Gaming News - Page 1615
Diablo II is getting a new patch, after nearly 16 years
Sometimes even older games need some love from the original developer. Diablo II is getting just that with a new update. Though 16 years old, it was actually last updated in 2011 with varaious fixes that made it more reliable on modern systems.
This update, version 1.14a happens to concentrate on fixing even more glitches and bugs that might have made it completely unplayable on any modern PC or Mac. And, they say you can finally move onto a modern Mac, just in case you've been saving that PowerPC based one just for Diablo II.
They're also hard at work looking to catch up on preventing new and improved hacks and cheats from ruining the game. But that's an ever evolving project and they'll have a good solution soon.
Continue reading: Diablo II is getting a new patch, after nearly 16 years (full post)
Elite: Dangerous is an Oculus Rift launch title, coming March 28th
Oculus has announced that one of their launch titles is going to be the very fine Internet spaceship simulation game, Elite: Dangerous. That means the game will support the latest Oculus SDK when the headset releases at the end of the month.
Elite: Dangerous is a game that had a VR experience at the heart of it from the very beginning. It's a natural fit for a simulator to be able to move your head around and, at least, track targets, and even interact with menus that'll light up when you look at where they'll be. It's a natural fit, and it already had Oculus support when the DK 1 was released what seems so long ago. This means it'll have underlying support for the latest SDK.
This'll be a natural fit for the release of the Oculus Rift which is happening on March 28th. The $600 price tag for the consumer version of the Rift might seem prohibitive, but it compares to the cost of a good gaming monitor that might be bought instead, though offering a far different and potentially better experience. Just make sure you have a PC that's up to snuff to play Elite: Dangerous in VR, with it's more intense processing requirements.
Continue reading: Elite: Dangerous is an Oculus Rift launch title, coming March 28th (full post)
Mirror's Edge Catalyst developer diary details Faith's new adventure
Mirror's Edge Catalyst is shaping up nicely, with EA sharing a new developer diary on the game recently, detailing the reasoning behind Catalyst featuring no weapons, and how gameplay connects with the music dynamically, as well as how the movement in the game has changed from Mirror's Edge.
The developer diary video also tackles the combat in Mirror's Edge Catalyst, as well as the free roaming side of City of Glass. The fluid movement in Catalyst, mixed with the first-person combat create an experience that's different to traditional games - something that will be amplified by the dynamic audio. During the DICE art panel at the National Museum in Stockholm, Mirror's Edge Catalyst's concept artist, Per Haagensen explained that the team wanted to show off "her skill, confidence and attitude in a dynamic manner, without her looking like a martial artist or super hero".
He continued: "When I set out to sculpt her for the Key Art, aside from the realistic aspects of her appearance, more than anything it was to convey the pose with enough action, tension, and interest to make the audience curious about who this person is". Haagensen continued, saying that DICE wanted Faith to look "more mature" than she did in the first game. He finished off by saying: "She also needs to appear more mature than in the first game, so there was some work on getting a focused look on her face, maybe even some concern about the situation she is in".
Continue reading: Mirror's Edge Catalyst developer diary details Faith's new adventure (full post)
Cyberpunk 2077 is 'bigger, better, more revolutionary' than Witcher 3
CD Projekt RED promises that Cyberpunk 2077 is going to eclipse The Witcher 3 in every possible way--a feat we didn't know was possible.
Cyberpunk 2077 is the most ambitious project that the Polish devs have ever taken on, and CDPR has taken many opportunities to open up about the game's depth. At a recent earnings meeting, company president Adam Kicinski and studio head Adam Badowski said that Cyberpunk 2077 will be "even better, even bigger, even more revolutionary" than The Witcher 3.
All of that effort will take time, however, and Badowski says that the studio still has "a lot of work to do", and Cyberpunk 2077 is "still a long ways away from the premiere". CDPR is taking their time to make the game as amazing as possible, stating that the darkly futuristic game will be absolutely huge and push the bar even higher.
Continue reading: Cyberpunk 2077 is 'bigger, better, more revolutionary' than Witcher 3 (full post)
Nintendo explains why only the New 3DS can play SNES games
It was a bit concerning when it was annoucned that only the newest of Nintendo's 3DS models could support playing SNES games through the Virtual Console, but apparantly there's a really good reason for this.
And those reasons are technical in nature. The CPU, though only slightly less powerful than the new 3DS, just isn't quite powerful enough to actually handle SNES games at all. Those games are emulated using a Perfect-Pixel mode which allows you to play them at the original resolution that they were made in, which theoretically shouldn't be such a technical hurdle. But with the added overhead of emulation in an already limited environment, that just adds to the processing requirements, making it a bit more difficult.
But then, perhaps it's that they don't want to compromise on the experience that users would have. Why let the original 3DS users play it with a horrible experiences, because that would only lead to accusations of "unoptimized" games and poor development when in fact RAM might be limited by just enough to make a substantial difference, or that one more usable core is needed to make it run at the original framerate, and not a frame below. In retrospect, it's not really a bad idea to limit it if you want your customers to actually enjoy the experience and not complain too much.
Continue reading: Nintendo explains why only the New 3DS can play SNES games (full post)
CD Projekt RED will release Cyberpunk 2077 and another AAA RPG by 2021
Not content with having totally redefined the RPG genre with The Witcher 3, CD Projekt RED is already laying out its plans for the future of RPG greatness.
In a recent earnings call, company president Adam Kicinski highlighted CDPR's development strategy for 2017-2021. This multi-year roadmap not only includes the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, but also a brand new unannounced AAA RPG whose details are pretty much unknown.
Since the timeline is a full eight years after the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, listeners speculated that CDPR's new AAA RPG could be for the upcoming next-generation PlayStation 4 and Xbox Two consoles. Kicinski wasn't able to comment on this, saying that the plans of new consoles are "closely guarded secrets", and that he had no clue what Sony or Microsoft are planning.
Continue reading: CD Projekt RED will release Cyberpunk 2077 and another AAA RPG by 2021 (full post)
CD Projekt RED teases new 'experimental' game for 2016
When the minds behind The Witcher 3 says they're working on a project that "no one else has done before", we can only imagine what kind of awesomeness the studio is cooking up.
During CD Projekt RED's financial earnings call, company Adam Kicinski revealed that the Polish dev team will release a brand new game in 2016, and it'll be completely different than anything we've seen so far. Presentation slides reveal that the new game will be "a new type of video game format previously unexplored by the studio".
Kicinski didn't deliver concrete info, but teased that the new game will be "experimental", and it'll be something "no one else has done before". The Witcher 3's second Blood and Wine expansion is still on track to release this year, and will be the last of Geralt's adventures.
Continue reading: CD Projekt RED teases new 'experimental' game for 2016 (full post)
We should expect 'something new' from the Legend of Zelda on Wii U
The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U was one of the most anticipated games of 2015, and now it retains that status for 2016. The producer for the game, Eiki Aonuma, says we should expect something new compared to the previous games, maybe even something more mature than we're used to.
In the latest issue of Famitsu, the producer was excited to report that progress for the game has been very good, and that the whole game is taking shape very well. He likens the change to how different The Ocarina of Time was compared to A Link to the Past on the SNES. It was dramatic, but it was also quite enjoyable. He even hinted at seeing a possible western influence to shake up the franchise.
He emphasized that we should look forward to what he has in store for us, that the differences will be good for Link and Zelda. "Perhaps, players will be surprised. Please look forward to it, because I think we'll be able to make 'something new' like Ocarina of Time was." Aonuma said to Famitsu.
Continue reading: We should expect 'something new' from the Legend of Zelda on Wii U (full post)
Fallout 4 patch 1.4 brings a lot of great fixes to consoles today
The consoles seem to get patches a little later than the PC with Fallout 4, but that's not a bad thing at all, it just means further time for refinement and optimizations. Right? This patch, 1.4 is a big one and it has a lot of changes, specifically those that'll help to add support for add-ons and mods that'll be coming later on.
The list of fixes and additions is quite long with more metal and wood door variants to choose from when looking to create the perfect settlement, more signs to put up to confuse yourself and others and more clutter. But the important part is the support for future mods, something that consoles haven't been able to enjoy as much as their PC brethren.
The long list of what the patch brings can be found right here, and we'll be updating this if there's anything specific to the consoles that isn't quite listed in that list.
Continue reading: Fallout 4 patch 1.4 brings a lot of great fixes to consoles today (full post)
Dead Island 2 development no longer dead, Sumo Digital to save it
Things are looking up for the future of Dead Island 2. Sumo Digital has agreed to take up the project and continue development where it left off.
The publisher, Deep Silver, was left without a proper developer once they officially parted ways with Yager, who was contracted to create the game. That left an IP without a proper home. But now they plan on partnering with a company that Deep Silver believes understands the brand better and has the creative foresight to fully realize the idea.
Sumo Digital is a very well renowned developer, having exclusively created LittleBigPlanet 3 and helped a number of other developers realize high-end and complex projects, such as Crackdown and Disney Infinity 3.0. And because of their achievements, Deep Silver is incredibly excited about their partnership.
Continue reading: Dead Island 2 development no longer dead, Sumo Digital to save it (full post)