Gaming - Page 1052

Final Fantasy XIV's newest update 3.2, The Gears of Change, is now officially ready to be consumed by those that're romping around Hydaelyn.

The Gears of Change is a content update as much as it still continues to root out latent bugs that might plague the game, after all these years. Crucially, it adds new story quests, beast tribe quests and plenty of class adjustments to help better balance the game. There are 11 new quests in total, with 9 of them complete mysteries until you successfully complete the main scenario first. And they're adding in a lot more content than just that, too. New high-level dungeons, continued side-story quests from the Hildibrand Adventures and a new "Primal Battle" to challenge the highest levels of players.

This update also introduces options for new players to quickly acquaint themselves with the game with the Hall of the Novice. There, the novice can embark on specialized tutorial quests that ultimately help them to understand the techniques of playing in online groups. It's a way to ease non-MMO players into the particulars of the genre.

Earlier this morning (EST) the Xbox Live service was experiencing some unscheduled downtime that affected a number of different users, 15 hours of downtime total. The issues were supposedly fixed and the Xbox Live service up and running, but it seems that there are still some issues in regards to purchasing content from the store and with using EA Access.

An error you might encounter

Users are reporting that they're having difficulty actually buying or even accessing content from the store, from movies to games. Even more it seems that users are even having trouble downloading games they already own. EA Access is similarly affected, in that you'll be unable to actually download any of the games from the Vault or otherwise.

Farm Simulator 15 was a surprising hit. Coming out of left field with a concept the improved to the point that belied all expectations. They provided hours of strange entertainment that seemed to capture the hearts and minds of a larger audience than predicted. And of course, Farming Simulator 17 has just been confirmed. Virtual farming is getting better.

We can imagine that as the real farming world evolves with newer techniques and technologies, than so too will the virtual farming phenomenon known as Farming Simulator. No details have been announced quite yet, but we're told that new information will be coming out quite soon. Can we expect a new engine? More modeled vehicles? Procedural terrain? The ability to work on famous farms from across the world?

A new Gears of War: Ultimate Edition update is hitting the Xbox One today, and the 5GB of space it requires fixes the dreaded matchmaking issues that seemed to make for longer than usual wait times and includes other great bug fixes.

Chief among those is the improvement of hit registration against enemies that are behind cover. That means you won't be able to wall-bang, and also that your weapons will hit where you're aiming now. No wondering why they won't just stay dead. Another major bug they fixed was Boomshot hit registration, where it failed to damage an enemy at all when fired at their feet. It should do something, right? Now it does.

They've also made some changes to the multiplayer map playlists based on some of the feedback they've recently received. They've adjusted the rate at which you earn XP in Execution so it actually matches how you'll earn in other modes. A new competitive team deathmatch playlist has been added for those that enjoy that style of fast-paced mayhem. And Warzone has returned as a permanent member of the social playlist. It left for a short time, though fans were eager to see it return.

In the past, it has mainly been ESWC backing all-female gaming tournaments, showcasing numerous Counter Strike Source and Global Offensive tournaments over the years. In comes ESL and Intel with the long-standing Intel Extreme masters platform, now pledging support for female-only gaming.

Up on offer is a $30,000 prize purse at the Intel Challenge in Katowice 2016, featuring teams such as EXERTUS from Europe, Team karma from North America and Elysium from China.

Set to kick off on March 4th and conclude two days later, more information can be read about this massive eSports event here.

The popular, teamwork-based, anti-Call of Duty FPS Insurgency is getting it's very own sequel, Insurgency: Sandstorm, being rebuilt on Unreal Engine 4 with all the same underlying fundamental elements that make it the unique and realistic game that it is.

Focus Home Interactive is teaming up with New World Interactive again to bring a similar style of game that's the complete opposite of the typical FPS we might normally be used to. It'll be based in the Middle East once again and you'll have to rely on quick thinking and teamwork to get the job done with a diverse arsenal of weapons. It's due out in 2017 on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and of course the PC.

"We are very excited about working with Focus on Insurgency: Sandstorm. We believe there's a great opportunity for Insurgency on next-gen consoles and that aligning with a strong publisher will allow us to best leverage this. Considering our background, it was not easy finding a publisher we felt compatible with. We decided to work with Focus because they understand our game and they believe in our vision. In addition, they bring a wealth of knowledge when it comes to shipping console games and marketing to that audience." said Jeremy Blum, Founder and Game Director of New World Interactive.

A new update for Star Wars Battlefront is being pushed out today that puts in a little more content to keep you coming back for more.

They're introducing Twilight, a sizeable map set on Hoth during the early evening hours as the cold sun sets behind the distant mountains and the moons plainly visible in the sky overhead. It's playable in all game modes. A new survival mission called Survival in the Ice Caves adds a new fast-paced single-player element as well. For those that want to mirror the old movie look, a new film-grain setting has been added to the menu.

Balancing has been done in this update as well, increasing the damage of primary weapons across the board by 10% against air and space-borne vehicles. The Bowcaster, as was predicted, has also been boosted slightly and the muzzle velocity of the Tusken Cycler Rifle has been increased to 450m/s, making it much easier to hit at long distances.

Now that The Division's open beta is finished, Ubisoft has provided official numbers on how many gamers participated in the open beta. The last we heard, was The Division with the SweetFX mod looking gorgeous, and that Ubisoft will be providing the Snowdrop engine to other teams.

Ubisoft noted that The Division open beta broke the record for the biggest beta for new IP on current-generation platforms, with 6.4 million gamers joining in. Players spent 4 hours and 52 minutes in the game on average, with over 1/3 of that time spent taking down other players in the Dark Zone. Over 2.5 million gamers went rogue, while 63,309,800 contaminated items were successfully extracted from the Dark Zone.

Creative Director Magnus Jansen said: "We want to thank the millions of people who joined in on The Division's Open Beta. We hope everybody enjoyed playing, and we think the beta is going to help ensure a great launch for the game. We're looking forward to everyone getting their hands-on the full game when The Division is released on March 8th".

Carmageddon was one of the first games I played in my teenage years, gasping at the unbelievable thought I was playing this crazy gruesome game - especially here in Australia, where everything is banned - except spiders, snakes and sharks, all of those are completely fine.

Well, developer Stainless Games has announced Carmageddon: Max Damage for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The developer announced the game thorugh the official Carmageddon: Max Damage website, and provided an awesome new trailer for the game.

The trailer teases that you can drive a DeLorean, so you can get some of that nostalgic Back to the Future driving in Carmageddon: Max Damage on. There's no ETA right now, but Stainless Games explains Carmageddon: Max Damage: "Welcome to the homicidal world of Carmageddon: Max Damage, the driving game where you gain points by mowing down the local inhabitants and your opponents are a bunch of crazies in a twisted mix of killing machines! With insane PowerUps, surreal environments and a variety of ways to win, it all adds up to endless hours of violent and hilarious FUN".

Another beta update is available for eager Fallout 4 players, and it's a pretty good one.

Stability and performance improvements are included, as are more settlement customization options (think tribal clutter like meat carts and raider poles, as well as paintings and more signs and doors), and of course a hearty helping of bug fixes. In short, lots to appreciate.

To grab the update, follow the instructions below. If you want the full list of bug fixes and such, hit the source.

DOOM is was never originally about multiplayer, being made in an era when the Internet, and even LAN parties weren't exactly common, but the reboot will have some very fun and interesting new takes on classic multiplayer concepts. Warpath is the new King of the Hill.

Multiplayer in DOOM will mirror the frenzied single-player campaign, forcing you to move quickly, with agile reflexes. It's a homage to the genre they helped create with Quake, Quake II and ultimately Quake III. Warpath changes the rules by having the capture point that you're after move about the map. In the opposite direction they've placed a moving rune that can change your into an almost indestructible demon.

The movement of both points of interested changes things considerably. You have to move with it, which shifts along a clearly marked path, thankfully, and defend it through a constantly changing environment. Or you can choose to head off the magic power-up that can almost surely bring you victory.

Mobile graphics really are getting a huge upgrade, and Vulkan is leading the charge to make those graphics that much more vivid and immersive. Epic Games released a tech demo called ProtoStar that shows off Unreal Engine 4 rendered atop Vulkan while running on an unnamed mobile chipset, though it's likely the Snapdragon 820 and the Adreno 530.

The demo makes use of some very advanced rendering techniques to deliver some very good graphics. This is also the first public demonstration of the Unreal Engine 4 running successfully on Vulkan and being run on a mobile chipset. Tim Sweeney already announced that Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge packed enough graphical punch to change the state of mobile gaming, but words aren't as good as a good ol' tech demo.

Though we don't know the framerate, it looks to be running smoothly and has a lot of there's a lot of action happening on screen. Below is a list of all the graphical goodies that are being demoed here, all on a new mobile chipset. Not quite on-par with the graphical prowess of a good PC, but it's certainly a very beautiful scene.

The Brazillian Ratings Board is at it again, providing a window into a few upcoming games we might otherwise be ignorant of. This time, they've tipped us off about a certain Bioshock: Collection that's just been rated. And it's definitely not recommended for children under the age of eighteen.

Being the governmental body that rates and allows incoming games to be imported into the country, the ratings board doesn't have to necessarily abide by the numerous NDA's or other rules or threats of legal action. They are the law. Thankfully we now know that a collection of the Bioshock games is in the works, and could be making an appearance sooner than later.

It's been rated for all consoles, including the ancient Xbox 360 and PS3, meaning a remaster version of the original Bioshock could make it to those older consoles as well. The story-based franchise hasn't had a new game or even any new information leading us to believe that any new game is on the way. So perhaps a revival and remaster of the old is a sign that something new is on the way. Regardless, a collection, of sorts, is on the way according to Brazil.

Giant: Citizen Kabuto was going to have a spiritual successor that continued the unique, bawdy humor of the original and make it a modern masterpiece. First Wonder isn't going to make it, they just weren't able to find the funds to make it happen like they wanted to.

The lead designer, Nick Bruty, sent out an email to backers saying that "We had some interesting conversations but regardless of how excited some were for the project it came down to numbers and risk. For publishers, the kickstarter showed we just didn't have or couldn't find the audience." Despite the encouraging turnout, it just wasn't enough to help them realize their dream.

If you were a backer you can receive a full refund of your purchase or you can get a key for the demo of First Wonder and one of their previous games, Gunpowder. They'll refund everything over $15 in the latter case. They do warn, however, that because the money was actively used for development, refunds will take some time to issue. But they're committed to making this right for fans. "For those seeking a full refund please be patient. We have incoming funds dedicated to this but can only do so much per month. If everyone opts for a refund it will take us a little while to pay back everyone but we will get there. This is very important to us."

We're finally hearing more about Grand Theft Auto 6, with the latest rumor is that Rockstar Games is set to shake up the GTA universe by offering a female lead character in the game. The last time we heard about GTA 6, Rockstar teased it "had some ideas" for its next game.

According to GTA co-creator Dan Houser, who once said that the idea of a female lead character didn't feel right, but since then he's said that it could be an interesting idea. Houser said: "In the future, could we do a game with a lead female character? Of course! We just haven't found the right game for it yet, but it's one of the things we always think about".

The next rumor for GTA 6 is that Hollywood star Ryan Gosling could add his voice talent to the next game, with the map side of things pointing to a multi-map environment on a scale that hasn't been seen before. Rumors are floating that every map that's been used in all previous GTA titles would be bought back, and revamped in next-gen graphics thanks to GTA 6 - but other rumors point to Rockstar returning to their London roots.

The gaming community has been pretty excited over the news of Quantum Break being released on the PC, and not being an exclusive to the Xbox One. It'll require Windows 10 and be powered by DirectX 12, with Remedy Entertainment announcing that Quantum Break has recently gone gold - meaning it's ready for its mass production in physical form.

Quantum Break can now be pre-loaded on the Xbox One, with the game's page on the Xbox Store noting: "You may pre-download this game, but it will not be playable until 12:01 AM EST on the release date". As for the size, it was revealed on the Quantum Break page on the Xbox Store, listed as 44.09GB. The PC version of Quantum Break, which will be exclusive to the Windows Store and not making it over to Steam, should be the same 44GB or so.

Keep in mind that if you buy Quantum Break on the Xbox One, you'll be pre-order bonuses of Alan Wake's American Nightmare, the Xbox 360 game that's playable on the Xbox One. You'll also receive a 'Free Quantum Break Windows 10 game' that will be included with the pre-order for the Xbox One digital version.

The hype train has well and truly begun with Gears of War 4, with developer The Coalition saying that the game will be "a graphical showcase" for the Xbox One.

The Coalition boss Rod Fergusson was interviewed in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine US, where he talked about Gears of War 4, where the teamed learned a lot from its experience in the 60FPS gameplay from Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. The studio wanted to bring some of their findings into Gears of War 4, with Fergusson saying: "Delivering [with Ultimate Edition] the first 60fps multiplayer experience in franchise history really taught us a lot about what it means to have a 60fps culture on the team and we're leveraging that experience for Gears of War 4".

The original Gears of War launched on the Xbox 360 some 10 years ago now, in 2006, and was praised for its graphics back in the day. Fergusson said The Coalition's mission is for Gears of War 4 to be "a graphical showcase" for the Xbox One, where he said: "Like how the original Gears of War was a visual showcase for the Xbox 360, Gears of War 4 will be a graphical showcase for the Xbox One".

After all of the leaks on Doom, we're getting some official information from the Twitter account of Doom regarding the single-player side of things.

Someone asked how long the single-player campaign would be, with the following reply on the Twitter page for Doom: "The difficulty level plays a factor, but folks playing at the office average 13+ hours in the campaign". Not too bad, but Doom isn't really a single-player game - people will be buying it for the multiplayer (which I think will be short lived, but shhh). As for the single-player side of things, there will be 17 missions. These include:

Doom will be released on May 13 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Ubisoft might have found a winner with its Snowdrop engine, the gorgeous piece of technology that powers The Division - speaking of which, the open beta is here - are you enjoying it?

Well, during an interview with Finder, Ubisoft Massive's Head of IP, Martin Hultberg said that the Snowdrop engine is now available to other studios within Ubisoft. Hultberg said: "It's just more efficient that way. In our case we developed the Snowdrop Engine from the ground-up because we needed middleware that could run on the new consoles and PC, while doing everything we wanted to do with the open world, the weather, time of day and such features. Now we've made that engine available to other studios, and not just the Clancy teams. Any Ubisoft team can use Snowdrop now".

One of the key parts of Snowdrop is the awesome Dark Zone within The Division, which is where the multiplayer side of the game resides. Hultberg confirmed that the Dark Zone was thanks to Snowdrop, that that it can now be incorporated into other open world games, especially considering Ubisoft dominates open world games. Hultberg continued: "The Dark Zone experience in itself isn't technology specific to the rest of the game, but the transitions that we do between the [campaign and Dark Zone] game modes - the fact that we do not use lobbies or menus - is the key part of the Snowdrop Engine. I think that feature could definitely be incorporated into other Ubisoft games like Assassin's Creed. It's a really immersive feature that I think fits with pretty much all Ubisoft's IPs".

Square Enix opened the doors to its closed beta of Hitman on February 19 for the PC, letting gamers go around assassinating a bunch of people before the game goes live.

The Hitman beta throws people into The Prologue, which is set in a "secret ICA training facility". It shows Agent 47's introduction into the ICA, showing off his first meeting with Diana Burnwood, his handler who, in the future, will assign him deadly contracts. Well, some gamers are taking screenshots of the game - thanks to its Glacier engine, it looks pretty damn good. The problem is, if we compare it to games like Crysis (released in 2007) it really doesn't shape up that well at all.

Above, we have a screenshot of the new Hitman, compared to Crysis from 2007 - there's quite the difference there, and it's not in Hitman's favor.