Gaming News - Page 1851

RAGE has had its first patch and with it brings many, many bug fixes and improvements. Because RAGE changes the graphics quality on-the-fly to maintain that silky smooth 60fps, there are some hiccups. This is part of what has been addressed in the patch and the list of issues fixed is quite long.

Here is a list of Patch Changes / Fixes:

- Implemented workaround for AMD driver crash right after intro cinematic

Sony says that the time is still not right for download-only consoles that sell games exclusively through digital distribution systems, company bosses have said. This goes hand-in-hand with why there will be both physical and digital copies of games for their upcoming NGP, PlayStation Vita. Sony Worldwide Studios boss, Shuhei Yoshida, explained that Sony didn't believe Internet infrastructure was consistent enough across the world to support such a device.

We believe, for some consumers, the time is [right], but for other consumers, the time is still not [right]. So, we believe the time is still not right to go download-only as a platform. Some PS Vita titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, will be close to 4GB in size, which could be too large to download for consumers who do not have a fast broadband connection. Also, some consumers like shopping in retail stores, talking to knowledgeable store clerks, buying and playing games on the spot. We do not want to remove that capability from consumers.

SCEE boss, Jim Ryan agrees, saying that:

DICE have announced that the jet and vehicle-filled Caspian Border map has been unlocked in order for DICE to do some testing. The test is for PC gamers only as they are specifically testing the 64-player server configurations, as the console versions of Battlefield 3 only support 24 players. DICE have also reminded users that Battlefield 3 is still in beta, so any crashes, network instability and outages may occur.

DICE is taking this opportunity to fine tune its servers and says that your experience with the beta is not necessarily indicative of the final product. I played 4 hours of 64-player Caspian Border BF3 last night and let me just say the great words of our own Shane Baxtor here (and also, its his Birthday today!): NERDGASM. It is amazing. Absolutely beautiful. Breathtaking. The map is big, but small in areas for firefights. Vehicles help so much with the immersion and having jets flying over you at insane speeds just makes it feel like a literal Battlefield.

The scale of Caspian Border also makes for much more intense fights, and a change in scenery too. Just a little thing I thought I'd discuss. I was in a bit of the level where there's a two storey building, I walked up the stairs and there was a roof section you could access. As I walked up the stairs, the sunlight beamed down against the wall, which enlightened the wall and made it look really 'bright'. As I walked up to the wall and further up the stairs, that bright wall became duller... as I was engulfed in sunlight. The effect has to be seen in game to be believed, but the lighting part of the Frostbite 2 engine is absolutely, hands-down phenomenal.

Rockstar have confirmed that Red Dead Redemption won't be coming to the PC anytime soon. The hugely successful Western open-world game has been great on the console, but has been at a shoot-off with the PC with rumors of it hitting the PC for a while now shot down today. Rockstar have an interview with multiple gaming sites over the past few days for Max Payne 3 and had discussed L.A. Noire, MP3 and of course, Red Dead Redemption.

This is what Rockstar had to say:

We hope that with the announcement that L.A. Noire is coming to PC this fall, and the knowledge that our next big game Max Payne 3 will have a PC release (plus that we've released both Grand Theft Auto IV and the Episodes from Liberty City for PC), we can finally put to rest any misconceptions that we've 'abandoned the PC platform'. We do know that, yes, there is just one title absent from our PC release plans - that game of course being Red Dead Redemption, and of course we're well aware that some fans have been asking for it. All we can say is that whenever it is viable (technically, developmentally and business-wise) for us to release a game for PC (or any other particular platform) - we will and we usually do; unfortunately, that is just not the case 100% of the time for all platforms. To PC gamers, we hope that between the Grand Theft Auto titles, and the forthcoming L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3, you'll have plenty of great Rockstar action to enjoy.

Microsoft's next-generation console is not only long overdue, but has been rumored for a while now that it be unveiled at E3 2012. But, now we have the product logo in a trailer for Hugh Jackman's upcoming sci-fi robot fighting movie, Real Steel. The Xbox 720 logo is seen during a futuristic scene set in a sports arena, where it is a digital banner ad alongside other popular brands such as Cafillac, Budweiser and Coca Cola.

Microsoft has previously stated that the life-cycle of the current Xbox 360 would be 10 years, but we all know it needs to be much sooner than that. Considering that Real Steel takes place in 2020, it would make the next-generation console only five years old, and with a 10 year life-cycle, this would make sense. The fact that the logo is there at all, puts some validity to the rumors of not just a next-gen console from Microsoft, but to the name "Xbox 720".

I don't particular like the name, as it would seem as if it were held back to 1280x720p output, something like "Xbox Next" would be great. Ditch the numbers, but ditching the numbers would confuse the masses too... however, it has worked for Nintendo.

It was just yesterday I was posting about the negatively reviewed, RAGE from id Software, but today is another day and there are some things you can fix if you'd like to read below. RAGE suffers from tearing, massive texture pop-in, and just a total lack of graphical options to tweak and adjust. For the once great id Software to fall to their knees for some of that console pie... it's just very, sad.

But, if you've picked up the title and want to get things running smoother, there are some things you can do. First of all, if you're an AMD Radeon user, you can grab the latest RAGE-optimized Radeon drivers here. If you're an NVIDIA user, you can grab the green team Battlefield 3 driver (which also optimizes RAGE) if you click here.

There is no developer console by default, but if you'd like one... right click on RAGE in your library on Steam, click properties and select the launch options, then add "+set com_allowconsole 1" in the box. Note: This will take away your ability to gain achievements. Then, by pressing the tilde key like usual, the console can be launched. From the console you can then type "listcvars" or "listcmds" to see everything you're able to tweak.

Valve did promise to release free downloadable content for Portal 2 and have followed through with that promise today by releasing the new gear for Portal 2 across all platforms, PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The new DLC is called "Peer Review" and continues the co-op story as players navigate P-Body and Atlas through a fresh set of test chambers, which would have been constructed by the ever-so-evil AI, GLaDOS. The DLC also contains a single-player and co-op "Challenge Mode", as well as leaderboards to compare Challenge Mode scores with your friends.

There were a fair amount of complains with how short the campaign was in Portal 2, but this update (as well as future DLC) should help the community continue their fanboy love for Valve and Portal. Despite the complaints about the length of the game, the user score on Metacritic has actually improved over the last few months and the game has reportedly sold over two million copies. The fresh DLC is readily available and is free of charged on all supported platforms, even the PS3 and Xbox 360.

On top of the free DLC, Valve have also sliced Portal 2's price in half with a single copy of Portal 2 now available for just $14.99 and two-pack for just $27.49. A bundle pack of Portal 1 and 2 is going for a crazy $17.49, so if you haven't gotten yourself into Portal, now is a great time to do so!

NVIDIA are set to host the upcoming GeForce LAN 6 Gaming Event which will have a few celebrities included, such as NVIDIA CEO and can-of-whoop-ass-tattoo man himself, Jen-Hsun Huang as well as Battlefield 3's Lead Designer and Visual Architect, Johan Andersson who will be at GeForce LAN 6 to talk about the "making of" Battlefield 3. There will be plenty of contests, workshops and other goodies for attendees.

GeForce LAN 6 will be held between October 14 - 16, 2011 on the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet, in Alameda, California and will feature 48 hours of non-stop PC gaming, fun contests, amazing prizes and special stage presentations. For those who can't make it, NVIDIA will post video footage from the event on GeForceLAN.com.

NVIDIA CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang will open the even on Friday, October 14th at 6:00pm PT, providing an inside perspective on the exciting future of PC gaming. Andersson on the other hand, will share rare, behind-the-scenes info on the making of Battlefield 3. Throughout the event, gaming and technology companies will showcase their latest gear, and host insightful workshops to help gamers gear up their rigs for the ultimate gaming experience.

Four years of hype, all gone in a single day. Most reviews have not been that great for id Software's latest FPS offering, with reviews mixed at best. Most agree that Rage fails to deliver the goods, with most reviews saying its a shallow, corridor shooter with gaping craters in its story, dialog, quests and mechanics. Ars Technica does not hold back saying Rage is "creatively and mechanically bankrupt, it feels like a group of people had to create a game because they were under contract, not because they honestly enjoyed any aspect of their own creation".

Joystiq is just as harsh, being quoted:

RAGE is pretty at times, but it's not enough to paint over the truth -- that id's labor feels like a scaffolding for a game of bolder ideas, ideas which, for whatever reason, aren't realized. And the game that is there just isn't enough to compete with other, better shooters we've seen this year.

Battlelog is currently experiencing a love/hate relationship with gamers - some love it, some hate it. But the below trailer shows that there's more to Battlelog than just a server browser and front end. Battlelog expands on the franchise's history of stats tracking, combining it with new social networking features that look like they're ripped right out of Facebook. Another major benefit of Battlelog is that its free, absolutely free. Where the competition (Call of Duty) charges a monthly charge to use the "Elite" service.

Battlelog displays so many options its hard to list them all here, but stand-out displays show different stats on weapons, accuracy, awards, time spent on weapons, win/loss ratios, you're able to comment on games after you've played them (great feature!) which makes Battlelog a serious addition to the Battlefield 3 universe. Battlelog can be used on not only the PC, but consoles and even mobile devices.

Leaderboards can also be looked at, and you can option it so your leaderboard only shows your friends - so you can see who really rules the Battlefield. DICE have supplied the tools to expand the franchise itself, and keep users constantly trying to out-do each other.