Gaming - Page 956

Bungie has just officially announced Destiny 2, through a picture pushed out onto the official Twitter account of Destiny - with key artwork from the game lining up with what we saw teased last week. Our own Gaming God, Derek, went into some detail on why he hoped the leaked Destiny 2 poster was fake - check it out.

Destiny 2 won't let you bring your Destiny characters over, so it's a full fledged sequel to the original. Activision Blizzard has also teased that there will be a PC release of Destiny 2, unlike its predecessor which was a console exclusive. There's also mention of a PS4 beta that might come soon - and as for Destiny 2 itself, it should be released later this year.

Microsoft will be the first console maker with a truly 4K-capable console later this year with Project Scorpio, but what about big first-party games by Microsoft and its closest partners? They're important too, right?

According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer: "Having our [first-party] games ready for Scorpio is critical". Now we don't know what "ready" means, but we might see some highly tuned first-party games rocking 1080p 60FPS or 4K 30FPS on Project Scorpio at launch, with big system sellers like Halo and Gears of War running at liquid smooth 60FPS - or offering 4K at 30FPS.

I don't see Microsoft being able to squeeze 60FPS out of 4K, considering the PC can't do that without spending in excess of $1000. What do you think we'll see?

Blizzard has announced StarCraft Remastered, a full HD port of their legendary RTS classic.

We knew that Blizzard was working on a StarCraft remaster, and now the company has finally confirmed it with an official StarCraft Remaster announcement. As Blizzard says, StarCraft Remastered "upgrades the essential sci-fi strategy experience from beginning to end," and the new HD port will included the original base game and its Brood War expansion.

The studio has remastered everything from units, buildings, environments, game audio, and widened the resolution support for modern monitors and displays. But this is just a remaster, not a remake, and Blizzard promises the "strategy gameplay that StarCraft perfected years ago remains unchanged."

Call of Duty 2017 is ramping up for its big reveal, and a bit of promo art suggests Sledgehammer's new game takes place in WWII, not Vietnam.

A batch of purported leaked Call of Duty 2017 artwork shows that Sledgehammer's next CoD game will be called "Call of Duty WWII" and be based in the World War II era. Call of Duty Reddit moderators are still verifying the veracity of these images, but the leaker has a good track record, having leaked the infamous CoD: Infinite Warfare and Call of Duty 4 Remastered info.

Based on past reports, and the fact that Sledgehammer Games has a scrapped Vietnam-based Call of Duty game in its closet, we believed that the next Call of Duty would be based on the Vietnam War instead of WWII.

Legendary Iron Fist alums and some fresh new faces deliver explosive combos in Bandai Namco Japan's new chaotic Tekken 7 trailer.

As a die-hard Tekken fan, I get excited every time news or footage drops for Tekken 7--simply because it reminds me that the game is finally releasing in three months! In June we'll all be able to kick some serious ass with our favorite fighters, and the latest Tekken 7 trailer shows off some of the movesets we'll have in our arsenal of annihilation.

The character trailer doesn't highlight the full Tekken 7 roster--and rightly so since there's 41 confirmed fighters so far--but we do get to see some of my personal favorites like Bryan Fury, Hwoarang, and Katarina (her moves are insane!).

Elgato has just revealed its new "Project Evolve" device, which has been announced as the unique Stream Deck.

Elgato's latest Stream Deck is pretty much everything I predicted it would be. The device features 15 customizable buttons that can do a number of different things, including switching programs, inputs, and triggering visual and aural memes to pop up on your content. The Stream Deck is hailed as a revolutionary device that brings "tactile control to content creators" by essentially acting as a dedicated control board for scene switching, streaming, and much more.

"We revolutionized gameplay sharing with Game Capture HD and now we're taking live content creation to the next level with Stream Deck," said Julian Fest, General Manager Elgato Gaming. "It provides streamers with a level of control that used to be exclusive to mainstream entertainment broadcasters."

Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net client is simply called "Blizzard," signalling the end of a long-running era.

Twenty years ago Blizzard launched Battle.net as an online service for the original Diablo on PC. Now Blizzard is apparently making its move to retire the name for good, scrubbing all mention of the iconic brand from its host client. Back in September 2016 the company announced Battle.net would change to "Blizzard tech," and completely betray two decades of familiarity in the process.

Since I haven't fired up Battle.net in quite some time, I have before and after proof of the name change that I've included below. You can clearly see that Battle.net has been changed to the regular Blizzard logo in the upper left hand side of the client.

Mass Effect: Andromeda has a real problem with its facial animations. Yes, you can still play the game and get somewhat used to it, but they absolutely break the immersion for people like me, leading to gamers pretty much not getting invested or caring about NPCs. And, of course, the faces have led the game to become a laughing stock on the internet. So what went wrong? An ex-Mass Effect animator might have some answers.

Before Jonathan Cooper signed up to work at Naughty Dog, he helped BioWare animate Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Cooper is also known for helping bring a number of triple-A games to life, including the impressive Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, so it's fair to say he knows exactly what he's talking about.

Cooper recently gave some key insight on what might've gone wrong with Mass Effect: Andromeda's bizarre faces, highlighting just how complicated it is to animated a RPG with extensive dialog sequences. In fact, it's a mammoth undertaking with a million moving parts (quite literally). Cooper guesses that Mass Effect: Andromeda essentially lowered its facial animation quality to meet the game's deadline, and hints it should've been delayed to extend the dev cycle.

EA will be teasing sequels to Star Wars Battlefront and Need for Speed during E3 2017 this year, during its own EA Play event between June 10-12.

EA DICE will be showing off Star Wars Battlefront 2, while EA Ghost's new Need for Speed game will be displayed. EA announced on its own website: "So let's get to it. From June 10 - 12, players joining us in Hollywood will get hands-on with the next Star Wars Battlefront and Need for Speed experiences. You'll also get your first chance to play many of our upcoming EA SPORTS titles: Madden NFL 18, FIFA 18 and NBA LIVE 18. This isn't all, by the way...and we'll have more to share in the coming months".

They continued: "Beyond the hands-on experience in Hollywood, we have an extensive content program for our players joining us online. Throughout the three-day event, we will be providing you with detailed gameplay deep dives, competitive events and exclusive interviews with the development teams. So whether you're experiencing EA PLAY in-person or watching online, be sure to join us starting June 10".

Madcatz today announced it will delist itself from the New York Stock Exchange, which could be a warning sign for the company going under completely.

Madcatz is best known for creating peripherals, controllers, headsets, gaming keyboards and the like, but the company's fate might be in question. The company today made the decision to de-list its shares from the NYSE due to "abnormally low" common stock prices, but this move was made before the NYSE suspended trading of their stock. At the time of writing, Madcatz stock sits at just $0.06 per share, and NYSE regulations state that shares need to show a minimum $1.00 value across 30 consecutive days to stay listed on the exchange.

"Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. today announced that it received notification that, due to the "abnormally low trading price" of its common stock, the staff of NYSE MKT LLC Regulation has determined to commence proceedings to delist the Company's common stock pursuant to Section 1003 of the NYSE MKT Company Guide. The NYSE MKT also suspended trading in the Company's common stock effective immediately," reads an official press release.

A purportedly leaked Destiny 2 promo poster has surfaced, suggesting Bungie's second Destiny game could release on September 8, 2017.

While the Destiny 2 poster's authenticity is still unconfirmed, it's mention of PS4 exclusivity has pretty much convinced the Destiny community that it's indeed real. The poster is stamped with Sony's instantly recognizable "PlayStation Exclusive Content" seal, echoing Sony's timed exclusivity deal on original Destiny content. The timed exclusivity deal gave PS gamers access to armor sets, weapons and strike missions before Xbox owners, and the deal isn't yet over. Destiny 2 will launch on PC this time, so PS4 gamers will have an extra community pissed at them this time.

Destiny 2 will also have a beta test, according to the leak, but we didn't need any special foresight to guess that one. Destiny 2 is expected to fold in both consoles and PC so the always-online in-game world will need quite a bit of testing (PC gamers will rip it to shreds if Destiny 2 isn't up to snuff). I also expect that history will repeat itself once more and PS4 owners will get exclusive access to Destiny 2's alpha test.

Destiny has always had amazing promo posters that really incorporate a one-of-a-kind sci-fi spirit. That actually worked against them with the original Destiny--gamers were expected some amazing interstellar romp and they were delivered a a great shooter with watered-down story elements. With Destiny 2, Bungie has to prove themselves all over again...and this new "leaked" promo poster isn't a good start.

I really hope this new "leaked" Destiny 2 promo poster is fake. Not only is it strange that the Guardians (if they are Guardians) are without their helmets, but the poster just doesn't have that same grand sci-fi splendor as the other Destiny posters. This may be the first poster we see of Destiny 2, and Bungie needs to not only capture our imaginations, but our spirits. This poster doesn't do that. Perhaps Bungie wants us to make a more human connection with the characters? Maybe that's why their helmets are off? But why expose their faces so soon...why show us their identities and betray the classic feel of Destiny--suited-up space heroes coming in to save the day, a sense of mystery and empowerment. That sense of mystery is still here, but it's absolutely not the same.

In an effort to understand Bungie's formula for Destiny posters, I've collected a few bits of promo art to compare the new hideous "leaked" poster to. There's a real night and day difference. It's absolutely imperative that Bungie gets Destiny 2's promo art just right. Sure Destiny is iconic and recognizable, but they still have to capture that same spirit, that same wonder. The game has an amazing realm of concept art that taps distant, unknown worlds and an entire galaxy of wonder, but this poster is just so...boring.

Blizzard has excited Overwatch fans with news that the developer is "extremely open-minded about releasing a map editor" for Overwatch, something Overwatch's Game Director - Jeff Kaplan, teased on the official forums.

Kaplan said: "We are extremely open-minded about releasing a map editor for Overwatch someday. But because Overwatch was made with a brand new engine, this is not a small task or one which can happen any time soon. We have this on our long-term road map and believe heavily in user-made content. But there are many challenges ahead of us and it will be a very long road before our editor can be made available to the public".

Overwatch continues to evolve, with Blizzard adding in a 24th hero - and a 6th tank role has just gone live with Orisa. Orisa is an "onmic peacekeeper", who was built to protect the people of Numbani. Her abilities include:

Electronic Arts is no stranger to MTX, also known as microtransactions--the publisher packs them into almost every online-based game to earn long-term revenue streams and fortify engagement. And like it's predecessor, Mass Effect: Andromeda's microtransactions get pretty pricey.

We've known for a while now that Mass Effect: Andromeda's multiplayer component would have in-game purchases, but now we know just how much money you can spend to quickly unlock items in the mode. Surprising no one, gamers can spend up to $100 to unlock the game's premium currency, aka "Andromeda Points."

To make matters extra slimy, ME: Andromeda's multiplayer packs are randomized loot-bag style so you never ever know what you're actually going to get, further incentivizing players to buy more currency if they don't get what they want the first time.

Virtual Reality is undoubtedly the next forefront for interactive experiences, but when it comes to gaming, the platform still lacks a critical success point: a killer app. The Xbox had Halo, the PS4 has Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4--but what does VR have? Right now gamers don't have a specific game that will push VR headset sales. Bethesda aims to change that with Fallout 4 VR.

Bethesda wants to bring the entire wasteland into virtual reality by porting Fallout 4's full game into VR. Most of the time VR ports have bits and pieces of their full game counterparts, but Capcom made strides by releasing Resident Evil 7's full port onto PlayStation VR, and Bethesda might do the same.

"I talked to Todd the other day and I was like, 'Hey how's Fallout 4 [VR] coming?' and he said, 'Pete, Fallout 4 VR is the most incredible thing you've ever seen in your life. You can't even imagine what it's like playing in VR and how realistic it looks with everywhere you turn your head. It's gonna blow your mind. It's the craziest thing you've ever seen," Bethesda's Pete Hines told HipHop Gamer in a recent interview at PAX 2017.

Flying into the U.S. or U.K. from the Middle East? You may not be able to bring the Nintendo Switch on board with you.

The United States and United Kingdom have recently passed regulations banning electronic devices bigger than a smartphone on specific flights from numerous Middle East countries. The regulation restricts any electronic device, including laptops, smartphones or tablets, exceeding 16cm x 9.3cm x 1.5cm (6.2in x 3.6in x 0.5in).

Sadly, Nintendo's new Switch handheld is bigger than the specific dimensions, clocking in at 9.4in x 4.01in x 0.5in with the JoyCons attached, and 6.8in x 3.8in x 0.5in with the JoyCons detached.

Nintendo has finally spoken out and explained how and why the Nintendo Switch's left JoyCons are de-syncing.

Earlier today we reported that Nintendo's official fix for faulty left JoyCons is extremely thrifty: a small piece of conductive foam. Now the Japanese console-maker has delivered an official statement on the JoyCons, confirming the issues were caused by a "manufacturing variation" that has been corrected. Nintendo also confirmed that no mass recall or replacement initiative will be happening.

"There is no design issue with the Joy-Con controllers, and no widespread proactive repair or replacement effort is underway. A manufacturing variation has resulted in wireless interference with a small number of the left Joy-Con. Moving forward this will not be an issue, as the manufacturing variation has been addressed and corrected at the factory level," Nintendo told IGN in an official statement.

Rumors and forgeries are rampant in the games industry, and there's been lots of heresay surrounding Ubisoft's return to the Assassin's Creed franchise. While the studio has kept mum on official details, an employee squashed a fake "leak" that recently made the rounds.

Reports indicate Ubisoft will release Assassin's Creed: Empire this year, and the game will take place in ancient Egypt. This prompted all kinds of "leaks" to pop up, and last month a particular image (see above) took the Assassin's Creed community by storm.

But according to Assassin's Creed Head of Content Aymar Azaizia, the image is a fake. When asked about the image in a recent Reddit AmA, Azaizia delivered a simple answer: "Not AC :)".

Nintendo Switch's left JoyCon desyncing issue is indeed a hardware fault, and instead of applying a makeshift Bluetooth antenna, Nintendo fixed the issue with something rather simple: a little square piece of foam.

CNET recently sent their defective left JoyCon to Nintendo to be fixed, but before sending it out, they took a picture of its internals. Once the repaired JoyCon came back the publication took a picture of its fresh innards to see what Nintendo actually did to fix the issue. You can see a before and after comparison below.

So what did Nintendo do to actually fix the device? The left JoyCon's desynching issues can be traced to the lacks of a Bluetooth antenna, so you'd think Nintendo would just pop an antenna in there to fix the fault. Not so! Nintendo simply put in a little piece of conductive foam to shield the device from radio frequency interference.

NVIDIA has just dropped their new GeForce 378.92 drivers, which are Game Ready for Mass Effect: Andromeda - but the new drivers also include SLI profiles for the game, and updated SLI profiles for two other games.

The new drivers also add Dolby Vision HDR support, with Mass Effect: Andromeda being one of the only games on the PC right now with Dolby Vision HDR support. Remember, you'll need a display that is Dolby Vision HDR compatible, and not just the usual HDR10 standard.

The official notes from NVIDIA on their GeForce 378.92 drivers: