Gaming - Page 1112

2K Games and Firaxis Games have released a new 12-minute gameplay video of XCOM 2, with action taking place 20 years after XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Humans lost the war with the aliens, and viewers can take a look at the custom mobile HQ, customization systems, and upgrade paths for weapons, armors, and other characteristics.

Working under the alien regime following a major war, a human resistance is tasked with trying to overthrow the alien race's power.

XCOM 2 is scheduled for release in November, and will be available for PCs, Mac OS, and Linux. A console launch for the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 is still possible, but 2K and Firaxis Games haven't announced anything.

Once a week my parents would buy the newspaper in order to get a TV guide for the next 7 days. I'd groan as a flip the pages and realize that there is actually nothing worth watching for a whole week, so I'd run off to tinker with computers a little more. This old technology has been largely replaced by online guides which are live updating and cover hundreds more channels - so why not have something like this for eSports events?

Well, the guys at FolloweSports.com thought exactly the same thing, so they went out and something to fix this issue. It's free to use and covered all major eSports titles - loading up the webpage quickly I can see all tournaments that are currently or soon to be happening, complete with prize pools, bracket information, event naming, game titles and more.

Without signing in, all game times are tailored towards my personal time zone and each game has a direct link to the stream when live. There's a bunch of filters and searches you can conduct to find something specifically if you wish.

A new slim Xbox One model is rumored to be part of Microsoft's planned barrage of new hardware for October, including the Surface Pro 4, Lumia 940/940 XL and Band 2.

According to rumors the compact Xbox One, coined as the Xbox On Mini, is able to hit the smaller form factor by nixing the Blu-ray drive altogether and shaving off a considerable chunk of space--about 1/3 of the current massive VCR-sized monstrosity. This will turn the Xbox One Mini into a digital-only machine, and the excising of the drive will also lead to a nice price drop to boot.

News of a slim Xbox One circulated as far back as October of last year when AMD shrunk the console's 28nm APU to a smaller, cheaper and more efficient 20nm factor. The 20nm APU, which is 1.9 times more dense than the previous model, could lead to speeds up to 30% faster with 25% less power draw.

In the next update for GTA V, console gamers will be able to create, share and download customized mods, adding in a massive dollop of freshness to the game.

Rockstar Games didn't exactly break the news with a full-on announcement--instead it was cleverly embedded in a blog post about the Ill-Gotten Gains modding contest, where the devs pretty much sneaked in a confirmation.

"The upcoming launch of the Rockstar Editor for PS4 and Xbox One as the next update to Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online means the next Rockstar Editor Contest will be the first one with entries across all three platforms - so the creative competition will be fiercer than ever. Stay tuned for info about that contest and forthcoming update."

Sony wants to enlist everyday PlayStation 4 gamers to help beta test new updates and features for the console, and plans to implement its own form of Microsoft's Xbox One preview program.

Interested users can sign up here and in addition to new exclusive access to new features, testers will be able to share feedback with Sony on a special section of the PlayStation community forum. Testers will be able to try out the PS4's next major PS4 v3.0 update, which brings YouTube broadcasting, a new events and communities section, and even the ability to upload video clips to Twitter.

The initiative is a great idea considering Sony's past blunder with the PS4's ill-fated v2.0 blunder which locked gamers out of the console with a rest mode glitch, and it'll be another way to squash bugs while collecting feedback in the process.

Bethesda previously admitted it had to "dial" down some of the graphics, and many gamers weren't necessarily happy with the news. The studio has offered a public statement regarding the mini controversy, with one official noting the criticism "definitely doesn't upset us."

"As with most forms of entertainment, you never get 100 percent agreement on anything," said Pete Hines, marketing chief at Bethesda, in a statement to Metro. "And so, at the end of the day, whether it's what the graphics look like or whether the gameplay is what you want or whether you like the setting, or whatever it is, everybody is entitled to their own opinion."

The need to dial back graphics was done to benefit game consoles, with Fallout 4 expected to run at 1080p/30fps on consoles - but there will be no PC restrictions. Even if some people are angry, Fallout 4 is expected to be a gaming blockbuster that has drawn incredible interest from PC and console gamers alike.

SEGA has recently announced a free and limited trial of Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces to be launched on Steam in America and Europe, beginning 7PM CET on August 31 and concluding 11pm CET on September 2, 2015.

Exclusive to Steam, this trial will see up to 55,000 total players involved, allowing access to the British army and the ability to control 15 new units, six new commanders and eight new multiplayer maps. Alongside these are the four factions and base commanders as seen in all previous Company of Heroes 2 titles.

Self-claimed as "one of the most comprehensive World War II RTS games available," Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces is set for full release on September 3 for $12.99 as a stand-alone package, with 10% off given for pre-ordering customers.

The Electronic Sports League (ESL) wants to crack down on the use of recreational and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) used by its competitors. Many of you balked at the idea, especially when marijuana is on the list of banned substances, though the ESL has a long-term goal in mind: legitimize eSports worldwide.

"The popularity and visibility of eSports has grown exponentially in recent years, but this combined with the increasing size of prize pools has also made the temptation of rule-breaking even greater," the ESL previously wrote. "ESL has an ongoing commitment to safeguarding both the integrity of our competitions and that of eSports as a whole."

It looks like ESL is most concerned about the use of Adderall and similar drugs that can be used to help enhance gameplay. ESL will work with the German Nationale Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) - which oversees anti-doping coordination and promoting anti-doping measures. WADA, of course, is best known for its role in athletic sports - but with a growing global image and prize money on the line - eSports wants to follow suit.

In a bid to win over eSports enthusiasts and those looking to transfer into this scene, Blizzard has recently announced the addition of automated tournaments within its gaming client.

Complete with an easy-to-access tournaments button in the main menu, the two tournament formats on offer in this beta testing period will be 3-round tournaments in single elimination and 6-round tournaments in a group stage to single elimination bracket.

This is a great way in order for Blizzard to push more players towards the eSports scene, alongside giving competitive players a viable way to hone their skills on a regular basis. However, small tournament organizers who are looking to learn some tips and tricks in order to move onto bigger and better things may find this addition an issue as it basically kills their target audience.

The Duke Nukem franchise hasn't been in a good spot for quite a while now, with 3D Realms, Gearbox Software and Interceptor Entertainment "voluntarily ended all litigation between them".

It has all been quite messy, with the announcement of Duke Nukem Mass Destruction back in February 2014, which was an isometric view shooter for the PS4 and PC. 3D Realms had bought in Interceptor to develop the game, but after the teaser site for the game opened up, Gearbox sued them. Gearbox wanted full rights and control over any Duke Nukem game, with 3D Realms then countersuing, stating that it had the rights to develop Duke Nukem games, saying that the Duke Nukem trademark was its property.

Interceptor acquired 3D Realms the next month, in March 2014, with Interceptor's Mike Nielsen placed into the CEO chair. Nielsen has said "When Interceptor acquired a license to develop Duke Nukem Mass Destruction [or Duke Nukem Survivor, its working title] from 3D Realms, we did so in good faith and were not aware of any conflict. We never intended to cause any harm to Gearbox or Duke, which is why we immediately ceased development after Gearbox reached out. To secure the future of Duke, 3D Realms has agreed with Gearbox that a single home serves the IP best".

Microsoft is quite happy with the addition of Xbox One backward compatibility able to support Xbox 360 games, but the company may not just stop there. When asked by someone on Twitter about backward compatibility so Xbox One gamers could play original Xbox titles, here is what Xbox chief Phil Spencer said:

Current Xbox One Preview Program members are able to test out Xbox 360 games, with a public rollout expected in November. Looking ahead, all Xbox 360 games with Gold titles will automatically be playable on the Xbox One.

There are plenty of things to work out with supporting Xbox 360 titles on the Xbox One, but it's interesting to hear Microsoft not shutting the door on original Xbox game support.

Gearing up for the upcoming launch of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, PlayStation Japan has launched a 2-minute "A history of METAL GEAR and PlayStation" video:

Since Metal Gear Solid was made available for the original PlayStation, there has been a Metal Gear Solid game available for each PlayStation home and mobile platform.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is scheduled for launch on September 1, and will be available for the Sony PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. Metal Gear Online will not launch until October 6 for console gamers and next January for PC gamers.

The hotly anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 multiplayer beta is now live on PlayStation 4, and thousands of gamers are fragging it up as I type, but more than a few gamers have been left out in the cold thanks to a system glitch that prevents installation of the beta files. Luckily there's a simple fix.

Gamers affected by the glitch have taken to Reddit and GameFAQS looking for answers, explaining that they are able to redeem the beta code and start downloading the 12GB beta, but the download interrupts at 90-95% with an "cannot install" error message.

The fix is simple: all you need to do is update your PlayStation 4's firmware to version 2.57 and the beta should install and startup just fine. Apparently the installation error pops up on PS4's running v2.55 due to compatibility issues, and neither Sony or Treyarch have Tweeted any mentions of the glitch or how to fix it. Considering a good portion of these gamers pre-ordered Black Ops 3 to get into the beta it would behoove the devs to get the word out as quick as possible.

The gaming market seems to be quite healthy, and there are a lot of potential customers that game developers and hardware manufacturers can aim to reach. There are a reported 1.8 billion gamers worldwide, with 48 percent women gamers, and the average age of players at 35 years old, according to numbers presented at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF).

In every US household, there is an average of two gamers, and four out of five US households have at least one device used to play video games.

Analysts have taken a close look at PC, console, and mobile gaming, as studios and hardware designers look for new business opportunities. A whopping $34 billion was spent on PC games in 2014 alone - and the industry seems to be growing.

Ubisoft today announced that Rainbow Six Siege has been pushed back from its initial October release to December 1, 2015 across all platforms and regions.

"This wasn't an easy decision, but based on the feedback we've received, and based on our own internal tests, we felt there are adjustments and improvements we can make, including improving the co-op experience across all game modes, weapon and gadget balancing, as well as menu and interface navigation," the studio said in an official blogpost. "We're taking a little more time to make these changes, and we think it's the right call."

With the original release date in October, the devs would have less than a month to digest and implement feedback from testers. Simply said that's just not enough time to optimize a game, especially a tactical multiplayer shooter with dynamic elements and modes. Most games in the genre get more than two testing phases--the alpha runs, the closed beta that usually unlocks with pre-orders, and of course the final open beta where the devs apply what they've learned.

Millions of us play violent video games on our PCs and consoles, without feeling the need to go and commit violent criminal acts. However, there has been increased research into what impact, if any, video games play - especially among younger gamers.

Recently, the American Psychological Association (APA) noted there isn't enough research to put the blame solely on video games. Even though there are reports of increased aggression, it's still not enough to directly blame video games.

"One can never know for sure whether playing violent video games causes violent criminal behavior, because it is unethical for researchers to allow participants to engage in violent criminal behavior in their laboratory experiments," said Brad Bushman, professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University, in a statement to CBS News.

Jordan "Smealum" Rabet, a prominent Nintendo 3DS hacker, has released the "tubehax" exploit that launches homebrew software within the handheld's free YouTube app.

Using tubehax 3DS players can get access to a slew of homebrew content including old-school SNES ROMs running on the handheld's latest 9.9 firmware. The exploit also lets users run region-specific gamecards and set custom themes in the handheld's home menu. Rabet affirms that tubehax "does not in any way let users run pirated 3DS software", but NES and SNES games are a different story.

Smealum is notorious for finding innovative games and apps to manipulate into acting as doorways to homebrew, and frequently targets free and easy-to-download content. Nintendo has always been fast-acting to close these doors as soon as possible, and just recently the Japanese gaming titan removed the free-to-play game Ironfall: Invasion from the eShop because of Smealum's "ironhax" expoit--but not before thousands upon thousands of users snagged it.

CD Projekt RED won't be releasing any more mod support for The Witcher 3, and it looks like modders are stuck with the current toolset.

A few days ago CD Projekt RED enjoyed unanimous praise from PC gamers upon the release of The Witcher 3's modding tools...at least until the modding community realized how "light" the toolset is compared to The Witcher 2's beefier REDkit.

"First of all, the modding tools we are releasing are not an editor," CDPR told Gamespot in a Q&A session. Instead of creating and editing world spaces gamers can extract and manipulate the files of the game, including adding custom textures and skins to characters as well as changing up animations and sounds. Plus modders can manipulate Witcher 3's scripts, opening a lot of potential for mods that tweak gameplay aspects like difficulty modes and altered quests. So far the Witcher 3 Nexus is filled with HUD alterations, graphics optimizations and small in-game convenience tweaks.

To capitalise on the upcoming release of 'The Force Awakens', 'Star Wars Battlefront' and 'Disney Infinity 3.0', Sony PlayStation and Disney have teamed up to release two limited edition Darth Vader themed PS4 console bundles, with a specially designed lid and controller, along with some other 'Star Wars' goodies.

To be released in November worldwide, the console will be available in two bundles; both with the 500GB console version and a download voucher for four classic remastered 'Star Wars' titles including the Super Nintendo 'Super Star Wars', the PS2 'Racer Revenge', 'Jedi Starfighter' and 'Star Wars Bounty Hunter', and your choice of physical copies of 'Disney Infinity 3.0' or 'Star Wars: Battlefront".

With VR on the horizon, hardware makers have busily crafted motion-based controllers to power the new tech. Innovations like the Control VR glove or HTC Vive's laser-tracked wireless controllers have caught our attention, but one company aims to turn the gaming world on its head with a new controller that slides right on your finger.

Introducing the Talon, a new "smart ring" motion-controlled peripheral that uses a 9-axis motion control sensor to convert hand gestures into input signals to interact with games. There are also two "action buttons" placed on the band for manual button pressing, and the creators boast that the Talon will be compatible with a huge array of games including shooters, racing games and even sports titles.

"Currently, in order to play motion-controlled games, consumers must purchase all the expensive hardware: TVs, Wii, X-box or Kinect are just a few of them," says Titanium Falcon CEO and Founder Guo Juan. "We believe our touch-less and motion controlled smart ring will change the way users play games forever. Talon will enable gamers to play games instantly at any place and time, free hand, while on the go. Users can play mobile games or control applications even when they are doing other things such as running, cooking, taking the bus and so on."