Gaming - Page 1162

There is nothing more I hate in this world that someone who cheats at online games such as Battlefield 4, Call of Duty, or any of the FPS shooters. The latest blockbuster to hit the FPS gaming world, Titanfall, has a solution for this. Over the last few weeks, Respawn Entertainment has been silent and letting cheater cheat so they could collect data on what could be hundreds of cheaters, and has just now implemented a fix that will take these players out of the general population.

If you get caught cheating in Titanfall, you will not be banned from the game, but rather placed on a special blacklist that will only allow you to play on maps populated entirely by other cheaters. The segregation from legitimate players began this past Friday, and those caught saw a "FairFight: Cheat Detected" message pop up on their screen while inside the private lobby interface. Respawn included a contact email for those who feel they were incorrectly flagged to use, but users will have to prove they have not cheated.

Even though cheaters are banned from public servers, their non-cheater friends can still play with them though, but the match will have to take place on the isolated, cheater friendly servers. For now, the anti-cheating system is limited to the PC as it is the easiest platform to enable cheating on. While I despise cheaters to the core, I feel that this is the best solution possible for removing cheaters from the game, and could prevent those huge kill to death ratios we often see from cheaters.

Xbox One and Xbox 360 gamers have some new apps to keep them occupied between gaming sessions. Microsoft has announced the launch of some new apps for both consoles this week. Gamers on the Xbox 360 will get access to the Major League Gaming app.

The app will allow you to watch live gaming tournaments and other content. Xbox One gamers also get access to the MLB.TV app that brings live Major League Baseball games to the console. The app requires Xbox Live Gold and a MLB.TV Premium subscription to watch the games.

Xbox 360 gamers also get access to some more movie streaming apps with the launch of Encore Play and Moviplex Play. The apps both require that you have a subscription to the networks on a participating cable or satellite provider.

Earlier this month, Blizzard started teasing us with details about the Reaper of Souls expansion for Diablo III. Along with some details of the game, Blizzard also unveiled a video. If you have been waiting to get your hands-on the expansion, the time is now.

Reaper of Souls is officially available for the PC and Mac platforms. The expansion is offered in two formats, one is a standard version for $39.99, and the other is a digital deluxe version for $59.99. Both versions have the same basic features.

Those features include a level cap bumped to 70, a new character class called Crusader, and a new act to play through. Adventure Mode has been added with the freedom to wander and kill whatever you want to. Bounties in the form of random awards are also offered for exploring the game.

NVIDIA has been peddling its portable Android game console for a while called Shield. The last time the price of the console was changed, it was selling for $249, which was a $50 discount off the original price of the machine. NVIDIA has now announced another discount.

Right now, the NVIDIA Shield is available for $199, making for a discount of $100 off the original price. The discount isn't being offered forever, it is good through the end of April. The money will get you a portable console that is able to play games on the go with its own LCD or shoot games out to other devices.

Along with the price cut, the device is also getting some new features. It has been updated to Android 4.4 KitKat for the operating system. NVIDIA has also updated GameStream with several new features enabling Shield owners to stream games from your home PC in addition to NVIDIA servers. The update brings the ability to wake your PC at home for gaming and log in from the Shield device.

According to an inside source, Sony is working hard at bringing PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 emulation software to its PlayStation 4 console, and the end product could arrive sooner rather than later. The industry insider says that the PS1 and PS2 emulation will not only bring old titles to the new flagship console, but it will upscale them to full 1080p resolution as well.

This means that classic PS1 titles like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy V, Dark Stalkers 3 and more could arrive in full HD glory quite soon. No official word has been given on when the emulators might arrive, or what titles will be released. Another thing that is unclear is how Sony will offer the games, and if they will be sold or made available for free download. Some sources are saying that we can look forward to hearing an official announcement at E3 though, so at least we will not have to wait very long.

This morning at 6AM, DICE officially released the Naval Strike expansion for Battlefield Premium members, but the launch did not go as expected. Only those on consoles got the update, and DICE says that the PC launch has been delayed due to a major bug that was found shortly before launch. DICE did not give any indication what the bug was, and did not give a timeline on when PC gamers can expect the expansion.

"On March 25, Battlefield 4 Premium members on consoles will be able to experience the ultimate sea-to-sea warfare in the third expansion pack for Battlefield 4," DICE said in a statement. "Battlefield 4 Naval Strike takes the intense and dramatic water-based combat introduced in Battlefield 4 to four all-new maps set in the South China Sea while introducing a new game mode and vehicle."

"However, we are delaying the launch of Battlefield 4 Naval Strike on PC. We've detected an issue and it needs to be solved. Quality is our number one priority and we will not release Battlefield 4 Naval Strike on PC until we feel it meets the highest quality level possible," the release continued. "Once we have a confirmed date for PC, we'll be sure to update those players on our official channels. We appreciate your patience and look forward to seeing everyone on the Battlefield."

Titanfall will soon be updated, where we will see the first-person shooter include the ability to be played at 4K. Not only that, but Titanfall will finally support multi-GPU setups with NVIDIA GeForce GPUs.

NVIDIA's Manager of Developer Content and Technology, Ashu Rege, said: "Respawn will also release updates to support high-definition 4K display, and our SLI multi-GPU technology, for a fantastic high-end PC experience." Respawn and NVIDIA are also working together to see NVIDIA's GameWorks technologies built into the mech shooter.

This will see Titanfall include PhysX for clothing and destruction simulation, and VisualFX for hair, fire and liquid simulation. Not only that, but we'll also see Temporal anti-aliasing (TXAA), which will reduce screen flickering, and Horizon Based Ambient Occlusion+ (HBAO+) which will provide Titanfall with "more lifelike shadows."

Sony will soon be pushing out a new update for the PlayStation 4 which will allow PS4 owners to save screenshots and videos to a USB drive, as well as supporting HDMI video capture by offering the option to disable HDCP.

Future updates to Sony's next-gen console will improve Twitch streaming, too. The company has promised an HDCP off option since the PS4 launched in November last year, as the PS4 only outputs to HDMI, the presence of HDCP means that PS4 users could only capture video using the share button on the PS4 controller, uploading it to social media, or streaming it through Twitch.

The PS4 update will also add a new video editor, which will allow gamers to personalize their clips. From there, you can save clips and screenshots to a USB device, as well as the Share button on the PS4 controller. There will be other features rolled out with the new update according to Sony, one of which will be the ability to archive Twitch broadcasts at a resolution of 720p.

GDC 2014 - Massive Entertainment, the developer behind The Division, has shown off a new trailer for the game's engine, Snowdrop, which you can check out below.

It looks absolutely beautiful, one of the first games that truly looks next-gen. The team talks about how versatile Snowdrop is, and how great it is to develop with. The video shows off some bits where you can see it is quite like connecting Lego together, in terms of ease. The last time we saw The Division we thought it looked great, but this video is a big step up on that.

Remember, the team has said that The Division won't just be a port on the PC, but it will "stand out" on PC. Hopefully Massive keep to its word, and we don't see the game being scaled down in terms of graphics and features when it gets closer to release.

According to a GameSpot article and Polygon's sources, EA has just landed the deal for the sequel to Titanfall 2 from Respawn Entertainment. Polygon's sources have said that Titanfall 2 will this time around, not be exclusive to Microsoft platforms.

Titanfall, which was only released a couple of weeks ago, was exclusive to Microsoft platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC. An EA representative told Polygon that it wouldn't talk about the rumor, saying: "We do not comment on rumor or speculation. Right now all our focus is on supporting all the fans worldwide enjoying Titanfall."

Rewinding back to October, Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella tweeted that his company would eventually make games for the PS4, implying that Titanfall's exclusivity to Microsoft platforms was limited to just the first Titanfall. Hopefully we see this materialize into Respawn making Titanfall 2 for the PS4.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing was one of those games that gained massive popularity not only for its epic gameplay, but for its pricing point as well. When the game first released, NeoCore Games priced it at just $15 which was unheard of for a game of its caliber, and the company has done it again with the games sequel.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II is based on the same RPG game play type as the first, but features more character classes, multiplayer modes, and an overall more complex story line. With more than 250 unique weapon models, and over 1000 item types to collect, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II is a no brainer purchase at just $15 on Steam. I played through the closed beta some today and the game is quite fun and I lost track of time and spent about an hour in-game.

phDetails have emerged this morning on what could be Nintendo's next-gen console. The new rumors come from a website Gaminrealm, and states that the an industry insider gave them exacting specs on Nintendo's successor to its mediocre Wii U console. Please remember that all rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, especially when the rumor originated with unamed sources.

Nintendo is reportedly referencing the whole project under the name fusion, with the console being titled Fusion Terminal and the controller / handheld getting the Fusion DS moniker. The reports do state that Nintendo's R&D department would like to keep these names as they are exciting a fresh which could breath new life into a stale company. Oddly enough, the system will be based off of an IBM processor and an AMD GPU while the controller / handheld will be based on ARM Cortex-A8 architecture. The full list of specs have been copied below, but keep in mind that these could change at any moment, or could be completely different as we speak.

About a year ago, Electronic Arts launched SimCity to great fanfare, but just as quickly as the excitement grew, disappointment quickly took over as the game was plagued with weeks of issues surrounding its "always online" requirement. This method of DRM caused the game to crash frequently, and for some, made it impossible to play as firewall, network, and downstream issues prevented the game from authenticating. During this time, fan who paid more than $80 for the game begged EA to remove the online requirements, but the company never did.

Eventually the issues were resolved, but a call to remove the online requirement remained. Today EA has finally taken note of its customers cries and has issued an update that lets users play SimCity offline from any PC that it is installed on. Unfortunately, update 10 only allows the game to be played without an internet connection, users will still have to launch SimCity through Origin if they wish to play.

The new offline mode also allows players to create vast expanses of city's without worrying about neighbors ruining the cities they worked so hard to create. This also removes the threat of a bad server going down and destroying your city as well. EA has made no mention of user-created servers yet though, and that is likely a feature that will never see the light of day if recent EA titles are any indication.

Trading in video games is something most of us have done before, and until now, we have been limited to stores such as EB Games and Gamestop. Today that ends as Walmart has announced that it has began rolling out a new Video Game Trade-in program that will let customers trade in used video games and receive a Walmart gift-card in exchange. This means that customers can use the credit they received for the games on anything that Walmart sells, from food, to car tires and even clothing.

"Gaming continues to be an important business for us, and we're actively taking aim at the $2 billion preowned video game opportunity," said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart U.S. Walmart says that the gift-cards will be normal Walmart gift-cards that can be used at any Walmart, Neighborhood Market, or Sam's Club in the US, and that the program will be handled by the same company that oversees its smartphone and tablet buyback program that launched last fall.

Much like the trade-in programs at EB Games or GameStop, the value of used games will vary, with older, less popular games receiving the lowest trade-in value, and newer popular games earning as much $35 or more depending on the title. No word was given on if Consoles apply to the trade-in program as well, but it would be nice to see Walmart allowing consoles, accessories, and even game guides to be traded in. Walmart says that the trade-in program will be available at all of its stores by this fall.

Battlefield 4's upcoming expansion pack 'Dragon's Teeth' includes a two-handed ballistic shield, according to a GDC talk that was given by an EA DICE animator. The team was hoping to see gamers use the ballistic shield in the game, while shooting from behind it with various hand guns.

But, the team realized that the best way to deliver the bullet-stopping shield into the game was to make it two-handed, to provide teammates with a moveable piece of cover - something you can shoot with while using. The ballistic shield will be included with the Dragon's Teeth expansion that is expected to drop sometime in the summer.

There's not much known about the upcoming Dragon's Teeth, but it will be centered around urban warfare - and the awesome new ballistic shield. During the animation bootcamp talk "Using the Power of Layered Animation to Expand Premium Content in Battlefield 4," Senior Animator, Ryan Duffin, explained how the team tried different things with the shield, while using a hand gun. These approaches failed, as the team didn't have the time required to create needed for animation changes, or they were limited by the last generation consoles and their memory.

Some news broke a little earlier than it should, with Unity Technologies revealing its next iteration of its cross-platform game engine, known as Unity 5. The updated game engine has some new tricks up its sleeve, too.

The team has described Unity 5 as a "massive update," with the new engine featuring a "completely overhauled audio system," physical shaders and enhanced real-time lighting. The updated engine will also include an ad-sharing network that should make it easier for developers using Unity 5 to cross-promote their mobile games.

Unity Technologies is hoping to attract more developers, and praise, with its support for the WebGL graphics API. Unity 5 will be available for pre-order sometime today, directly from Unity Technologies.

Battlefield 4's upcoming Naval Strike DLC is one of the most anticipated expansion packs to hit the Battlefield franchise in quite some time now, mainly due to the return of "Titan Mode" in the form of a new mode called Carrier Assault. In this new game mode teams will be pitted against each other with one single goal, destroy the other teams aircraft carrier before they destroy yours.

In Carrier Assault, teams will need to take control of key points on the map that when captured, release a torrent of missile attacks on the rival teams aircraft carrier. Once enough of these missiles reach their target, the carrier will have suffered enough damage to allow enemies to breach its hull and enter the ship. Once the rival team has entered the carrier, the objective shifts to arming two M-Com stations placed within the carrier. When both M-Coms have been destroyed for either team, the round is over. Alternatively, users can continue the missile barrage and bring the ships hull health down to zero percent which also ends the match.

Watch Dogs is still a few months away, but now we know just how long people will be wandering around in the open-world title from Ubisoft if they plan on finishing the main story line: 35-40 hours.

The news comes from Jonathan Morin, Ubisoft Montreal's Creative Director. He tweeted a response to a question asking how big Watch Dogs is, story wise - as in the amount of hours required to complete the main story. Morin replied with: "I would say the average player which does free roam a bit tend to reach the end within 35-40h. But doing everything is close to 100h."

The last time we heard about Watch Dogs, was when we found out that it would be running at 1080p at 30FPS on the PS4, 960p at 30FPS on the Xbox One and on the PC, up to 4K and beyond with variable FPS. Watch Dogs is set for release on May 27, 2014.

The latest issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine revealed exclusive information such as gameplay detail and screenshots, including the new Batmobile design.

The game has a function where gamers will be able to call the Batmobile while gliding towards the spot you have chosen to land. All elements of the location can get affected when hit by the vehicle. You can drive through the city at high speeds, drifting around corners using boost function. Rocksteady Studios did not reveal any information regarding upgrades of the vehicle, if possible.

It is also being known that Batman can use some of his gadgets while gliding. When using gadgets in mid-air, it will trigger a slow-motion effect.

Sony PlayStation 4 was priced at CAD $400 since 4 months, but now the suggested retail price as increased to CAD $450 more from today onwards. Following the price hike on PS4 console, its accessories and games will also have a price bump in Canada. As of now, the reason for this price hike is uncertain whether its due to exchange rate or supply/demand issue.

Currently, the PS4 camera and DualShock 4 controller is priced for CAD $65, while upcoming titles Infamous: Second Son and MLB 14: The show will be sold for CAD $70 as opposed to CAD $ 60 which was typical pricing for gaming up to this point.

Sony made a vague statement that price changes were made to respond to the changes in the marketing environment. On November 15th, the console was priced for $400 in the US while it was priced for CAD $417 in Canada. Now, while its the same price quote in the US, the console is now sold at CAD $444. But Microsoft confirmed that the company has no plans to increase the price of Xbox One in Canada, which may indicate that Sony is trying to handle limited hardware supplies for consoles. Many large retailers in Canada have reported that Sony PlayStation 4 is out of stock since February.