status as an immortal, that’s not too much of a drawback.

Not every player will choose to travel the wasteland with Dogmeat, as some may find it makes the game too easy, while others may be irritated by Dogmeat disappearing into strange locations. For those who do, however, mods like these allow players to find ways to improve Dogmeat’s basic characteristics and keep the overall experience fresh.

Have you downloaded any mods specifically made for Dogmeat? Tell us about it in the comments.

Fallout 4 is now available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Nexus Mods, YouTube

E3 2013: Meanwhile, in Nintendoland

While Sony and Microsoft duke it out on the main stage, Nintendo has had a decidedly more reserved E3 presence.

President and CEO of Nintendo Satoru Iwata

While Sony and Microsoft duke it out on the main stage, Nintendo has had a decidedly more reserved E3 presence. Sticking to their own booth, complete with a miniature stage for reveals, and streaming their presentations through their own Nintendo Direct service, Nintendo seems content to stay out of the fight and just show off some games.

This could be because they have fewer offerings than the other two console titans, with no new console to roll out and a lineup of upcoming Wii U games that Nintendo fans have been expecting. Pikmin 3 , Bayonetta 2 , Wind Waker HD , and new entries in the Mario Kart , Mario 3D Land , Super Smash Bros , and Donkey Kong Country franchises are welcome, but they’re all sequels or remakes. A lack of new hardware, new big-name franchises, and, well, a lack of surprises just makes Nintendo seem less exciting than Sony or Microsoft.

On the other hand, Nintendo’s isolation from the glitz of the next generation is also a refreshing break from the console wars. Even if Sony starts charging for online play or Microsoft uses the Kinect to watch you while you sleep, Nintendo is just going to keep making goofy games.

New Trademark Registered for Eternal Darkness

Nintendo has registered a new trademark for Eternal Darkness.

According to Siliconera, Nintendo has filed the trademark in the United States and includes “downloadable electronic game programs” and “downloadable electronic game software.”

This is likely an attempt to secure digital distribution rights in the future for the Wii U.

Below, you can see the trademark from 2010 that Nintendo filed:

X & Y : Did We Run Out Of Colors for Pokémon ?

As has been announced within their E3 schedule, Nintendo is due to have a special Pokémon X & Y Presentation/Q&A at one of the roundtables following their Nintendo Direct presentation.

Presentation/Q&A at one of the roundtables following their Nintendo Direct presentation. This presentation is to run on June 11th at 6pm Pacific time within the E3 halls and will last 90 minutes. It is to be run by Junichi Masuda and Tsunekazu Ishihara, the president of The Pokémon Company.

Pokémon X & Pokémon Y are the first Generation VI Pokémon games, coming for the Nintendo 3DS worldwide in October 2013.

These games are the first to include a real 3D world and 3D battles, utilizing 3D models in amazing battle environments. The world also is completely 3D, while keeping grid based movement.

It introduces a variety of new Pokémon including Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie, the new starter Pokémon and Pokémon X stars the legendary Pokémon Xerneas while Pokémon Y features the Pokémon Yveltal. The addition of the new Pokémon takes the number of Pokémon over to well above 700. Nintendo just likes to rub it in our faces that we are destined to never truly “catch ‘em all.”

Don’t (Wii) U, Forget About Me

Seems like Electronic Arts is taking a chance on Nintendo’s Wii U.

Is there hope for U? We’ll see about that.

Seems like Electronic Arts is taking a chance on Nintendo’s Wii U. Only last week did Jeff Brown, VP of Communications/Public Affairs at EA, say that the publisher had nothing lined up for the console in the making. It wasn’t until today that EA’s chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen state that they do , in fact, have some Wii U titles albeit their focus on the up and coming Xbox One and Playstation 4.

A little side thought though. What would they actually transfer over to the console that houses the red plumber and Triforce hero? EA’s Frostbite 3 engine means Dragon Age , Battle Field , Mass Effect , and the Star Wars series aren’t making the trek over. Madden NFL 25 , in a report to Eurogamer, is said not to be Wii U bound due to past failures to launch on the Nintendo console. So what’s left? I guess it’s only time until we see what’s in store.

The Nintendo Wii U is a more powerful console compared to the original Wii but Jorgensen remarked how it can’t quite compare to the technological prowess that is the Xbox One and PS4 saying “Nintendo’s business was more [of] an extension of their last console.” during a Q&A. With the install base of the less powerful, current generation consoles being so great, Jorgensen sees Electronic Arts producing both PS3 and Xbox 360 games for the next three to four years. This leaves the Wii U with only a small fraction of the install base of current generation consoles and unable to live up to developer demands as a next-generation system.

Nintendo launched the Wii U game machine last November, hoping that high-definition graphics and a new-age touch-screen display would win back users who were turning to their smartphones for entertainment. The gaming giant sold 3.45 million Wii U systems by the end of March, missing its target of selling 4 million units.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’ is Coming to PS3 and Xbox 360

‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’ is Coming to PS3 and Xbox 360
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Activision will no doubt be hoping that Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will be a return to form for the first-person shooter franchise.

will be a return to form for the first-person shooter franchise. After the disappointing reception to Call of Duty: Ghosts , and a sales dropfor the impressive Advanced Warfare , Black Ops 3 seems to be the publisher’s best chance of getting Call of Duty back to the top of the shooter world. With developer Treyarch given a three year development period, fans of the franchise are certainly expecting the title to deliver.

As it stands,has a lot of promise, including several features that give FPS players reasons to be excitedabout the upcoming title. With an added level of customization, and a single-player campaign that has built-in replayability through co-op play and open areas instead of linear objectives, the title has plenty of new features for the franchise. Not only that, but Black Ops 3 also returns to a number of iconic elements from Treyarch’s series, including the well-loved Nuketown multiplayer map.

There was only one flaw to be found – Activision had not announced the title for any old-gen consoles, instead focusing on the game’s release for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Now, however, owners of former generation devices have cause for celebration. According to a new post from the Activision Blog, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is going to be released for PS3 and Xbox 360.

The old-gen version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is not being developed by Treyarch directly, however, as Activision has revealed that it has turned to Beenox and Mercenary Technology to create the Xbox 360 and PS3 ports of the title. There are also going to be several differences between the current and former generation versions of Black Ops 3 . According to Activision, the highly-anticipated co-op campaignis going to be scaled back from four-player to two-player, whilst other changes in functionality will be revealed in the future.

Although PS3 and Xbox 360 owners will be happy about the news, the same cannot be said about Wii U players. A version of the title was rumored to be in developmentfor Nintendo’s console, after Activision’s support Twitter page said that fans should “stay tuned” for more Wii U releases. Unfortunately, the publisher has now confirmed that no port of the game in development, stating that “there’s no version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 for Nintendo Wii U planned.”

Nonetheless, the move to release the title for old-gen devices is still one that is bound to make gamers yet to make the jump to the new generation pleased. Other developers have recently struggled to bring games to consoles with less power, with Ubisoft stating that no more titles would be developedfor PS3 or Xbox 360 . Old-gen players may not have access to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’s multiplayer beta, but many will no doubt be glad to have a version of the game.

Source: Activision Blog

Black Ops 3 Pre-Orders Come with Nuketown-themed DLC

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Video game retailer GameStop is currently offering bonus DLC themed around the Nuketown multiplayer map for everyone who pre-orders Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 .

Reserving Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 for PC and current-gen consoles at GameStop will give players access to exclusive downloadable content inspired by the first-person shooter’s futuristic multiplayer setting known as Nuketown(or for continuity sticklers, Nuk3town). The pre-orders for the title award fans with what’s being called a “personalization pack” which includes a Nuk3town themed weapon camo, 3 weapon reticles, and a calling card with designs reminiscent of the level.

Additionally, those who put down money at GameStop for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 before its release date will also give fans the ability to obtain the Nuk3town stage. However, the actual map itself is not exclusive to the retailer, as it will be available anywhere that the game can be purchased.

The Nuketown map’s returnwas confirmed a couple of month’s ago, much to delight of Call of Duty fans everywhere. Nevertheless, last-gen system owners will not be so pleased to find out that not only are they being denied single player with no campaign mode coming to Xbox 360 or PS3, but they will also miss out on the futuristic map.

Originally, the small, tightly constricted map made its first appearance in Activision’s initial Black Ops from 2010, and once more in 2012 with the title’s sequel in Black Ops 2 , as it became reclassified as Nuketown 2025. Not to mention, the stage’s popularity warranted its inclusion in the PS Vita’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified as Nukehouse.

With a couple of weeks left to go before Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 hits store shelves, the proposal of extra content for the release is a smart business move on GameStop’s part in order to incentivize pre-orders, but the bonuses would definitely be better if they had a more practical use. Save for the reticles’ slight effect on aiming, the components included in the Nuketown personalization pack give nothing more than a cosmetic alteration.

Taking the functionality of the items into consideration, the materials being offered in the Nuketown personalization pack are kind of lame. Nevertheless, there are some fans who would argue that it’s at least good of GameStop to provide players who pre-order the game with something rather than nothing at all, which is a fair assessment. At any rate, the exclusive content packaged with the reservations will likely have little impact on the title’s bottom line, as Black Ops 3 is already being considered the most anticipated game of Fall 2015.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is set to release on November 6, 2015 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: GameStop(via GameSpot)

What? Marshawn Lynch is in ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’

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As one of the biggest franchises in gaming history, the Call of Duty series has had its fair share of famous guest stars.

series has had its fair share of famous guest stars. Over the years, Hollywood heavyweights like Kiefer Sutherland, Gary Oldman, and most recently, the legendary Kevin Spaceyhave appeared in various Call of Duty games. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is going to feature a celebrity guest star as well, but this time, Treyarch is recruiting from a source that’s not Hollywood.

As revealed in the upcoming eSports issue of ESPN‘s magazine (scheduled to hit newsstands Friday, June 12th), Treyarch looked to the NFL to find itsguest star. Specifically, the company tapped one of the NFL’s most prominent players, Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch, the Seattle Seahawks star running back and Super Bowl XLVIII Champion. As explained by Mark Lamia, the head of Treyarch, “When we learned he’s a huge fan, we thought it’d be awesome to have him inside our game.” Lynch’s inclusion in the game will mark the first time that a professional athlete has ever appeared in Call of Duty .

As detailed in the magazine, Lynch visited Activision’s motion capture studio in Los Angeles to go through the process of scanning his image for the game. He then donned a full-on motion capture suit and acted out a scene in which a gunfight erupts in a bar. Lynch’s character is evidently a villain, but the finer details about Lynch’s character and his role in Black Ops 3’s larger story remain under wraps.

Lynch’s day working with Treyarch concluded with a cinematic screening of Black Ops 3’s cutscenes, as well as the chance to try the game in a hands-on demo. Lynch was reportedly very enthusiastic about the Black Ops 3 multiplayer experience, and played it for four hours with his friends in-house game testers.

Marshawn Lynch has been very vocal about his video game fandom over the years, so it’s no surprise that he jumped at the chance to appear in a Call of Duty game. As it turns out, Call of Duty is the Super Bowl champion’s favorite game series, a love affair that began during his college days. Lynch reportedly still plays Call of Duty daily, and views his appearance in Black Ops 3 as one of his most important accomplishments. Speaking to ESPN, Lynch said, “I’ve been in the Super Bowl, movies, music videos,. But to have your own character in [ Call of Duty ] is, I mean, it’s almost like you arrived.”

Thanks to his status as one of the NFL’s biggest stars, this isn’t the first time that Marshawn Lynch has appeared in a video game. In the past, his likeness has been featured in numerous Madden titles. During an appearance onon TBS, Lynch playedagainst the eponymous talk show host as well rival Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.

It’s nice to see Marshawn Lynch recognized for his work in the game industry, and that ESPN is dedicating an entire issue of its magazine to eSports. As some may recall, ESPN televised atournament not too long ago, which irritated some hardcore sports fans. One radio hosteven threatened to quit if he’s ever asked to cover eSportsy. Hopefully Lynch’s role in Black Ops 3 will help the more narrow minded individuals out there to be more accepting of both eSports, and video games in general.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 will be available November 6th for PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Source: ESPN, Polygon

The Most Expensive Video Game Special Editions

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It seems some gamers will spend almost any amount of money for a game they love.

It seems some gamers will spend almost any amount of money for a game they love. Whether it’s a special or limited edition releaseof a major title, or a rare cartridge of a vintage game, there are some gamers that just have to own it.

It’s one thing to shell out a hundred dollars for a hard-to-find NES game to add to a collection, or for a special edition copy of a recently released title that includes a few fun trinkets. It’s another thing entirely to spend a hundred thousand dollars or more for a video game. That not only takes dedication, it takes a really good job or a healthy trust fund.

It’s hard not to view these special edition games that cost a ridiculous amount of money – like one million dollars in one instance – as anything more than publicity stuntsby the game’s developer and publisher, but it seems there’s always at least one gamer out there willing to make the purchase. And let’s be honest, whenever a new special or limited edition is released with an impressive list of extra gifts to accompany the game, we each wish we had a little (or a whole lot) of extra cash set aside for such a purpose.

Not All Special Editions are Equal

We’d like to note that most new AAA title games come with some kind of special or limited edition option. This often includes the base game and a season pass or extra DLC. But every once in a while, a developer or publisher decides to go above and beyond and offers a limited-run option that includes extra trinkets, booklets, statues and other goodies. For instance, the upcoming Borderlands: The Handsome Collection limited edition package comes with a working Claptrap robot and retails for $399. Not every gamer will pick that up, but there are definitely a handful out there that will shell out the cash to get it.

However, the cost of the Borderlands limited edition is chump change compared to the three most expensive special edition games to hit the market. These games limited release copies are so far-fetched in their price and offerings that they almost can’t even be considered just special or limited editions. They are in their own league, but that didn’t stop their creators from dreaming them up and making them available. Here’s the three games, in order of least expensive to most expensive.

Grid 2 – $188,718.75

In 2013, developer Codemastersimpressed gamers and supercar enthusiasts alike when it announced the GRID 2: Mono Edition for its newest racing game. While the game cost $60 by itself, the Mono Edition rang in at £125,000, or roughly $188, 718.

What made the Mono Edition so special? Well, the special edition came with a copy of GRID 2 for PlayStation 3, a GRID 2: Mono Edition branded racing helmet, a race suit complete with boots and gloves, and a PlayStation 3. Oh yeah, and a race car.

That’s right, the GRID 2: Mono Edition included a working, street legal BAC Mono supercar. The sleek little vehicle topped out at 170 MPH and could sling drivers from 0-60 in a mere 2.8 seconds.

At the time it released, the GRID 2: Mono Edition was the most expensive special edition ever available for a game. And while it no longer holds that title, it’s still one of the most impressive offerings to date. We’ll admit, though, that it’s probably hard to imagine getting a lot of enjoyment from driving the Mono in the game when you could simply go outside and physically drive the real thing. However, it’s probably safer to do the racing in the PlayStation 3 and keep the real BAC Mono within the speed limit.

For those who are curious, the Mono Edition was purchased by Deadmau5. Turns out the music producer and performer is quite the avid gamer and automobile enthusiast.

Dying Light – $386,000

Next up is the recently released Dying Light Special Edition , dubbed the My Apocalypse Edition , which clocked in at an impressive $386,000. Developer Techlandcrammed a lot of goodies into this package, including a custom built Dying Light zombie house, parkour lessons, an opportunity to play Dying Light ‘Be The Zombie’ with the game’s devs, a trip to Techland in Wroclaw Poland, the winner’s face skinned onto a Night Hunter character model, and a handful of other extras.

While this special edition didn’t include a race car, it’s still an impressive list of bonuses. The custom built house, for example, is quite the reward. And this isn’t just a small shanty that you and your friends could throw together in a weekend; it’s a full-blown zombie shelter, with multiple stories and rooms. So basically, you’re buying a house.

Given the fact that this special edition was announced after the game released, it’s hard not to feel like it was simply a publicity stunt in an effort to sell more copies of the game. Despite that, it’s still an envy-inducing bundle, and one that we definitely drooled over when it was first announced.

If you think this is something you want (and can afford), there’s still a chance for you to snatch it up. As of this writing, the Dying Light Special Edition is still available on GAME.com.

Saints Row IV – $1,000,000

Leave it to Saints Row IV , a game known for being over-the-top, to truly go above and beyond to beat out every other Special Edition with its ‘Super Dangerous Wad Wad’ Edition . The cost? One. Million. Dollars.

Yes, you read that correctly. The folks over at Deep Silvercooked up quite a reward for anyone willing to shell out the dough to get this ridiculous package. Among the many extreme rewards were a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Toyota Prius (in case you don’t want to drive the Lamborghini around every day), a full-size replica of the Dub-Step gun, hostage rescue experience, a spy training day, a trip to Dubai and Washington DC, plastic surgery and a ticket for the Virgil Galactic space flight.

It’s hard to not just sit back and chuckle at how incredibly extravagant this was. And from what we can tell, no one made the purchase. Turns out that was probably a good call, since it turns out the total cost of purchasing everything on the list individually came out to just over $600,000. So, if someone really did want everything on this list, they could buy it all individually, and still have enough money to pick up the Dying Light Special Edition . Who wouldn’t want to park their Lamborghini (and Prius) at their custom-built zombie house? However, overpricing the Wad Wad Edition was probably intentional, as it kept anyone from buying the package while still pulling in plenty of attention.

More to Come?

The success of these three special editions is sure to spark many more in the future, though we don’t anticipate every major title to tackle a deal of this magnitude. The teams that concoct these creations probably have a lot of fun doing so, and we definitely have a lot of fun reading about them, but in the end,most of us can only dream about such a purchase. So we’ll stick with our normal game purchases and enjoy taking down zombies, racing our friends and visiting space form the comfort of our living rooms.

What are your thoughts about these special editions? What games would you like to see create such a special edition in the future?

Source: GAME

Conan O’Brien Plays Doom for Clueless Gamer Super Bowl Special

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Conan O’Brien is joined by NFL players Josh Norman, Von Miller and Marshawn Lynch as Clueless Gamer takes on Doom in a vicious and violent Super Bowl special.

Conan O’Brien is a household name for his work as a TV host and comedy writer, but in recent years he’s become well known among video game circles for his Clueless Gamer clips. The latest instalment of the series is a Super Bowl 50 special that sees O’Brien play the upcoming Doom reboot with Marshawn Lynch and Josh Norman of the Carolina Panthers, and the Denver Broncos’ Von Miller.

After a touch of verbal sparring with the Panthers about this weekend’s big game, O’Brien and his footballing friends settle into the task at hand — murdering a legion of demons with shotguns, chainsaws and more.

The clip’s gameplay footage begins with some exploration of the many context-sensitive melee animationsthat have been packed into Doom . Miller turns a grunt into bloody mush with such an attack, comparing the ease of execution and severity of damage to a sack on Tom Brady in a key game on the road to the Super Bowl.

Despite the fact that Conan is no stranger to video game violence, the host seems genuinely surprised by the amount of gore thatputs on screen. Given the controversy that the original game caused when it released in 1993, it’s only appropriate that the reboot would aim to be similarly disgusting.

In fact, the game proves to be so violent that Conan decides to enforce a cooldown period. He, Norman and Miller elect to pause for a glass of red wine to take a break from the massive amount of violence on-screen.

However, this is only temporary — and is followed by a nasty encounter with the series’ iconic Hell Knight adversary. The Knight is taken down to ground after its leg is removed via chainsaw, at which point the same weapon is used to remove about two-thirds of its head.

Miller and Norman then engage in a contest, challenged with surviving for the longest amount of time possible on the game’s hardest difficulty level. Norman wins thanks to some underhanded tactics, but it’s notable that neither player manages to survive for longer than a minute.

The team at id Software behind the long-awaited Doom reboot certainly seems have gone all-out to deliver a high level of violence and gore. With the title’s gameplay also looking to revisit the early highs of the series, fans could have a real treat waiting for them when the game releases later this year.

Doom is set to release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on May 13, 2016.

No Man’s Sky’ Trailer Promises Infinite Space Journey

‘No Man’s Sky’ Trailer Promises Infinite Space Journey
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Ever since its official unveiling at the Spike Video Game Awards last year, Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky has been a title to watch.

has been a title to watch. Built on the very simple premise of procedurally based space exploration, No Man’s Sky is a game that’s easy to explain, but hard to truly encompass; it offers a journey so grand that even the developers have no idea how far it will go.

Now that some time has passed since that initial unveiling, Hello Gameswas ready to show off more of No Man’s Sky , and they did so at Sony’s E3 2014 Press Conferenceon Monday night. The developer showed a little more of what gamers can expect from the title, which still doesn’t have a release date, both in terms of gameplay and discovery…and boy was it impressive.

As you can see in the trailer above, most of No Man’s Sky ‘s ambitious promise appears to be intact. Players can traverse a unique landscapethat feels brimming with life, and at any time they can take to the stars and head to a completely different planet in search of completely different experiences. And each planet they visit will carry the name of its original discoverer, which in and of itself is a driving force behind the exploration.

Ambitious ideas aside, No Man’s Sky still has some familiar mechanics as well, principally a space combatmechanic. Said mechanic is only lightly touched upon in the trailer, but it certainly seems like there will be opportunities for players to do more than just explore. Perhaps they will be capable of eliminating an entire planet’s wildlife or conquering the stars through dogfighting?

On the flip side, it’s not entirely clear what exactly is the “game” of No Man’s Sky , or if there is even a central driving force beyond curiousity. Simply asking players to chart the unknown universe has its appeals, but at a certain point players are likely to want objectives…things to do. Still, with those concerns very far from our minds, No Man’s Sky continues to gain momentum as an ambitious project that has yet to pull any punches. Clearly a little setback like their whole office floodingwas not enough to keep Hello Games from keeping No Man’s Sky on the right path.

What do you think of No Man’s Sky now that you have seen more of the game in action? How would you like to see Hello Games expand on their initial concept?

Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina