Gaming - Page 1038

Like its JRPG predecessors, Final Fantasy 15 will be a pretty meaty game with plenty of content to chew on.

In a recent livestream with Famitsu, Square Enix game director Hajime Tabata confirmed that Final Fantasy 15's main story will take about 50 hours to beat. This is up from the original 40-hour estimate, with Tabata citing that the final game has "more volume" than originally projected.

Tabata continues by saying Final Fantasy 15's frame rate hasn't been fully optimized just yet. The devs are targeting 30FPS for the final release, but the current build often breaks the 30FPS threshold. Square Enix expects to lock down the frame rate before the game goes gold, but if they're unable to hit a consistent 30FPS Tabata affirms the studio will "do something different".

EA is giving away Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault as part of their On the House program, replacing last months free game, Need for Speed Most Wanted.

The game is normally a cool $10 on the Origin storefront, but they're being generous by letting anyone download, and keep it, for free. It was one of the better Medal of Honor games that was released later in the series life. The 7th installment, it received generally favorable reviews, even though our own reviewer seemed not to enjoy it at the time. Reliving the game, for free, might just change your mind with nostalgia and rose-colored glasses. Which isn't terrible at all.

The series is taking an indefinite break since Medal of Honor Warfighter from 2012 didn't quite meet the expectations of the company or of fans looking for a good FPS experience. We gave that one a 60% rating, citing the graphics and sound design as among the best parts. The story and gameplay weren't quite there. Perhaps we'll see its return, perhaps we won't. Regardless, a free game is available now that's surprisingly fun to play.

Much to the delight of Nintendo fans everywhere, those "leaked" Nintendo NX controllers photos have been confirmed as fakes.

The phony controllers are actually 3D renders based on Nintendo's recent patents. The same Redditor who leaked the photos (idriss2Dev) confirmed them as fakes, and even went so far as to release a video showing how he created the photos.

The second batch of NX controller leaks have been also confirmed as fakes, too. The creator stepped forward with his own reveal video, showing how he used a 3D printer to make the controller.

Atari has finally announced that Roller Coaster Tycoon World, the first of the series to appear on the PC in nearly a decade, will officially enter Early Access on March 30th. It's been a long wait and one fraught with all the dangers that come from letting people play your unfinished game. But it's here, and in fine form too.

When it launches in Early Access the plan is to have quite a bit of content and things that you can mess around with. You'll be greeted with a few different game modes, the ability to create your own wild and wacky rides and have the full management experience. You can even ride your rides in first-person, which might be a very exciting feature with VR in the future.They're fine-tuning the game, so any feedback is still appreciated.

It's been a somewhat rocky road for the developers of the next great roller coaster game on PC. They had several early beta and alpha tests available to fans that were very informative. The reviews of the game on Steam at the moment are of those early builds and are not representative of the work that's been put into addressing the concerns that have been raised. But it's up to you to decide whether it's a genre or game you'd be willing to support. Thus far there have been sweeping changes to the UI and control mechanisms, making it a bit easier to navigate and make the coaster you've been dreaming of. And there's more to follow. Atari has also laid out plans to support the game with free content through 2016.

Quantum Break just can't catch a break. Despite the huge controversy surrounding Quantum Break's 720p resolution on Xbox One, and the whole Windows exclusivity fiasco, it's now been revealed that the game's live-action segments will require an atrociously huge 75GB of hard drive space.

If you're an Xbox One owner who plans to play Quantum Break offline, then you'll need to clear out a huge portion of HDD space. The game's live-action cinematic shorts, which bridge the game's story after each gameplay segment, require a ridiculous 75GB of HDD space. That's over 1/10th of the total 500GB HDD space just for videos. So with the game and the video files installed, you're looking at a total install size of 119GB--44GB for the base game, and 75GB for the videos. Ouch.

Having such an insanely high storage requirement for the game's videos pretty much discourages offline play. As any current-gen console gamer knows, HDD space is precious, especially when single games can command up to 50GB install sizes. The Xbox.com listing also says the episodes are "Bundle Only", which means we can't download them episode by episode, just all at once. I can only imagine how long that'll take.

If you play The Division, don't make High-End backpacks. If you do, you could be locked out of your uPlay account for an indeterminate amount of time.

The Division players are suffering from a substantial game-breaking glitch that's locking them out of their accounts and preventing further play. The glitch leads to an endless looping loading screen and prevents users from signing in to the game's servers.

The bug is widespread, affecting countless players across the globe who are barred from playing. Oddly enough, the bug seems to be caused by crafting High-End grade backpacks, so stay away from crafting these items at all costs. Who would have thought an in-game item could cause so much trouble?

Shader Model 5.0 is old, having come out in 2009 with DirectX 11. It's long overdue for some innovation and a few changes to make it better than it is. Sure, games look great using the underlying model, but wouldn't it be nice to have something a bit more advanced to go along with the improvements made to the lower level graphics API?

Microsoft has been working diligently to get Shader Model 6.0 out the door, but not too quickly, of course. They're quickly putting the finishing touches on the next set of technologies and talked about them at GDC this year. The biggest change that will greatly affect game development is the switch to using Clang as the frontend for compilation of applicable programs. That alone can increase the actual speed and efficiency of programs by a few percentage points, if not more. It does mean that drivers have to be re-worked by AMD and NVIDIA to make it backwards compatible, but that's also actively being worked on as well.

The new shader model is also going to have some very intriguing benefits for VR as well. There's the ability to change the pixel size and use procedural textures, so that anything that's calculated as being on the periphery of your vision can simply be a bit lower resolution, saving precious processing power. Our peripheral vision is blurry anyway, so it likely won't make a difference to the experience aside from increased framerates. And there's even more improvements too.

Dark Souls 3 is the latest game to have underwhelming performance on the Xbox One, once again earning Microsoft the ire of an entire community of gamers.

It looks like Miyazaki's final Dark Souls chapter is riddled with optimization problems on the Xbox One. Digital Foundry's in-depth performance analysis reveals that Dark Souls 3 runs at a native 900p (upscaled to 1080p) on the Xbox One, which isn't so surprising given the console's track record. What is surprising is how awkward and inconsistent the game's frame rates are, dropping well below the targeted 30FPS and leading to stutters.

Frame rate drops are most prevalent during environmental effects such as volumetric fog, and in some demanding sequences the Xbox One port dived down to 20FPS. The site notes that the drops are rather annoying, but aren't game-breaking, but it's still rather worrying given the fact that Dark Souls 3 requires split-second reactions. I doubt Miyazaki originally meant for gamers to fight stuttering frame-rates in order to survive--the games are already hard enough.

Another major source says that Sony's upgraded PlayStation 4.5 console is indeed real, adding even more credence to the validity of past reports.

Eurogamer claims it knows for a fact that Sony's 4K PS4 refresh is happening. "We know PlayStation 4.5 is real," reads the headline of a new article, adding even more assurance on Sony's updated 4K PS4. While the website claims to know the PS4.5 is genuine, it doesn't know any key details about the hardware, and speculates on three different console configurations while tying in AMD's new Polaris GPU tech and 14nm FINFET chips.

We've reported that Sony's PlayStation 4.5 could be powered by a custom new-generation AMD Zen APU, which would harness the power of AMD's Zen CPUs and Polaris graphics architecture baked into the 14nm FINFET node, which provides significant boosts across the board. With this tech under the hood, Sony's PS4.5 would be a competitor right out of the gate and provide native 4K gaming for years to come.

Killer Instinct on the Xbox One, and soon on the PC via the Windows Store, is entering its third season, and with that evolution comes three distinct ways to buy into the iconic fighting game. Naturally.

Depending on how much extra you'd like to tack on, and what kind of extra costumes or experience boosts, the three tiers will differ drastically. $20 is the price of entry, getting you the game and little else. The largest package includes every piece of content from all previous seasons, 18,000 of the in-game currency, Killer Instinct Classic and Killer Instinct Classic 2 that's playable on the Xbox One. All for a mere $60. Not terrible for a game that's had a pretty significant visual upgrade and that provides hours of enjoyment in the fighting genre anyway. Season 3 starts on March 29th, which is the same day that it'll be available on the PC.

Verdun, the FPS game that realistically tackles trench warfare from WW1, is getting its first expansion, and it's completely free. Horrors of War will have new features, weapons, maps, game modes, abilities and even a new gore system. In other words, it's a massive update too.

They've taken the time to add in new German soldiers, and have added American and Belgian squads in for you to take command and take charge the Axis powers. There are 40 new historically accurate weapons to go along with the new soldiers, with the iconic BAR making an appearance.

The new gore system is really stepping it up a notch, with better rag-doll physics to accompany the ability to dismember your enemies. The whole animation system has been redesigned so that things are a bit more smooth on the battlefield. Death animations, too, have now been added in, as has screaming to give it a much more visceral and realistic atmosphere. If the changelog is anything to go by, there's going to be blood everywhere.

A second batch of leaked Nintendo NX controller photographs have been spotted, adding more credence to the NX having bizarre oval-shaped buttonless controllers.

Two new leaked Nintendo NX controller photos have made the rounds on Reddit, offering even more evidence of the console's strange interface design. The new photos perfectly match the initial leaks to a tee, showing a new perspective of hardware we've seen before. If genuine, the design has alienated a core base of Nintendo fans who are up in arms over the design, which has led to plummeting hype.

Game Informer's Andy McNamara delivered a statement on Twitter regarding the NX controller leaks, saying that he had "heard that the NX wouldn't have face buttons, so the leaked pictures match what I was told but was unable to confirm." A Redditor made note of the features revealed in the photo, matching the features we've seen in the first photo leak:

Bethesda's Pete Hines reveals that Fallout 4's upcoming Far Harbor DLC will eclipse Oblivion's rather massive Shivering Isles add-on in size and scope.

"Far Harbor is bigger in size that Shivering Isles. I asked," Pete Hines said in a recent Tweet. We're not sure if Hines is talking about the DLC's landmass or the overall length, but considering Shivering Isles adds in over 30 hours of playtime, Far Harbor could be pretty substantial.

The $25 Far Harbor DLC is the third announced add-on pack for Fallout 4, and is expected to release in May. Based on the official description (check below), the DLC looks promising, and we'll likely see a huge array of new items, quests, characters and companions to keep things fresh. By that time, the official Fallout 4 creation kit will be out, so modders will have some pretty awesome creations available.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is set to become one of the biggest games of 2016, and during this year's Game Developers Conference, some details were revealed on the graphics engine powering it; the Dawn Engine.

It was revealed that Mankind Divided will be using a heavily modified version of IO Interactive's Glacier 2 engine, with global illumination that will use hundreds of thousands of lighting probes, and much more. Here's what to expect from Deus Ex: Mankind Divided:

Microsoft is making great headway when it comes to adding more games to their list of those that are backwards compatible with the Xbox One. The newest two games to join the fun are Dark Souls and Tekken Tag Tournament 2, no surprise given that Bandai Namco did say that they were working diligently to bring their original creation to Microsoft's newest console.

Dark Souls comes just in time for the promotional offer that Bandai Namco is running, where if you purchase Dark Souls III, you'll receive a download code for the original for free. That original is now completely playable, and should be just as smooth and good looking as the original.

The new games join an already large list of Xbox 360 titles that are currently playable on the Xbox One. You can either use the physical disc, or the buy and download them directly from the new Xbox Store that's been pushed to everyone with the new update that released earlier today. Unfortunately, we still don't see any signs of having Red Dead Redemption officially a part of the growing list of games, despite it leaking accidentally earlier last month.

The graphics options for Remedy's Quantum Break have appeared in the wild and while not official, they appear legitimate.

The list is long, including many different lighting and shadow options, as well as the ability to disable the HUD. 4K is supported as promised: you can see the resolution is set at 3840x2160. Notably missing: FOV, V-Sync, and anti-aliasing. No V-Sync makes sense as the game will only support 30FPS; 4x MSAA is being utilized in the console version, so possibly this is automatically implemented in the PC version, or AA options simply aren't implemented yet (just yesterday Remedy stated there was a lot of work to be done on the PC version still). That leaves just FOV unaccounted for. A key option in recent years, FOV has become a staple gamers appreciate greatly, particularly the sensitive types who get headaches from low FOV. Hopefully, it's like AA and is simply yet to be added.

We've contacted Remedy for confirmation that these screenshots are legitimate as well as to the potential inclusion of AA and FOV options and will update this story if we hear back.

Tekken 7: Fated Retribution may be the first in the landmark fighting series to make the jump to PC, meeting an incredibly beleaguered genre on the platform.

Bandai Namco is currently holding an in-depth survey on Tekken 7 that heavily hints the game could be coming to PC. Many of the questions indicated that the publisher is seriously considering or has already made up their mind to port Tekken 7 onto PC, so be sure to give it a whirl. Be forewarned, though, the survey is pretty lengthy and you might get locked out based on region--unfortunately I wasn't able to get in to see the questions.

All in all, Bandai Namco shouldn't have too much trouble porting Tekken 7 onto PC given that the game is built with Unreal Engine 4, so the port should go smoothly. I just can't believe that there hasn't been an official Tekken game on PC yet (unless you count the travesty that is SFxTekken), and it'd be great to see Namco break this tradition with the latest iteration.

Chromatic Aberration is a visual effect that distorts the game image, the result of which is much like viewing a game or movie in 3D without the glasses. It's used subtly in some games, and more aggressively in others. In Dying Light, it's the latter, which has caused fans to ask for months to have the option to disable it. While mods have been available for this purpose, they prevent you from playing multiplayer due to file tinkering.

Finally, developer Techland has answered the call. Patch 1.11.1 released today, and with it comes the option to disable the effect, as well as a few small fixes. You can get a good feel for the difference Aberration makes with the screenshots here, though understand they're based on the use of a mod; the official toggle should produce even better results.

If you play Fallout 4 on PC then you'll be able to beta test the new survival mode overhaul as soon as next week.

Fallout 4's grueling new survival mode is almost here, and Bethesda has once again conscripted Steam gamers to work out all the bugs and issues. The studio hasn't delivered an exact date for the survival mode beta, so go ahead and check daily. To see if the beta is up, go to your Steam library, right click on Fallout 4 and go to Properties then select BETAS at the very top.

The survival mode overhaul is going to be pretty brutal, adding in new punishing features like weighted ammo, diseases that dramatically reduce SPECIAL stats, and the need to drink, eat, and sleep. Fast travel is also disabled and so is manual saving--to save you'll need to find a bed and sleep for at least an hour. The new update looks to be the challenge that hardened wastelanders were crying for, and I have a feeling most of us will be crying pretty hard once the mode goes live.

The open-beta for Battleborn is coming on April 8th for the PS4 and the 13th for the PC and Xbox One. Both will last all the way until the 28th, but only one of those platforms will be getting the full progression system and all 25 heroes available. And it isn't the PC.

Gearbox Software is leaning heavily towards those that wish to partake on the PS4, letting you enjoy more content than is going to be available on the Xbox One or the PC. If you're able to, you're allowed to progress to the top level and grab, and use, the full compliments of gear available in the game. And you can do that with every hero that's been announced for the MOBA so far.

All platforms will be able to enjoy two story-mode missions and have access to two of the three different competitive multiplayer modes across two maps; Overgrowth and Paradise. The two story missions can both be played completely solo, or taking advantage of co-op play. You'll get the chance to take on the Algorithm mission that was shown in the closed, technical test from last year. The second missions is called Voids Edge, and pits you (and maybe another) against a veritable invasion force while you race to blow up a portal.