Latest News - Page 2030

Gamers will have at least three different ways to try BioWare's big new multiplayer game ahead of launch, the developers have confirmed.

BioWare will be hosting at multiple phases of technical testing ahead of Anthem's February release, including alpha and beta tests alongside a polished VIP demo slice that sits closer to the finished product's quality. The Anthem demo launches February 1, 2019 on all platforms but you'll have to pay to access it. PS4 gamers who pre-order get in, alongside EA Access and Origin Access subscribers on Xbox One and PC. Origin Access Premiere subscribers get both demo and full game access.

"The demo is a demo. It's not a tech test, it's not a beta that comes out three weeks before the game where 'your feedback' - like, no, it's 'this is the game and we hope you love it,' and at that point that's really what we're showing," BioWare's Mike Gamble said in a PAX West 2018 panel.

Doom II was released all the way back in 1995 and there has been a secret that nobody has found... until now. Daikatana developer (who remembers that hot mess of a game) John Romero smashed up a tweet congratulating someone for finding a secret in Doom II that has remained unsolved since 1995.

Zero Master discovered the secret on Map 15 of Doom II, where a teleporter would be shown as a secret, but wouldn't trigger the secret itself. Why? Because a bug stopped the player from setting it off, a few secret herbs and spices needed to be used... which after reading it, sound ridiculous.

Thankfully there weren't any 100% completion notifications and achievements to unlock in games from the 90s, else we would've been driven mad. In order to complete the secret on Map 15 of Doom II, you had to have an enemy knock you into it... you couldn't just press the button. Unbelievable, but also awesome - 24 years on.

Can you believe it... Google released their first web browser 10 years ago now, with Chrome being a "fresh take on the browser" in 2008. Fast forward to today, and it's the most popular browser.

Internet Explorer was a thorn in internet users' sides, and for some people they might not even know that Chrome launched as a Windows-only beta app, but Google eventually ported it over to both Linus and macOS in 2009.

Google strapped together the Apple WebKit rendering engine and Mozilla's Firefox to build Chrome, with Google at the time not being so evil, and made Chrome's source code available to all through their Chromium project.

The developers at Epic Games must not sleep or even go to the bathroom, as there's a huge new Fortnite update around the corner called High Stakes, and it adds a bunch of exciting stuff to the beyond-popular game.

Fortnite's new update will include a brand new event called High Stakes, something that will add a new outfit and four new masks as you can see in the above photo. The High Stakes update will roll out with a new Limited Time Mode called Getaway, something that Epic will be showing off during their PAX West stream on Twitch today.

Expect a bunch of new challenges in the High Stakes event, which I'm sure will follow its theme of heists and gambling which will be an interesting twist on the usual flair of Fortnite.

Right now everything you see on the internet about the upcoming GeForce RTX 20 series should be taken with a mountain of salt, as no one on the planet outside of NVIDIA and their AIB partners have drivers to make the new GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and RTX 2080 work.

VideoCardz is reporting that the new GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is up to 35% faster (in its current form, expect more) in 3DMark Time Spy over the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Everyone is expecting this weak 10-15% jump over the GTX 1080 Ti to the RTX 2080 Ti, yet we have no working driver outside of NVIDIA right now so no one knows exactly what to expect.

NDAs have been signed and no proper games were displayed outside of Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus and a few more in Cologne, Germany for the GeForce Gaming Celebration and unveiling of the new RTX 20 series cards.

The Diablo III port on Nintendo Switch will be compatible with amiibos, but details on the exact unlocks and figurines remain scant.

A Blizzard rep recently confirmed to Shacknews that amiibos can be used in Diablo III's Switch flavor, but we're unsure how this will pan out. Since the ARPG has Zelda cross-overs with the Ganondorf skin and the Master Sword it's likely we'll see even more Nintendo characters and gear show up in-game, possibly even Mario cosmetics. At the very least we should see more Zelda amiibo compatibility arise in D3.

It'd be interesting to see Diablo amiibos show up in stores, but this is doubtful given the game's mature themes. I'd love to see a Prime Evil Diablo mini-fig that's somehow compatible with, say, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate but that could be a little too...demonic for the Nintendo brand.

BioWare's big PAX West presence was all about its new IP Anthem, and now we have a better idea of how the story and NPCs will affect gameplay.

In many ways Anthem is a shift from the RPG singleplayer games BioWare is best known for. The new IP is an action-based online game that aims at delivering a persistent yet evolving world for players to experience alongside engaging co-op combat. But what about the story? Anthem won't be like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, but BioWare promises a story where actions have consequences--and a story you can enjoy with friends.

"The world narrative advances for your whole team. Together you'll confront countless enemies--those who threaten to take control over the Anthem as well as ancient beasts," BioWare said in a new Anthem trailer from PAX West. "You'll get further in our world by taking on explosive missions offered by agents who need your help. These missions take you deep into the heart of Anthem, while also developing the personal stories of each agent."

With Artifact on the way and Steam's issues somewhat shored up, Valve should start ramping up investment in a new slate of games. Could one of them be Half-Life 3?

We've known for a while now that Valve plans to make new games. Back in March, Gabe Newell made a surprising announcement that the Half-Life developer has multiple new projects in the works: "Artifact is the first of several games that are going to be coming from us. Hooray! Valve's going to start shipping games again." Following a big site redesign in May, Valve reminded everyone that new games are in dev and some of them are top secret affairs: "We have some new games in the works, too. A couple have been announced, while others remain top secret."

Now Valve's Brandon Reinhart, who's working as a programmer on the new Artifact card game, reiterates this point. In a recent interview with IGN Reinhart said that now that Valve has ironed out key features and issues on Steam as well as panned out a roadmap for Artifact, the company can (and will) focus back on games.

After three years of development, Capcom's new Resident Evil 2 Remake is coming along quite nicely.

REmake 2 looks to be the definitive Resident Evil game, not just because it's based on perhaps the best RE game of all time, but because it looks so damn good. All the footage I've seen so far shows Capcom has made huge strides with its proprietary in-house RE Engine; the Resident Evil 2 remake is fluid, smooth, and oh-so-gorey. Everything from character animations and real-time zombie reactions to lighting and physics effects have all been honed and sharpened to a fine point.

Now thanks to Capcom's UK Community Manager we're gifted with a huge 42 minutes of gameplay footage from an early build of the game. The video shows the beginning of RE2 and takes us through the infamous Raccoon City Police Department, which has been infested with undead terrors. We also get to see some interesting zombie killing animations (their heads will actually deform when you shoot them!) and some classic puzzles to boot.

Despite strong push-back from the Fortnite community, Sony isn't about to change its staunch disposition on cross-play with other platforms. And right now it can afford not to.

Sony's infamous Fortnite cross-play debacle might've infuriated millions of fans across the globe, but the Japanese company won't relent on its stance. And honestly it has no real reason to. With a 82.2 million strong PS4 console install base and 80 million monthly active users on the PlayStation Network, Sony's walled garden strategy is doing quite well right now (but it's not exactly future proof, more on that later). This means Sony is more resistant to change in the short term.

Now current Sony CEO Kenchiro Yoshida says that PS4 is the best place to play Fortnite, suggesting that cross-play for Epic's massively popular BR game won't happen.

Insomniac shows off an amazing photo mode found in Spidey's hugely anticipated PS4 exclusive.

As a big fan of game visuals and art direction, I often get excited about photo modes. PS4 console exclusives typically have great ways to capture in-game moments (looking at you Horizon: Zero Dawn and The Last of Us: Remastered) and Insomniac's latest Spider-Man is no exception. Well it kind of is in a way: Insomniac's photo option might be the best one I've ever seen.

The level of customization is absolutely huge and the devs are giving us a wide net of tools to make some absolutely mind-blowing captures. We'll all be amateur Peter Parkers taking snaps of the web-head's crazy acrobatic stunts across the Big Apple, slapping on comic book filters and stickers and stylized THWIPs and POWs. Think of the possibilities! We'll essentially be able to make our own comic books, complete with custom covers and pages.

BioWare's new IP Anthem is a massive undertaking for both EA and the studio, and the team is using everything they've learned in their 23-year history to make it.

As a service game that blends RPG and action mechanics together, Anthem is a risky venture simply because its success depends less on game sales and more on continued engagement. Any live game lives or dies depending on how well it can monetize and keep its playerbase active. Luckily EA is a master of the online games business and BioWare are quite adept at making memorable interactive experiences so the tag-team duo should handle things quite well. But as a service game with cosmetic microtransactions and a focus on a continually-changing world, will Anthem be anything close to the deep RPGs we're used to seeing from BioWare? According to BioWare's Jonathan Warner, Anthem will dig deep into the studio's core strengths and represents a natural evolution for its games.

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Mr. Warner affirms that Anthem is less of a shift away and more of an evolutionary step forward.

Classic retro SNES and NES controller support may be coming to Nintendo's Switch handheld-console hybrid via a new firmware update, likely coinciding with the launch of its Switch Online service.

Dataminers have uncovered some interesting tidbits from Switch firmware update 6.0.0, including new SNES and NES controller icons and even the possibility of a new messaging system.

If the info is accurate, it's quite likely Nintendo will release special wireless NES, SNES, Famicom and Super Famicom Switch controllers to not only tap the same nostalgia that revved up NES/SNES Mini sales, but also for its new Switch Online service. Sadly Wiimotes weren't spotted, so we may have to re-buy controllers for use on the Switch...however one of the icons looks suspiciously like a Wii classic console gamepad.

Devolver Digital and Gamepires the publisher and developer respectively, have announced that their title SCUM has debuted to Steam Early Access and has already been a massive success selling over 250,000 copies.

The publisher and developer for SCUM have taken to their Twitter accounts to celebrate the release of their title onto Steam Early Access. According to a Twitter post from Devolver Digital, this is the biggest launch the publisher has ever experienced and have congratulated Gamepires on their tremendous effort with the title. Gamepires also Tweeted the announcement and have said "The SCUM community has been incredible and we're thankful for the over 250k copies sold in less than 24 hours!" Quite an achievement for an inherently smaller game development studio.

Its unfortunately not all good news though, many gamers that have participated in the titles Steam Early Access have been experiencing FPS drops and connection issues. This is to be expected from a game that has just released onto Steam Early Access, which is why it is in early access in the first place. Here is a quick description on SCUM if you have never heard of the title: "SCUM aims to evolve the multiplayer open world survival game with unprecedented levels of character customization, control and progression, where knowledge and skills are the ultimate weapons for long-term survival." If you are interested in checking SCUM out, visit the official Steam listing here.

One of the most classic games back on the Sega Genisis was ToeJam & Earl, and now fans of the series will be over the moon to know that the revitalization of the classic game will be coming to the Nintendo Switch. It is titled Toejam & Earl: Back In the Groove.

According to the ToeJam & Earl Twitter page, ToeJam & Earl: Back In the Groove will be coming to players "before the end of November!" In another separate Twitter post, Humanature Studios, the developers for the title have announced that they have teamed up with Limited Run Games, a company who concentrates their efforts into bringing physical releases of indie games.

Players will be glad to know that there will be an exclusive ToeJam & Earl Genesis case which also comes with a 18 x 24 inch poster and a "high gloss trading card set stored in a cartridge style box (that sits nicely in the case's cartridge spot)." The Twitter post also reveals that there will only be 500 of these physical releases made, making them extremely limited edition. ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove will be released sometime before the end of November, it will be arriving on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch. For more information regarding ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove, visit the official Kickstarter for the website here.

A recent rumor has surfaced about Nintendo adding a brand new messaging system to the Switch within their next coming firmware update. Apparently, the messaging system will debut to the Switch within update version 6.0.0.

The rumor surfaces from the website NintendoSoup, who claims that a well known community console hacker titled 'SciresM' has "spilled the beans on Nintendo Switch's upcoming version 6.0.0 update." The article claims that SciresM said that this new messaging system will be arriving within the next system update that is installed. The claims also suggest that Nintendo Switch Online and two other web applications will be installed at this time.

Even though this rumor seems to just be hear-say at the moment, it still very well could be true. SciresM didn't mention any of these new services immediately being available to players, so Nintendo could very well just be testing the Switch's response to these new applications on a firmware level. Nintendo Switch Online is planned for release this September, which I would personally believe will coincide with the new messaging system that has been discussed here.

Since the leaks that came about Castlevania's Simon Belmont and Metroids Ridley joining the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster, many fans of the series have tried to convince the community of fake leaks. The most recent so called "leak" has been confirmed to be fake, lets dive into it and tear it apart.

Firstly, everything began from the above image that has been sourced from 4Chan. The image began circling the rounds and was discussed quite heavily, many people pulled apart the renders and called them fake and then some others actually considered the thought that these could be real. The leaker decided to try and backup his/her claims and from the further released images we can say that this leak has lost its traction. The leak suggests renders for the following characters: Gleek Club Chorus Kids (Rhythm Heaven), Isaac (Golden Sun), Ken Masters (Street Fighter), Isabelle (Animal Crossing), Shadow the Hedgehog, Skull Kid (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask), Dixie Kong and Banjo Kazooie.

From the renders that have been released, Super Smash Bros. fans have dissected whether or not these are fake or not. Overall, I can say that judging from the community response to these images, that this leak has been confirmed to be fake. Lets find out why. Starting off with Agnes Oblige from Bravely Default, the leaker has actually gotten the accent mark backwards and it can also be seen that the characters eyes have been borrowed from Palutena. Numerous other problems with the render include: The line in her nose changing, the shine in both of her eyes being mirrored and her textures overall looking much more shoddy when compared to other legitmate fighters.

The blockchain will be used for many things over the coming decades, and one of them is here now: solving online trolling. Authenteq has just announced Trollteq, their new identity management solution that taps the power of the blockchain to thwart online trolls.

Trollteq uses the blockchain in an ingenius way, where a troll is banned they can't come back and register as another person or online identity, they're banned permanently. Authenteq's new solution requires a buy-in from platforms that want a troll-free base, with Authenteq CEO Kari Thor Runarsson explaining: "The sad truth is that trolls have taken over a large swath of the Internet - our mission is to remove their greatest asset - their ability to hide behind fake names and identities, while still protecting their identities and freedom of speech".

Runarsson continues: "Any website or commenting system such as Disqus can instantly add Trollteq to their site or customers - we can scale up to a billion identity authentications in under 90 seconds. This means we are robust enough to handle even Twitter or Facebook user IDs".

Apple is hosting its annual media event on September 12, where we should see the company announce not one, but three new iPhones. 9to5Mac reports exclusively that we'll be introduced to the new 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED iPhones which will be branded as the iPhone XS.

9to5Mac is the source behind the new iPhone XS name, with the outlet reporting: "We also believe iPhone XS will come in a new gold color option not previously offered on the new design. Apple leaked its own gold version of the iPhone X through the FCC, but it has not been available to purchase".

The new iPhone XS in its 6.5-inch form will be the largest iPhone ever released, and will reportedly come in gold for the first time. The new OLED screens should bump Apple up to near, or at the very top of the mobile display game. 9to5Mac is also expecting Apple to unveil the new Apple Watch Series 4 on the same day, and I'm sure we'll see other surprises on September 12, too.

EA has officially delayed Battlefield V by just over a month, something we reported as the news broke, with developer DICE saying they needed to make "final adjustments to core gameplay". The developer of a game being delayed are never going to admit the real reason for the delay... and there are many reasons as to why Battlefield V could've been delayed.

Let's say that DICE aren't telling us the truth and that the core gameplay doesn't need to be fixed, and I don't see how they'd need to fix something as integral as core gameplay within the final stretch of the game development. DICE's Oskar Gabrielson gives a few reasons for Battlefield V's push back, saying the dev team needs more time to iron out gameplay mechanics and use valuable player feedback to forge the WWII experience.

"We're going to take the time to continue to make some final adjustments to core gameplay, and to ensure we really deliver on the potential of Tides of War," Gabrielson said in a blog post. "And that's why we're moving our launch date. We know moving the launch date means that we all have to wait a little longer. But we're going to take our time to make sure we get it right. With the Open Beta just around the corner, we are excited about the millions of you who will join us and experience the game. And we fully expect to see even more feedback coming our way."