Gaming - Page 565

Seven years ago, Valve had a handful of interesting projects in the works including their very own spin on The Elder Scrolls.

Back in 2013, Valve was working on an experimental RPG built with its Source 2 engine. The project was internally codenamed "RPG" and took direct inspiration from role-playing greats like Monster Hunter, Dark Souls, and Elder Scrolls.

From the sound of it, the RPG would've have a grand fantasy scope with emphasis on action RPG combat. The details come from Geoff Keighley's new Valve documentary on Steam that spilled the beans on early Half-Life 3 concepts and the cancelled Left 4 Dead 3 project set in Morocco.

Back in 2013, Valve was working on Left 4 Dead 3 alongside a myriad of other projects--including a unique Half-Life 3 idea. But the game ultimately fizzled out due to a fledgling Source 2 engine that simply wasn't ready. Now Valve opens up on what Left 4 Dead 3 looked like back then, and discusses why the game wasn't ever released.

We know Valve was making Left 4 Dead 3 at some point--the leaked concept art and environments prove as much--but we don't actually know much about the project except it was set in Morocco and had new 8 heroes total, including four new ones.Until now, that is.

Geoff Keighley's new Half-Life: Alyx the Final Hours documentary delves into some of Valve's cancelled projects, including Left 4 Dead 3. The zombie shooter would've been quite ambitious and had an open-world focus set in the sandy environs of Morocco. Back in January, Valve said it wasn't working on Left 4 Dead 3, which was technically true at the time.

Crytek has pulled the bigger bait and switch on Crysis fans, after teasing that Crysis Remastered was right around the corner -- and then going Maximum Stealth, and pulling the release.

It all happened because the gaming and tech media as well as gamers themselves, were not happy with what was shown off in the early leaked footage of Crysis Remastered. The developer pulled the release within an hour of revealing it (not a good move by Crytek) yet... the Nintendo Switch version is still launching on July 23.

The official Crysis Twitter account tweeted out: "Crysis Fans, You may have seen our last update about the Crysis Remastered release, and we have good news for you: We can confirm that Crysis will still be coming to Nintendo Switch on July 23rd! Watch this space for further updates".

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Xbox boss Phil Spencer says next-gen exclusives basically go against the spirit of modern choice-driven gaming. But in reality next-gen exclusives just go against the Xbox business model.

Once again Microsoft and Sony are kicking off a new console gen by doing very different things. Sony plans to release next-gen PlayStation 5 exclusives that're built from the ground up specifically for the console. Microsoft, on the other hand, won't have Xbox Series X exclusives, and its first-party teams have to make their games playable on four separate SKUs at launch. The reasoning is quite simple: Microsoft's business model is very different than Sony's.

"Sorry, I am a bit soap boxy with this one. Gaming is about entertainment and community and diversion and learning new stories and new perspectives, and I find it completely counter to what gaming is about to say that part of that is to lock people away from being able to experience those games. Or to force someone to buy my specific device on the day that I want them to go buy it, in order to partake in what gaming is about," Spencer said.

NVIDIA has just announced that it is bundling Hideo Kojima's masterpiece Death Stranding, with any of its GeForce RTX 20 series graphics cards.

This includes desktop graphics cards and GeForce RTX-powered gaming laptops and desktops as well, with Death Stranding launching on the PC on both Steam and the Epic Games Store on July 14. Remember that Death Stranding packs NVIDIA's kick ass DLSS 2.0 technology.

To coincide with the announcement of the Death Stranding RTX bundle, NVIDIA released a new GeForce Game Ready 451.67 driver that has optimizations and support not just for Death Stranding, but Horizon Zero Dawn and F1 2020.

2013 was a big year for Valve. The company had three projects in experimental phases: A new fantasy RPG, a Morroccan-themed Left 4 Dead 3 set in a vast open world, and a Source 2 project that could've changed gaming forever. That last project was Half-Life 3.

Even in early phases of development Valve had ambitious plans for Half-Life 3. According to a new Half-Life: Alyx The Final Hours documentary, Valve wanted Half-Life 3 to be replayable on a new level. Instead of static levels like Half-Life 1 or Half-Life 2, the game would shake things up and shift certain sequences and levels.

The game would've used procedural generation to create unique and semi-randomized events and situations that could liven up every playthrough, ensuring no two runs were the same. It would've been something like a live campaign with a myriad of different outcomes.

Sony's latest patent further hints at unique save-state sharing functionalities on the PlayStation Network, which should allow gamers to create and share their own custom slices of gameplay.

Sony's PlayStation 5 may usher in a new evolution of the PSN service ecosystem. We've uncovered multiple patents that hint at transformative features similar to Google's Stadia platform and Microsoft's Project xCloud. If these patents coalesce, gamers will be able to capture, create, edit and share custom game demos. Think of it as not only watching a game clip, but being able to play it too.

The latest Sony patent, which was filed in June and published this month, specifically mentions instant play. The patent is built on a simple premise: "cloud-based game slice generation and frictionless social sharing with instant play." This tells us everything we need to know. It's clear Sony wants to emulate Stadia's unique save-state sharing feature with instant click-to-play access. Microsoft is also doing something similar with Project xCloud.

Sony has purchased a $250 million minority stake in billion-dollar titan Epic Games, the company today announced.

Sony has invested $250 million into Epic Games in a bid to strengthen its relationship with one of gaming's top moneymakers. The deal isn't just about swelling Sony's coffers, though. Epic has unique technological advantages in the industry thanks to its Unreal Engine games-making software.

For perspective's sake, the $250 million investment only nets Sony a 1.5% stake in Epic, which is now valued at over $17 billion.

Sony officially reveals the design and color scheme of next-gen PS5 game boxes, and they're not radically different.

The PS5's game cases will be different enough to distinguish between current- and next-gen games, but Sony hasn't opted for a dramatic redesign. The PS5 game cases feature a slightly darker transparent blue plastic casing, and the game cover art is accompanied by a stark white banner instead of the PS4's stylish blue gradient.

New job listings confirm Id Software is currently working on a next-gen Doom game for PS5 and Xbox Series X.

id's main Dallas, Texas branch is currently hiring multiple positions to work on a next-gen game, and we're betting it's the next big Doom slaughterfest. id is currently hiring for 21 open positions required for making a AAA game, but only a few of them explicitly mention next-gen consoles.

Both the Senior UI Programmer and Senior Rendering Graphics Programmer jobs specifically mention creating games for next-gen systems.

PC gamers across the world might be stuck inside because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are doing what we do best: gaming. The entire global PC gaming hardware business has been thriving because of this -- as well as the countless releases of new games, and the upcoming next-gen consoles right around the corner.

Analyst firm JPR has released their Worldwide PC Gaming Hardware Market Report, which if you want to buy it and check it out will cost $27,500. The report is written by Senior Analyst Gaming Industry at JPR, Ted Pollak, who explains: "The PC Gaming Hardware market is in a rare scenario where every segment is going up. We see a lot of people buying and upgrading personal and company subsidized computers with better parts, with the intention of playing video games. In the Entry-Level, much of this revenue comes from new gamers".

He added: "The 2020 Entry-Level category is forecast to grow 21.7% which is unprecedented and totally unexpected. The Mid-Range has bounced back from a slide; now in positive territory. At the High-End, 1440p+ display sales (spurred by more affordable offerings) created a chain reaction of upgrades as gamers configure rigs for 60+ frames per second".

It's been a while since we've gotten big Switch Online NES and SNES games. Thankfully Nintendo breaks the dry spell with one of the best SNES games of all time.

With its new round of free games like Donkey Kong Country (finally!), The Immortal, and Natsume Championship Wrestling, Nintendo makes good on its promise to add more value to its Switch Online subscription service. The main draw here is obviously Donkey Kong Country, aka the stuff childhood dreams (and nightmares, god that stop and go level has haunted me to this day) are made of.

The Immortal looks pretty interesting too. It's an isometric exploration game that can be pretty maddening, but still looks like a bit of fun entertainment, especially with save states at your command. Check out this James and Mike Mondays episode to see what The Immortal is all about.

Niantic's immensely popular AR sensation Pokemon GO has generated nearly $1 billion in revenue every year for the last four years, Sensor Tower reports.

Pokemon GO just turned four years old but the mobile hit shows no signs of stopping. The free-to-play game has earned substantial revenues of $3.6 billion in estimated microtransaction spending across its four-year lifetime. The game is most popular in the United States, which spent $1.3 billion on the game, making up roughly 35% of total global earnings.

The pocket monster mobile hit is most popular on Android devices, Sensor Tower finds. Google Play generated $1.9 billion or 54% of total earnings, whereas the iOS App Store pulled in $1.7 billion, or about 46% of the mobile pie. Pokemon GO's 2020 numbers are on track to match or even beat 2019's performance with over $445 million earned through the year so far.

Sony hasn't thrown all of its next-gen cards on the table, and reportedly still has a few PS5 surprises in store for the rest of the year.

According to new reports from Eurogamer's Tom Phillips, Sony has held back some of its major game reveals for its rumored State of Play event in August. Phillips has a close ear with the going-ons in the games industry and has a good track record when it comes to inside knowledge--he was among the first to cover Nintendo Switch specs and hardware capabilities.

The move admittedly is common sense. Sony wouldn't benefit from showing everything at a singular PS5 reveal event. The better plan would be to show off the PS5, its games, and do some light talks about how the games will run and play on the system, then reveal more content, games, and features closer to the system's launch. That way the console is kind of refreshed in the public's eye before it hits store shelves in Holiday 2020.

Valorant's new Elderflame cosmetic skin set costs roughly $95 to unlock, which is roughly $31 more than current AAA game releases.

Like all of Riot's games, its new free-to-play hero shooter was built with microtransactions in mind. Now we're starting to see the upper limits of the game's monetization. The devs have announced a new Elderflame cosmetic set that transforms your guns into dragons, but the full set of unique skins come at a steep 9900 VP price tag. This equates to roughly $95 or thereabouts, or about 48% more than your average $59.99 game plus tax.

Given the current VP pricing tiers, the cheapest way to buy the Elderflame set would look something like this:

Microsoft may give developers tons of freedom in how they handle next-gen Xbox Series X optimizations, but there's one thing they forbid: charging money for next-gen game upgrades.

Internal Microsoft mandates prohibit game developers and publishers from selling game upgrades on the Xbox Series X platform, sources tell Video Game Chronicle. Instead of treating current-gen game upgrades as premium DLC on next-gen consoles, Microsoft is encouraging developers to support its Smart Delivery program, which automatically selects, downloads, and applies any developer-issued next-gen game upgrades.

Third-party games-makers have two options for cross-gen transitional games. First, they can support Smart Delivery, or second, they can release a separate next-gen exclusive SKU of the game. There's lots of wiggle room here. 2K Games, for example, is releasing a $69.99 next-gen exclusive version of NBA 2K21. EA is also releasing next-gen exclusive versions of FIFA 21 and Madden 21, but these games have a new program called Dual Entitlement, which gives a free copy of the next-gen version to anyone who buys a PS4 or Xbox One copy.

The new game from Greedfall developer Spiders Studios is extremely unique and lays out an interesting proposition: What if King Louis XVI quelled the French Revolution with an army of robots?

Spiders' new game Steelrising is rather interesting. It takes place in 18th Century France just before the disastrous and brutal French Revolution tore down the monarchy. King Louis XVI is in power and plans to smash any opposition with his brutal new mech army. Spiders says Steelrising is more action-oriented than Greedfall, Technomancer, or Bound By Flame, but didn't show any actual gameplay. It's possible this could be a very NieR-esque game that's cemented in the studio's native history.

In Steelrising, you play as Aegis, a powerful female automaton who serves as the personal protector of Queen Mary Antoinette. The teaser clearly shows Aegis as she leads a charge against corrupted robots. We should expect themes of transhumanism as well as Detroit: Become Human-style existential moments.

THQ Nordic is far from done with the Kingdoms of Amalur IP, and plans to launch new expansion content for the 2012 game. This could lay the groundwork for a big new sequel.

Kingdoms of Amalur is getting a remaster re-release in the next two months on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The remaster packs in new graphics, effects, and improvements to the old-school RPG classic. It also sends a clear signal that THQ Nordic wants to capitalize on the IP, which isn't necessarily something that it does for all of the franchises it owns. But Kingdoms of Amalur isn't just getting a remaster--it's also getting a new expansion.

The next expansion is called Fatesworn, and it's due out in 2021 on all platforms. It'll be a paid and premium-style expansion, and could telegraph THQ Nordic's plans for the series. When games are resurrected like this, we often see devs work on expansions, DLC, or spin-offs to get developers back into the groove and help set up the story and tone for a sequel. Just look at what Valve did with Half-Life: Alyx, for example.

The upcoming Mafia Definitive Edition remake is being pushed back a month to September 25 in order to ensure the game looks and plays as good as possible, developer Hangar 13 today announced.

There's remakes, and then there's the Mafia Definitive Edition. Hangar 13 has completely revitalized the 2002 PS2 original with mindblowing visuals and effects befit of modern platforms, complete with new animations, higher-end textures, and an improved physics system.

It looks so impressive that it could be a next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X game. But this kind of quality comes at a cost, and sometimes delays a part of the process, especially when your work is being interrupted by a global pandemic.

Halo 3 is coming to the Master Chief Collection on PC next week on July 14, 2020, Microsoft today announced.

On July 14, the Master Chief Collection gets one step closer to full completion on PC. Armed with 24 multiplayer maps, fully remastered graphics, a sprawling campaign (with a brand new jetpack skull), and higher-end PC optimizations like uncapped frame rates and 4K 60FPS, Halo 3 scratches that nostalgia itch while also giving PC players their first chance to jump in and finish the fight. Full cross-play between Steam and Windows Store buyers ensures there's also someone to play with or play against.

Halo 3 also launches with the hugely anticipated Forge mode, which of course needs no introduction. Expect tons of customs chicanery on a level we've never seen before. Forge is also coming to Halo: Reach and Halo 2: Anniversary, too. Theater is also dropping so you can capture your highlights.