Gaming - Page 1016

When the Hideo Kojima led P.T. hit the PS4 in its limited run of a technology demo, the internet caught fire. It looked freakin' incredible, and even for someone like me who is mostly anti-console, I would've picked up a PS4 just for P.T. - but, it was halted with the issues surrounding Kojima, and that was that.

Shortly after, developer Lillith teased Allison Road, which was a first-person horror game inspired by P.T. - and it too, looked beyond great. Well, the developer has announced that the game has been cancelled, with the official Allison Road Twitter account tweeting: "Hi all. Sadly Allison Road had to be cancelled. Statement to come in the next few days. Thx for all your support and very sad it came 2 this".

It wasn't too long ago that Lillith announced they were working with Team 17, saying: "make its game unhindered creatively, but at the same time will give us the resources, support and experience that only a 25 year old studio can give".

With the release of Hard Reset Redux, gamers have been accusing developer Flying Wild Hog of graphical downgrades. FWG replied to these accusations, saying that there are various in-engine changes, which is the reason behind the small differences between the original, and Redux version of Hard Reset.

One of the accusations against Flying Wild Hog is in regards to ambient occulusion, with gamers noticing a difference between the various implementations of AO. The developer explained what is happening with AO in Hard Reset Redux: "We replaced baked ambient occlusion with dynamic one (SSAO). So it's different now and was_not_removed. Lol - the game runs on the second iteration of our RoadHog in which we don't use pre-baked AO, Instead we have SSAO. Also it's optimized differently so this is why you have almost 2x more frames. Loads of things have changed in-engine since Hard Reset's release in 2011".

The quality of textures in Hard Reset Redux were also a concern for gamers, with a comparison video embedded above. YouTuber 'Candyland' used FXAA which blurs the image, so that might explain the additional blurriness in the Redux version of Hard Reset. Flying Wild Hog has also removed the sharpening filter that was in the original version of the game, explaining: "Textures and Post Process: As with the Occlusion system, we have changed the post-processing filters we used in the original Hard Reset. Redux does not use the same Image Sharpen Post Process which was used in the original H.R. This change was made to decrease aliasing, which cause flickering during camera motion. Because of this the game can at times look worse during static screens, but it looks better in motion. Hard Reset Redux is a game where players will constantly be moving and shooting; so this change was made to improve the overall visual experience that the game delivers during gameplay".

In their announcement trailer to Rise: Race the Future, developer VD-Dev teased the Nintendo NX logo at the bottom of the screen as one of the consoles it would launch on. Rise: Race the Future is a new driving game that will hit the PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo NX, Nintendo 3DS, on the PC through Steam, Android, and iOS - yeah, that's a lot of devices and consoles.

The logo has since been removed, and we can't be too surprised at this fact, but Rise: Race the Future is dropping in the winter, so VD-Dev seems to be using a placeholder Nintendo NX logo for now, or is this the real deal? As for the game, the developer explains it as: "'RISE: Race The Future' is the upcoming racing game from the studio VD-DEV renown for their technical skills. They decided to broaden their vision through the art of a professional automotive designer, Anthony Jannarelly, famous for having penned the exclusive supercars of W Motors and for having co-funded Jannarelly Automotive".

As you can see, the Nintendo NX logo was there, and then it was blurred out. Damn.

A modern Halo is coming to PC after all, but Microsoft and 343 Industries have nothing to do with it. The project is instead being led by a dedicated team of Halo fans, and they now have a new clip of the latest build.

Introducing Installation 01, the ambitious project to bring a fully-fledged Halo game to the PC. The game is being developed by 30+ developers across the globe, who aim to incorporate "all the best from existing Halo games" into a single multiplayer sandbox. The free-to-play fan-made Halo shooter won't just have multiplayer, though; the team plans to bring singleplayer campaign, Firefight, and PVP action to the mix as well.

We covered Installation 01 back in November 2015, and the team has just released a brand new trailer (see above) along with a huge smattering of 3D renders (see below) to show us how far they've come in these past months. While the project is still in its pre-alpha stages, the developers hope to have a public build of Installation 01 available in 5-8 months.

With E3 2016 on the way, it's only right that we take a moment to remember just how deceptive E3 reveal footage can be--especially with Ubisoft's infamous graphical downgrades.

In little over a week, E3 2016 will be upon us, and that means tons of bullshots. What are bullshots, you might ask? It's the deceptive practice of selling a game based on an extremely high-fidelity trailer that is as close to the real game as Rick and Morty is to Back to the Future.

We're talking extreme high-grade graphics with tons of atmospheric effects and volumetric lighting that are absolutely missing on the final release. E3 is the prime event for bullshots as millions of gamers are watching, so publishers fire up the old false-advertising gameplay footage to sell us something that doesn't really exist.

AMD was ahead of the curve when it put more eggs into the Asynchronous Compute basket, and that hard work is paying off now that we're seeing more and more games and technology demos using the technology. NVIDIA was behind the game when the Maxwell architecture didn't support Async Compute, but they've played catch up on the next-gen Pascal architecture.

Well, the co-founder of Oxide Games, Dan Baker, went to Twitter to kick off a chat about Asynchonous Compute, saying that it's "definitely a super useful feature in DirectX 12". id Software's Lead Renderer Programmer, Tiago Sousa chimed in, saying that id Software gained 3-5ms in rendering time with DOOM. According to Sousa, Async Compute and the other features built into AMD's architecture, were the reasons behind id Software being able to hit 60FPS on the Xbox One and PS4 with DOOM.

Mickael Gilabert, the 3D Technical Lead over at Ubisoft Montreal said he had some great gains in Far Cry Primal with Async Compute, with around 2.5-3ms, adding "Async FTW". It seems that Asynchronous Compute is a huge deal for game developers, and now that NVIDIA has joined the game with Pascal, we could see it used much more widely.

Leaked Halo Wars 2 box art gives us a taste of what to expect from Creative Assembly's RTS sequel.

Key art for Halo Wars 2 has surfaced online thanks to Twitter user @lifelower, unearthing a bunch of clues on what the RTS game will offer. Halo fans were quick to notice the looming Ark in the background and the Brute army, which hints at a post-Halo 3 timeframe. The Ark looks like it's been fired, and even the Scarabs are stylized in Brute color schemes, hinting the game will take place in a fresh timeline. Some speculate Halo Wars 2 could take place in a post-Halo 5 timeline, but the Mark IV Spartans seem out of place.

Microsoft is expected to showcase the new Halo Wars 2 RTS at E3, and a playable demo will be at the show. We'll be sure to update you when more details come to light, but for now we know one thing for sure: Halo Wars 2 looks absolutely awesome.

When the Nintendo NX launches in March 2017, it will feature VR support in some fashion, likely with a Nintendo-branded smartphone-powered VR headset.

Nintendo's next-generation NX console was delayed to 2017 so that the Japanese console-maker could add in VR support, according to reports from DigiTimes. Sources from the console's "related upstream supply chain" told the publication that Nintendo plans to add in full VR functionality to the NX, further adding the NX will be a combination Wii U-like gamepad with mobile 3DS-like capabilities.

"The device features a 5- to 7-inch display, controller and joystick for users to play as a mobile gaming product, but it is also able to connect to a TV for users to play as a video game system," the sources told Digitimes. "Nintendo is now planning to add VR function to the device to satisfy the popular trend in the gaming market."

Microsoft is keen on selling as many current-gen Xbox One consoles as it can, signaling a major Xbox hardware revision announcements at E3 2016.

The Xbox One's price tag has been slashed to $299 (again), and a huge portion of the console bundles have been slashed by $50. Redmond says this is a "temporary" reduction, but retailers are matching the price, hinting its a new permanent drop for the Xbox One. With this move, Microsoft is giving us a resoundingly clear signal: new Xbox hardware is coming, and Microsoft knows no one will buy current-gen hardware once the new Xbox consoles are announced.

Reports indicate Microsoft is working on a powerful 4K-ready Xbox Scorpio that's 1.5 times powerful than Sony's new PlayStation 4K model, and 4 times as powerful as the current Xbox One. Microsoft will also unveil the Xbox Mini at E3 2016, 40% smaller console with possible 4K video playback. We'll also see two Xbox streaming devices--a Chromecast-like Xbox stick, and a Shield TV-like set-top box that will likely stream games from Xbox Ones or Windows 10 PCs.

Microsoft is plotting to overthrow Sony's console reign with a new high-performance 4K-ready Xbox console that's four times as powerful than existing Xbox One hardware.

According to recent reports, Microsoft will release a dramatically overhauled Xbox console (codenamed Scorpio) in late 2017. Inside sources told Polygon that Microsoft is targeting 6 TFLOPs of performance with the Xbox Scorpio, making the new Xbox 1.5 times faster than Sony's new upgraded PlayStation Neo (PS4K, PS4.5). Like the PS4K, the Xbox Scorpio will leverage its higher-end hardware to push 4K gaming and 4K video playback. It's likely the Scorpio will upscale 1080p to 4K instead of native 4K gaming, and the console is expected to be fully backward compatible with all existing Xbox One games.

Reports indicate the new Xbox will ship with Oculus Rift support baked in, with Microsoft partnering with Oculus to counter Sony's PlayStation VR headset. If these reports are true, the Xbox Scorpio would theoretically be capable of delivering desktop-grade VR performance with the Rift. PC-quality VR is quite demanding, so the Xbox Scorpio would likely need a dedicated video card solution, and we may even see the first-ever external console video cards with AMD's new GPU enclosure. Armed with powerful dedicated video cards or external GPUs the Scorpio could likely hit native 4K 30FPS depending on the card.

We've heard lots of things about Microsoft's new upgraded 4K-ready Xbox console, aka Scorpio, and now we have more evidence that the new Xbox will support the Oculus Rift's VR headset.

Sources recently told Kotaku that Microsoft is readying its own powerful mid-cycle Xbox upgrade to counter Sony's PlayStation 4K console. And like PS4K, the new Xbox will leverage VR hardware: since Microsoft has no VR solution ready, the new 4K Xbox will reportedly use the Oculus Rift.

According to Ars Technica, developers are already working on VR games for Microsoft's new upgraded 4K Xbox. An anonymous dev at a "well-known European studio" corroborated reports that the new Xbox would use the same Oculus Rift HMD used by PCs. The game itself is "set in the universe of an established, long-running franchise," Ars reports.

After the rumors swirling around Hello Games delaying No Man's Sky, the confirmation is here: No Man's Sky has been officially delayed. Boo.

No Man's Sky was due in June, but has been pushed back to August. Hello Games founder Sean Murray announced the news of the delay on the PlayStation blog, but now we have to wonder why it was delayed. Jason Evangelho has recently joined us here at TweakTown, and he says it could be delayed to allow for VR support. It makes perfect sense, especially as it would launch very close to the release of PlayStation VR.

In the post, Murray said: "I have had to make the tough choice to delay the game for a few weeks to allow us to deliver something special. We understand that this news is disappointing. Making this game is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but we are so close now, and we're prepared to make the tough choices to get it right. The universe of No Man's Sky is incredibly vast. More than you can imagine. This is a type of game that hasn't been attempted before, by a smaller team than anyone would expect, under an intense amount of expectation".

Team Ico's The Last Guardian has been eight years in the making, but the end is finally in sight.

Fumito Ueda, renowned lead designer of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian, confirmed Trico's much-awaited adventure would arrive in 2016. "Since this is the year we will see the game's release," Ueda said in an interview with Edge magazine. "I do have some worries, but I'm also very excited."

Sony has yet to reveal an official release date for the PS4-exclusive, but IGN has shown off an exclusive first look at The Last Guardian gameplay footage. Check above and below for the videos, as well as a huge smattering of screenshots--some of which look a bit awkward due to the cell-shading graphics.

Gameplay footage for 2012's cancelled Legacy of Kain game has surfaced, showing us what could have been.

In 2012, Square Enix cancelled Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun, the newest chapter in the legendary franchise. Although the project ultimately fell apart, Climax Studios, the devs behind the game, told Eurogamer that Dying Sun would've been like "if HBO made Zelda". "From the very beginning Square said it had to be super gritty modern, while still staying within the remit of this world," sources said.

The game was codenamed "Black Cloth" and likely wouldn't have clicked with hardcore Legacy of Kain fans. It was more of a reinvention of the series tailored for the casual-friendly crowd, and a source claims that Square Enix wanted it to be "idiotically easy" compared to previous games. "They wanted a game that was almost insultingly simple in parts so it could be played by people who hadn't really played games before," anonymous sources told Eurogamer.

Ready At Dawn's new AAA third-person action game will be unveiled next week, according to GameStop's new publishing sector.

Now that GameStop is a fully-fledged games publisher, the company is eager to push out new games onto the market. The second major release under GameStop's GameTrust will be Ready At Dawn's new game, which is described as an "exciting new AAA third-person action console title, based on a brand new original IP we are creating."

Ready At Dawn is one of the major studios to join GameStop's GameTrust label, and we'll be seeing their latest game in the near future: "We have several other games slated for release over the next year. In fact, next week we will be announcing our second game under the GameTrust label with Ready At Dawn," said GameStop COO Tony Bartel.

Curious on what Ghost Recon Wildlands has to offer? We've wrangled up a ton of content to give you a better idea of the Ghost Recon meets Far Cry adventure, including screenshots, gameplay trailers, descriptions, pre-order info and more.

Ghost Recon Wildlands takes place in Bolivia, with the Ghost operatives tasked with overthrowing the brutal Santa Blanca drug cartel. The game features a wide variety of open-world environments and terrain, from arid mesas to dense jungles and frosty mountains. Each environment offers unique tactical advantages--players can sneak behind the jungle's foliage, for example--and dynamic weather conditions will directly affect in-game combat.

No open-world shooter is complete without vehicles. Wildlands will have a nice array of attack vehicles for players, including helicopters, APCs, buggies, and Humvees with gatling guns. "Obviously, getting around a country with varied terrain requires the right kind of vehicles, and if the trailer is any indication, the Ghosts have no shortage of options for transportation. Buggies (with one member of the squad manning the Gatling gun), dirt bikes, and helicopters are all prevalent in the trailer, but there are some brief shots of Humvees, trucks, an APC, and even a patrol boat."

Fans of New World Interactive's shooter Insurgency are in for some real treats today: a new map and the beginnings of a competitive scene.

The new locale is called Dry Canal and features both day and night versions. Originally created by a community member who won a design contest, it now has the professional touch. And if you play the Insurgency mod Day of Infamy, you get five new maps.

Meanwhile the competitive scene sees its first signs of life with the update, which lays the foundation with a web-based ranking system. It's not quite ready yet, but soon you'll be able to join a Competitive Testing group on Steam to get a sneak peek at it.

Sony's 4K-ready PlayStation 4 Neo (PS4K, PS4.5) is real and it'll natively support the PlayStation VR headset, claims an anonymous developer.

One of the main reasons Sony is upgrading to the PS4K is to significantly boost PlayStation VR performance, according to an industry dev. "PSVR was going to be terrible on a [launch] PS4. It was going to be truly awful. Something a bit more powerful starts to bring VR into range. If you want to deal with crazy requirements for performance in VR, you absolutely have to do this," the source told Edge magazine.

The 4K-ready PlayStation 4 Neo is rumored to pack powerful upgraded specs like a custom AMD Polaris 10 Ellesmere-derived GPU, an 8-core Jaguar CPU clocked at 2.1GHz, and extra system memory bandwidth. Although Sony affirms that it's launch PS4s have enough horsepower to push 120FPS 1080p with low-latency 18ms on the PlayStation VR's 5.7-inch OLED screens, the added hardware boost would be a tremendous advantage for developers. Another source claims that added power will be in heavy demand for VR devs: "There hasn't been a real outcry for more power, apart from developers making VR stuff - and those are weighted more heavily at the moment. VR is the most exciting development in the industry right now, and if it's here to stay then, there will be a lot of demand for more powerful hardware."

Aspiring planet-hoppers may have to wait a few extra months before their dreams are realized; No Man's Sky could be delayed as far back as August.

No Man's Sky is delayed to July or even August, two separate sources have told Kotaku. One of the sources, a GameStop worker, told Kotaku that employees have been told to place "coming soon" stickers over the game's original June 21 release date on No Man's Sky promotional posters.

The delay isn't so surprising considering only 15 people are developing the procedurally-generated juggernaut. In fact, No Man's Sky is so big that 99% of the planets will be unexplored and gamers will likely never meet one another in the shared universe. No Man's Sky lead developer Sean Murray hasn't confirmed the delay so be sure to take this with a grain of salt for now. We're also not sure if the delay affects both PS4 and PC ports.

Thanks to Project Helix, Xbox and Windows will soon be unified together as one cohesive structure, continuing Redmond's plans for a cross-platform ecosystem powered by UWP.

We've known for a while that Microsoft wants to meld Xbox and Windows together, with the Xbox brand powering Windows PC gaming. But we don't know how far Microsoft is willing to take this unification--until today, that is. Internal sources at Microsoft told Kotaku yesterday about Project Helix, an ambitious strategy where Xbox evolves into a cross-platform service.

Microsoft wants to push into the PC gaming front using the Xbox brand, and that's exactly what we see now with the Windows 10 Xbox app (which brings Xbox-exclusive functionality to the PC) and cross-platform game streaming. Windows and Xbox are now base pairs bound together on a DNA strand, with UWP as the helix that holds it all together. Remember that Microsoft doesn't see the Xbox as a console any more; to them, it's a "Windows 10 device". Under Project Helix, all future Xbox games will likely be released onto Windows 10 PCs as well, but the transition will likely be slow, as Microsoft can't further alienate console gamers.