Kingdom Hearts 3 Will Conclude ‘Dark Seeker’ Chapter, Feature All New Worlds

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While enthusiasm is still running high for Kingdom Hearts 3 coming out of Square Enix’s E3 2015 Press Conference and all the info it revealved, an equal amount of questions have surfaced as well.

and all the info it revealved, an equal amount of questions have surfaced as well. Since Square only showed brief snippets of gameplay it’s hard to know where to begin, but many are curious as to the nature of the game’s story and how it will fit in with Kingdom Hearts lore.

Luckily, now that Kingdom Hearts 3 is out of the bag, Director Tetsuya Nomura has been out and about sharing new details about his upcoming sequel, as well as the Final Fantasy 7 Remake . For Kingdom Hearts 3 , the details have been fairly nebulous, but we do know that Disney’s Tangled will be among the new worlds featured in the game, as well as Hercules .

Outside of that, though, we know very little about the Kingdom Hearts 3 worlds, although Nomura does say that they will be “mostly new.” The prior Kingdom Hearts games have featured quite the bounty of Disney worlds, so it will be interesting to see where Square Enix goes for this third sequel. In fact, if Tangled is on the docket it’s safe to assume that Disney and Square are likely also having conversations about Frozen and Star Wars , but nothing has been announced just yet.

In addition to talk of new worlds for Kingdom Hearts 3 , Nomura also gave some clarification regarding the gameplay. By and large it sounds like the sequel will feature combat similar to that featured in the prior mainline games, and not any of the mobile spin-offs. More specifically, Nomura explains that players will have access to basic commands like ‘Attack’ and ‘Magic,’ the two main pillars of Kingdom Hearts ’ combat.

Sora will have access to new platforming abilities, though, which are said to include wall running and wall jumping. We see a bit of that in the Kingdom Hearts 3 E3 trailer, but it’s unclear how much control the player has over Sora’s movements. At the very least, it sounds like Sora will be a lot more agile this time around.

And finally, it wouldn’t be a Kingdom Hearts 3 interview without some story teases, which Nomura was surprisingly willing to provide. He confirms prior suspicions that the sequel will conclude Xehanort’s story, but the Director would not say who those two figures in the gameplay footage are.

Moreover, although Kingdom Hearts 3 is the end for Xehanort’s story it is not the end of the franchise. According to Nomura, there are more roads to explore in this universe, and ending things neat and tidy didn’t seem like the right thing to do.

For such a brief interview, Nomura certainly knows how to leave fans wanting more. But rest assured, Kingdom Hearts 3 ’s development is on track and more details should surface in November, during D23 Japan.

What Disney worlds would you like to see in Kingdom Hearts 3 ? How do you see Square Enix concluding the story?

Source: Games Talk(via Gematsu)

Is ‘Kingdom Hearts 3’ Releasing in 2015? [UPDATED]

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When putting together our Most Anticipated Games of 2015 list we left a few games off primarily because they seemed likely to slip past the coming year.

Kingdom Hearts 3 , for example, is one of our most anticipated games and may be a potential 2015 release, but Square Enix‘s forthcoming slate and track record when it comes to delaying games suggest otherwise.

However, a new piece of information has come to light to suggest Kingdom Hearts 3 will release this year. It’s not the most iron clad source when it comes to Square Enix’s release plans, but it’s the closest we’ve got to release date talk in a while.

According to voice actor Bill Farmer, who has provided the voice for Goofy in numerous games and cartoons, Kingdom Hearts 3 is due for release at some point later this year. Not only that, Farmer has been told personally that the game will be out this year and is “certain” it will meet that window.

“I am certain that this is what I know & have been told.”

Bear in mind, this is just one voice actor’s claims, but it’s hard not to get excited regardless. Kingdom Hearts is easily one of Square Enix’s most beloved franchises, and a proper follow-up to KH2 has been a long time coming.

That being said, Square Enix is never one to rush their JRPGs, especially the mainline entries in their major properties (i.e. Final Fantasy ). Rather, history has shown they like to give their games as much development time as possible, which can sometimes be several years. Final Fantasy 15 , for example, has been in development under many different names and with a few different approaches, and is only now on a focused path.

In fact, Final Fantasy 15 might have the biggest impact on Kingdom Hearts 3 ‘s release date, as that appears to be first on the Square Enix JRPG slate. In other words, if Final Fantasy 15 doesn’t release this year, it seems unlikely that Kingdom Hearts 3 would either. And even if FF 15 does release in 2015it may be a fall title, which would leave little room for Kingdom Hearts .

Similarly, we have seen very little of Kingdom Hearts 3 , outside of the reveal trailerand a few small pieces of gameplay footagethat apparently weren’t actually part of the game. For all intents and purposes it sounds as if Kingdom Hearts 3 might be in the earlier parts of development, but Farmer seems convinced.

UPDATE: Whether it was to squash the rumors about a 2015 release date or simply a bit of PR control, Square Enix has come forward with this message:

There was a Goof! The release date for @KINGDOMHEARTSIII remains unannounced.— SQUARE ENIX USA (@SquareEnixUSA) January 8, 2015

Do you think Kingdom Hearts 3 will release in 2015? Why or why not?

Source: Bill Farmer(via IGN)

Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina

Kingdom Hearts 3 Screenshot Features Toy Story Ability

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Brand new screens from Kingdom Hearts III confirm that the game will feature content from Pixar, specifically a summon inspired by the Toy Story series.

One of the reasons that fans love the Kingdom Hearts series is the way that it deftly uses the many characters and settings afforded by the partnership between Square-Enix and Disney. Even more than a decade into the franchise, there are still countless pieces of the Disney canon that are still left untouched.

New screenshots released today demonstrate thatwill explore a little more of the wider Disney landscape. One screen features the game’s protagonist Sora using a summon that bears a resemblance to the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride at Disneyland, according to a report from Gamespot.

Given its classic status, Toy Story has long been an IP that Kingdom Hearts fans have wanted to see in the game. Up until now, the franchise has largely focussed on Disney’s homegrown content, rather than that of companies the animation behemoth owns outright like Pixar.

It remains to be seen whether this summon ability will be the only Toy Story themed content that’s featured in the finished product. Indeed, if this is an indication that Square-Enix is being let loose on everything in the Disney wheelhouse, Kingdom Hearts III could well be the most varied instalment in the series to date.

Since the last mainline Kingdom Hearts game was released, Disney has made several major IP acquisitions. The company bought Pixar in 2006, followed by the addition of comic book stalwart Marvel in 2009 and the surprising purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012.

We already have confirmation of plans to use at least one other property obtained from this spending spree. Disney’s adaptation of Big Hero 6 — originally a comic book published by Marvel — is the basis of one of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts III .

That should confirm that Disney and Square-Enix are both open to expanding the scope of Kingdom Hearts , but doesn’t indicate that characters like Iron Man and Darth Vader are a given. Different franchises owned by Disney have very different deals in place, so it’s possible that certain IPs might be unavailable for use.

However, the inclusion of Toy Story content will no doubt please plenty of fans. With a Pixar reference like this included, it seems very likely that we’ll see more of the California-based studio’s output featured in the game — but we’ll perhaps have to wait a little longer for more details.

Kingdom Hearts III is set to release for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Announced

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When it comes to waiting, few gamers know more about the virtues of patience than fans of the Kingdom Hearts series.

series. Although news about the development of Kingdom Hearts 3 has finally started to trickle out, there has been no word on a release date, and players looking to pick up their Keyblade for another adventure have been left to wonder just when that opportunity might arise.

However, a recent Square Enix leaksuggested the existence of a project called Kingdom Hearts 2.9 , causing some to speculate that the studio was hard at work on producing another compilation of Kingdom Hearts games. Square Enix has a history of releasing curated collections of older franchise entries, having released bothand Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix in the past.

As it turns out, there is anotherHD remastered compilation on the way. We were just a tenth of a decimal place ahead of ourselves.

Square Enix and Disney Interactive announced today that development has started on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue , a compilation that will bring Kingdom Hearts [Dream Drop Distance] to the PlayStation 4 in remastered high-definition. Dream Drop Distance was originally released in 2012 for the 3DS, and featured a matured, faster-paced version of the series’ combat system. The PS4 adaptation will likely include even more fluid combat and significantly prettier graphics, if for no other reason than the significant hardware upgrade that Sony’s console represents over a handheld system.

The newly remastered title isn’t simply a reissue of Dream Drop Distance , though. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 will also feature two entirely new additions to the franchise. Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage- will be a completely new playable episode that takes place after the original Birth by Sleep , and will tie into Kingdom Hearts 3 . Given that there has been a lack of information regarding Kingdom Hearts 3 since its initial E3 announcement, A Fragmentary Passage could shed some more light on what worlds Kingdom Hearts 3 will feature.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 won’t just focus on the future, either. The game will also include Kingdom Hearts x [chi] Back Cover , a new HD movie that will tell the story of the Foretellers, who feature heavily in Square Enix’s upcoming mobile title Kingdom Hearts Unchained x[chi] . An emphasis on the narrative’s past should help those new to the series prepare themselves for when Kingdom Hearts 3 gears up for release in the future.

Although it’s not a new game, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 will lead directly into Kingdom Hearts 3 , so the compilation makes a lot of sense. It’s also possible that Square Enix has even more surprises in store for Kingdom Hearts fans, as they have plans for “secret” reveals at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show 2015. Square Enix has already announced that will feature a Big Hero 6 world, after all, so it seems like just about anything is possible in regards to where Kingdom Hearts will head next.

Are you excited to play some more Kingdom Hearts on the PS4? What kind of additions would you have liked to see in the re-release?

PlayStation TV’ Review

‘PlayStation TV’ Review
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The PlayStation TV is a shockingly tiny box that does a lot of things other boxes of its ilk won’t do.

is a shockingly tiny box that does a lot of things other boxes of its ilk won’t do. However, it’s also a tiny box that won’t do a lot of things that other boxes of its ilk will do. Finding a value somewhere in between those two truths is the task that Sony asks of the consumer. It asks, and then it hopes like mad that the value they arrive at is between $99 and $139. The latter is the going price for the bundle package which we have now had ample time to play with, and while early impressions were fairly negativefor Sony’s minuscule machine, our findings weren’t quite so grim. The PlayStation TV won’t be for everyone, but those who do find use in it will likely be smitten with the slender system. Read on to find out why.

Hitting the initial gripes head on, it’s all about Netflix. Actually it’s about Netflix being notably absent from PSTV that had many early impressions writers all worked up. At launch, PSTV did not have Netflix, and even after a couple of small updates, it still doesn’t. The question is whether or not this is really that big of a deal. And the answer is that it isn’t, or at least, it really shouldn’t be for consumers interested in PlayStation TV’s core features. We get it. It’s a set-top media box. It “should” have Netflix. But with Sony positioning the PSTV as more of a secondary gaming box far more aggressively than a simple Roku-like media streamer, it can get by for now without it.

Netflix “issues” aside, there are unfortunately a few very tangible aspects of the PSTV that need some correcting. The most glaring of these is the system’s use of the Vita’s on-screen interface as its own. The layout is clearly designed for touch input and simply doesn’t translate that well to the traditional television and controller setup. It’s by no means unusable, but definitely feels clunky at times. Even though the device was originally branded as the Vita TV, it didn’t need to lift the layout completely, and it would still be nice to see it get a makeover better suited to using a controller.

Also falling under the clunky category is the workaround for inputting in-game commands that were meant for the Vita’s touch options. Using the controller’s L3 and R3 stick-clicks brings up cursors that represent the portable’s front and back touch controls. It’s not horrible, but it’s also not a very elegant solution. Most troubling though is that this functionality comes preset in the “off” position and must be toggled on in a system menu. This wouldn’t be so bad if the device made any effort at all to let players know that this option existed. Users who don’t immediately find the menu option could easily become frustrated and quit a game under the assumption that they simply can’t go any further due to the lack of touch controls (as was the case while initially testing Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate ) when all it takes is a simple menu toggle click.

However, these minor snags do fade when the player lets the PSTV do what it does best, and that’s playing games. And this is what it does quite well. The three main content sources are Vita games, PlayStation Now, and PS4 remote play, giving users a multi-console, multi-generational PlayStation experience. It usually takes either some modding work and/or the use of some questionably obtained ROMs to get that kind of broad, cross-platform variety out of one machine.

Vita games can be physically loaded into a hidden slot on the side of the PSTV or digitally downloaded via PSN. With the Vita’s library continuing its slow but steady expansion into something pretty worthwhile, the overall game selection far exceeds any other microconsoleout there. The other two options, PS Now and remote play, also work pretty well, but as with most streaming-based gameplay models, lag reduction can always be improved. Remotely playing a timing-intensive game like NBA 2K15 did make the small lag fluctuations more apparent, while slower-paced games seemed to perform fine. And though much has already been said about PS Now’s pricing structure, it at least performed with the same consistency as remote play and didn’t seem to run any worse than on any of the other PS Now capable devices.

The user experience of the PlayStation TV is a lot like using an Apple product. On its own, it has a handful of cool features for the casual user. But those who are heavily invested in the entire product ecosystem will be able to take advantage of everything the PSTV has to offer. Vita owners will have their existing physical and digital libraries to play, PS Plus members will get some free Vita games, and PS4 owners will have the remote play option. For many, simply being able to bring their PlayStation experience into other rooms of the house without shelling out for another PS4 will be worth the reasonable asking price. And those willing to focus on what the PlayStation TV actually does rather than get hung up on what it doesn’t do are also sure to be pleased with their new little black box.

PlayStation TV is currently available in a $99 basic package as well as a $139 bundle that includes a Dualshock 3, 8GB memory card, and download voucher for The LEGO Movie Video Game.

Follow Aaron on Twitter @ fascistPLAGUE

Kingdom Hearts 3 Features World Based on Big Hero 6

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One of the most exciting aspects about the Disney/Square Enix crossover series Kingdom Hearts is finding out what new worlds the game will take us to next.

is finding out what new worlds the game will take us to next. Previous titles have largely stuck to exploring Disney’s long line of animated classics such as Aladdin and The Lion King , but Kingdom Hearts 3 has potential to take us to some new and truly spectacular places.

We still have our fingers crossed that they’ll give us worlds based on Star Wars properties, but in the meantime, we’ve learned of two new worlds that will be introduced in. At E3 a couple of months ago, it was revealed that a game world based onwill be featured in Kingdom Hearts 3 , tower and all, and now another recent animated Disney film is getting the KH treatment as well.

As announced during the 2015 D23 Expo, Kingdom Hearts 3 will have a level dedicated to Disney’s recent hit animated action-comedy, Big Hero 6 . Set in the “urban setting of San Fransokyo”, the Big Hero 6 world in Kingdom Hearts 3 will continue the story from the film, featuring Hiro and his newly formed team of superheroes.

While other specifics on what the Big Hero 6 level will entail were not divulged, its announcement is exciting for other reasons. The film may not be hugely associated with Marvel Comics, but the fact remains that the source material for the movie came from the Marvel comics series of the same name. The movie made some significant diversions from its comic book inspirations, but nevertheless, it shows that Square Enix and Disney are willing to incorporate worlds based on Marvel franchises into Kingdom Hearts 3 .

With Disney featuring Marvel characters in Disney Infinity , it shows that they’re totally willing to blend superheroes with their classic characters, so there’s no reason why more Marvel characters can’t pop up in Kingdom Hearts 3 . Considering the massive popularity of Marvel, especially nowadays thanks to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it wouldn’t make sense if Disney and Square Enix let such a lucrative opportunity pass them by.

Besides Marvel characters, Kingdom Hearts 3 also has the potential to feature characters from Star Wars as well. Again, Disney has already shown a willingness to mix the Star Wars universe with characters like Mickey Mouse, as the third iteration of will feature Star Wars characters. Just imagine the money to be made from a Kingdom Hearts title that collects Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters and worlds all in one game.

Of course, there’s still plenty of pure Disney franchises that we’d like to see announced for Kingdom Hearts 3 . In fact, it’s actually kind of surprising that Frozen , the mega hit from a couple of years back, hasn’t already been announced for the upcoming action RPG.

Are you excited to see the world of Big Hero 6 come to life in Kingdom Hearts 3 ? What other worlds do you want to see announced for the game?

Though no firm release date is set, Kingdom Hearts 3 is expected to release in 2016 or 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Bethesda Has ‘Lots of Ideas’ for Future Games, Won’t Be Small Project

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Bethesda Game Studios game director Todd Howard reveals that the developer has “lots of ideas” for new games and that they “don’t plan on making small things”.

Since it launched last month, Fallout 4 hasn’t received much in the way of updates. Bethesda Game Studios has created a patch beta testing program for PC users but it means that those outside of the program on PC and those on PS4 and Xbox One have yet to receive their first set of fixes.

Not only that but Bethesda has also been selling the Fallout 4 season passfor several sets of downloadable content that will arrive next year, but no information has been revealed on that added content yet. There’s still a lot to do with the game then, which is why it may seem surprising that the developer is already talking about future plans.

In a new interview with Wired, game director Todd Howard said that as they just finished Fallout 4 (the making of the core game at least) he and the team “definitely need a break”, but “after that, I just see so many things that we could do”. “I like to make big games, the team likes to make big games” and they have “lots of ideas”, says the director, and they “plan on taking a break and coming back and finding out where those ideas take us”. And again, for emphasis, Howard states that “we definitely don’t plan on making small things”.

As for what those ideas may be, Howard doesn’t offer any clues but no doubt many will be hoping for a Skyrim sequel. As the backlash to Skyrim ‘s paid modsshowed, many fans are still heavily invested in the game and would want to buy a new game in the Elder Scrolls universe. It also seems quite likely that Skyrim will soon become available on Xbox Onevia the new backward compatibility feature so that too could lead to renewed interest in the Elder Scrolls franchise and encourage Bethesda Game Studios to start work on that new game sooner rather than later.

Others though, will hope that Bethesda Game Studios holds off on those new ideas for as long as possible. In addition to the aforementioned Fallout 4 DLC and the upcoming patches, prior to release the developer also promised Fallout 4 mod support. Not only would players be able to make mods on PC, but mod support will also be available on Xbox One and PS4, which could certainly be a big challenge for the studio, That mod support isn’t scheduled until the new year but fans fear that working on a brand new game could see the feature pushed back much later in 2016.

Source: Wired

Are you ready for a Skyrim sequel? Or do you hope that Bethesda works on a brand new IP instead? Leave a comment and let us know.

Sony Focusing on PlayStation, Backing Away From TVs & Phones

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When someone thinks of “Sony,” they will most likely think about the PlayStation .

. And how could they not? The video game console (in its various forms) has been around for years now, and has become one of the company’s most profitable brands, if not the most profitable.

So, when Sonyannounces plans to further back the PlayStation brand, while also stepping back from other areas like smartphones, it doesn’t come as that big of a shock. Supporting the thing that’s currently doing better than everything else is just a good idea, regardless of the business or situation. When it comes to Sony and the PS4, high sales for the current-gen systemhave already helped put the company on the path to success, and just last month, Sony revealed the PS4 sold 18.5 million units.

As Reutersreports, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai announced the company’s decision to shift focus earlier today, with the aim being to boost profits 25-fold within three years; expectations are currently set at reaching a minimum of ¥500 billion ($4.20bn) by the end of fiscal year 2017, or March 31, 2018.

Sony’s plans involve cutting back on its efforts when it comes to performances in the smartphone market, where the Japanese company is no match for the likes of Apple (with its impressive iPhone 6 sales) and Samsung, and will instead take steps to further improve its businesses surrounding camera sensors, video games and entertainment. Hirai noted that this also includes music streaming, and expanding the overall reach of the PlayStation Network. Today’s announcements further explain the move from Music Unlimited to a partnership with Spotify, and PSN being used to cover all of Sony’s entertainment services.

“The strategy starting from the next business year will be about generating profit and investing for growth.”

As for Sony’s TV business, which has also been falling behind, Hirai stated that he had yet to “rule out considering an exit strategy.” The company sold off its VAIO PC brand last year, and current speculation is that the TV business will go the same way alongside mobile production.

With Sony now going all in with the PlayStation, it’ll be interesting to see how this affects the PlayStation TVand the PlayStation Vita, two products that appear to be on the verge of being left behind themselves. And as development continues on the ambitious Project Morpheus, the company could very well increase its profits, provided it debuts the hardware with proper marketing and the right price. Sony wants to make this happen by 2018, and we’ll just have to wait and see how close it comes to hitting its goal.

Source: Reuters

Fallout Shelter Update 1.2 Adds Survival Mode, Mysterious Stranger

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Vault-Tec, the vault building company of the past, present, and apocalypse, has put together another update for Fallout Shelter survivors on both iOS and Android.

survivors on both iOS and Android. Available to download today, players will soon see a handful of quality-of-life changes and bug fixes made to the free-to-play shelter simulation game. On top of that comes the all new Survival Mode, a step up in difficulty for those who have already dominated Normal Mode.

Plus, Bethesda has an extra surprise included with today’s update. In a trailer introducing all of the newfeatures, we’re introduced to a new Legendary shelter dweller by the name of Piper. Piper will be acquirable through the Vault-Tec shop in-game, but that’s not what’s exciting about Piper. See, Piper is one of the manyNPCs that players will get to meet when the game is launched on November 10. Later in the trailer Piper is shown off in full Fallout 4 3D. Preston Garveywas introduced in a similar manner earlier this year.

As anticipation buildsday by day for Fallout 4 , any breadcrumb Bethesda is willing to toss to the drooling masses must be considered precious. Much like the live-action Fallout 4 trailerreleased earlier today, Piper’s brief introduction will be gone over with a fine-toothed comb by the greater online community and carefully cataloged for future reference.

As for the specific details regarding the patch, Bethesda has the full 1.2 patch notes listed in their community forums. Here are some of the highlights: New Vault-Tec network protocols are finally in place. Now you can save your Vault to the “cloud,” (no moisture condenser necessary!) and continue any Vault experiment on all of your devices. Some Dwellers are reporting sightings of a mysterious individual in Vaults around the Wasteland. Vault-Tec is offering a bottle cap reward for any positive identification! Faced all the challenges the “normal” Vault simulation can provide? Introducing Survival Mode! More danger, More glory. Make Vault-Tec proud! New Vault-Tec directive – Dwellers have been given authorization to scavenge equipment from dead Raiders. Gear up!

Note that Piper wasn’t included in those highlights. That’s because Piper is a microtransaction rather than any sort of significant gameplay update, and Piper is iOS exclusive. Let’s just agree that Piper will be much more interesting in her Fallout 4 role and leave it at that.

Fallout Shelter stormed into the mobile scene and capitalized heavily on the E3 excitement for Fallout 4 . However, its success since then has shown that it stands on its own as an interesting and fun experience. Will the 1.2 patch revitalize activity in the game? Perhaps those who feel like they’ve had a go at the full Fallout Shelter experience will go back for the Survival Mode, but otherwise this patch seems more focused on the casual players still playing daily. The Mysterious Stranger and Raider scavenging will provide a boost to bottle cap income, while cloud saves will allow players to take their vault with them across devices and locations more readily.  Those who have had no interest in Fallout Shelter up to this point likely won’t be persuaded now either.

Fallout Shelter is now available to download for free on iOS and Androiddevices. The 1.2 Update is also now available to download. Fallout 4 will be coming to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One starting November 10.

Fallout Shelter Adds Photo Mode and Fixes Pregnancy Issues

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For the gaming fans among us who have been holed up inside of their underground vaults for the past few weeks, Bethesda officially showed off Fallout 4 during its first-ever E3 2015 press conference.

during its first-ever E3 2015 press conference. While many fans of the post-apocalyptic RPG series would simply be content with any news regarding the upcoming sequel, the Maryland-based developer decided to include mobile gamers in the bleak, nuclear fun as well, by announcing the free-to-play Fallout Shelter for iOS devices.

Fallout Shelter lets players become the Overseer of their very own vaults, as they monitor the structure’s integrity, send Dwellers on various missions throughout the Wasteland, and keep an eye on the inhabitants’ morale. While tons of people have downloaded the community simulation release — the game has over 70 million plays per day— Bethesda’s own Vault-Tec engineers have been up front about some of the title’s shortcomings. Now, the developers are making good on promises to patch the problems by providing updates with the inclusion of a Photo Feature, bug fixes involving expectant mothers, and general software maintenance.

For gamers that might enjoy branching out and engaging with the title’s fan base, Fallout Shelter ‘s new photography mode will allow players to take pictures of what’s happening in-game and share them with others outside of their vault. Also included in the first upgrade is a glitch repair that will allow pregnant women to give birth as originally intended.

Regarding the matter, Bethesda cheekily addresses the issue, saying:

“Vault air filters have been causing some mothers to not deliver babies and we understand this is causing long term discomfort. We have solved this (not the discomfort, the baby coming out part).”

Since there are innumerable Fallout fans in existence, it’s no wonder that Fallout Shelter became popular enough to initially beat out Candy Crush Saga in app profits. Plus, with the Bethesda’s meticulous attention to detail, the title’s quality is bar none above most of its mobile competition. Not to mention, the game developer has enough business savvy to know that the franchise’s fan base is always excited to see any kind of sly reference to the series’ lore, so without a doubt, the addition of Fallout 4 ‘s Preston Garveyhas definitely given people another reason to get the free game.

With so many neat features and nods to Fallout tropes, it’s no wonder that Bethesda’s projections for Fallout Shelter ‘s future sales are so favorable. Plus, with the company planning an August release for the Android versionof the game, a much wider audience will soon be able to experience what it’s like to take on the role of a vault Overseer.

Fallout Shelter is out now for iOS and, as previously mentioned, will be available for Android some time in August.

Source: Bethesda Blog

Demi Lovato Mobile Game Available Now

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It seems to be a new trend nowadays for celebrities to sell their likeness to mobile game developers to make a quick, but sizable, buck.

It seems to be a new trend nowadays for celebrities to sell their likeness to mobile game developers to make a quick, but sizable, buck. We’ve seen it done in the past with both Britney Spearsand Katy Perrygetting mobile games from Glu Mobile, the company that really started this trend with their Kim Kardashian: Hollywood title, and now developer Pocket Gems is throwing their hat in the ring with actress and singer Demi Lovato. Enter Demi Lovato: Path to Fame .

Demi Lovato: Path to Fame is a free-to-play title that is available right now for iOS and Android mobile devices. Players don’t actually take control of Lovato herself in the game, but rather, hang around her while trying to become a famous musician.

Along the way, players will be tasked with choosing what to sacrifice in their personal lives to achieve fame, all the while interacting with real life personas from Lovato’s own life, including her band and manager. A major part of the game will consist of the player dressing up their avatar, going on dates and attending exclusive parties, in an effort to bag some “hot guys”.

As is always claimed, apparently Demi Lovato worked closely with the developers in order to make sure the game accurately reflects her style. “As my Lovatics know, it’s very important that my personal experiences come through in everything I do and this story is no different. I think they will really enjoy this exclusive glimpse into my life that they haven’t seen before,” Lovato said in a statement regarding the game.

While most traditional gamers may be baffled at the appeal of a game like Demi Lovato: Path to Fame , it will assuredly find an audience and perform well. After all, there’s a reason why games like this keep getting made, and the reason is they tend to make money in the crowded free-to-play market. In fact, Kim Kardashian West reportedly made over $200 million off her mobile gamein the last year alone.

Furthermore, the developers and publishers behind these games are also making considerable bank. For exmaple, Glu Mobile is expected to make $500 millionoff their celebrity tie-in games this year, which equates to a lot of microtransactions. With money like this being made off microtransactions alone, it’s no wonder we’re seeing them incorporated into paid games as well.

Do you plan on downloading Demi Lovato: Path to Fame ? Any pop stars you’d like to see get their own mobile game? Sound off in the comments below!

Demi Lovato: Path to Fame is available now for iOS and Android devices.

Source: GameSpot

In Defense of ‘Kim Kardashian: Hollywood’

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Let’s be frank: Kim Kardashian: Hollywood isn’t that great of a game.

isn’t that great of a game. It’s repetitive, full of grinding, and contains everyone’s most-hated new monetization method: microtransactions.

But the game has raised some interesting questions. The game includes same-sex relationships and diverse, randomly generated characters where many other games don’t. It’s constantly updated with free new features, adding locations, clothes, and new challenges on a near-monthly basis.

For a mobile game, it contains some pretty clever dialog and allows you to pursue different conversation options, allowing your character to be a snarky, fame-hungry brat or a kindhearted model/actor just trying to pursue their dreams. These are features that many people want more of in AAA games—so why do we spend so much time hating Kim Kardashian: Hollywood ?

While casual games like Tomodachi Life face backlash for not including same-sex relationships, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood includes the feature as an option without drawing lots of attention to it.

Hating Kim Kardashian West Is the Popular Thing to Do

Kim Kardashian West has a lot of haters. We know that. It’s maybe the most important aspect of her modern sort of fame. She’s a rich and powerful woman whose private life is front and center thanks to a hugely popular TV show and a husband known for his big ego. She’s not known for her brains, but for her propensity toward silly remarks and hypersexual photos.

And that’s the reason why, during a panel at PAX Prime 2014, the entire audience groaned allowed at Kim Kardashian West’s inclusion in a list of the best female licensed characters of the year. Not because the inclusion was wrong—the game was expected to make $200 million dollarsin 2014—but because of who she is. While the in-game version of Kim Kardashian West might lack characterization beyond her persona and desire to help the player become the most successful Hollywood celebrity, was any licensed character really more successful last year?

Kardashian West was even invited to the 2014 Code Mobile conference thanks to her involvement with the game. She faced an absurd amount of ire for her inclusion in the conference—not because she took a spot that probably should have gone to a woman in tech, but because of who she is. Critics claimed that Kardashian West has nothing to do with the game’s development other than loaning her fact to it, while she claims otherwise.

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood lets you dress up your character however you want, including as a fashion disaster.

“[The developers and I] talk daily—no set time, but we have these open emails and chats. If I have an idea, I send it to them. I [also] go down to [their home base] San Francisco every other month and meet with the whole team,” she told Adweek in an interview.

And Glu Mobile, the company that created the game, confirms her claims. “She’s approved every item of clothing [used in the game], we discuss features, we discuss events, updates, etc. She’s reviewed all the [production] milestones, from alpha to beta, final gold master,” CEO Niccolo De Masi told the Wall Street Journal.

While It’s Not Great, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood Isn’t That Bad, Either

While the fact that the game contains microtransactions isn’t ideal, the microtransactions are fairly unobtrusive and not required to progress. There are alternate ways to earn the in-game currency needed to inch higher on the top celebrities list, and it’s important to recognize that the game isn’t competitive multiplayer—while you can play with your friends, you’re mostly competing for fame alongside randomly generated computer characters. It takes significantly longer to reach the top of the celebrity charts if you aren’t willing to play real money. It is possible, though there’s a good chance you’ll get sick of it before you make it there.

And it’s fun. A little tedious and grindy at times, but it’s essentially a dress-up game where you have to earn the ridiculous clothing you want to purchase. It’s precisely what you expect it to be, and that’s part of why it’s successful; people who enjoy it play it because they like that style of gameplay. It’s the kind of thing you play for maybe five minutes at a time, not something to sink several hours into at a time.

Multiple conversation options allow players to choose the sweet and earnest or the snarky and conniving path to stardom.

It might all be a big publicity stunt, but, unlike many modern games, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is constantly updating, adding new features, events, and locations. While it does rely on grinding and its gameplay is a less-than-interesting blend of managing your energy and tapping repeatedly on the screen, the situations you encounter are enough to keep tons of players hooked.

In short, there’s a reason it’s been so successful: a potent blend of capitalizing on Kim Kardashian West’s infamous brand, addictive and easy gameplay, constant updates, and the simple fact that so many people hating on it generates curiosity about what has everyone so fired up. It’s not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination—there are far better mobile games out there—but the continued derision of the game has more to do with the fact that it bears the face and name of a celebrity known for selfies, a reality show, and silly comments rather than someone well respected.

And it’s a casual game. Casual mobile games are the black sheep of the gaming industry, as nobody likes to admit that these simple moneymakers are often more successful than their billion-dollar big siblings. Games like Kim Kardashian: Hollywood are meant to be played in small doses while waiting at the dentist, and since many players of casual games don’t play other games, they’re the targets of derision.

Again, it’s not a great game. But it’s hardly worthy of all the hatred, either; lest we forget, this is the same industry that created Duke Nukem Forever , which sold 1.96 million copiesdespite poor reviewsand fourteen years in development hell. Consumers like what they like—maybe it’s time to let the stigma against both Kim Kardashian West and casual games die.

Destiny: ‘Vault of Glass’ Raid Beaten In Under 2 Hours

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Released earlier this week, the ‘Vault of Glass’ is the first raid available to Destiny players, and has been described by its creators as the hardest piece of content they’ve ever created.

players, and has been described by its creators as the hardest piece of content they’ve ever created. The first six-person team to complete it recorded a time of 11 hours— a record that has been comprehensively smashed since, with a video released to YouTube yesterday demonstrating an elite team completing it in under two hours.

Such is the difficulty of the raid that Bungie elected to keep it under wraps for the week following the game’s launch, encouraging players to spend that week building up their character and their gear so as to stand a chance. A minimum of level 26 was recommended, but it would take more than just that minimum to make it through.

The earliest attempts at the raid were widely streamed on services like Twitch, contributing to the huge presence that Destiny has enjoyed on such sitesin the early days of its launch. Millions have tuned in to see what the considerable hype surrounding the game is all about — and to see what the highest level players can achieve.

Completing the raid is quite the accomplishment in its own right, but fact that players have managed to finish it off in just 1:50 is almost beyond belief. However, don’t go thinking that this means that the raid isn’t as difficult as it has been hyped up to be — these are expert players who are used to pushing games to their limits.

One member of the team, ‘Professor Broman’ will be familiar to fans of the ‘Games Done Quick’ series of charity speed-running events. Broman, as you might imagine, is no stranger to tearing through a game at a blistering pace, and it’ll be interesting to see if he chooses to further trim down this time in the future.

For now though, it seems like the focus is on the hard mode of the ‘Vault of Glass’— something most players would no doubt balk at the thought of.

Hopefully exploits like these will encourage players at all levels to push themselves towards ‘becoming legend’ in Destiny ; if these guys can blitz the ‘Vault of Glass’ in less than two hours, surely you can scrape through it — even if it takes you a little longer.

Katy Perry Getting Her Own Mobile Game

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Katy Perry is a literal firework – her work has exploded all over the world, and her most recent Superbowl performance has left her name on the lips of plenty around the globe.

is a literal firework – her work has exploded all over the world, and her most recent Superbowl performance has left her name on the lips of plenty around the globe. While some could bask in the fame and take it easy, Perry has just announced that she’s following in the footsteps of Kim Kardashian, and will be releasing a mobile game that is expected to released sometime in late 2015.

The game is set to be developed by none other than Glu Mobile, who was the creative force behind Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. The game was a top-grossing title on the mobile marketplace for some time last year, and generated a third of the company’s entire revenue stream. Prior to the success of the game, the company had poured almost a million into the project, and ended up making upwards of 15 times that in profit. Glu Mobile is no stranger to hit mobile games, however, having handled cult hits like Diner Das hand classic hits like Centipede and Monopoly .

Perry is no stranger to videogames either, having had her own Stuff Pack in The Sims called Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats . Perhaps that’s where she got her inspiration for the sharks at her half-time Superbowl show:

Shark or no shark, the game will likely be a similar experience to Glu’s Kardashian-based title, and will feature the singer’s talented voice and likeness. Glu Mobile said that the game would “introduce players to a digital playground of global success and talent”, which is an admittedly ambiguous statement that doesn’t provide details about the game itself – and could easily be a description of their Kardashian game, too.

It’d be easy for Glu Mobile to essentially re-skin Kim’s game and sell it to a new set of fans, but we hope they’ll take the high road and develop some new and interesting ideas for fans to enjoy. Katy Perry brings a colorful palette to match her bubbly personality, and we could see both kids and fans alike enjoying her game if it’s done right.

In terms of digital sales, Perry is one singer who has a track record which literally can’t be beat – she’s the highest selling digital artist in the world, and she’ll be hoping her fans that make digital purchases are willing to do so in regards to gaming as well.

What do you think about a Katy Perry game, Ranters?

Batman: Arkham Knight May Be Teasing a Superman Game for Rocksteady

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Rocksteady Studios has been quite transparent that Batman: Arkham Knight is scheduled to complete their trilogy of Arkham games , which many fans took as confirmation that the company was also done with the franchise.

, which many fans took as confirmation that the company was also done with the franchise. However, it now seems that the developers might be staying closer to Gotham than previously expected.

Speculation is mounting that Rocksteady is set to turn to another DC Comic property, thanks to a video that compiles several Superman references that have been found in Arkham Knight . The first is the LexCorp advertisements littered around Gotham, with that company obviously being owned by Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor.

The next is an answering machine message from Luthor himself left for Bruce Wayne. The last is a tourism poster for Metropolis, the city that Superman calls home for much of his adult life. There are also reports that thugs will make reference to Metropolis in incidental dialogue as you travel around Gotham.

These references might ordinarily be taken as little more than easter eggs, but the studio has a longstanding reputation for hiding clues about future projects deep within their games. In Arkham Asylum , a secret room was undiscovered for yearsbefore fans managed to access it.

Inside were clues to the plotline of the game’s sequel, Arkham City . This sort of strategy takes a lot of forward planning, but the tradition of these well hidden secretshas proven to be a very fitting practice for a series of games that centres around the world’s greatest detective.

In fact, it’s led to fans expecting some sort of ruse from Rocksteady at any given moment. When t he game’s limited edition was unveiled earlier this year, an intriguing inscription on a collectible statue led many to believe that the company was dropping hints as to a major twist that would play out in the plot of Arkham Knight .

However, it is entirely possible that these nods to the wider world of DC Comics is just a case of Rocksteady looking to satisfy fans of that universe. However, it’s very easy to imagine how such a talented studiocould excel at a Superman adaptation as it has done over the course of the Arkham series.

For the time being, this is all just speculation. However, once the dust has settled from the launch of Arkham Knight , we’ll like hear something solid on exactly how Rocksteady plans to follow its hugely popular Batman saga.

Batman: Arkham Knight is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Destiny: House of Wolves DLC Prologue Trailer Revealed

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It’s been quite a while since the last major update for Destiny, and players are already starting to get antsy.

and players are already starting to get antsy. Yes, there are some who are enjoying the previous DLC, The Dark Below, but many are eager to find out what’s next.

We’ve known for quite some time that Destiny ’s next big expansion (or DLC add-on) would be called House of Wolves, but outside of that Bungie had yet to say anything too official. Leaks from dataminers helped reveal new gear, story missions, raids, strikes, and even a release date, but once again Bungie kept quiet.

Today, however, Bungie has finally revealed more about House of Wolves, which is set to release on May 19th. It’s not much, but the above trailer gives players a sense of how this DLC expansion factors into the larger Destiny universe.

As expected, House of Wolves centers on the Awoken Queen, who most will know from Destiny ’s Queen’s Wrath event. The character has always had an air of mystery about her, and only barely featured into the main game, but very soon players will uncover some of her secrets. On top of that, the trailer reveals that Destiny players will have greater access to The Reef, an Awoken settlement that is rumored to serve as a new HUB worldin Destiny .

It’s hard to glean full details from the trailer but it sounds as if the Queen’s relationship with the Fallen has grown strained. In the main game, players saw the Queen flanked by Fallen guards, but it appears the Destiny alien race has betrayed the Awoken ruler. Now it is up to the player to seek out the Fallen betrayers and deliver the Queen’s revenge.

While there was plenty of rampant speculation leading up to this reveal, it appears that House of Wolvesfalls pretty much in line with expectations. That is to say the Destiny DLC expansion will feature the Fallen as a key enemy, the Awoken Queen will likely serve as a quest giver (a la Eris for The Dark Below), and The Reef will be a playable area.

All of that certainly sounds intriguing, but a prologue trailer is just the first piece of the puzzle. It sets the stage for what we hope will be exciting story-driven and cooperative play experiences, and whets the appetites of hungry Destiny players. More importantly, now that things have been made official, fans can look for more on House of Wolves in the near future.

What do you think of the House of Wolves prologue? How do you think the story set-up will play into the story missions, strike, and raid?

Destiny: House of Wolves releases May 19, 2015 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Batman: Arkham Knight’ Voice Cast Trailer Features ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ Alumni

‘Batman: Arkham Knight’ Voice Cast Trailer Features ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ Alumni
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The best Batman isn’t Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, or Adam West – it’s Kevin Conroy, end of argument.

The best Batman isn’t Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, or Adam West – it’s Kevin Conroy, end of argument. Conroy’s deep baritone has been the de facto voice of the Dark Knight since Batman: The Animated Series premiered in 1992, and over twenty years later, the man’s still going strong. For a whole generation of bat-fans, Conroy is the definitive Batman, and while Roger Craig Smith did an admirable job filling in during, it’s comforting to know that in Batman: Arkham Knight , Conroy will once again man the cape and cowl.

Conroy’s such strong performer, however, that Rocksteady Studiosneeds to take care that he doesn’t overshadow Arkham Knight’s supporting characters. Thankfully, the developer seems up to the challenge. To offset Conroy’s commanding presence, the developer recruited some of Hollywood’s best and most interesting talent to breathe life into Gotham’s other citizens. This line-up isn’t just good for a video game; it would be just fine for a feature film, too.

Headlining Arkham Knight’s side cast is Jonathan Banks, best known to modern audiences as Mike “The Cleaner” Ehrmantraut, the stoic criminal enforcer from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul . Banks plays Commissioner James Gordon, one of Batman’s closest friends. This isn’t a huge stretch for Banks. Like Gordon, Mike used to be a cop; unlike Gordon, Ehrmantraut was as dirty as they come. It’ll be fun to hear Banks embrace his more heroic side, and Gordon sounds like it should be a meaty role for the accomplished actor: Arkham Knight’s producer Dax Ginn says that the game will show what happens when Batman’s allies “pay the price”for the vigilante’s war on crime.

Arkham Knight’s other big get is John Noble as one of the game’s main villains, Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as the Scarecrow. Noble’s no stranger to playing mad scientists – he spent five seasons as Dr. Walter Bishop on the sci-fi horror series Fringe – and he’s got a fair amount of crazy under his belt, too, as both Denethor in The Lord of the Rings and Henry Parrish, the Horseman of War, on Fox’s Sleepy Hollow .

Rounding out the cast is Ashley Greene, who played the fan-favorite vampire Alice Cullen in the Twilight series, as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, and Friday Night Lights’ Scott Porter as Nightwing. And, of course, this wouldn’t be a modern video game without Troy Baker and Nolan North, who will voice Two-Face and the Penguin, respectively. Tara Strong returns as Harley Quinn.

The casting news represents a bit of a shake-up for the Arkham universe: previously, Arkham City’s version of James Gordon was played by noted voice actor David Kaye, while Arkham Origins used Michael Gough in the role. Dino Andrade portrayed Arkham Asylum’s Scarecrow, while both Kimberly Brooks and Kelsey Lansdowne played Barbara Gordon in past Arkham installments. Still, the Arkham series has a pretty good track record when it comes to replacing voice actors: when Mark Hamill decided not to reprise his iconic turn as the Joker in Arkham Origins , Troy Baker filled in, with well-received results.

Batman: Arkham Knight arrives June 23rd for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Mac and Linux versions will come later in the year.

Source: Rocksteady Studios

Destiny’s Story Was Completely Rebooted Late In Development

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When Destiny launched in 2014, it was a commercial success , claiming the title of the World’s Best-Selling New Franchise Ever.

, claiming the title of the World’s Best-Selling New Franchise Ever. But critically, the game garnered harsh reviews, being docked mainly for its bare bones, nearly incoherent story. Rumors have aboundedsince launch that’s story had been reworked very late in development. Now it appears those rumors were true, with the original narrative being completely thrown out in late 2013, having to be rewritten and Destiny itself being completely reshaped in the last year of development.

Multiple members of the Bungie development team, who remained anonymous, talked to Kotakuabout what went on during this turbulent time in Destiny ’s development. According to the article, in the summer of 2013, the story team at Bungie led by veteran writer Joe Staten showed a “supercut” of Destiny ’s story, a two-hour video of cinematics showing the game’s major story beats. The leadership team at Bungie did not approve. Their decision? Toss out everything Staten and his team had done and start over. Staten left Bungiesoon after.

Most of the lore remained, but the original plot was tossed out. Staten’s original story was a more linear affair, taking players on a hunt for the warmind Rasputin, who was kidnapped by the Hive. The journey would have involved meeting the Crow, a roguish hunter (a character not unlike what Cayde-6 became in the current expansion, The Taken King ). The Crow would lead players to the character Osiris, who was the main guide for the rest of the game.

The Crow was the Awoken character seen in the Destiny reveal video from E3 2013. The character model was reused, as Destiny fans will recognize, as the Queen’s brother Prince Uldren. That’s not the only model that was reused, either; the original character model for Osiris became the Exo Stranger.

In the original plan for Destiny , the end of the game would send players to the Dreadnaughtto rescue Rasputin who had inhabited the body of an Exo (seen in the concept art below). The Dreadnaught was cut completely from the original game and moved to The Taken King while Rasputin was completely rebooted.

That reuse of assets and restructuring is emblematic of Destiny ‘s major changes over the last year of development. It was during this time that the main navigational interface known as the Director took shape. A small group of senior designers met together to figure out how to piece together the missions and content they had created over the past few years of development with a new non-linear plot.

For anyone who played the game at launch, this was quite obvious. Critics and fans complained of an incoherent story, and as it turns out that’s because it appears it was cobbled together in just a year to make some kind of passable sense. Gamers may be quick to get upset with Bungie that content was cut, moved, changed, and delayed, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Bungie was malevolent in the situation.

Game development is not an easy undertaking and part of the process involves cutting and reworking sections to get the game in a shippable state. It appears that Destiny’s development was much messier than what was let on. Recently, Creative Director Luke Smith said e ven Bungie didn’t really understandwhat Destiny was, or could be, when it shipped. But the bright side is that Bungie seems to have now hit their stride with the game, understanding what players want, as The Taken King has improved upon the original Destiny in almost every way.

Would you have preferred the original plot of Destiny or the game that shipped?

Source: Kotaku

Destiny’: Bungie Talks PvP Multiplayer, Claims ‘Halo’ Tactics Won’t Work

‘Destiny’: Bungie Talks PvP Multiplayer, Claims ‘Halo’ Tactics Won’t Work
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Over the next few months, gamers will likely be hearing a lot about Destiny , the latest game from former Halo developer Bungie , and for good reason.

, and for good reason. With Destiny , Bungie is trying to craft an MMO-like experience that caters to a wide variety of gamers and is not easily summarized in a few sentences, screenshots, or trailers…although there have been plenty of those.

Early previews of the game have shown us that Destiny is an ambitious undertaking – one that, if done well, could influence the future of game development in the next-gen. Even so, many gamers will flock to the game just to see what the first non- Halo game from Bungie looks like, and how it differs from that iconic Microsoftfranchise.

However, although Bungie is likely borrowing heavily from lessons learned on the Halo franchise, they are not making another Halo . As the development team explains in a recent Bungie podcast, even competitive multiplayer will differ quite significantly from Halo .

Of course, the end-goal is still to eliminate the opposition, but doing so will take a little more thought than it did in Halo . That isn’t meant as a knock to Halo , mind you; Destiny is simply a different type of game with its 3 different classes, special abilities, and unique loadouts.

“Skill is very important. [But] it’s not just your thumb skill, it’s understanding how you are outfitting yourself, what weapons you are taking, what choices you have made in your build and then understanding how to use them properly.”

Since Destiny is class-based, players will need to think about what weapons and abilitiesthey take into battle. Moreover, they will have to use their given tool set correctly in order to survive.

Beyond using their own tool set, though, players will also need to mindful of the various different movement options in Destiny . For example, players might have a double jump or a teleport ability, which could render overt offensive attacks practically useless. If there are players who typically favor rushing in with a shotgun, they might want to consider their options before doing so.

“The thing that was really hard for us at first, was trying to make movement modes make sense and not feel too powerful. And not make it so that we couldn’t control where the players were going and how they interact with each other…What used to work in Halo, doesn’t work as well in Destiny,”

That isn’t to say all Halo tactics won’t work in Destiny ‘s competitive multiplayer, but Bungie clearly wants to get fans in a different mindset before jumping into this new universe. There’s going to be a lot to explore in Destiny on both the single player and multiplayer side of things, so going in with any bit of knowledge ahead of time could be a big advantage. Getting in on the forthcoming beta testcouldn’t hurt either.

How would you like to see Destiny ‘s multiplayer differentiate itself from Halo ? Where do you think there should be some similarities?

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

Source: OXM

Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina

Bungie Design Director Joins Microsoft, Won’t Be Working on ‘Halo 5’

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If the Xbox One is to be the success that Microsoft hopes it will be, it needs to hit the ground running.

is to be the success that Microsoft hopes it will be, it needs to hit the ground running. Thus far, Microsoft has done an admirable job in that regard, moving more than 3 million unitssince the console’s launch in November, but there is still plenty more work to be done both on the hardware and the software side.

As far as the software is concerned, Microsofthas netted their first big fish of 2014 in the form Joe Staten. The former BungieDesign Director worked on nearly every Halo game and was also part of the Destiny team, but he will now serve as Senior Creative Director for Microsoft Game Studios.

Staten’s departure from Bungie isn’t too much of a shock as he announced his intent to leave the developer late last year. What is a little shocking is that Staten ended up back at Microsoft, the same publisher that Bungie split off from back in 2007.

Although we know Staten will take on the Senior Creative Director role we don’t know much beyond that. Microsoft suggests he will be instrumental in building the company’s brand for the next-gen, but they would not cite specific projects. An obvious choice would be 343 Industries‘ next Halo game, which is still targeting a 2014 release date, but 343’s Frank O’Connor and Microsoft claim Staten is not involved with Halo, at least not directly.

“Joseph is not working directly on the next Halo title. As a senior creative director, he will help create the world’s best entertainment on Xbox, as well as help shape our franchise strategy for some Microsoft Studios titles. He’ll also be one of our leading ambassadors to the game development community, building on his many years of experience and relationships with developers and fans. We’re excited to share more about Joseph’s role in the future.”

In addition to a creative figurehead, Staten will also help Microsoft snag new talent, presumably in the triple-A and the indie space. Staten has built up a strong reputation thanks to the Halo brand, and that will likely help Microsoft’s relationship with fans and developers.

And while Staten might not be involved with Halo 5 , or whatever 343 is titling the next Master Chief adventure, he could help get the Halo TV showoff the ground. If there is anyone who could find ways to explore that mythology from a different perspective it’s Staten.

Whatever the case, we suspect it won’t be long before Staten makes a public appearance and gives some hints as to what projects he’s involved in. Microsoft is known to parade their biggest talent at E3 press conferences, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see him at this year’s event. Until then, however, we’ll have to keep guessing.

What do you think of Joe Staten joining up with Microsoft? Would you prefer he stayed at Bungie and worked on Destiny ?

Source: Twitter(via Polygon)

Destiny’ Beta Includes More Story & Progression; Companion App Available Now

‘Destiny’ Beta Includes More Story & Progression; Companion App Available Now
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In less than 24 hours PlayStation gamers will get their first (or second) taste of Bungie’s Destiny as part of the game’s closed beta test .

. The test will run from July 17th until the 27th, with a short maintenance period on the 21st and 22nd.

Of course even within that framework there are some limitations; the beta is exclusive to pre-order holdersor those lucky enough to snag a code through Twitter or some other type of giveaway, and it does open up to Xbox playersstarting on the 23rd so they won’t be completely shut out like with the alpha.

But, those who do happen to get into the beta one way or another are reportedly in for a treat, as Bungiehas put together a substantial sampling of their forthcoming game. We know that the beta will include four story chapters, four multiplayer maps, and one Strike mission, but that’s been the extent of our knowledge thus far. However, in a recent interview with Eurogamer, Bungie’s David Dague (better known by the handle Deej) shared a little more regarding what players can expect.

In many respects, Deej and the team at Bungie want players to uncover Destiny as they play, so he kept firm details to a minimum. He wouldn’t say how many modes or story missions players can anticipate, nor did he reveal what the new level cap is now that players are starting from level one. [NOTE: Bungie has not decided if players’ progression will carry over to the final game.]

To that point, though, the Destiny beta will thrust players into the very beginning of the game. That means players who might have wrung the alpha dry of content will still find new areas in Old Russiato explore, new missions to complete, and some more customization options.

“We’re expanding on the portions of the story. We’re giving you more opportunity for leveling up and earning promotion. We started you very much on your adventure in progress in the alpha. With the beta we’re starting you from square one, so you can really understand what it’s like to take your first steps in the boots of a Guardian. And then we are taking you along an adventure that has somewhat of the same logical conclusion as what you might have seen in the alpha, but we are expanding on that process. So if you played the alpha there will be some new things for you to enjoy in the beta, but we do need to be sensitive to the fact that for many players this is their first step into the world of Destiny.”

At the same time, Bungie didn’t want to alienate those PS3, Xbox 360, and Xbox One gamers who never got to explore the alpha. And so a lot of the test’s content will feel familiar — taking players through Old Russia once again and introducing them to the world Bungie has created.

For that matter, alpha veterans may not see much in the way of gameplay or balance changes, as Bungie feels pretty confident they’ve honed in on a feel that they like. Some were critical of the fast-paced, high death rate tone struck by the Crucible multiplayer, and Deej reveals that was by design.

“In embarking on this adventure and creating the new Destiny sandbox and deciding how Guardians would behave in that environment, we did want to design a game with higher lethality. Destiny is an experience that is nuanced and will become refined in many different directions. As Guardians become more powerful, as they become more familiar with the maps and how to truly use their vertical movement mode to evade combat or slide out of the way of danger, people will find new ways of countering these attacks.But we definitely wanted a faster-paced game. We definitely wanted a game where people felt more instantly powerful. And in many ways the Crucible performs exactly as we intended. For some of the players of our legacy experiences, that will represent an evolution. It will represent something to adapt to. But that is the overall player experience of Destiny. You’ll always be evolving as a character and adapting to new threats. This is just the first step in that process.”

And since it’s all anyone thinks of when they talk about Destiny , Deej did address the Peter Dinklage dialogue changes, saying that players will understand how it differs as soon as they trigger the game’s navigation mode. We assume that’s the first time players will hear Dinklage speak as the AI companion Ghost, which also leads us to believe the actor’s delivery will be different this time around.

One element that will be different for all beta participants is the Destiny companion app, which has undergone some significant changes since last we saw it. The app is actually available for download right now on the Androidstore and will let players – when they do get into the beta – keep track of their Guardian’s level, quest completion, and inventory. Obviously, it’s not revolutionary stuff, but the app should prove useful nonetheless.

While those who did get their hands on the PS4 alphafor Destiny might be disappointed that the beta isn’t taking them to new, uncharted worlds (like the Moon, or Mars), it’s important to highlight that this is, first and foremost, a test for Bungie. It’s a chance for them to see how the game works with their presumed day 1 player base, and to see how players respond.

But rest assured that there appears to be plenty of new content incorporated into the beta that veterans won’t feel completely shut out. We certainly enjoyed the alpha enough to spend more time in Bungie’s new world.

What are you hoping to see more of in the Destiny beta? What platform are you planning to play on?

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

Source: Eurogamer

Destiny’ Beta Arriving on Xbox in Late July

‘Destiny’ Beta Arriving on Xbox in Late July
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Despite Bungie’s past history with Microsoft and the Halo franchise, a lot of the marketing for its new and upcoming shooter, Destiny , has been heavily associated it with Sony’s platforms.

, has been heavily associated it with Sony’s platforms. Despite releasing a limited Alpha for the upcoming blockbusterexclusively to a handful of PS4 owners, it has also been announced that gamers picking up their copy to the title can look forward to a few pieces of exclusive content awaiting them on Sony’s platforms.

Despite rumors that the PlayStation-exclusive content could eventually make its way over to the Xbox One version of Destiny in 2015, it’s obvious that Activision and Bungie are really pushing for the game on Sony’s home consoles. As a result of this partnership, the impending Beta for the highly anticipated first-person shooter will be arriving first on PS3 and PS4 (July 17, 2014 to be specific), but Xbox owners have been left wondering when they may have the opportunity to try out Destiny on their console of choice.

As spotted by Video Gamer , a recent trailer for Destiny that’s currently found on the Xbox One’s dashboard features a little advertisement at the end that informs players that they can pre-order their copy of the game to score access to the title’s impending Beta. Looking closer, the trailer clearly states that the “Beta Begins Late July 2014” and the fine print even specifies that this is indeed the date set for Destiny ‘s playable debut on Microsoft’s consoles.

It sounds as if PlayStation aficionados could have up to two weeks with the Beta before it’s even available for Xbox users, but a brief period of exclusivity was announced quite some time ago — meaning gamers had some time to brace themselves for the elongated wait. Still, it’s not by any means bad news, especially since Destiny will simultaneously release in all of its full-retail glory across multiple formats later this September.

Will you be participating in the Destiny Beta in July? Did you pre-ordered the game for PlayStation or Xbox? Let us know in the comments below!

Destiny will be landing on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 9, 2014.

Follow Riley on Twitter @ TheRileyLittle.

Source: Video Gamer(via Eurogamer)

Destiny’ Trailer Goes To The Moon; Beta Access with Pre-Order Confirmed

‘Destiny’ Trailer Goes To The Moon; Beta Access with Pre-Order Confirmed
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While the premise for Destiny has thus far centred around the last human city on Earth, Bungie has expanded the universe just a little by taking gameplay to the Moon in a new trailer.

has expanded the universe just a little by taking gameplay to the Moon in a new trailer. Confirming Destiny isn’t going to be earthbound and that it will feature a little space travel, even if it is just to our closest neighbor, should be exciting for those who thought one city might have struggled to keep environments fresh. Although those people must have missed the previous gorgeous and varied concept art.

Looking into the premise further, it was known that the game would feature several enemy races. This trailer shows that even the Moon isn’t safe from alien hands. In fact, we learn that some of Earth’s enemies were “ buried deep within the core of our moon .” That is a little close for comfort, as it seems humanity found out.

Take a further look in the ominous, dungeon-crawling, alien filled trailer below:

At the end of the trailer, it is also confirmed that those who pre-order early on will gain access to the Destiny beta. There had been previous rumorsthat this could be happening and it didn’t take long for Bungie and Activisionto confirm their plans. The beta will be going live in early 2014 across all platforms – readying the game for release in Spring. While fans may have been hoping for an earlier taste of the action, the public trial will make sure that the beta is a fairly polished experience with hopefully only minor bugs to report – unlike the server crashes that accompanied the recent launch of Grand Theft Auto Online .

Some might resent the move of using a beta as a bargaining chip to secure an early purchase, but it does at least make sure it is used by fans for its intended purpose and not just by casual playing it as a demo. With an investment in the game already, it may assure that more players give Bungie and Activision useful feedback in order to revolutionize the shooter genre. At the very least, it is good that the companies aren’t forcing desperate players to buy another game altogether.

Destiny is due out in Spring 2014 on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Here’s Everything Destiny: The Taken King Comes With

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After an extremely successful first year, Destiny developer Bungie is bringing the third – and biggest – expansion, The Taken King , to players of the sci-fi shooter on September 15th.

, to players of the sci-fi shooter on September 15th. The Taken King promises to up the ante for players with an abundance of new content that should keep Guardians busy for some time.

’s The Taken King brings with it new missions, Strikes, Guardian subclasses, fresh weapons and armor, and a new raid, among a handful of other small updates. With so much new content, we’ve compiled everything into one place so it’s easy for Destiny players to see what to expect with the new expansion.

Dreadnaught

With The Taken King, Bungie is introducing Guardians to a new foe: Oryx. Oryx, also known as The Taken King, is father to Crota, the raid boss from Destiny ’s The Dark Below expansion. With Crota dead, Oryx is out for vengeance against the Guardians, and he arrives in his galactic fortress, Dreadnaught.

With such a heavy focus around Oryx, it looks like players can expect to spend a good amount of time on the Dreadnaught. In fact, Guardians will venture to the Dreadnaught for story missions, a Strike, the raid against Oryx, and the Court of Oryx event.

Court of Oryx

Along with new missions, Strikes, and a raid against Oryx, Bungie is including a new public event in The Taken King. The event, dubbed Court of Oryx, pits up to 9 Guardians against unique bosses in an effort to unlock epic loot in Destiny .

Unlike previous public events, the bosses in Court of Oryx can’t be killed from simply shooting or bombing them. Rather, players will need to figure out the boss’s weaknesses and exploit them to win. For instance, one enemy cannot be harmed by Guardian bullets, but receives damage only from exploding Cursed Thralls. As an added challenge, each boss battle is timed, giving players only a few minutes to dispatch their enemy, or risk losing their shot at rewards. There are three tiers to the Court of Oryx, and players will need to complete multiple lower levels to proceed to a higher tier.

New Story Missions

As with previous Destiny expansions, The Taken King will include a handful of new story missions. These new missions will undoubtedly shed additional light on the origin and intentions of Oryx, who takes the stage as the DLC’s ultimate boss.

There are at least eight new story missions that look to transition players from the woes of House of Wolves, to the epic battles in The Taken King. In addition to these missions, The Taken King also has a few new patrol missions, including one that lets Guardians race against the clock.

New Strikes

The Taken King will feature four new strikes, three for all platforms and one that will be a one-year timed exclusive for PlayStation owners. The “Shield Brothers” Strike takes players deep into the Dreadnaught, where they must defeat two Cabal bosses in an epic showdown. In “Fallen S.A.B.E.R.”, players face off against a giant super-powered Shank. “The Sunless Cell” pits Guardians against Oryx’s Darkblades, Alak-Hul, who’s hungry for blood.

PlayStation 3 and 4 players will have exclusive access to the fourth Strike, known as “Echo Chamber”, a Venus Strike, where players will need to work together to stop the Vex from constructing a time bridge that will call the Nexus Mind from the past. Along with the inclusion of new strikes, Bungie is adjusting the way the Weekly and Nightfall Strikes work in Destiny .

King’s Fall Raid

Many Destiny players were disappointed when Bungie didn’t include a new raid in Destiny ’s second expansion, House of Wolves. Fortunately, the developer created a massive raid to accompany The Taken King, where Guardians will face off against the God-King, Oryx.

Players can expect the King’s Fall raid to be the biggest one yet, and will be able to play it beginning September 18th. When King’s Fall is available, Guardians will travel to Oryx’s Dreadnaught ship and shoot their way through Oryx’s many minions in an effort to take on the big boss himself. Players will no doubt be especially interested to discover the unique “twist” in the King’s Fall raid that Bungie said would add some excitement to the event.

New Subclasses

One of the unique aspects to Destiny ’s characters, is the ability to choose between several subclass special attacks during battle. These subclass abilities differ by class, with each focusing on a particular kind of damage and execution.

As Bungie kicks off Destiny Year 2 with The Taken King, the developer is introducing three new subclasses, one for each class: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock. Info on each new subclass is below:

New Gear

Many Destiny players were disappointed to learn that most of Destiny ’s Year 1 gear won’t be upgradablewith The Taken King, save for a handful of exotics. Fortunately, Bungie is bringing a plethora of new weapons and armor to Destiny via the newest expansion.

Players will collect plenty of fresh weapons and armor perks that will help them battle Oryx and his minions. One of the most exciting additions to the game is the Exotic Raze-Lighter, a sword that is sure to rip apart enemies with ease and precision.

Those who venture into the Dreadnaught to fight Oryx will also have an opportunity to pick up some new elite raid armor that’s sure to become a marker of status in the Destiny social areas. And PlayStation owners will have access to some new unique gear, and an impressive new scout rifle called Jade Rabbit.

New Crucible Modes

One of Destiny ’s most popular experiences is the PvP Crucible, where two teams of Guardians battle against each other for bragging rights and impressive loot. Naturally, Destiny players are excited for the two new Crucible modes coming to Destiny with The Taken King: Rift and Mayhem.

In Rift, two teams of six Guardians compete for control of a spark in the center of the map. When a player grabs the spark, they need to quickly “dunk” it in the enemy’s rift, located in their base, to score.

The other game mode is Mayhem, a 6v6 clash match on steroids where payer grenades, melee attacks, and supers all recharge more rapidly than normal. As the name makes clear, this increase in firepower leads to absolute mayhem. Players had an opportunity to test both Rift and Mayhem this past weekend in preparation for the launch of The Taken King.

New Crucible Maps

The Taken King’s two new Crucible modes wouldn’t be complete without some new maps for Guardians to battle on, which is why Bungie is introducing eight new Crucible maps with The Taken King.

The new maps, known as Bannerfall, Crossroads, Ghost Ship, Frontier, Exile, Memento, Sector 618 (PlayStation exclusive), and Vertigo each offer a unique location for Destiny players to conduct their PvP battles. Like the new Crucible modes, Guardians had a chance to preview the new maps ahead of The Taken King launch.

Which aspects of The Taken King are you most looking forward to? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Destiny – The Taken King is now available for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The King’s Fall Raid will launch on September 18, 2015.