Gaming - Page 921

Ubisoft's Blue Byte studio is making Anno 1880, an RTS that takes place in the Industrial Revolution.

Back in April we reported that Ubisoft's newly formed Berlin studio was making a new AAA PC strategy game, and erroneously thought it'd be a Might and Magic sequel. Now Ubisoft has announced the game is Anno 1800, a new release in the landmark Anno series.

Anno 1800 will take place during the heyday of the 19th Century, and "combines features from 20 years of Anno history" with a rich story-based campaign and a city-building experience alongside a customizable sandbox and the traditional multiplayer experience.

Microsoft aims to make the transition to Xbox One X as easy and painless as possible.

The new $499 Xbox One X is capable of running specific Xbox One games in native 4K resolution, but in order to do so, gamers must first download the required 4K texture packs and updates. Seeing as these textures are quite huge and can wreak havoc on monthly data caps, Microsoft is allowing existing Xbox One owners to pre-download 4K texture updates so they don't spend the whole Xbox One X launch day downloading content. Not every game on the list of 100+ Xbox One X enhanced games will have 4K texture packs available for pre-download, however, and Microsoft hasn't stipulated an exact list.

The company has come up with three different strategies to make the Xbox One to Xbox One X upgrade transition as seamless as possible including: backing up existing Xbox One settings to an external storage device; pre-downloading 4K texture updates and enhancement patches for specific games; allowing users to transfer games and content from one console to the Xbox One X over a home network. Users who already have their games on an external hard drive can simply plug the HDD into the Xbox One X and access their games library. Of course if the Xbox One X is the first Xbox you own, you'll have to download all the updates like normal.

Sony is already dominating the console game against Microsoft, but cross-platform play of some of the biggest games on the market would be nice, right? WRONG.

Sony has blocked cross-platform play between PS4 and PC gamers in ARK: Survival Evolved, with ARK's Lead Desginer, Jeremy Stieglitz, saying on Twitter the team have it "working internally", but "Sony won't allow it". This means cross-platform play between PC and PS4 gamers in ARK works, but Sony are stopping it. The reason? Sony is worried about children... no, seriously.

PlayStation marketing boss Jim Ryan said: "Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it's something we have to think about very carefully". If Sony were that worried about external influences on children, they'd disable webcams on their own TVs, make their security stronger on all platforms, block voice chat and swear words in game chats, and a billion other things. Come on, Sony.

Final Fantasy XV is coming to the PC, where it will utilize up to NVIDIA's best GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, but the install size on PC had gamers worrying, and double checking if they had enough space on their HDD/SSDs.

Square Enix made a mistake on the press release for the install size of FF15, making people think that they needed 170GB of HDD space for the installation. That's not the case, and now Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata has come out saying that the HDD space requirement numbers were a "miscommunication".

Tabata said: "That was a mistake, actually. That was a communications mistake - something got put in a memo that really shouldn't have. What that is [the specifications that went out to press] based on the specs that we're running the demo on today. Again, the final specs for the release version haven't been fixed yet. There's a very good chance they can change. Someone put that in there and it got reported as the recommended specs, but that's not the final fixed version. The fact that it became that number is a communication error".

Bungie is weeks away from the release of Destiny 2, and even on the faster PS4 Pro and upcoming Xbox One X consoles, the developer couldn't maintain 60FPS and instead opted for 30FPS on consoles.

The reason? The old junk CPU inside of the consoles, powered by AMD's older Jaguar CPU architecture. Executive Producer Mark Noseworthy talked with EDGE in their upcoming October 2017, issue #310 release, where he said: "It's about the simulation of the Destiny world. Thirty AI at once, large open spaces, six players, sometimes with vehicles, and dropships coming in; that's where we're using the CPU".

He added: "Could we make a Destiny game that ran at 60 fps? Yes, but the space would be smaller, it would be less cooperative, and there'd be fewer monsters to shoot. That's not the game we want to make. First and foremost, we're trying to make an incredible action game. We don't feel we've been held back by the choices we've made about world simulation versus frame rate; in fact, we think we're offering a player experience you can't have elsewhere because of the choices we're making".

Microsoft has made the Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition console real, with an awesome trailer below to show it off.

What makes the Project Scorpio Edition console stand out? Well, the console itself comes in a beautifully textured black, graphite textured case - with a limited edition console that rocks "Project Scorpio Edition" in green text. It looks slick AF, but I wish we had the LCD display that the developer units featured. Oh well.

There's a massive 'X' on the Project Scorpio Edition box, a throwback to the original Xbox from all the way back in the day. This console is for the early adopters of Xbox One X, and it looks awesome... even as someone who is very anti-console.

UPDATE: Square Enix has provided us with an official statement that specialization requirements for Final Fantasy XV's incoming Windows Edition on PC were published in error. "The recommended specs text that accompanied the Windows Edition trailer were posted in error and have since been removed," a Square Enix representative told us. "The specs listed were not final as the game is still in development. We will officially publish both minimum and recommended specs for the game once we finish development, so that they are fully accurate."

Final Fantasy XV is coming to PC in 2018, and Square Enix isn't holding anything back: the developer has ensured the game will hit insane high-end performance with 8K resolution support and optimizations on NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 10 series video cards.

When I played Final Fantasy XV on my PS4 in 2016, I knew right away that the game had been watered down to run on outdated console hardware. Sure the game looked fine, and played fine, but it revved my PS4 to its limit, and I longed to jump in the dynamic open world of Eos without limitations. With the Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition, enthusiast PC gamers will be able to experience the unfettered explosive power of Square Enix's behemoth Luminous Engine. The PC version, which has been built specifically to leverage today's most demanding hardware and graphics technologies, will support native 4K and even 8K resolution--provided you have the graphics horsepower to hit that perf.

Ubisoft drops two new CGI trailers for Assassin's Creed: Origins that show ancient Egypt riven by war, chaos, and amazing open-world visuals.

As a longtime history buff, I've always wanted to see ancient Egypt depicted in painstakingly detail and given life in an open-world game. For obvious reasons, Ubisoft's new Assassin's Creed: Origins is one of my most anticipated games of the year, and the publisher's new set of trailers only heighten my excitement. The new CGI footage is impressive in its own right, but for someone like me who's dreamed what ancient Egypt looked like across its long and storied history, these trailers are downright awe-inspiring.

A while back I wrote about the wealth of possibilities that AC: Origins presented, and posited that Bayek, the game's principal protagonist, would be able to cross the Mediterranean to explore regions like Alexandria in the golden age of Ptolemy's reign. I dreamed about seeing the Pharos of Alexandria, the world's first great lighthouse, within the game...and lo and behold the new Gamescom trailer showed that massive beacon in the sky in all of its glory. That's the real pull for Assassin's Creed: Origins: how Ubisoft has essentially unearthed a window in time to one of the most dynamic and incredible periods in all of ancient history...and we get to jump in and explore it. From the Great Pyramids of Giza to the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak, players will see oh-so-much. I can only imagine what L. Sprauge de Camp would say if he were still alive.

By releasing its landmark action RPG onto as many devices as possible, Square Enix takes a page out of Bethesda's playbook.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim needs no introduction. The game, which was originally launched in 2012, has enjoyed a long lifespan: five years after its release Bethesda continues breathing new life into the RPG and re-releasing it out into the wild for a cool $59.99. Skyrim has become the butt of many jokes and stands as an elder dragon that's yet to be slain. Final Fantasy XV is following in Skyrim's footsteps, but Square Enix is taking a different tact: instead of simply re-releasing the game like Bethesda did/continues to do, the Japanese publisher has made it the center of a universe. This "Final Fantasy XV Universe" sees trans-media cross-platform interactive content orbiting the core sun that is the Final Fantasy XV world, essentially making a franchise within a franchise. But it's not just about games: the orbiting celestial bodies include an anime series and a feature-length CGI film.

This "Final Fantasy XV Universe" sees trans-media cross-platform interactive content orbiting the core sun that is the Final Fantasy XV world, essentially making a franchise within a franchise. But it's not just about games: the orbiting celestial bodies include an anime series and a feature-length CGI film.

It looks like Battlefield 1 might be the next game to receive HDR abilities, according to Reddit user 'Ballzif' who snapped a shot of the new Battlefield 1 Xbox One CTE version, which shows HDR calibration in the menus.

DICE hasn't confirmed that HDR support is coming to Battlefield 1, but there is a planned update coming today where we should see something about HDR... hopefully. As for the new BF1 update, here's what to expect:

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Gamescom 2017 is well and truly under way, with EA and DICE showing off some incredibly gorgeous new footage from Star Wars Battlefront II in its Starfighter Assault mode. Check it out:

Above, you'll find Starfighter Assault gameplay directly from Gamescom 2017, while below we have the official Starfighter Assault gameplay trailer from EA DICE.

EA also talked about Battlefront II's new play mode, maps, and more at Gamescom 2017: "Teams will face off in a swirling dogfight in the Fondor: Imperial Shipyard map, weaving around an Imperial Star Destroyer complete with speedy fighters, thundering bombers, distinct hero ships, and more. Will the brave pilots of the Rebel Alliance triumph against the Imperial Navy, or will the intrepid aces of the Galactic Empire foil the insurgents' plans?"

It seems like HDR and SLI support for games were the big deal at Gamescom this year, with NVIDIA also announcing it has been working closely with Monolith and their upcoming game Middle-earth: Shadow of War.

The collaboration was announced by Monolith VP, Michael de Plater, during NVIDIA's own Gamescom 2017 conference. We now know that Monolith and NVIDIA have worked on PC specific features for Shadow of War, including SLI and HDR support as well as NVIDIA's Ansel.

NVIDIA's own blog post states: "Our full arsenal of development resources - including visual effects libraries, developer tools, research papers, source code samples and more - is at Monolith's disposal. Our team, made up of more than 300 visual effects engineers, is lending its expertise in game development to the project and helping Monolith add the latest in graphics technologies to the game".

UPDATE: Square Enix has provided us with an official statement that specialization requirements for Final Fantasy XV's incoming Windows Edition on PC were published in error. "The recommended specs text that accompanied the Windows Edition trailer were posted in error and have since been removed," a Square Enix representative told us. "The specs listed were not final as the game is still in development. We will officially publish both minimum and recommended specs for the game once we finish development, so that they are fully accurate."

Final Fantasy XV will chew through today's high-end video cards just as Game Director Hajime Tabata promised.

Square Enix today confirmed Final Fantasy XV is coming to PC in 2018, just as we predicted, but everyday PC gamers may be out of luck: the game will put NVIDIA's top-tier GeForce GTX 1080 Ti through its paces. Square Enix has confirmed that Final Fantasy XV's Windows Edition will run at native 4K with HDR 10 support on PC, but you'll need some serious hardware to pull that off. The devs have made FFXV from the ground-up for PC and is optimized specifically for NVIDIA video cards.

Rise of the Tomb Raider will see the best console experience on Microsoft's new high-end Xbox One X console, Square Enix today announced.

While Microsoft has revealed 100 games will get Xbox One X enhancements to hit various performance milestones like native 4K, improved frame rates, impressive visuals and lighting, and more, developers have full freedom to use the console's beefy 6TFLOP Polaris-grade GPU as they see fit. This means the games are optimized on a per-game basis, and publishers/devs will do different things. Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have set the bar for optimizations on the console with Rise of the Tomb Raider's different modes.

Rise of the Tomb Raider will have three different modes on the Xbox One X: native 4K resolution, visual enhancements, and a mode that puts frame rates above all else. Gamers would love to see more developers follow this model, but Microsoft says they won't set hard 1080p 60FPS mandates for any games. These updates will be free, of course, and will be available when the system launches in November.

Age of Empires IV is happening!

Microsoft today confirmed that Age of Empires IV, the next chapter in the landmark strategy series, is currently in development. The game is being made by Relic Entertainment, the studio behind classics like Dawn of War and Company of Heroes, and will launch on Windows 10 PCs sometime in the future.

Official details are very light right now, but it's great to know the series will continue onward with a new chapter. You can sign up on the official website to receive updates when new info is announced.

Sony is teasing "something new" that looks suspiciously like a PlayStation console.

Sony's PlayStation Europe and UK channels have released a curious Twitter tease that may indicate the company may reveal a new PlayStation console soon. However it's much more likely that the new product will simply be a PlayStation 4 special edition bundle rather than a fully-fledged successor to the PlayStation 4 Pro. We've reported that Sony may launch a new PlayStation console in 2018, and that the Japanese games-maker is currently working on its next big hardware iteration, but the timing isn't right for a new console.

Sony's financial reports don't indicate that a new console is to be revealed, and Sony Corp President Kazuo Hirai is set to reveal the company's new mid-year plan when this current fiscal year ends in March 2018. It's highly unlikely that Sony would announce a new console before the company has outlined its next mid-year plan for investors.

Just as we predicted, Square Enix's big Gamescom 2017 teaser is that Final Fantasy XV is coming to PC.

Square Enix today announced that their landmark action RPG Final Fantasy XV will come to PC in early 2018. The game, which already pushes today's consoles to their limit, will leverage NVIDIA's high-end Gameworks graphics technologies and physics systems to deliver impeccable high-fidelity graphics and seamlessly blended action. We originally wrote that Final Fantasy XV was obviously held back by the limited power of the Xbox One and PS4 when it released in 2016, and now Square Enix will tap the full brunt of NVIDIA's most powerful video cards for the ultimate FFXV experience.

"With the help of NVIDIA, we are creating a stunning visual experience in FINAL FANTASY XV WINDOWS EDITION, one worthy of this beloved franchise," said Hajime Tabata, Director of FINAL FANTASY XV. "NVIDIA pushes the pace of innovation in our industry, and that benefits gamers and developers alike." However don't expect to get away with lower-end cards: In 2016 Mr. Tabata said that Final Fantasy XV would require a GPU powerhouse.

Forza Motorsport 7 is racing towards its release, with developer Turn 10 Studios detailing the minimum and recommended PC requirements for the game during Gamescom 2017.

We now know that you'll need a Core i5-750/FX-6300 with a NVIDIA GT 740/GTX 650 or R7 250X graphics card with 2GB of VRAM to run 720p 30FPS. For those wanting 1080p 60FPS you'll need a faster Core i5-4460/FX-8350 processor and GeForce GTX 670/GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon RX 560 graphics card with 4GB of VRAM. Both 720p and 1080p will require 8GB of RAM.

For those wanting to push 4K 60FPS, Turn 10 revealed you'll need an Intel Core i7-6700K or a Ryzen 7 processor, with a GTX 1080 or RX Vega 64 graphics card with 8GB of RAM, and 16GB of system RAM as well. For notebook gamers to run Forza Motorsport 7 at 720 30FPS you'll need a Core i5-6200U (no AMD mobile processor recommended) with Intel HD 520 integrated graphics minimum, alongside 8GB of system RAM.

Project CARS 2 will be one of the best-looking games of the year, and now we have some new screenshots to share from Gamescom 2017, released by publisher Bandai Namco.

Seriously, you could mistaken this for real life.

My favorite shot from Gamescom 2017 is from within the cabin of the car... look at the rain effects and the car outside - it's photo realistic.

CRYENGINE is one of the best-looking graphics engines available, it's just too bad that game developers don't harness the power of today's PC technology like 8C/16T processors like AMD's Ryzen 7 1800X, or high-end cards like the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Because if they did, this is the result of that.

Crytek's Senior Cinematic Artist, Joe Garth, made two environments inside of CRYENGINE. The first, is the beautiful mountain and forest tease. I mean, just look at these screenshots.

That fog looks so real it would probably bring NVIDIA TITAN Xp cards in SLI to their knees.