Gaming - Page 796

Epic Games has just secured itself a huge $1.25 billion in a new round of funding, which makes a whole lot of sense given the mega success of Fortnite.

Don't forget the bread and butter of Epic in its Unreal Engine, which is used in countless games from small indie ones to massive AAA titles. Unreal Engine was released over 20 years ago now, and thanks to its massive success Epic have continued to make it cheaper for game developers to use Unreal Engine in their games.

The latest round of funding hit $1.25 billion in a round that included KKR, Iconiq Capital, Smash Ventures,Vulcan Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Lightspeed Venture Partners. These new investors are joining a pool of massive companies that have invested into Epic Games, with names like Tencent and Disney just to name a few. This means that Epic is now valued at nearly $15 billion. That's a lot of zeroes.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is now in gamers hands with reviewers calling it one of the best games ever made, but how does it run on both the Xbox and PlayStation consoles? Well, if you want the best you'll buy the Xbox One X, that's for sure.

The best console to play RDR 2 on is the beefed up Xbox One X which runs the game at native 4K at a "near-locked" 30FPS. Sony's best PS4 Pro renders Red Dead Redemption at 1920x2160 and with the PS4 Pro's internal image reconstruction techniques is scaled up to 4K. The normal PS4 runs the game at 1080p, while the Xbox One renders at 864p.

Rockstar has put in some serious work into the engine for Red Dead Redemption 2 where all four consoles don't dynamically change the resolution during gameplay, so they're all locked resolutions. Digital Foundry add that the additional eye candy on the Xbox One X version of the game doesn't reduce performance at all, where it's at a near-locked 30FPS in virtually all parts of the game.

Battlefield V's cosmetic microtransactions won't be available at launch and will instead roll out post-release.

As is the case with most big EA games, Battlefield V was built from the ground up with an online monetization system in mind. EA makes billions from monetizing its strong the engagement strategy across its games, which typically sees optional microtransactions that pay for free content updates. While EA has changed tact with Battlefield V by offering cosmetic-only microtransactions instead of randomized lootboxes or pay-to-win schemes, the game's Company system offers lots of opportunities for customization and should ensure a long tail for engagement.

Battlefield V will eventually have two kinds of currency: one you pay for and one you earn by playing. Sweat currency, aka Company Coin, is earned by completing objectives, daily missions, challenges, etc. Battlefield Currency will be sold for real money and represents the premium option that allows gamers to outright buy customizations and cosmetic gear. Players won't actually be able to spend cash on microtransactions at launch, DICE confirms, which is surprising given EA typically likes to monetize right out of the gate.

Bethesda just released a new live-action trailer for Fallout 76 to get gamers hyped for irradiated Appalachia.

Although Fallout 76 looks like a mixture between tension and tedium, I have no doubts the game will continually evolve into something great. As an online game it's imperative that multiplayer interactivity is a focus, but it's not the sole focus: Fallout 76 can be played solo the entire time if you so choose. The real magic is how you play with other people though, and that could mean lots of things.

The new live-action trailer shows gamers questing with their friends in humorous fashion, and while it's entirely fake and dramatized like Sony's Greatness Awaits trailers, there's that air of camaraderie that binds players to social online games. There's a lot to do in nuked West Virginia after all--it's only the largest playable landmass Bethesda Game Studios has ever made--including hunting, scavenging, PVP action, building, and questing...so why not bring a friend or two along for the ride?

No Man's Sky channels Subnautica with its big new undersea-themed content update.

Hello Games today announced No Man's Sky Abyss, a massive new content drop that takes the space sim to the sunken depths of alien planets. The update adds stylish submarines and scuba-craft straight out of a John Berkey illustration, blending that 1970s sci-futurism with classic aquanaut visuals. Abyss brings a host of new things to do in No Man's Sky, including traversing the deep in search of ancient alien treasures across sunken cities, collecting new materials for crafting, building undersea bases.

Abyss will also have "abyssal horrors" that scour the dark waters (feeling some serious R'lyeh vibes here) along with a ton of fish and aquatic creatures to uncover and take on. A new string of story missions will take us into these weird aquatic realms in search of secrets and strange new relics. At it's core, though, Abyss is basically a more dynamic underwater version of No Man's Sky's planet exploration.

Sony's new $100 PlayStation Classic will ship with 20 old-school PS1 games, but the list could be a lot better.

Today Sony announced the full list of games that will come pre-loaded on its new PlayStation Classic micro-console. Honestly the list isn't all that impressive. While it does include greats like Metal Gear Solid, Tekken 3, Wild Arms, and Final Fantasy VII, there's a lot of key PS1 titles missing (a slew of Final Fantasy games, for instance).

I'd personally like to see games like Diablo and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the list, but the 20-strong lineup won't change before or after the console ships on December 3. Remember the PS Classic can't connect to the internet to download any new games--it's just a micro-console not unlike the SNES Classic Edition.

We've just started our Red Dead Redemption 2 playthrough, but we've uncovered some useful tips in our journey across Rockstar's incredible world.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is quite possibly the most realistic and nuance-layered game I've ever played. It's a game where experimentation and memory are key, and it often rewards you for finding new things. Everything's logical and follows real life in many ways, but there's a steep learning curve that requires you to apply trial and error. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you along your way.

The following subjects are covered in this mini-guide:

During an auction on the Japanese Yahoo auction site, an early concept prototype for the Nintendo Wii Remote was revealed, it eventually sold for a whopping $661 USD.

From the images provided, we can see that the early prototype model looks almost identical to that of the officially released Nintendo Wii Remote. Most interestingly though, the early prototype model has a GameCube connector located at the end of the cord and an Ethernet port at the base of the remote. The Ethernet port isn't actually used for an internet connection, it is instead placed there for the Nunchuk.

The prototype models appear to be much more of a gray when compared to the released Nintendo Wii model. Within the auction bundle there was also an early version of the Wii's sensor bar, from the images we can see that the sensor bar's connector was designed to fit into the GameCube's memory card slot. WayForward game developer, James Montagna confirmed on Twitter that he remembers seeing the early Wii Remote and Nunchuck "back when it was still known as the Nintendo Revolution!" The bundle sold for 74,000 yen which is equivalent to about $661 USD.

Blizzard has taken to their website to introduce a brand new app for Blizzard Esports franchises, fans can now download the Battle.net Mobile app on Android and iOS.

The announcement on the website is short and sweet, Blizzard detail that the app will provide fans with information such as "the latest content, scores, schedules, and more for Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch*, StarCraft, StarCraft II, and World of Warcraft esports"

Fans that choose to download the app will receive push notifications for all the content they choose to follow. Notifications will appear when events go live, matches begin and anything else that is of important relevance. It should be noted that at the moment the app is "not including Overwatch League at this time." This of course will be subject to change as Blizzard gives the finishing polish to the new app. If you want to download the app, the links for the Android version can be found here and the iOS version can be found here.

Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for Soulcalibur VI, the new trailer introduces and showcases the very popular NieR: Automata character, 2B.

For those that don't know, 2B is the main protagonist in Square Enix and Platinum Games' NieR: Automata. 2B is a YoRHa android and was created to fight and destroy the machine invaders that have come to earth. Looking towards the trailer now, we can see 2B using a variety of moves both throughout the air and also on the ground, she is of course equipped with her dual blades Virtuous Contract and Virtuous Treaty.

According to the announcement, 2B will be coming to Soulcalibur VI with her own stage and background music as well. If you aren't caught up on the Soulcalibur VI news, check out every character trailer for the game here. If you want a bit of background knowledge on the recently released title, check out the Swords and Souls documentary video here. Soulcalibur VI is currently available on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

When you think of popular Nintendo Switch ports, there is no doubt that big titles such as Bethesda's Skyrim, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and DOOM come to mind. Unfortunately, Fallout 76 will not be joining this list.

The news has been sourced from PAX Australia, where Bethesda's executive of marking, Pete Hines said that a Fallout 76 Nintendo Switch port simply "wasn't doable." Despite the lack of a Fallout 76 port, Hines explains this does not shake the developers support for the handheld console, "The Switch is something I can say with certainty that it's a part of every conversation with every dev we have now about what we're doing going forward because we consider it to be a viable platform"

Hines continues to explain that he enjoys putting titles on the Switch and that he wants Bethesda to be known as the company that takes some risks when debuting titles to specific platforms. He also explains that if a title can be playable on a platform then the company's goal is to bring it to that platform. "If the game will work on it, we want it to be on every platform possible. Fallout 76 is not because it just wasn't doable."

A recent Twitter announcement from the ARK Twitter account has revealed the Nintendo Switch release date for ARK: Survival Evolved.

ARK: Survival Evolved developer, Studio Wildcard will be debuting the dinosaur taming title to the Nintendo Switch this November. In wake of the announcement, a Nintendo Switch trailer has been released onto the ARK YouTube Channel, the trailer shows a man represented as the player waking up on the island and constructing weapons, buildings and attempting to hunt dinosaurs.

We also get a quick look at some gameplay of ARK on the handheld console, we see the player fighting off a T-Rex, swimming underwater battling a shark, small villages, dinosaur riding and more. ARK: Survival Evolved is planned for release on the Nintendo Switch November 30. Within the entirety of this post is a short description of ARK: Survival Evolved, for more information about the title, visit the ARK website here.

Red Dead Redemption 2 just launched on PS4 and Xbox One, and analyst firm Piper Jaffray expects decent numbers from the Western's opening weekend.

Rockstar's new outlaw survival sim is being hailed as a masterpiece across the press and sits at a high 97 on Metacritic. This huge acclaim alongside months of buzz and huge GTA renown could translate to big opening weekend sales of up to 8 million copies, analyst firm Piper Jaffray predicts, putting Red Dead Redemption 2 close to Black Ops 4's opening $500 million sales.

The analyst group previously predicted Red Dead Redemption 2's five-month sales would hit up to 17.1 million, with a 15 million average. These sales would be accrued up until Take-Two's FY2019 timeline ends on March 31, 2019. Investors are more bullish on RDR2's sales and hope to see anywhere from 18-20 million copies sold throughout the span.

In a bid to diversify its revenue streams and supplement new HD games, Capcom plans to port and re-release three classic Resident Evil games on the Nintendo Switch.

The Nintendo Switch's growing 20 million install base makes it an attractive platform for re-releases. The device is a veritable shrine to yesteryear indies, ports, and remasters (all of which are being re-sold at full MSRP mind you), and this trend will carry on with Capcom's launch of Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, and Resident Evil 4 on the platform.

Capcom made the announcement on Twitter and confirmed a 2019 release for the trio. We could see a collection or a piecemeal launch (likely the latter for maximum earnings), but this shouldn't be the last series of Switch re-releases we see from Capcom (or anyone else for that matter).

Red Dead Redemption 2's new multiplayer mode could feature seamlessly-blended PVE alongside a remix of GTA Online's Adversary Modes.

RDR2 just launched on consoles, but lots of nifty potential news is being gleaned from the mobile companion app about the Western's future content. Sources tell Rockstar Intel that Red Dead Online, the game's post-release online component, will mirror Grand Theft Auto Online in a few key ways. Adversary Modes are returning, datamined code from the companion app suggests, alongside private game sessions and what's referred to as "seamless PVE".

This shouldn't be a surprise given Rockstar's monumental success with GTA Online. We should see Red Dead Online take queues from GTA V's huge money-making mode--namely with microtransaction systems and engagement-driven events--to ensure familiarity. At the same time though Rockstar says Red Dead Online will have emphasis on co-op and story-driven elements set in the 1899 American Frontier.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is currently only available for consoles, but this will likely change in the near-ish future. Although Rockstar has yet to confirm a PC release, there's been more than a few clues popping up.

Datamined info gleaned from the official Red Dead Redemption 2 companion app seems to indicate the game will launch on PC (which is to be expected). The app's source code makes direct references to a PC flavor and even has code found in GTA V on PC. There's also evidence the companion app can be used in tandem with PC.

Here's a bit of code as found by GTA Forums user BlackScout.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is nothing if not authentic. Everything feels hand-crafted and real, and Rockstar has imbued a kind of personal intimacy with everything in the game from your guns, your horse, and especially your journal.

Arthur Morgan is a renegade outlaw. He's a scoundrel with a body count that mystifies lawmen and he'll do anything to survive. He's gruff, gritty, and a man who will just as soon shoot you as play cards with you. But that's not all he is; he's loyal, brave, and is an amateur artist--quite a good one in fact. Red Dead Redemption 2 has a lot of small ways to portray the humanity of our gunslinging protagonist, and one of these is Arthur's personal journal.

As you play the game, Arthur takes notes in his journal and retells specific events that happened. The botched ferry job at Blackwater is chronicled, as is the gang's ups and downs. There's a sketch of Jenny in there, and drawings of Blackwater and other things that prove outlaws don't just dream of blood, money, and whisky. He'll even draw the game he hunted--he drew a deer after hunting one with Charles--and small miscelleanous doodles. In this book we see Arthur speaking freely from his heart and sketching pictures from memory, showing us different sides of a complicated man whose main trade is murder and mayhem. I can tell the journal will have more and more meaning as time goes by.

An announcement has surfaced from SEGA regarding their upcoming title Team Sonic Racing, according to the announcement the racer will have to unfortunately be delayed.

Team Sonic Racing is being developed by Sumo Digital and according to the statement, the delay is in regards to more development time, which is needed to smooth over the edges of Team Sonic Racing before its release. Here is how the announcement read: "Team Sonic Racing is the ultimate blend of arcade and fast-paced competitive style racing, featuring your favorite characters and environments from across the Sonic Universe. To deliver the highest quality experience to fans, SEGA has decided to delay the launch of the title."

SEGA has said throughout the statement that they want to concentrate on bringing players the best gameplay experience as possible, even if that means they have to delay the game by a considerable amount of time. The statement continued: "During this additional time, SEGA and Sumo Digital will continue to hone the title to enhance the player experience to ensure Team Sonic Racing delivers the best gameplay experience possible. We understand that many fans were looking forward to a Winter release and apologize for any inconvenience caused."

Warhorse Studios, the developers behind the open-world medieval RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance have issued a new update to the game. The update weighs in at a whopping 10GB and will be bringing numerous fixes to the game.

According to the patch notes, which are available in the entirety of this post, Kingdom Come: Deliverance will be getting fixes for many bugs that were surrounding The Amorous Adventures of Bold Sir Hans Capon DLC and the new Tournaments mode. Looking towards the patch notes now, we can see that the update will be fixing the "Infinite fader during dialogue with Hans Capon after failing Next to Godliness fixed" and additionally "A big part of the second DLC - "No Rest for the Wicked" quest is now available from the Charlatan."

Tournaments wise, we have fixes for guards which will "no longer attempt to frisk you during an active tournament, which caused the Tournament to fail." Fixes have also been made to ensure the player no longer looses items within their inventory and also "During Epilogue, the first Tournament now starts automatically one hour after the player skips time far enough from Rattay." As you can imagine, the patch has already been rolled out and will be automatically downloaded once Steam is launched. For more information, visit the official Kingdom Come: Deliverance website here.

In a recent press release from Bandai Namco, the developer has revealed the release date for their upcoming Unreal Engine 4 fighter, JUMP FORCE.

The press release describes the above trailer which showcases to players a brand new stage and two fan favourite manga characters. The stage that is revealed is titled "Paris stage" and showcases what is known to be the most romantic city on earth turning into a battlefield.

The two new fighters that are showcased throughout the trailer are; Ryo from City Hunter and Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star. We can see that Ryo is equipped with his trusty colt magnum, keen reflexes and his inability to miss a single shot. Kenshiro takes a different approach and instead uses his expertise in the Hokuto Shinken martial arts, defeating his opponents with a swift combination of accurate punches. JUMP FORCE is planned to officially release on the 15th of February, 2019. It will be arriving on the PS4, Xbox One and PC. For more information visit the official JUMP FORCE website here.