Gaming - Page 817

An announcement on the Blowfish Studios Twitter has revealed that the developer of Siegecraft Commander will be bringing their title to the Nintendo Switch at the end of this month.

Players will be able to enjoy the action-strategy title that allows for strategic catapulting in both offensive and defensive manors. Players will be required to correctly position their catapulting to destroy opposing enemy structures and also correctly defend their own structures.

Siegecraft Commander features two eight-level single player campaigns while also coming with support for local split-screen and also online cross-platform multiplayer in the form of 2-4 players. The online cross-platform play will consist of the following platforms: Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Siegecraft Commander will catapult its way onto the Nintendo Switch on the 19th of September. For anyone interested in pre-ordering a copy, the title comes in at a price of $19.99 and a link to the Nintendo website can be found here.

Microsoft has gone absolutely ham in terms of sales for Xbox players, numerous titles have been slapped with huge discount percentages as well as Xbox 360 game sales have been thrown in the mix.

Microsoft have taken to their Deals With Gold section to grant Xbox Live players the opportunity to pick up some great titles at some very cheap prices. Titles such as Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, Dark Souls III Deluxe Edition, Don't Starve Together, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Little Nightmares are just a few of the titles that are on sale.

Microsoft has also put on sale plenty of the backwards compatible Xbox 360 games, titles such as Battlefield 3, the Bioshock series, Borderlands 1 and 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Black Ops 1 and 2, Modern Warfare 2 and 3 and even Dragon Age 2. There is plenty of choice when it comes to backwards compatible games, so if you are looking to fill up your hard drive will some classic 360 titles, now is as good a time as ever! All of these deals will expire at 7:30 PM ACST on Tuesday September 11th 2018. For more information on sales, head on over to Major Nelson here.

Stunlock Studios, the developers behind Battlerite Royale, the coming new edition to the Battle Royale scene have announced the Steam Early Access release date for their title. Battlerite Royale will debut to Steam Early Access on September 26th.

Marketing Director at Stunlock Studios, Johan Ilves has voiced his opinion on the developers new title coming to the Battle Royale genre. It appears that Stunlock Studios is very confident in their efforts to take the Battle Royale market head on, here is what he had to say "Our take on the genre differs a lot from the FPS Battle Royale games out there. Battlerite has always been about arcade-like MOBA action, and we want to stay true to the core of it while scaling up the experience and adding new exciting elements."

Battlerite Royale players will have available to them 20 different classes to choose from, a completely unique combat system all from a birds eye view point. Ilves believes that Battlerite Royale "is not only the Battle Royale game all MOBA players have been waiting for, it's a treat for any BR gamer who wants a fresh take on the genre "is not only the Battle Royale game all MOBA players have been waiting for, it's a treat for any BR gamer who wants a fresh take on the genre." If you want more information on Battlerite Royale, visit the official frequently asked questions page on the Battlerite blog here.

EA Sports has announced statistics regarding their very popular FIFA franchise and how many sales they have reached in total franchise sales as well as the total installs for FIFA Mobile.

EA Sports announces that FIFA 18 has reached a huge 24 million copies sold, which brings the overall total sales for the FIFA franchise to 260 million copies. Since the franchise has sold such a massive amount of copies, this has figure has resulted in the FIFA franchise being the best-selling sports video game of all time.

The announcement also reveals that the FIFA Mobile app has been immensely popular as well, reaching a huge 193 million installs across all mobile platforms. According to FIFA executive producer Aaron McHardy "For millions of players around the world the FIFA franchise has become more than just a game - it's as big a part of their football DNA as the teams they love. Football is a sport that can unite the world through play, and whether it be through console, mobile, competitive gaming or regional experiences like FIFA Online 4 in Asia, we are excited to find more and more ways to connect players to the world's game."

To all those players on their RuneScape grind in the refreshed 2007 servers, Jagex will soon be providing you an option of TRUE no experience waste. Old School RuneScape for the Mobile will be officially launching October 30th.

Jagex has taken to their blog on their website to announce that the Old School RuneScape Mobile will be coming to iOS and Android on October 30th. The blog post thanks the developers for their hard work in making this possible and also to all players that participated in the closed betas for both iOS and Android.

The blog post also explains what new players will have to do to get access to the Old School RuneScape Mobile, here is what Jagex has said "In order for us to move Old School RuneScape into the pre-order and pre-register stage, we're required to remove the beta build from the Google Play store. This means that those of you without the Members beta installed will not be able to access the app until its full release on October 30th. If you have access via the Members beta, the iOS closed beta, or you're located in an area in which we've soft launched (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), then you'll be able to continue playing right up until the full release."

Xbox Australia is on a roll with some awesome exclusive Xbox One accessories where after unveiling the official Xbox Onesie, the team are back with a "greaseproof" Xbox One controller designed for PUBG.

The new "greaseproof" Xbox One controller is made with a "special coating resistant to grease and oil", with the new controller made to celebrate PUBG reaching v1.0 on the Xbox One. PUBG v1.0 is finally out, after residing in Xbox Preview and is now available to the public.

Microsoft's new Xbox PUBG Greaseproof Controller has PUBG's usual colors, with the company hand-spraying each controller with urethane coating that the company claims is "impervious to minor scratches, water, and of course, roast chicken grease". Yeah, they're being serious. The urethane makes the controller look greasy, which is really, really weird to look at (at least in the video).

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 isn't far away now and as we get closer to its release, Activision and developer Treyarch are teasing new details on the game. The official Twitter account for Call of Duty has teased the map for Blackout, COD's brand new battle royale game mode.

This is the "largest map in Call of Duty history" and it looks similar to PUBG's infamous 'Erangel' map. We have forests with a river running through the middle, as well as the 'Nuketown Island' which is similar to the military base on Erangel.

Treyarch has some interesting spots in the Blackout map, with 'Firing Range', 'Asylum', and the 'Fracking Tower' to surely be hits. But right up the top we have 'Estates' and the 'Construction Site' where I'm sure huge battles will go down, while the 'Turbine' in the bottom right could be interesting for some battles near the turbines, while taking the fight downhill to the 'Fracking Tower' or 'Rivertown'.

The tech behind Mass Effect: Andromeda's unfortunately hilarious facial expressions is now extinct, BioWare says.

Embarrassingly wonky animations are the last thing you want a game that's been in development for years to be known for, but that's exactly what happened when Mass Effect: Andromeda showed up on EA's preview program. The duck-like lips, dead glassy eyes, and overall weird facial expressions were ridiculed en masse on the internet, and honestly broke the immersion in many instances. BioWare is careful to say this won't return in Anthem.

Agents, NPCs and Freelancers in Anthem won't be wooden human impostors simply because the Andromeda facial tech has been retired. "We had used a specific piece of technology up to and including Andromeda that we're not using anymore," Anthem executive producer Mark Darrah said in a recent Game Informer interview. "Part of it is just paying more attention to it and making sure it's tuned properly and giving it specific attention."

BioWare might plan to infuse live game storytelling into future Mass Effect and Dragon Age games, but it this won't dramatically change the core principles of each series.

Yesterday we reported that new Mass Effect and Dragon Age games may start to evolve into more online-based titles like BioWare's next releaseAnthem. BioWare has confirmed a new Dragon Age is in the works, and key sources say it'll be a live game (it also hinted that a new Mass Effect is in early phases). With live services the studio could continually evolve storytelling at a much faster and more efficient pace as well as incrementally change in-game worlds, BioWare devs Mark Darrah and Mike Gamble said in a PAX West panel. But this led many to believe that its beloved RPG series would morph into microtransaction-ridden services.

BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson wants to assure us that this won't happen--upcoming Dragon Age and Mass Effect games will be built around the heart of each respective series, hinting that if live services are included, they will be optional rather than forced online-only experiences.

Hideo Kojima and his team will be in tow at Tokyo Game Show 2018, where his new game Death Stranding could be showcased in greater depth.

Read more: Death Stranding will transcend established genres, Kojima says

Death Stranding will be have an on-stage showcase during Japan's annual Tokyo Game Show event, the Kojima Productions Twitter today revealed. While TGS is a more domestic event and isn't typically as big as E3 2018, it's possible we could get a bizarre new trailer (maybe more gameplay footage) and fresh details about Kojima's upcoming PS4 exclusive. "Kojima Productions is back at #TokyoGameShow2018, with a stage show on Sept 23 featuring Hideo Kojima and cast members of the Japanese version!!" reads the post.

A new Nintendo Direct showcase is planned for tomorrow and this time 3DS games will be included, Nintendo has announced.

On the heels of its recent stream of Switch Nindies reveals, Nintendo will host a new Direct tomorrow with updates on upcoming 3DS and Switch games. The new Pokemon Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu will assuredly be highlighted, along with a mix of 3DS titles. It's likely we'll get a few surprises thrown in like new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters. Maybe Nintendo has relented under massive fan pressure and put the nefarious ne'er-do-well Waluigi into the roster?

While it's not explicitly mentioned in the announcement, I'm expecting Nintendo to uncover more details about its new Switch Online service during the video. The online service, which costs $20 a year, is expected to launch in the "latter half of September" but exact info remains scarce. Gamers still don't know everything about the upcoming app, and there's still 10 more NES games to be announced.

Nintendo is selling lots of Switch consoles in its home land of Japan--so many that the system may soon dethrone Sony's PlayStation 4.

Famitsu reports the Nintendo Switch has now sold more than 5 million consoles in Japan (5,007,368 units to be exact) 79 weeks since its launch in March 2017, making it a strong contender against the PS4's current 7 million install base.

As of June 30, Nintendo says 19.76 million Switch consoles have been sold worldwide since release. Based on these figures we see Japan makes up over 25% of total Switch unit sales. As the Japanese games-maker intends to sell 20 million more Switch consoles by the end of Fiscal Year 2018 in March 2019, the company has to sell roughly 18.12 million more Switches to hit the goal.

Big Moon Entertainment, the developer behind the rally simulation title Dakar 18 have announced the titles release date, and also in celebration have debuted a brand new trailer.

Dakar 18 will be homed to some of the most realistic simulations for cross country rallies, players will have a multitude of vehicles to choose from, tracks and locations in a massive open world. Players will also be able to a online multiplayer experience with races, while also having the option to couch back in single player mode and simply navigate successfully around the map, thus learning terrains and locations much more.

The vehicle range in Dakar 18 will consist of the five racing categories, cars, trucks, quads, bikes and SxS. Players will be able to choose from a range of different vehicles from within their respective category. Dakar 18 is planned for release on Septemeber 25th and will be arriving on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. For further information regarding the rally simulator, visit the offical Dakar 18 website here.

CEO 2018 just kicked off and Nintendo has not wasted any time showcasing more footage for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A new video has been released onto the Nintendo YouTube Channel and it displays some professional Smash players getting hands-on with the title.

This years Community Effort Orlando 2018 or CEO 2018 is the 9th edition in the CEO tournament series, luckily enough this even featured the highly anticipated Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The above video showcases just that, as viewers are subjected to a lengthy 7 minutes of gameplay footage with each fight being professional Smash players versing eachother. After each of the fights we get to hear the professionals opinions on the title after their short experience.

The first match we see 'SuperGirlKels' face off against 'Nairo', after the first round we can hear Kels mention that her first time playing it was "so much fun" and that it is also quite "different". She continues addressing the differences in speed by saying "I'm so excited for the speed, the landing, the moving around, the pace, it feels flawless when you are running and moving." Kels finalizes her experience by saying "I think the whole world of competitive is going to change."

Ubisoft Blue Byte and NVIDIA have released brand new gameplay footage for The Settlers, the video showcases next-gen visuals that have never been seen before in a Settlers title.

The Settlers was showcased at this years GamesCom and will be using the very beautiful Snowdrop engine that was featured in Ubisofts other title The Division. The gameplay footage is displayed to us over the top of an interview with Volker Wertich, the Creative Director for The Settler. Wertich says that The Settlers isn't a fast paced real-time strategy game, and instead will have a comfortable slow click rate that will be more concentrated on thinking and acting correctly.

Players will be able to enjoy some different ways of achieving victory in this version of The Settlers. Of course you will be able to take the millitary path and completely obiliterate your opponents, but you will also be able to take the side of diplomacy to your opponents and convince them to join your side, rendering you victorious as well. The Settlers is planned for release sometime in 2019, if you want to follow the news for The Settlers, check out Ubisofts blog for the title here.

A relentless twin-stick shooter HyperParasite is on its way to the Nintendo Switch. The top-down view gives players an awesome perspective on the 80's themed run and gun title.

Troglobytes Games the developers behind HyperParasite have released a brand new trailer onto their YouTube Channel. The trailer showcases the gameplays fast-paced mechanics that feature, dodging, rolling, gun spraying, bosses and countless enemies.

HyperParasite is also coming to Steam at the same time as the Nintendo Swicth. Both releases are planned for sometime throughout Spring 2019. For further information regarding the title, visit the official HyperParasite website here.

Remedy didn't have the greatest time during the problematic launch of Quantum Break on Windows 10, with the Windows Store an absolute mess at the time. The developer is hyping up its next title Control, which is once again headed to the PC in 2019.

Control is explained by Remedy as: "After a secretive agency in New York is invaded by an otherworldly threat, you become the new Director struggling to regain Control. This supernatural third-person action-adventure game will challenge you to master a combination of supernatural abilities, modifiable loadouts and reactive environments, while fighting through a deep and unpredictable world".

The game will have NVIDIA's new RTX support on the PC with real-time ray tracing possible on the next-gen GeForce RTX 20 series of graphics cards, and now after an interview with PC Games Insider, we have more details on Control for the PC. Remedy's Communications Director, Thomas Puha, touched on some of the issues with Quantum Break on the Windows Store, and the PC version of Control.

Now that the Battlefield V Open Beta is here (and here's everything you need to know about it) we know about the graphics settings that DICE will let us play with and there's a fair amount of things to tweak in the open beta. HDR right now, is forced on gamers like I reported on here.

PC gamers are in for a treat with Battlefield V as DICE has provided plenty of customization to the graphics even in the open beta. We have adjustable field of view of up to 120 degrees which is incredibly wide, perfect for 21:9 monitor owners, while motion blur is set to 50% by default (turn this off is my opinion). There's the option between DX11 and DX12 with DX11 enabled by default, while resolution scale is set to 100% by default as well.

After that, the quality settings are detailed with vertical sync, texture quality, texture filtering, lighting quality, effects quality, post process quality, mesh quality, terrain quality, undergrowth quality, anti-aliasing post-processing, and ambient occlusion.

I've already pumped a few hours into the Battlefield V open beta and while it is pretty damn awesome so far (I plan to put many more hours into it) there are some major issues that DICE need to address.

One of them is that when you have an HDR monitor or TV plugged into your PC, you are forced to use HDR. Going into the visual settings menu there is a menu you can click to tune HDR, but there's no enable/disable option. DICE is forcing HDR on gamers in the Battlefield V open beta, something that should be an option because gamers (like myself) don't want to use HDR all of the time.

HDR looks absolutely mind blowing in Battlefield V so I get what DICE are trying to do here: "hey guys HDR kicks ass in Battlefield V, so we're going to force it on you" - except, I want to disable it to take some pictures of the visual effects customization and I can't. I can't even take non-HDR pictures or video of Battlefield V, because HDR is forced on for me.

Bungie today revealed its new Bungie Rewards program, an initiative which gifts you content and goods for completing specific tasks in Destiny 2.

The program actually sounds like a great idea for both players and Bungie: players can net some extra stuff and the developer incentivizes more users to not only keep playing but to do targeted tasks, thus upping engagement and data collection. The rewards system is linked to your Bungie.net account and apparently only works with the new Forsaken expansion so base Destiny 2 may not be eligible for specific tasks. At least the first reward is Forsaken-exclusive: you can unlock a free copy of the expansion's soundtrack when you beat the storyline.

Taking a look at this from a business perspective we see that Bungie Rewards is a direct result of Activision's huge push for engagement. Destiny 2 in of itself is a live game driven strongly by engagement, which is basically defined as the constant quest to keep users playing, grinding, and eventually paying for more content. Activision is the king of this business model and makes billions a year from microtransactions, DLC, and additive post-launch content. In 2017, Activision-Blizzard made $4.9 billion from in-game purchases, or about 69% of total net revenues for the entire year.