http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:53:29 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hideo-kojima-will-answer-your-questions-today-on-twitch/1100-6418292/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2367051-mgsvgz_ss_demo_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2367051" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2367051-mgsvgz_ss_demo_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2367051"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2367051-mgsvgz_ss_demo_001.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima will answer your questions today in a special live Twitch broadcast beginning at 9 a.m. PDT/12 noon EDT. Presumably, he's here to discuss the two-part action game <a href="/metal-gear-solid-ground-zeroes/" data-ref-id="false">Metal Gear Solid V</a>, but it sounds like anything is on the table.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Hideo Kojima: Ask Him Anything" is the <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/konami" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">title of the Twitch stream</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can watch the stream live in this post. Kojima is currently in London on a press tour for <a href="/metal-gear-solid-ground-zeroes/" data-ref-id="false">Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes</a>, which launches for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 next week on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-release-date-announced-xbox-exclusive-content-detailed/1100-6416613/" data-ref-id="1100-6416613">March 18</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Looking for more Metal Gear Solid content? Be sure to read GameSpot editor Peter Brown's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/moving-beyond-consoles-the-future-of-metal-gear-solid/1100-6418238/" data-ref-id="1100-6418238">interview with Kojima and art director Yoji Shinkawa about the future of the Metal Gear Solid series</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="html"><object id="live_embed_player_flash" data="http://www.twitch.tv/widgets/live_embed_player.swf?channel=konami" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="500" width="650"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.twitch.tv/widgets/live_embed_player.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=www.twitch.tv&channel=konami&auto_play=true&start_volume=25" /></object><a style="padding: 2px 0px 4px; display: block; width: 345px; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline; text-align: center;" href="http://www.twitch.tv/konami" rel="nofollow">Watch live video from Konami on www.twitch.tv</a></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hideo-kojima-will-answer-your-questions-today-on-twitch/1100-6418292/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/yoshi-s-new-island-review/1900-6415694/ <p style="">No mystery remains unsolved when Yoshi's nearby. Mario's dinosaur companion leaps into the heart of labyrinthine locales, ferreting out the many secrets that pepper these colorful lands. Skillful challenges are kept to a minimum in Yoshi's New Island. Rather than performing dexterous feats of skill, you instead take a methodical tour of each delightful land. It's an approach that separates Yoshi's New Island from many platformers out there, but sadly there are missteps in the execution that lessen any excitement. Straightforward level design demands neither clever puzzle solving nor quick reflexes, and a dearth of new ideas makes the many obstacles and enemies feel predictable. Yoshi's New Island is at once pleasant and forgettable, proving that charming aesthetics can only gloss over middling design for so long.</p><p style="">Before he became a plumber and brought momentary peace to the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario was nothing more than a baby in distress on the back of a dinosaur. Yoshi proves here that he's every bit the hero that the diapered companion he carries with him is; just don't expect him to move like Mario does. Dinosaurs are heavy creatures, so Yoshi isn't quick on his feet, but he does have other talents. Chief among them is his ability to momentarily hover to reach distant platforms. Extend jumps to carry your prodigious weight to out-of-the-way areas or to land right on the head of a roaming koopa troopa. Hovering is a necessary way to traverse this colorful world, but it's sadly just utilitarian. Without the smooth grace of his more acrobatic counterparts, Yoshi's hovering dulls the excitement of mid-air exploits.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2042945" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/5/2042945-711405_20130611_003.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/5/2042945-711405_20130611_003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042945"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/2/9/4/5/2042945-711405_20130611_003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Passing that giant egg must have been painful.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Even with workmanlike movement, reaching the end of each stage is still enjoyable. Much of this pleasure comes from the enchanting artistic design. Using a coloring-book style, Yoshi's New Island has a cheerful look that seeps into every one of its elements. Enemies look charming enough to hug--if they weren't trying to snatch your precious passenger--and the world seemingly dances with joy. Yoshi's New Island is just so welcoming. It's a world that exudes happiness. You can immerse yourself in this adventure without having to flex your fingers or rack your brain, and the low barrier for entry is nice for those who are intimidated by other offerings.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">Yoshi's New Island is at once pleasant and forgettable, proving that charming aesthetics can only gloss over middling design for so long.</p></blockquote><p style="">There are oodles of collectibles for those who want more to do than just reach the end. Yoshi's New Island ensures you can progress through the game without being a completionist, while still building obstacles for those who wish to put on their explorer's hat. This versatility stems from the expansive level design. Each stage has a linear path that anyone could mindlessly tromp down, but there are hidden paths beckoning those with a curious disposition. Brush against a seemingly solid wall to find a hollowed-out cave filled with coins, or use your hovering jump to ascend a towering beanstalk. If you venture down these unknown paths, collectibles such as smiling flowers are yours for the taking. And all the while you're awash in the happy glow of this saccharine world.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2042944" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/4/2042944-711405_20130611_002.jpg" data-size="medium" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/4/2042944-711405_20130611_002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042944"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/mig/2/9/4/4/2042944-711405_20130611_002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Can you blame those guys for being shy when Yoshi is always trying to eat them?</figcaption></figure><p style="">Of course, Yoshi can do more than blithely walk through each stage. By swallowing enemies whole, you can turn them into eggs, which can then be tossed around the environment. If you see a cloud floating high above, just wing an egg at it and revel in the rewards that spill from it. Maybe a staircase will appear out of thin air or coins will rain down upon you. There's no way to know beforehand, so don't be stingy with your eggs. Given that there's always a bountiful array of eggs about, you rarely have to aim with any precision. If you miss your target, just reload and try again. That goes along with the theme of Yoshi's New Island. There's rarely any punishment to halt your progress, so you can glide through this adventure without any hindrance.</p><p style="">Advancement In Yoshi's New Island is given, not earned, so you feel no rush from accomplishing a difficult feat. That's not a problem early on, when you're taken in by the comforting artistic design, but does lessen your engagement as you spend more time in this adventure. And the non-existent challenge is just one issue with Yoshi's New Island. For instance, the by-numbers level design presents few surprises. Occasional deviations such as sections in which you transform into a vehicle are little more than gyroscope-controlled distractions. And though there are secrets, they're laid out in such obvious ways that there's little need to push yourself to uncover them. Once you understand that egg clouds appear if you follow every branching path, you're halfway to discovering all there is to find in Yoshi's New Island. The few detours, such as when Yoshi can run up walls and across ceilings, showcase how devoid of inspiration this adventure is. A game needs more than bursts of quickness to be exciting. Running changes the pace, but the sequences all but control themselves, so they're as forgettable as the rest of the game.</p><p style="">Furthermore, every element of this game panders to nostalgic memories rather than forging new paths. I can't deny my initial glow during the early moments. Hearing the familiar hum Yoshi makes when hovering made me smile, and I was tickled as I tried to corral every hopping star. But the appeal of reliving my youth didn't last long. Because of its reluctance to innovate, the game rests in the land of ambivalence, going through the motions without much flair. And though there are plenty of secrets to uncover, there's not much impetus to replay stages to find every trinket. My time spent within each level was pleasant enough, but little stayed with me after I turned off the system.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2042946" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/6/2042946-711405_20130611_004.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/6/2042946-711405_20130611_004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042946"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/2/9/4/6/2042946-711405_20130611_004.jpg"></a><figcaption>It's probably dangerous to carry a baby so close to a giant bat.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Just like the original game, Yoshi's New Island has a clever way to deal with health that is ultimately a detriment. When Yoshi is struck, Baby Mario is knocked from his back, and you have a few seconds to chase him down before he's captured by the baddies. His ear-piercing wails offer a sharp and unpleasant contrast to the peaceful mood, but the problems go much deeper than an unsettling sound effect. Yoshi is nearly indestructible, dying only when he falls into a deadly pit, so the challenge comes from chasing Baby Mario. However, this system is more of an annoyance than a neat twist on the norm. It's easy enough to avoid every enemy that comes your way. And if you do get struck when your attention wavers, running after Mario just interrupts your shy guy-eating escapades.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2042947" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/7/2042947-711405_20130611_005.jpg" data-size="medium" data-align="left" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/7/2042947-711405_20130611_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042947"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/mig/2/9/4/7/2042947-711405_20130611_005.jpg"></a><figcaption>Even the bullets are smiling!</figcaption></figure><p style="">The health system also undermines the boss encounters. Twice in each world you have to face off against a formidable foe, either Magikoopa or a creature that Magikoopa turns gigantic with his magical hammer. There are mild puzzles, such as figuring out when to flip a switch to skewer Magikoopa on spikes, and much of the appeal comes from figuring out what to do. But once you understand the trick, it's incredibly easy to conquer your foe. This lessens the impact such fights could have had. You need only fire a couple of eggs or perform a downward stomp, collect Mario when you're hit, and then move on to the next level.</p><p style="">There is a two-player mode if you're eager for more Yoshi action. Here, you partner with a friend to perform many of the same duties that encompass the main adventure. For instance, you may have to pop balloons or consume enemies, and there's a scoreboard to keep track of how you've done. Yoshi's New Island is a game built around its level design and aesthetics, so separating the actions from the core adventure only highlights how clumsy the game feels. There's no energy or excitement. Once you run through the various minigames, there's no point in revisiting them to try to top your previous score.</p><p style="">Nintendo last explored this franchise in 2006 with <a href="/yoshis-island-ds/" data-ref-id="false">Yoshi's Island DS</a>, and though that game had its own problems, it also had an identity. By introducing new babies with different abilities, it provided a fun and unpredictable sequel to the Super Nintendo original. Yoshi's New Island has no such identity. That's not to say this isn't an enjoyable game, but the best elements are recycled from a game that's almost 20 years old, and because nothing particularly interesting was added, it does little to excite the imagination. Yoshi's New Island is a decent platformer, but it's also so forgettable that it won't leave you with any lasting memories.</p> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/yoshi-s-new-island-review/1900-6415694/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/yoshi-s-new-island-video-review/2300-6417673/ Tom Mc Shea explains how Yoshi's New Island lacks imagination, and is just too easy for its own good. Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/yoshi-s-new-island-video-review/2300-6417673/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-ps-vita-appeals-to-people-with-an-eclectic-taste-in-games/1100-6418291/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453928-psvita.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453928" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453928-psvita.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453928"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453928-psvita.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The PlayStation Vita appeals to people with an "eclectic taste in games," Sony UK managing director Fergal Gara has said in a new interview with <a href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/what-now-for-playstation-vita/0129373" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">MCV</a>. Speaking about the market overall for the device, Gara said smartphones and tablets have diminished the reach of the PS Vita, but he contends that Sony's portable offers a richer experience compared to those platforms.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Vita is proving to be a big niche device. Using the term 'niche' makes it sound tiny, but it's not," Gara said. "The console is occupying an interesting space for interesting games built for more committed gamers. Yes the market place for it isn't as big as it might have been had smartphones not arrived, but it is still a more thorough, more complete experience."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"And it is therefore appealing to people with a more eclectic taste in games. And many of these indie developers are proud to be on the platform," he added. "All of this is before we even talk about its role alongside PS4, which is clearly exciting and we seeing some good results from that."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Of course, a major selling point for the PS Vita is its Remote Play functionality, which allows you to stream PS4 games to the PS Vita provided you own both devices. Despite the strong interplay between the two systems, Sony has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/no-plans-for-ps4-ps-vita-bundle/1100-6417665/" data-ref-id="1100-6417665">no plans to offer a PS4/PS Vita bundle</a>, at least not right now.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Also in the interview, Gara admitted that though the PS Vita might be "lacking" in upcoming AAA games made specifically for the system, this doesn't tell the whole story because of Remote Play.</p><p style="">"Well, there are a lack of those titles announced. Is it a problem? It would be fair to pick up that there wasn't a second Call of Duty made specifically for Vita," he said. "But what's changed is that <a href="/call-of-duty-ghosts/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty: Ghosts</a> was available on Vita via Remote Play on PS4. And Vita is sort of evolving as a platform."</p><p style="">Activision launched <a href="/call-of-duty-black-ops-declassified/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified</a> for the PS Vita in November 2012, but it was <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-vita/call-of-duty-black-ops-declassified" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">blasted by critics</a>.</p><p style="">The new PlayStation Vita Slim model <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-vita-slim-confirmed-for-us-updated/1100-6417646/" data-ref-id="1100-6417646">launches this spring in North America through a special $200 Borderlands 2 bundle</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414732" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414732/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 07:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-ps-vita-appeals-to-people-with-an-eclectic-taste-in-games/1100-6418291/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-does-the-creator-of-smash-bros-kirby-think-about-the-ps4/1100-6418290/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2445960-smash_waluigiassist.jpeg" data-ref-id="1300-2445960" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2445960-smash_waluigiassist.jpeg" data-ref-id="1300-2445960"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2445960-smash_waluigiassist.jpeg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">What does the creator of acclaimed franchises like Super Smash Bros. and Kirby think about Sony's newly launched PlayStation 4? He likes it, but he's not very much into picking sides, the veteran game designer said as part of his latest <em>Weekly Famitsu</em> column (translated by <a href="http://kotaku.com/smash-bros-creator-reviews-the-ps4-1542882797" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Kotaku</a>).</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"First off, the console looks cool," Sakurai said. "As hardware evolves, people tend to make things more rounded or add more details, but [the PS4] is properly angular. This simplicity is really nice."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But at the end of the day, Sakurai is not a fan of choosing sides. Instead, he said he wants to see the game business grow--and whatever platforms can help with that are OK in his eyes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Whether it's Nintendo or Sony, Japanese or foreign, I don't care about picking sides," Sakurai said. "I work hoping that the future of games and the game business will be more fun." Sakurai did note that he hoped the PS4 would be backward compatible, saying "If only I could play PS3 games on it, I could pack up my PS3 and my room would be cleaner."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sakurai was most impressed by the PS4's raw power, something many designers agree is one of the system's most compelling selling points. Sony even describes the PS4 as the most powerful game console ever made.</p><p style="">"What I found most appealing was the machine's power. Looking over the various software, the screens are detailed and smooth. Load times are short and there are no slowdowns," Sakurai said. "Such performance right out the gate--this will help a lot of developers."</p><p style="">Sakurai is currently working on the all-new <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS</a>, which is due out this year.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417211" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417211/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 07:20:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-does-the-creator-of-smash-bros-kirby-think-about-the-ps4/1100-6418290/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-cheaters-being-hunted-down-by-respawn/1100-6418289/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2451775-titanfall+screen+6.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2451775" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2451775-titanfall+screen+6.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2451775"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1365/13658182/2451775-titanfall+screen+6.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're using aimbots or other cheating tools in <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a>, be warned, developer Respawn Entertainment is hunting you down and they sound quite serious about it.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Finding cheaters in Titanfall? So are we. We're logging them now and they will be rooted out shortly," Respawn <a href="https://twitter.com/Respawn/status/443920813981724672" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said on Twitter</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Titanfall is available today on Xbox One and PC, though it's not clear which platform is playing host to the the highest levels of cheating.</p><p style="">In other Titanfall news, Respawn cofounder Vince Zampella <a href="https://twitter.com/VinceZampella/status/443982974556459008" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">announced</a> that Australian servers for the game will come online beginning tomorrow, March 14. Titanfall also launches across Europe tomorrow. </p><p style="">For more on Titanfall, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/titanfall-review/1900-6415690/" data-ref-id="1900-6415690">GameSpot's review</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-review-roundup/1100-6418212/" data-ref-id="1100-6418212">what other critics are saying</a>. </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417654" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417654/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-cheaters-being-hunted-down-by-respawn/1100-6418289/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-need-for-speed-movie-is-great-and-terrible/1100-6418267/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453366-paul.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453366" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453366-paul.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453366"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453366-paul.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Need for Speed movie is both great and terrible. I saw a screening of the film in Boston last month and what the 130-minute action flick boils down is this: it is full of hits and misses. Let me explain why.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>BAD: It Has A Throwaway Story</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453371-cooper.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453371" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453371-cooper.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453371"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453371-cooper.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">It's the cliched and overdone narrative of a man framed for a crime he did not commit who sets out on a cross-country adventure seeking vengeance. It does not get more formulaic than this. All the characters are completely one-dimensional and you'll cringe during a lot of the dialogue.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>GOOD: The Action Is Fantastic</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453368-crash.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453368" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453368-crash.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453368"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453368-crash.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The movie has no CGI. None at all. Director Scott Waugh, who comes from an <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915304/?ref_=nv_sr_1" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">extensive stunt background</a> (his father even played Spider-Man on the 1978 TV show <em>The Amazing Spider-Man</em>), said he <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/need-for-speed-movie-the-stunts-are-real/1100-6417730/" data-ref-id="1100-6417730">did not want to lie to the audience using green screens</a>, so he simply didn't. Everything you see in the movie--explosions, cars driving off cliffs, hairpin turns at breakneck speeds--actually happened in the real world. It's even more impressive when you consider <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/need-for-speed-movie-the-stunts-are-real/1100-6417730/" data-ref-id="1100-6417730">Aaron Paul is behind the wheel for many of the scenes</a>.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>BAD: Michael Keaton Is Unused</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453377-keaton.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453377" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453377-keaton.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453377"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453377-keaton.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">He plays a wealthy and eccentric elite race organizer who never leaves his secret residence, communicating only through an advanced communications network. Seriously. He's featured in a handful of scenes in the movie (probably shot in one day) and he's always sitting in this one room. It's a real shame the very talented Keaton is so unused in the movie.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><h3><strong>GOOD: It's Funny</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453398-nfsfilm.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453398" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453398-nfsfilm.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453398"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453398-nfsfilm.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">There are some genuinely funny scenes in the movie, many of which come from Paul's group of car mechanic friends. Without giving too much away, the movie presents a hilarious way to quit your job in your underwear (thank you, Rami Malek) and Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi steals the show with his frequently hilarious one-liners. These scenes represent a bright spot for the film's writing and story, but they aren't enough to make up for its shortcomings.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>BAD: Aaron Paul Doesn't Deliver</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453382-paulnfs.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453382" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453382-paulnfs.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453382"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453382-paulnfs.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Simply put, his performance did nothing for me. Thematically speaking, the Need for Speed movie is similar to <em>Breaking Bad</em> in that Paul undergoes terrible loss and is out for vengeance. What he did so well in <em>Breaking Bad</em> does not translate to <em>Need for Speed</em>. His performance here comes across as forced and without spirit. I was definitely hoping for more from him. And it doesn't help that he sounds like Christian Bale's Batman in every scene.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>GOOD: Car Lover's Dream</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453370-cars.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453370" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453370-cars.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453370"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453370-cars.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">As you'd expect from a movie bearing the Need for Speed name, the film is stacked with supercars people like me and you can only dream about. I'm talking about Bugattis, Koenigseggs, Lamborghinis, and McLarens just to name a few. The movie even serves as the theatrical debut for the Ford Shelby GT500, which plays a pivotal role in the movie's story and manages to not come across as one long advertisement for the Detroit car maker. But it also goes deeper. The film is a throwback of sorts to classic car films, featuring homages to classic car movies like <i>Vanishing Point </i>and <em>Bullitt</em>, and it even recreates that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z88U915uq8" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">epic last scene from <em>Thelma & Louise</em></a>. If you like fast cars, this movie has everything you need and then some.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><h3><strong>VERDICT</strong></h3><p style="">I can only recommend you see the <em>Need for Speed</em> movie in theaters if your local movieplex has a $5 Tuesday offer or something similar. The racing/action scenes are no doubt better on the big-screen, but the ham-handed story and clumsy dialogue weighs the experience down too far for it to be a truly enjoyable movie.</p><p style="">The most recent entry in the Need for Speed video game series was 2013's <a href="/need-for-speed-rivals/" data-ref-id="false">Need for Speed: Rivals</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC.</p><p style=""><em>Need for Speed comes to theaters Friday, March 14. It stars Aaron Paul as the protagonist Tobey Marshall pitted against Domic Cooper, who plays the bad guy Dino Brewster. Supporting the two leads are Michael Keaton, Imogen Poots, Scott Mescudi, Rami Malek, Ramon Rodriguez, Harrison Gilbertson, and Dakota Johnson.</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e73J71RZRn8" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fe73J71RZRn8%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3De73J71RZRn8&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fe73J71RZRn8%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-need-for-speed-movie-is-great-and-terrible/1100-6418267/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/lots-of-cool-things-coming-to-xbox-microsoft-teases/1100-6418287/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453892-xboxlogo.png" data-ref-id="1300-2453892" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453892-xboxlogo.png" data-ref-id="1300-2453892"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453892-xboxlogo.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to Microsoft director of product planning Albert Penello, there are "lots of cool things" coming to Xbox in the future. Writing on Twitter, Penello said he's not able to share these just yet</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Lots of cool things happening. I wish I could share, my friend," Penello<a href="https://twitter.com/albertpenello/status/444009370129399808" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> said to a fan</a>. Unfortunately, Penello did not provide any more details on what some of these new features might be or when they will be delivered.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Late last month, <a href="/dayz/" data-ref-id="false">DayZ</a> creator Dean Hall made a similar tease. After meeting with Microsoft to discuss a DayZ console port, Hall said he was shown some "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dayz-creator-xbox-one-has-exciting-things-coming-can-t-share-details/1100-6417975/" data-ref-id="1100-6417975">really interesting</a>" Xbox One features that he was not permitted to discuss publicly.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"There were definitely some things they said that I'm not allowed to talk about that I was like, '<em>Wow! That's interesting. </em>Why don't you tell people that?' But I guess they want to make sure everything all goes together and that," Hall said at the time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What could these interesting new Xbox One features be? One possibility is a full-game streaming service similar to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-we-know-about-playstation-now-so-far/1100-6417069/" data-ref-id="1100-6417069">Sony's PlayStation Now</a>, which Penello told GameSpot at PAX Prime is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-talks-digital-only-future-kinect-and-why-xbox-one-is-worth-100-more-than-playstation-4/1100-6413920/" data-ref-id="1100-6413920">something that Microsoft's Azure cloud servers are capable of delivering</a>. Microsoft also intends to one day <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-talks-digital-only-future-kinect-and-why-xbox-one-is-worth-100-more-than-playstation-4/1100-6413920/" data-ref-id="1100-6413920">bring back its ambitious Family Sharing plan for digital Xbox One games</a>. On top of that, Microsoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-free-game-promotion-news-coming-soon/1100-6417482/" data-ref-id="1100-6417482">plans to extend its Games with Gold service to Xbox One in the future</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416249" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416249/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:25:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/lots-of-cool-things-coming-to-xbox-microsoft-teases/1100-6418287/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-s-phil-spencer-discusses-unhealthy-xbox-one-fanboyism-are-you-one-of-them/1100-6418288/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2453903-8668147075-23687.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453903" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2453903-8668147075-23687.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453903"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2453903-8668147075-23687.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Microsoft Games Studios chief Phil Spencer has discussed the "unhealthy" fanboyism that exists in gaming.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"There seems to be this natural faction that gets created around what console you own, and then this, I would call it unhealthy dislike, for people who own the other console," said Spencer <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FMaoa09Ne0" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">at a talk during SXSW 2014</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Praising the work of Sony, Nintendo, and Valve, Spencer said all companies were looking to be competitive, but in the marketplace and in the games. "In the end, what we all want to do is to take this art form of playing games and experiencing and breaking down that wall between a linear narrative and an interactive capability, and just make a better form of entertainment."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I love the fans that we have," Spencer continued, "but I don't think being a fan of Xbox does not mean you can't be a fan of something else, or you have to be an anti-fan of some other brand. At least I'm not. I own a PlayStation 4, I play games on a PlayStation 4. I own a Wii U, I play games on my Wii U. I learn a ton from what happens on those other platforms.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In terms of the kind of concerns people have on the social space, it is usually about how we're doing in the competition against PlayStation. They had a great launch. I will say, when I look at the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launches, it's been our best launch ever for an Xbox."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"A year ago, the question was whether consoles were relevant anymore, and has the industry moved beyond console gaming--is anyone going to show up to the party when these two big console manufacturers bring their products out in November? And today I think we'd all say that hasn't been a problem. If you look at what both consoles have done, it's been an amazing year."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The units that we've both been able to sell shows an amazing start to this console generation."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on fanboys, check out Cam's exploration of the psychological triggers behind why people develop an unhealthy dislike of other brands in a classic episode of Reality Check.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6411095" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6411095/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-s-phil-spencer-discusses-unhealthy-xbox-one-fanboyism-are-you-one-of-them/1100-6418288/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-quietly-kills-99-xbox-360-promotion/1100-6418286/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453885-99xbox360.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453885" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453885-99xbox360.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453885"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453885-99xbox360.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Almost two years ago, Microsoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-confirms-99-xbox-360/1100-6375386/" data-ref-id="1100-6375386">began selling Xbox 360s with Kinect for $99 if you agreed to a two-year Xbox Live contract</a>, but the offer is no longer available. This promotion was quietly killed last summer, Microsoft spokesperson David Dennis told <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303546204579435611501785186?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303546204579435611501785186.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"><em>The Wall Street Journal</em></a> this week.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The promotion, which borrowed from the pricing model used by wireless carriers, gathered significant buzz, and some even thought the Xbox One would be offered on a similar basis. But the $99 Xbox 360 offer was never anything more than a pilot program, Dennis said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This program was intended to be a pilot experiment from the start, and Microsoft routinely adjusts the mix of offers available to its customers and this change was simply standard business practice," he said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The $99 Xbox 360 promotion was originally introduced exclusively at Microsoft Stores, but the offer would <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsofts-99-xbox-360-hits-best-buy-gamestop/1100-6384341/" data-ref-id="1100-6384341">later expand to</a> nationwide retailers like Best Buy, GameStop, and Wal-Mart. The up-front cost was less than what the Xbox 360 was selling for at the time, but you'd end up <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsofts-99-xbox-360-hits-best-buy-gamestop/1100-6384341/" data-ref-id="1100-6384341">spending more in the long-run</a> and even faced an <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsofts-99-xbox-360-hits-best-buy-gamestop/1100-6384341/" data-ref-id="1100-6384341">early termination penalty</a> if you canceled ahead of schedule.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Xbox One currently sells for $499, but Microsoft director of product planning Albert Penello told GameSpot in September that he <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-talks-digital-only-future-kinect-and-why-xbox-one-is-worth-100-more-than-playstation-4/1100-6413920/" data-ref-id="1100-6413920">expects Microsoft to introduce a subsidized offer</a> later on in the platform's life cycle.</p><p style="">"The subsidized model really makes a lot of sense towards the end of the life. People are more price sensitive," Penello said at the time. "They are more cost conscious. It's a model I like; I'm sure we'll bring it back. But not right now."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416249" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416249/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:06:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-quietly-kills-99-xbox-360-promotion/1100-6418286/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-this-war-game-you-play-as-an-innocent-civilian/1100-6418285/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453879-thiswar.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453879" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453879-thiswar.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453879"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453879-thiswar.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">A new war video game is turning the genre on its head, casting you not as a soldier in battle but rather as innocent bystanders who are left dealing with the reality of the turmoil surrounding them. From Polish developer 11 bit studios (the company that recently <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/witcher-3-devs-hired-by-indie-studio/1100-6417566/" data-ref-id="1100-6417566">hired a pair of Witcher 3 designers</a>), the game is called <a href="/this-war-of-mine/" data-ref-id="false">This War of Mine</a>. Its tagline is "In war, not everyone is a soldier."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Described as a "dark survival game," This War of Mine has you controlling a group of civilians who are trying to stay alive in a city besieged by war.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><em>"During the day snipers outside stop you from leaving your refuge, offering players time to craft, trade, upgrade their shelter, feed and cure their people. At night they must scavenge nearby areas in search for food, medicines, weapons, and other useful items."</em></p><p dir="ltr" style="">This War of Mine was inspired by the real-life story of how one man survived in a city surrounded by war, lead designer Michal Drozdowski said in a statement.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We learned about his hardships and the horror of that experience," he said. "We decided to work around this idea and make something real, something that moves people and make them think for a second. It's about time that games, just like any other art form, start talking about important things."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In This War of Mine, players will make "life-and-death" decisions based on what their conscience tells them. Some options including trying to protect the people in your shelter...or sacrificing some of them in order to survive. "There are no good or bad decisions during war. There's only survival," reads the game's description.</p><p style="">This War of Mine is coming to PC and mobile devices, and will make its worldwide debut at the Game Developers Conference next week in San Francisco. You can check out a trailer below and read more about it <a href="http://www.11bitstudios.com/games/16/this-war-of-mine" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">on the game's website</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_tYB_Ntlg" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FpH_tYB_Ntlg%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpH_tYB_Ntlg&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FpH_tYB_Ntlg%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 05:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-this-war-game-you-play-as-an-innocent-civilian/1100-6418285/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/these-impressive-graphics-are-running-in-a-browser/1100-6418284/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453867-mozilla.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453867" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453867-mozilla.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453867"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453867-mozilla.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Epic Games and Mozilla have revealed the first glimpse of the Unreal Engine 4 running in Firefox and the results are pretty impressive. The video you see below is of Epic's Soul and Swing Ninja demos running in Firefox at "near-native" speeds and without plugins.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The results were made possible thanks to advancements made to asm.js, a "supercharged" subset of JavaScript, Mozilla said. In the past year, Mozilla has made optimizations that have increased the performance of Web applications using asm.js from 40 percent to 67 percent of native, and the company said they expect it to get even faster.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This technology has reached a point where games users can jump into via a Web link are now almost indistinguishable from ones they might have had to wait to download and install," Mozilla CTO and SVP of engineering Brendan Eich <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/03/12/mozilla-and-epic-preview-unreal-engine-4-running-in-firefox/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said in a statement</a> on Mozilla's website. "Using Emscripten to cross-compile C and C++ into asm.js, developers can run their games at near-native speeds, so they can approach the Web as they would any other platform."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In his own statement, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said the Web has a "crucial part to play" in the future of game development and deployment. "And Mozilla has proven it is the catalyst to make this happen," he said.</p><p style="">Epic Games and Mozilla will show off Unreal Engine 4 running in Web browsers at the 2014 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week. GameSpot will be in attendance.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2uNDlP4RiE" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fc2uNDlP4RiE%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dc2uNDlP4RiE&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fc2uNDlP4RiE%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 05:19:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/these-impressive-graphics-are-running-in-a-browser/1100-6418284/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-how-to-get-an-xbox-one-controller-working-on-pc/1100-6418283/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2453858-4925595527-xbox-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453858" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2453858-4925595527-xbox-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453858"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2453858-4925595527-xbox-.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">One enterprising modder has engineered a solution for using an Xbox One controller on a PC.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft has said it will provide official drivers to enable the new controller on the PC in the future, but it has not said when these will be released--until then, this unofficial solution will work nicely.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The modder, Lucas Assis, said in a YouTube video that it took him about a day's work to engineer the workaround. There's a few steps involved to get it working, but any confident Windows user should be able to get it up and running in about 10 minutes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Assis provides all the relevant information <a href="http://youtu.be/YGXHejtLeII" rel="nofollow">in his tutorial on YouTube</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In short, the workaround requires you to install a set of drivers and software to fool your PC into assuming a regular old Xbox 360 controller has been connected to the machine.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A similar solution--of tricking Windows into thinking an Xbox 360 pad has been connected--has been <a href="http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-DS4-To-XInput-Wrapper" rel="nofollow">made available for the PS4 for a while now</a>. Unlike the actual DualShock 4, when using the controller on the PC you can even disable the Light Bar.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGXHejtLeII" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FYGXHejtLeII%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYGXHejtLeII&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FYGXHejtLeII%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 05:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-how-to-get-an-xbox-one-controller-working-on-pc/1100-6418283/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-reason-why-the-last-of-us-movie-is-sounding-good/1100-6418282/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/0/7/1/7/1990717-652686_20120814_010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1990717" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/0/7/1/7/1990717-652686_20120814_010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1990717"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/0/7/1/7/1990717-652686_20120814_010.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Last of Us movie, at least on paper, is sure sounding like it could break through the history of mediocrity that has plagued recent big-screen video game adaptations. We already know creative director Neil Druckmann is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-making-a-last-of-us-movie-who-would-you-cast-as-joel-and-ellie/1100-6418155/" data-ref-id="1100-6418155">writing the movie's script</a>, and now the designer has revealed that the movie will be a re-telling of the game's story, not a new extension to the series.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"It's an adaptation of the story of The Last of Us," Druckmann told <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/13/druckmann-confirms-the-last-of-us-movie-is-game-adaptation" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">IGN</a> in a new interview. The Last of Us has won numerous awards (include <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-wins-bafta-game-of-the-year-award-steam-sale-for-other-award-winners-and-nominees/1100-6418275/" data-ref-id="1100-6418275">Best Game last night at the BAFTAs</a>), with many critics praising the game's character-driven nature and specifically the writing for central characters like Joel and Ellie.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As for how specifically The Last of Us will make the jump to the big screen, Druckmann said these decisions have not been made yet. The movie was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-making-a-last-of-us-movie-who-would-you-cast-as-joel-and-ellie/1100-6418155/" data-ref-id="1100-6418155">only just announced last week</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"As far as where we go and how we make it fit into a film, how it takes into account the unique properties of film... We're not sure yet. We're only just scratching the surface."</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><em>Spider-Man</em> director Sam Raimi will <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-making-a-last-of-us-movie-who-would-you-cast-as-joel-and-ellie/1100-6418155/" data-ref-id="1100-6418155">produce the Last of Us movie</a>, but casting details have not been announced, nor has a director for the project been named.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Druckmann also commented on the possibility of Naughty Dog creating a full sequel to The Last of Us, making clear (<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-2-is-a-50-50-chance/1100-6417906/" data-ref-id="1100-6417906">again</a>) that no decisions have been made yet.</p><p style="">"We don't know yet," Druckmann said. "We're still trying to figure it out. We're brainstorming some stuff, so we'll see where that goes."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417519" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417519/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:55:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-reason-why-the-last-of-us-movie-is-sounding-good/1100-6418282/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-fires-off-another-shot-at-xbox-policies/1100-6418280/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453845-ps4xbox.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453845" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453845-ps4xbox.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453845"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453845-ps4xbox.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Thought the "console war" between Microsoft and Sony was cooling off? Think again. Writing on Twitter last night, Adam Boyes of the PlayStation developer relations team fired off a shot at Microsoft's contentious "launch parity" policy for games released through the company's independent publishing program ID@Xbox.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft's new indie publishing program has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-indie-program-adds-65-new-developers-to-its-ranks/1100-6417991/" data-ref-id="1100-6417991">drawn the praise of many independent studios</a>, but some have criticized this "launch parity" clause that requires games launch on Xbox One the same day they do on other platforms. This would prevent an indie developer from releasing their game as a timed-exclusive on another platform, like the competing PlayStation 4 or PC.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A Microsoft representative told <em>Edge</em> this week that it will work with indie developers on a "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-indie-games-launching-alongside-ps4-pc-requirement-looked-at-on-a-case-by-case-basis/1100-6418225/" data-ref-id="1100-6418225">case by case</a>" basis to discuss launch plans, but it hasn't ended there. Boyes <a href="https://twitter.com/amboyes/status/443892294056304640" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">tweeted</a> last night: "In the interest of transparency, I want to share our [developer] clause that lists which platforms you cannot release on." Attached was the following image.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453844-boyestweet.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453844" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453844-boyestweet.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453844"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453844-boyestweet.jpg"></a><figcaption>This image has been re-tweeted 852 times. </figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style="">Sony has not been shy in criticizing Microsoft's Xbox policies of late. During E3 2013 last summer, the company released a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">tongue-in-cheek video poking fun at Microsoft's used game policy</a>, which the company<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-changing-xbox-one-policies/1100-6410472/" data-ref-id="1100-6410472"> would reverse just weeks later</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6409731" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6409731/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:32:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-fires-off-another-shot-at-xbox-policies/1100-6418280/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:53:29 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hideo-kojima-will-answer-your-questions-today-on-twitch/1100-6418292/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2367051-mgsvgz_ss_demo_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2367051" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2367051-mgsvgz_ss_demo_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2367051"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2367051-mgsvgz_ss_demo_001.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima will answer your questions today in a special live Twitch broadcast beginning at 9 a.m. PDT/12 noon EDT. Presumably, he's here to discuss the two-part action game <a href="/metal-gear-solid-ground-zeroes/" data-ref-id="false">Metal Gear Solid V</a>, but it sounds like anything is on the table.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Hideo Kojima: Ask Him Anything" is the <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/konami" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">title of the Twitch stream</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can watch the stream live in this post. Kojima is currently in London on a press tour for <a href="/metal-gear-solid-ground-zeroes/" data-ref-id="false">Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes</a>, which launches for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 next week on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-release-date-announced-xbox-exclusive-content-detailed/1100-6416613/" data-ref-id="1100-6416613">March 18</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Looking for more Metal Gear Solid content? Be sure to read GameSpot editor Peter Brown's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/moving-beyond-consoles-the-future-of-metal-gear-solid/1100-6418238/" data-ref-id="1100-6418238">interview with Kojima and art director Yoji Shinkawa about the future of the Metal Gear Solid series</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="html"><object id="live_embed_player_flash" data="http://www.twitch.tv/widgets/live_embed_player.swf?channel=konami" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="500" width="650"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.twitch.tv/widgets/live_embed_player.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=www.twitch.tv&channel=konami&auto_play=true&start_volume=25" /></object><a style="padding: 2px 0px 4px; display: block; width: 345px; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline; text-align: center;" href="http://www.twitch.tv/konami" rel="nofollow">Watch live video from Konami on www.twitch.tv</a></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hideo-kojima-will-answer-your-questions-today-on-twitch/1100-6418292/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/yoshi-s-new-island-review/1900-6415694/ <p style="">No mystery remains unsolved when Yoshi's nearby. Mario's dinosaur companion leaps into the heart of labyrinthine locales, ferreting out the many secrets that pepper these colorful lands. Skillful challenges are kept to a minimum in Yoshi's New Island. Rather than performing dexterous feats of skill, you instead take a methodical tour of each delightful land. It's an approach that separates Yoshi's New Island from many platformers out there, but sadly there are missteps in the execution that lessen any excitement. Straightforward level design demands neither clever puzzle solving nor quick reflexes, and a dearth of new ideas makes the many obstacles and enemies feel predictable. Yoshi's New Island is at once pleasant and forgettable, proving that charming aesthetics can only gloss over middling design for so long.</p><p style="">Before he became a plumber and brought momentary peace to the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario was nothing more than a baby in distress on the back of a dinosaur. Yoshi proves here that he's every bit the hero that the diapered companion he carries with him is; just don't expect him to move like Mario does. Dinosaurs are heavy creatures, so Yoshi isn't quick on his feet, but he does have other talents. Chief among them is his ability to momentarily hover to reach distant platforms. Extend jumps to carry your prodigious weight to out-of-the-way areas or to land right on the head of a roaming koopa troopa. Hovering is a necessary way to traverse this colorful world, but it's sadly just utilitarian. Without the smooth grace of his more acrobatic counterparts, Yoshi's hovering dulls the excitement of mid-air exploits.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2042945" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/5/2042945-711405_20130611_003.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/5/2042945-711405_20130611_003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042945"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/2/9/4/5/2042945-711405_20130611_003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Passing that giant egg must have been painful.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Even with workmanlike movement, reaching the end of each stage is still enjoyable. Much of this pleasure comes from the enchanting artistic design. Using a coloring-book style, Yoshi's New Island has a cheerful look that seeps into every one of its elements. Enemies look charming enough to hug--if they weren't trying to snatch your precious passenger--and the world seemingly dances with joy. Yoshi's New Island is just so welcoming. It's a world that exudes happiness. You can immerse yourself in this adventure without having to flex your fingers or rack your brain, and the low barrier for entry is nice for those who are intimidated by other offerings.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">Yoshi's New Island is at once pleasant and forgettable, proving that charming aesthetics can only gloss over middling design for so long.</p></blockquote><p style="">There are oodles of collectibles for those who want more to do than just reach the end. Yoshi's New Island ensures you can progress through the game without being a completionist, while still building obstacles for those who wish to put on their explorer's hat. This versatility stems from the expansive level design. Each stage has a linear path that anyone could mindlessly tromp down, but there are hidden paths beckoning those with a curious disposition. Brush against a seemingly solid wall to find a hollowed-out cave filled with coins, or use your hovering jump to ascend a towering beanstalk. If you venture down these unknown paths, collectibles such as smiling flowers are yours for the taking. And all the while you're awash in the happy glow of this saccharine world.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2042944" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/4/2042944-711405_20130611_002.jpg" data-size="medium" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/4/2042944-711405_20130611_002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042944"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/mig/2/9/4/4/2042944-711405_20130611_002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Can you blame those guys for being shy when Yoshi is always trying to eat them?</figcaption></figure><p style="">Of course, Yoshi can do more than blithely walk through each stage. By swallowing enemies whole, you can turn them into eggs, which can then be tossed around the environment. If you see a cloud floating high above, just wing an egg at it and revel in the rewards that spill from it. Maybe a staircase will appear out of thin air or coins will rain down upon you. There's no way to know beforehand, so don't be stingy with your eggs. Given that there's always a bountiful array of eggs about, you rarely have to aim with any precision. If you miss your target, just reload and try again. That goes along with the theme of Yoshi's New Island. There's rarely any punishment to halt your progress, so you can glide through this adventure without any hindrance.</p><p style="">Advancement In Yoshi's New Island is given, not earned, so you feel no rush from accomplishing a difficult feat. That's not a problem early on, when you're taken in by the comforting artistic design, but does lessen your engagement as you spend more time in this adventure. And the non-existent challenge is just one issue with Yoshi's New Island. For instance, the by-numbers level design presents few surprises. Occasional deviations such as sections in which you transform into a vehicle are little more than gyroscope-controlled distractions. And though there are secrets, they're laid out in such obvious ways that there's little need to push yourself to uncover them. Once you understand that egg clouds appear if you follow every branching path, you're halfway to discovering all there is to find in Yoshi's New Island. The few detours, such as when Yoshi can run up walls and across ceilings, showcase how devoid of inspiration this adventure is. A game needs more than bursts of quickness to be exciting. Running changes the pace, but the sequences all but control themselves, so they're as forgettable as the rest of the game.</p><p style="">Furthermore, every element of this game panders to nostalgic memories rather than forging new paths. I can't deny my initial glow during the early moments. Hearing the familiar hum Yoshi makes when hovering made me smile, and I was tickled as I tried to corral every hopping star. But the appeal of reliving my youth didn't last long. Because of its reluctance to innovate, the game rests in the land of ambivalence, going through the motions without much flair. And though there are plenty of secrets to uncover, there's not much impetus to replay stages to find every trinket. My time spent within each level was pleasant enough, but little stayed with me after I turned off the system.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2042946" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/6/2042946-711405_20130611_004.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/6/2042946-711405_20130611_004.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042946"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/2/9/4/6/2042946-711405_20130611_004.jpg"></a><figcaption>It's probably dangerous to carry a baby so close to a giant bat.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Just like the original game, Yoshi's New Island has a clever way to deal with health that is ultimately a detriment. When Yoshi is struck, Baby Mario is knocked from his back, and you have a few seconds to chase him down before he's captured by the baddies. His ear-piercing wails offer a sharp and unpleasant contrast to the peaceful mood, but the problems go much deeper than an unsettling sound effect. Yoshi is nearly indestructible, dying only when he falls into a deadly pit, so the challenge comes from chasing Baby Mario. However, this system is more of an annoyance than a neat twist on the norm. It's easy enough to avoid every enemy that comes your way. And if you do get struck when your attention wavers, running after Mario just interrupts your shy guy-eating escapades.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2042947" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/7/2042947-711405_20130611_005.jpg" data-size="medium" data-align="left" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/2/9/4/7/2042947-711405_20130611_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2042947"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/mig/2/9/4/7/2042947-711405_20130611_005.jpg"></a><figcaption>Even the bullets are smiling!</figcaption></figure><p style="">The health system also undermines the boss encounters. Twice in each world you have to face off against a formidable foe, either Magikoopa or a creature that Magikoopa turns gigantic with his magical hammer. There are mild puzzles, such as figuring out when to flip a switch to skewer Magikoopa on spikes, and much of the appeal comes from figuring out what to do. But once you understand the trick, it's incredibly easy to conquer your foe. This lessens the impact such fights could have had. You need only fire a couple of eggs or perform a downward stomp, collect Mario when you're hit, and then move on to the next level.</p><p style="">There is a two-player mode if you're eager for more Yoshi action. Here, you partner with a friend to perform many of the same duties that encompass the main adventure. For instance, you may have to pop balloons or consume enemies, and there's a scoreboard to keep track of how you've done. Yoshi's New Island is a game built around its level design and aesthetics, so separating the actions from the core adventure only highlights how clumsy the game feels. There's no energy or excitement. Once you run through the various minigames, there's no point in revisiting them to try to top your previous score.</p><p style="">Nintendo last explored this franchise in 2006 with <a href="/yoshis-island-ds/" data-ref-id="false">Yoshi's Island DS</a>, and though that game had its own problems, it also had an identity. By introducing new babies with different abilities, it provided a fun and unpredictable sequel to the Super Nintendo original. Yoshi's New Island has no such identity. That's not to say this isn't an enjoyable game, but the best elements are recycled from a game that's almost 20 years old, and because nothing particularly interesting was added, it does little to excite the imagination. Yoshi's New Island is a decent platformer, but it's also so forgettable that it won't leave you with any lasting memories.</p> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/yoshi-s-new-island-review/1900-6415694/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/yoshi-s-new-island-video-review/2300-6417673/ Tom Mc Shea explains how Yoshi's New Island lacks imagination, and is just too easy for its own good. Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/yoshi-s-new-island-video-review/2300-6417673/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-ps-vita-appeals-to-people-with-an-eclectic-taste-in-games/1100-6418291/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453928-psvita.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453928" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453928-psvita.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453928"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453928-psvita.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The PlayStation Vita appeals to people with an "eclectic taste in games," Sony UK managing director Fergal Gara has said in a new interview with <a href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/what-now-for-playstation-vita/0129373" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">MCV</a>. Speaking about the market overall for the device, Gara said smartphones and tablets have diminished the reach of the PS Vita, but he contends that Sony's portable offers a richer experience compared to those platforms.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Vita is proving to be a big niche device. Using the term 'niche' makes it sound tiny, but it's not," Gara said. "The console is occupying an interesting space for interesting games built for more committed gamers. Yes the market place for it isn't as big as it might have been had smartphones not arrived, but it is still a more thorough, more complete experience."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"And it is therefore appealing to people with a more eclectic taste in games. And many of these indie developers are proud to be on the platform," he added. "All of this is before we even talk about its role alongside PS4, which is clearly exciting and we seeing some good results from that."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Of course, a major selling point for the PS Vita is its Remote Play functionality, which allows you to stream PS4 games to the PS Vita provided you own both devices. Despite the strong interplay between the two systems, Sony has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/no-plans-for-ps4-ps-vita-bundle/1100-6417665/" data-ref-id="1100-6417665">no plans to offer a PS4/PS Vita bundle</a>, at least not right now.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Also in the interview, Gara admitted that though the PS Vita might be "lacking" in upcoming AAA games made specifically for the system, this doesn't tell the whole story because of Remote Play.</p><p style="">"Well, there are a lack of those titles announced. Is it a problem? It would be fair to pick up that there wasn't a second Call of Duty made specifically for Vita," he said. "But what's changed is that <a href="/call-of-duty-ghosts/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty: Ghosts</a> was available on Vita via Remote Play on PS4. And Vita is sort of evolving as a platform."</p><p style="">Activision launched <a href="/call-of-duty-black-ops-declassified/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified</a> for the PS Vita in November 2012, but it was <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-vita/call-of-duty-black-ops-declassified" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">blasted by critics</a>.</p><p style="">The new PlayStation Vita Slim model <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-vita-slim-confirmed-for-us-updated/1100-6417646/" data-ref-id="1100-6417646">launches this spring in North America through a special $200 Borderlands 2 bundle</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414732" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414732/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 07:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-ps-vita-appeals-to-people-with-an-eclectic-taste-in-games/1100-6418291/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-does-the-creator-of-smash-bros-kirby-think-about-the-ps4/1100-6418290/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2445960-smash_waluigiassist.jpeg" data-ref-id="1300-2445960" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2445960-smash_waluigiassist.jpeg" data-ref-id="1300-2445960"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2445960-smash_waluigiassist.jpeg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">What does the creator of acclaimed franchises like Super Smash Bros. and Kirby think about Sony's newly launched PlayStation 4? He likes it, but he's not very much into picking sides, the veteran game designer said as part of his latest <em>Weekly Famitsu</em> column (translated by <a href="http://kotaku.com/smash-bros-creator-reviews-the-ps4-1542882797" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Kotaku</a>).</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"First off, the console looks cool," Sakurai said. "As hardware evolves, people tend to make things more rounded or add more details, but [the PS4] is properly angular. This simplicity is really nice."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But at the end of the day, Sakurai is not a fan of choosing sides. Instead, he said he wants to see the game business grow--and whatever platforms can help with that are OK in his eyes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Whether it's Nintendo or Sony, Japanese or foreign, I don't care about picking sides," Sakurai said. "I work hoping that the future of games and the game business will be more fun." Sakurai did note that he hoped the PS4 would be backward compatible, saying "If only I could play PS3 games on it, I could pack up my PS3 and my room would be cleaner."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sakurai was most impressed by the PS4's raw power, something many designers agree is one of the system's most compelling selling points. Sony even describes the PS4 as the most powerful game console ever made.</p><p style="">"What I found most appealing was the machine's power. Looking over the various software, the screens are detailed and smooth. Load times are short and there are no slowdowns," Sakurai said. "Such performance right out the gate--this will help a lot of developers."</p><p style="">Sakurai is currently working on the all-new <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS</a>, which is due out this year.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417211" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417211/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 07:20:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-does-the-creator-of-smash-bros-kirby-think-about-the-ps4/1100-6418290/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-cheaters-being-hunted-down-by-respawn/1100-6418289/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2451775-titanfall+screen+6.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2451775" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2451775-titanfall+screen+6.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2451775"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1365/13658182/2451775-titanfall+screen+6.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're using aimbots or other cheating tools in <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a>, be warned, developer Respawn Entertainment is hunting you down and they sound quite serious about it.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Finding cheaters in Titanfall? So are we. We're logging them now and they will be rooted out shortly," Respawn <a href="https://twitter.com/Respawn/status/443920813981724672" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said on Twitter</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Titanfall is available today on Xbox One and PC, though it's not clear which platform is playing host to the the highest levels of cheating.</p><p style="">In other Titanfall news, Respawn cofounder Vince Zampella <a href="https://twitter.com/VinceZampella/status/443982974556459008" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">announced</a> that Australian servers for the game will come online beginning tomorrow, March 14. Titanfall also launches across Europe tomorrow. </p><p style="">For more on Titanfall, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/titanfall-review/1900-6415690/" data-ref-id="1900-6415690">GameSpot's review</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-review-roundup/1100-6418212/" data-ref-id="1100-6418212">what other critics are saying</a>. </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417654" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417654/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-cheaters-being-hunted-down-by-respawn/1100-6418289/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-need-for-speed-movie-is-great-and-terrible/1100-6418267/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453366-paul.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453366" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453366-paul.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453366"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453366-paul.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Need for Speed movie is both great and terrible. I saw a screening of the film in Boston last month and what the 130-minute action flick boils down is this: it is full of hits and misses. Let me explain why.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>BAD: It Has A Throwaway Story</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453371-cooper.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453371" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453371-cooper.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453371"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453371-cooper.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">It's the cliched and overdone narrative of a man framed for a crime he did not commit who sets out on a cross-country adventure seeking vengeance. It does not get more formulaic than this. All the characters are completely one-dimensional and you'll cringe during a lot of the dialogue.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>GOOD: The Action Is Fantastic</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453368-crash.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453368" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453368-crash.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453368"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453368-crash.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The movie has no CGI. None at all. Director Scott Waugh, who comes from an <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915304/?ref_=nv_sr_1" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">extensive stunt background</a> (his father even played Spider-Man on the 1978 TV show <em>The Amazing Spider-Man</em>), said he <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/need-for-speed-movie-the-stunts-are-real/1100-6417730/" data-ref-id="1100-6417730">did not want to lie to the audience using green screens</a>, so he simply didn't. Everything you see in the movie--explosions, cars driving off cliffs, hairpin turns at breakneck speeds--actually happened in the real world. It's even more impressive when you consider <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/need-for-speed-movie-the-stunts-are-real/1100-6417730/" data-ref-id="1100-6417730">Aaron Paul is behind the wheel for many of the scenes</a>.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>BAD: Michael Keaton Is Unused</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453377-keaton.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453377" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453377-keaton.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453377"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453377-keaton.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">He plays a wealthy and eccentric elite race organizer who never leaves his secret residence, communicating only through an advanced communications network. Seriously. He's featured in a handful of scenes in the movie (probably shot in one day) and he's always sitting in this one room. It's a real shame the very talented Keaton is so unused in the movie.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><h3><strong>GOOD: It's Funny</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453398-nfsfilm.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453398" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453398-nfsfilm.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453398"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453398-nfsfilm.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">There are some genuinely funny scenes in the movie, many of which come from Paul's group of car mechanic friends. Without giving too much away, the movie presents a hilarious way to quit your job in your underwear (thank you, Rami Malek) and Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi steals the show with his frequently hilarious one-liners. These scenes represent a bright spot for the film's writing and story, but they aren't enough to make up for its shortcomings.</p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>BAD: Aaron Paul Doesn't Deliver</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453382-paulnfs.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453382" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453382-paulnfs.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453382"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453382-paulnfs.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Simply put, his performance did nothing for me. Thematically speaking, the Need for Speed movie is similar to <em>Breaking Bad</em> in that Paul undergoes terrible loss and is out for vengeance. What he did so well in <em>Breaking Bad</em> does not translate to <em>Need for Speed</em>. His performance here comes across as forced and without spirit. I was definitely hoping for more from him. And it doesn't help that he sounds like Christian Bale's Batman in every scene.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>GOOD: Car Lover's Dream</strong></h3><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453370-cars.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453370" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453370-cars.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453370"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453370-cars.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">As you'd expect from a movie bearing the Need for Speed name, the film is stacked with supercars people like me and you can only dream about. I'm talking about Bugattis, Koenigseggs, Lamborghinis, and McLarens just to name a few. The movie even serves as the theatrical debut for the Ford Shelby GT500, which plays a pivotal role in the movie's story and manages to not come across as one long advertisement for the Detroit car maker. But it also goes deeper. The film is a throwback of sorts to classic car films, featuring homages to classic car movies like <i>Vanishing Point </i>and <em>Bullitt</em>, and it even recreates that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z88U915uq8" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">epic last scene from <em>Thelma & Louise</em></a>. If you like fast cars, this movie has everything you need and then some.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><h3><strong>VERDICT</strong></h3><p style="">I can only recommend you see the <em>Need for Speed</em> movie in theaters if your local movieplex has a $5 Tuesday offer or something similar. The racing/action scenes are no doubt better on the big-screen, but the ham-handed story and clumsy dialogue weighs the experience down too far for it to be a truly enjoyable movie.</p><p style="">The most recent entry in the Need for Speed video game series was 2013's <a href="/need-for-speed-rivals/" data-ref-id="false">Need for Speed: Rivals</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC.</p><p style=""><em>Need for Speed comes to theaters Friday, March 14. It stars Aaron Paul as the protagonist Tobey Marshall pitted against Domic Cooper, who plays the bad guy Dino Brewster. Supporting the two leads are Michael Keaton, Imogen Poots, Scott Mescudi, Rami Malek, Ramon Rodriguez, Harrison Gilbertson, and Dakota Johnson.</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e73J71RZRn8" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fe73J71RZRn8%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3De73J71RZRn8&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fe73J71RZRn8%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-need-for-speed-movie-is-great-and-terrible/1100-6418267/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/lots-of-cool-things-coming-to-xbox-microsoft-teases/1100-6418287/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453892-xboxlogo.png" data-ref-id="1300-2453892" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453892-xboxlogo.png" data-ref-id="1300-2453892"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453892-xboxlogo.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to Microsoft director of product planning Albert Penello, there are "lots of cool things" coming to Xbox in the future. Writing on Twitter, Penello said he's not able to share these just yet</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Lots of cool things happening. I wish I could share, my friend," Penello<a href="https://twitter.com/albertpenello/status/444009370129399808" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> said to a fan</a>. Unfortunately, Penello did not provide any more details on what some of these new features might be or when they will be delivered.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Late last month, <a href="/dayz/" data-ref-id="false">DayZ</a> creator Dean Hall made a similar tease. After meeting with Microsoft to discuss a DayZ console port, Hall said he was shown some "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dayz-creator-xbox-one-has-exciting-things-coming-can-t-share-details/1100-6417975/" data-ref-id="1100-6417975">really interesting</a>" Xbox One features that he was not permitted to discuss publicly.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"There were definitely some things they said that I'm not allowed to talk about that I was like, '<em>Wow! That's interesting. </em>Why don't you tell people that?' But I guess they want to make sure everything all goes together and that," Hall said at the time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What could these interesting new Xbox One features be? One possibility is a full-game streaming service similar to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-we-know-about-playstation-now-so-far/1100-6417069/" data-ref-id="1100-6417069">Sony's PlayStation Now</a>, which Penello told GameSpot at PAX Prime is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-talks-digital-only-future-kinect-and-why-xbox-one-is-worth-100-more-than-playstation-4/1100-6413920/" data-ref-id="1100-6413920">something that Microsoft's Azure cloud servers are capable of delivering</a>. Microsoft also intends to one day <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-talks-digital-only-future-kinect-and-why-xbox-one-is-worth-100-more-than-playstation-4/1100-6413920/" data-ref-id="1100-6413920">bring back its ambitious Family Sharing plan for digital Xbox One games</a>. On top of that, Microsoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-free-game-promotion-news-coming-soon/1100-6417482/" data-ref-id="1100-6417482">plans to extend its Games with Gold service to Xbox One in the future</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416249" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416249/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:25:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/lots-of-cool-things-coming-to-xbox-microsoft-teases/1100-6418287/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-s-phil-spencer-discusses-unhealthy-xbox-one-fanboyism-are-you-one-of-them/1100-6418288/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2453903-8668147075-23687.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453903" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2453903-8668147075-23687.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453903"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2453903-8668147075-23687.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Microsoft Games Studios chief Phil Spencer has discussed the "unhealthy" fanboyism that exists in gaming.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"There seems to be this natural faction that gets created around what console you own, and then this, I would call it unhealthy dislike, for people who own the other console," said Spencer <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FMaoa09Ne0" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">at a talk during SXSW 2014</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Praising the work of Sony, Nintendo, and Valve, Spencer said all companies were looking to be competitive, but in the marketplace and in the games. "In the end, what we all want to do is to take this art form of playing games and experiencing and breaking down that wall between a linear narrative and an interactive capability, and just make a better form of entertainment."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I love the fans that we have," Spencer continued, "but I don't think being a fan of Xbox does not mean you can't be a fan of something else, or you have to be an anti-fan of some other brand. At least I'm not. I own a PlayStation 4, I play games on a PlayStation 4. I own a Wii U, I play games on my Wii U. I learn a ton from what happens on those other platforms.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In terms of the kind of concerns people have on the social space, it is usually about how we're doing in the competition against PlayStation. They had a great launch. I will say, when I look at the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launches, it's been our best launch ever for an Xbox."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"A year ago, the question was whether consoles were relevant anymore, and has the industry moved beyond console gaming--is anyone going to show up to the party when these two big console manufacturers bring their products out in November? And today I think we'd all say that hasn't been a problem. If you look at what both consoles have done, it's been an amazing year."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The units that we've both been able to sell shows an amazing start to this console generation."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on fanboys, check out Cam's exploration of the psychological triggers behind why people develop an unhealthy dislike of other brands in a classic episode of Reality Check.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6411095" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6411095/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-s-phil-spencer-discusses-unhealthy-xbox-one-fanboyism-are-you-one-of-them/1100-6418288/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-quietly-kills-99-xbox-360-promotion/1100-6418286/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453885-99xbox360.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453885" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453885-99xbox360.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453885"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453885-99xbox360.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Almost two years ago, Microsoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-confirms-99-xbox-360/1100-6375386/" data-ref-id="1100-6375386">began selling Xbox 360s with Kinect for $99 if you agreed to a two-year Xbox Live contract</a>, but the offer is no longer available. This promotion was quietly killed last summer, Microsoft spokesperson David Dennis told <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303546204579435611501785186?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303546204579435611501785186.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"><em>The Wall Street Journal</em></a> this week.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The promotion, which borrowed from the pricing model used by wireless carriers, gathered significant buzz, and some even thought the Xbox One would be offered on a similar basis. But the $99 Xbox 360 offer was never anything more than a pilot program, Dennis said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This program was intended to be a pilot experiment from the start, and Microsoft routinely adjusts the mix of offers available to its customers and this change was simply standard business practice," he said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The $99 Xbox 360 promotion was originally introduced exclusively at Microsoft Stores, but the offer would <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsofts-99-xbox-360-hits-best-buy-gamestop/1100-6384341/" data-ref-id="1100-6384341">later expand to</a> nationwide retailers like Best Buy, GameStop, and Wal-Mart. The up-front cost was less than what the Xbox 360 was selling for at the time, but you'd end up <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsofts-99-xbox-360-hits-best-buy-gamestop/1100-6384341/" data-ref-id="1100-6384341">spending more in the long-run</a> and even faced an <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsofts-99-xbox-360-hits-best-buy-gamestop/1100-6384341/" data-ref-id="1100-6384341">early termination penalty</a> if you canceled ahead of schedule.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Xbox One currently sells for $499, but Microsoft director of product planning Albert Penello told GameSpot in September that he <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-talks-digital-only-future-kinect-and-why-xbox-one-is-worth-100-more-than-playstation-4/1100-6413920/" data-ref-id="1100-6413920">expects Microsoft to introduce a subsidized offer</a> later on in the platform's life cycle.</p><p style="">"The subsidized model really makes a lot of sense towards the end of the life. People are more price sensitive," Penello said at the time. "They are more cost conscious. It's a model I like; I'm sure we'll bring it back. But not right now."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416249" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416249/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:06:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-quietly-kills-99-xbox-360-promotion/1100-6418286/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-this-war-game-you-play-as-an-innocent-civilian/1100-6418285/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453879-thiswar.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453879" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453879-thiswar.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453879"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453879-thiswar.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">A new war video game is turning the genre on its head, casting you not as a soldier in battle but rather as innocent bystanders who are left dealing with the reality of the turmoil surrounding them. From Polish developer 11 bit studios (the company that recently <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/witcher-3-devs-hired-by-indie-studio/1100-6417566/" data-ref-id="1100-6417566">hired a pair of Witcher 3 designers</a>), the game is called <a href="/this-war-of-mine/" data-ref-id="false">This War of Mine</a>. Its tagline is "In war, not everyone is a soldier."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Described as a "dark survival game," This War of Mine has you controlling a group of civilians who are trying to stay alive in a city besieged by war.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><em>"During the day snipers outside stop you from leaving your refuge, offering players time to craft, trade, upgrade their shelter, feed and cure their people. At night they must scavenge nearby areas in search for food, medicines, weapons, and other useful items."</em></p><p dir="ltr" style="">This War of Mine was inspired by the real-life story of how one man survived in a city surrounded by war, lead designer Michal Drozdowski said in a statement.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We learned about his hardships and the horror of that experience," he said. "We decided to work around this idea and make something real, something that moves people and make them think for a second. It's about time that games, just like any other art form, start talking about important things."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In This War of Mine, players will make "life-and-death" decisions based on what their conscience tells them. Some options including trying to protect the people in your shelter...or sacrificing some of them in order to survive. "There are no good or bad decisions during war. There's only survival," reads the game's description.</p><p style="">This War of Mine is coming to PC and mobile devices, and will make its worldwide debut at the Game Developers Conference next week in San Francisco. You can check out a trailer below and read more about it <a href="http://www.11bitstudios.com/games/16/this-war-of-mine" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">on the game's website</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_tYB_Ntlg" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FpH_tYB_Ntlg%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpH_tYB_Ntlg&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FpH_tYB_Ntlg%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 05:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-this-war-game-you-play-as-an-innocent-civilian/1100-6418285/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/these-impressive-graphics-are-running-in-a-browser/1100-6418284/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453867-mozilla.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453867" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453867-mozilla.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453867"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453867-mozilla.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Epic Games and Mozilla have revealed the first glimpse of the Unreal Engine 4 running in Firefox and the results are pretty impressive. The video you see below is of Epic's Soul and Swing Ninja demos running in Firefox at "near-native" speeds and without plugins.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The results were made possible thanks to advancements made to asm.js, a "supercharged" subset of JavaScript, Mozilla said. In the past year, Mozilla has made optimizations that have increased the performance of Web applications using asm.js from 40 percent to 67 percent of native, and the company said they expect it to get even faster.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This technology has reached a point where games users can jump into via a Web link are now almost indistinguishable from ones they might have had to wait to download and install," Mozilla CTO and SVP of engineering Brendan Eich <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/03/12/mozilla-and-epic-preview-unreal-engine-4-running-in-firefox/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said in a statement</a> on Mozilla's website. "Using Emscripten to cross-compile C and C++ into asm.js, developers can run their games at near-native speeds, so they can approach the Web as they would any other platform."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In his own statement, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said the Web has a "crucial part to play" in the future of game development and deployment. "And Mozilla has proven it is the catalyst to make this happen," he said.</p><p style="">Epic Games and Mozilla will show off Unreal Engine 4 running in Web browsers at the 2014 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week. GameSpot will be in attendance.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2uNDlP4RiE" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fc2uNDlP4RiE%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dc2uNDlP4RiE&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fc2uNDlP4RiE%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 05:19:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/these-impressive-graphics-are-running-in-a-browser/1100-6418284/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-how-to-get-an-xbox-one-controller-working-on-pc/1100-6418283/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2453858-4925595527-xbox-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453858" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2453858-4925595527-xbox-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453858"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2453858-4925595527-xbox-.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">One enterprising modder has engineered a solution for using an Xbox One controller on a PC.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft has said it will provide official drivers to enable the new controller on the PC in the future, but it has not said when these will be released--until then, this unofficial solution will work nicely.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The modder, Lucas Assis, said in a YouTube video that it took him about a day's work to engineer the workaround. There's a few steps involved to get it working, but any confident Windows user should be able to get it up and running in about 10 minutes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Assis provides all the relevant information <a href="http://youtu.be/YGXHejtLeII" rel="nofollow">in his tutorial on YouTube</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In short, the workaround requires you to install a set of drivers and software to fool your PC into assuming a regular old Xbox 360 controller has been connected to the machine.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A similar solution--of tricking Windows into thinking an Xbox 360 pad has been connected--has been <a href="http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-DS4-To-XInput-Wrapper" rel="nofollow">made available for the PS4 for a while now</a>. Unlike the actual DualShock 4, when using the controller on the PC you can even disable the Light Bar.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGXHejtLeII" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FYGXHejtLeII%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYGXHejtLeII&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FYGXHejtLeII%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube&wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 05:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-how-to-get-an-xbox-one-controller-working-on-pc/1100-6418283/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-reason-why-the-last-of-us-movie-is-sounding-good/1100-6418282/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/0/7/1/7/1990717-652686_20120814_010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1990717" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/0/7/1/7/1990717-652686_20120814_010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1990717"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/0/7/1/7/1990717-652686_20120814_010.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Last of Us movie, at least on paper, is sure sounding like it could break through the history of mediocrity that has plagued recent big-screen video game adaptations. We already know creative director Neil Druckmann is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-making-a-last-of-us-movie-who-would-you-cast-as-joel-and-ellie/1100-6418155/" data-ref-id="1100-6418155">writing the movie's script</a>, and now the designer has revealed that the movie will be a re-telling of the game's story, not a new extension to the series.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"It's an adaptation of the story of The Last of Us," Druckmann told <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/13/druckmann-confirms-the-last-of-us-movie-is-game-adaptation" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">IGN</a> in a new interview. The Last of Us has won numerous awards (include <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-wins-bafta-game-of-the-year-award-steam-sale-for-other-award-winners-and-nominees/1100-6418275/" data-ref-id="1100-6418275">Best Game last night at the BAFTAs</a>), with many critics praising the game's character-driven nature and specifically the writing for central characters like Joel and Ellie.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As for how specifically The Last of Us will make the jump to the big screen, Druckmann said these decisions have not been made yet. The movie was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-making-a-last-of-us-movie-who-would-you-cast-as-joel-and-ellie/1100-6418155/" data-ref-id="1100-6418155">only just announced last week</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"As far as where we go and how we make it fit into a film, how it takes into account the unique properties of film... We're not sure yet. We're only just scratching the surface."</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><em>Spider-Man</em> director Sam Raimi will <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-making-a-last-of-us-movie-who-would-you-cast-as-joel-and-ellie/1100-6418155/" data-ref-id="1100-6418155">produce the Last of Us movie</a>, but casting details have not been announced, nor has a director for the project been named.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Druckmann also commented on the possibility of Naughty Dog creating a full sequel to The Last of Us, making clear (<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-2-is-a-50-50-chance/1100-6417906/" data-ref-id="1100-6417906">again</a>) that no decisions have been made yet.</p><p style="">"We don't know yet," Druckmann said. "We're still trying to figure it out. We're brainstorming some stuff, so we'll see where that goes."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417519" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417519/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:55:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-reason-why-the-last-of-us-movie-is-sounding-good/1100-6418282/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-fires-off-another-shot-at-xbox-policies/1100-6418280/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453845-ps4xbox.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453845" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453845-ps4xbox.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453845"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453845-ps4xbox.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Thought the "console war" between Microsoft and Sony was cooling off? Think again. Writing on Twitter last night, Adam Boyes of the PlayStation developer relations team fired off a shot at Microsoft's contentious "launch parity" policy for games released through the company's independent publishing program ID@Xbox.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft's new indie publishing program has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-indie-program-adds-65-new-developers-to-its-ranks/1100-6417991/" data-ref-id="1100-6417991">drawn the praise of many independent studios</a>, but some have criticized this "launch parity" clause that requires games launch on Xbox One the same day they do on other platforms. This would prevent an indie developer from releasing their game as a timed-exclusive on another platform, like the competing PlayStation 4 or PC.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A Microsoft representative told <em>Edge</em> this week that it will work with indie developers on a "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-indie-games-launching-alongside-ps4-pc-requirement-looked-at-on-a-case-by-case-basis/1100-6418225/" data-ref-id="1100-6418225">case by case</a>" basis to discuss launch plans, but it hasn't ended there. Boyes <a href="https://twitter.com/amboyes/status/443892294056304640" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">tweeted</a> last night: "In the interest of transparency, I want to share our [developer] clause that lists which platforms you cannot release on." Attached was the following image.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453844-boyestweet.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453844" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2453844-boyestweet.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453844"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2453844-boyestweet.jpg"></a><figcaption>This image has been re-tweeted 852 times. </figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style="">Sony has not been shy in criticizing Microsoft's Xbox policies of late. During E3 2013 last summer, the company released a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">tongue-in-cheek video poking fun at Microsoft's used game policy</a>, which the company<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-changing-xbox-one-policies/1100-6410472/" data-ref-id="1100-6410472"> would reverse just weeks later</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6409731" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6409731/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Thu, 13 Mar 2014 04:32:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-fires-off-another-shot-at-xbox-policies/1100-6418280/
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