http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:08:48 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-earth-takes-civilization-to-the-stars/1100-6418906/ <p style="">Humanity's childhood has ended, the cradle of Earth abandoned so that we can find ourselves among the stars. As its name suggests, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth leaves behind our collective past--which this long-running strategy series has so thoroughly documented--and turns its gaze skyward towards our future. Cast upon some unknown world, you will encounter alien life, push the limits of humanity, and inevitably come to blows with your fellow man over whose vision of the future is "correct." For fans of the 1999 classic <a href="/reviews/sid-meiers-alpha-centauri-review/1900-2533000/" data-ref-id="1900-2533000">Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri</a>, this game has been a long time coming, and for the Civilization development team, it's a liberating experience to finally be free from the constraints of history.</p><p style="">"You could see the enthusiasm in the team when they heard about this project," said Lena Brenk, one of Beyond Earth's lead producers. "It is a very liberating thing, as all the gameplay systems we designed for Civilization are done so with an eye towards, 'Does it fit with the history of humanity?' [Beyond Earth] has been a huge opportunity to go ahead and do things that would not be possible in a historic setting." I recently spoke to Brenk, along with other members of the development team, about the many changes this game brings to the Civilization formula, and how a game of Beyond Earth compares to a game of <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-v/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Civilization V</a>.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503748-rio_3.png" data-ref-id="1300-2503748" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503748-rio_3.png" data-ref-id="1300-2503748"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2503748-rio_3.png"></a><figcaption>Earth is dying. Humanity must now find a new future for itself among the stars.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth begins at the end. Due to some sort of global catastrophe, which the developers only referred to as "The Great Mistake," Earth is experiencing a mass exodus. The various factions of humanity are piling aboard starships and setting forth in search of a new home for their species. With each new game of Beyond Earth, you play the role of one of these desperate expeditions.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p dir="ltr" style="">In Beyond Earth, not only do you choose your faction, but also which spacecraft to take, what cargo to carry, who to bring, and the type of planet you want to inhabit. Each choice will greatly impact the start of your game.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">Before you land on a new planet and start shaping humanity's destiny, you must first equip your expedition. Referred to as "the seeding," this is an expanded version of your civilization selection in previous games. In Beyond Earth, not only do you choose which faction (read: civilization) to play, but also which spacecraft to take, what cargo to carry, who to bring, and the type of planet you want to inhabit. Each selection you make will greatly impact the start of your game: you could carry high-quality cargo that grants additional funds up-front, for instance, or hard-working, production-oriented colonists who build structures faster. The Civilization series has always been about defining a strategy early on, and then adapting that strategy to accommodate whatever curveballs the game throws your way. These choices should give you greater control over how you define your opening gambit.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">After the seeding, you make planetfall and establish your first human colony. It is also the only human colony. The next human player won't arrive until much later. In the beginning, you are completely alone amid the wilderness. "What's neat about it is the feeling you get from coming into this new place," said lead producer Dennis Shirk. "It's not the same as in other Civilization games where you already know you're on Earth, the only threat is the occasional barbarian, and you're going to run into other civilizations--and if one of those is Genghis Khan or Montezuma you know what your game is going to be like! With Beyond Earth, it's basically you versus the environment in the beginning."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">And by "environment," Shirk of course means alien lifeforms. Depending on the planet, these lifeforms may be indifferent to your arrival, or hostile. You must decide how to deal with them, and in doing so the development team hopes the experience will feel more isolated, more <em>alien</em>, than in previous games. You are setting forth into the unknown reaches of space, after all. It could be 20 turns or more before you see another player make planetfall and introduce themselves, and another 15 turns after that until the next. And if you think these newcomers are going to be easy pickings just because they were late to the party, think again. Those who arrive after you receive an extra boost to help them catch up to your civilization.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503680-civbe_1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503680" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503680-civbe_1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503680"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2503680-civbe_1.jpg"></a><figcaption>After making planetfall, you are the only human colony. The next humans won't arrive until much later. You're on your own against the wilderness.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">When other players start showing up, it will most likely result in open warfare. It was at this point in the interview that I asked whether Beyond Earth would bring back unit stacking, or continue using the one-unit-per-hex rule introduced in Civilization V. According to lead designer David McDonough, Beyond Earth will not have military unit stacking. "I am a big fan of the way warfare was designed in Civilization V," McDonough added. "I thought it was very elegant and would make a good fit for this game as well considering we've added these alternate game layers--such as the orbital layer--which sort of let you break that rule by launching units into space and having them effect units on the ground without being stacked on top of them."</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p dir="ltr" style="">The orbital layer is the realm of satellites. These satellites can grant your civilization an economic, espionage, or military benefit, but their orbit will degrade over time.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">The orbital layer is the realm of satellites. These can grant your faction an economic, espionage, or military benefit depending on the type of satellite launched. Satellites also project coverage across the orbital layer, and this coverage doesn't overlap with other satellites. Securing coverage works on a first-come, first-serve basis, so you'll need to move fast. However, once you have a satellite in the air it is by no means permanent. Its orbit will degrade over time, and it will eventually crash on the planet below, sometimes leaving behind recoverable salvage. Satellites can also be pulled out of orbit (read: crashed) manually or shot down by other players.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The orbital layer may let players skirt around the one-military-unit-per-tile rule, but it doesn't solve a lingering problem this rule created in Civilization V and its expansions: the AI. While this rule did create some interesting new strategies for players, the game's AI had trouble executing those same strategies with any consistency. As an example, I often saw the AI push its archers to the front line, ahead of their sword-wielding brothers in arms, only to get slaughtered. When asked about this, McDonough explained, "We've had the opportunity to do a great deal of work and learn from the successes that Civilization V had with its AI to make AI suited for [Beyond Earth]. We're confident it's going to do a great job. We're working hard on it and the war simulations we're running in our test games are already pretty crazy and fun."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">That's good to hear, since the battles in Beyond Earth aim to provide even more variety than in the series' past. This is thanks in part to the game's new affinity system, an overarching belief structure which impacts every aspect of your civilization. There are three different affinities in the game: purity, harmony, and supremacy. Harmony, for example, focuses on understanding and adapting to your alien planet's ecosystem.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2504070-raptor_bug_concept.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504070" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2504070-raptor_bug_concept.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504070"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/949/9490474/2504070-raptor_bug_concept.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Taken to the extreme, this affinity will drive your people towards rewriting the human genome so that they can fully integrate themselves as an indigenous species of that world. You scientific research will focus on the alien sciences, geology, and genetic engineering, and your military units will become faster, heal quicker, and take on a Predator-esque appearance.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503681-civbe_3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503681" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503681-civbe_3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503681"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2503681-civbe_3.jpg"></a><figcaption>There are three different affinities--purity, harmony, and supremacy--which impact every aspect of your game, including wildlife hostility.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">You strengthen your affinity by doing quests or finding objects from expedition sites or by researching certain technologies--affinity works on a global level from the very first turn to the very last. Everything you do in the game feeds into the affinity system, and that system in turn feeds back into the very makeup of your civilization.</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p dir="ltr" style="">The team at Firaxis has a new, non-linear technology tree for Beyond Earth. In fact, it's not so much a tree as it is a web.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">Because this system can take humanity in some wildly different directions, chances are you won't need to be researching all the same technologies as the other players. Therefore, the team at Firaxis has a new, non-linear technology tree for Beyond Earth. In fact, it's not so much a tree as it is a web. As McDonough described it, this web was one of the team's "first, favorite, and most fundamental redesigns." Each player starts surrounded by a web of technologies, with the technologies closest to you being something recognizable in today's world, like engineering. From there you move outward in any direction towards more exotic--but still plausible--technologies.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We call these major technologies 'branch' technologies," he added. "Each branch technology has a number of leaf technologies underneath it, representing specific specializations of the main branch. These leaves are also associated with one of the three affinities. Gaining allegiance to an affinity begins the path towards a technology victory specific to that affinity. At no time are you ever locked out of researching any technology, but it's very unlikely you'll be able to research everything in the game. By the end of the game, you will have a set of technologies that tells a story of who you are, and who you were."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As McDonough mentioned, the game's three affinities are closely tied to three of the five possible victory conditions. Of course, if you're not willing to take your affinity to its conclusion, there are two other options available that are affinity-neutral. The five victory conditions are:</p><div data-embed-type="html"><p style=""><b>Harmony</b>: awaken a semi-sentient super organism within the planet and reach a new level of consciousness<br /> <b>Purity</b>: terraform the alien planet into a mirror of Earth and relocate Earth’s populace to this new Eden<br /> <b>Supremacy</b>: embrace cybernetic augmentation, then return to Earth and "free" the people from their bodies<br /> <b>Contact</b>: discover evidence of intelligent life and construct a means to establish first contact<br /> <b>Domination</b>: actually, domination is the same as in every other Civilization</p></div><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503682-human_hive.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503682" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503682-human_hive.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503682"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2503682-human_hive.jpg"></a><figcaption>Three of the game's five victory conditions are tied to the three affinities. The other two are affinity neutral.</figcaption></figure><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2504078-colonist_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504078" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2504078-colonist_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504078"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/949/9490474/2504078-colonist_02.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Since most of these victory conditions involve several steps, the developers have designed a new quest system to help guide players along. The quests are also where Beyond Earth delivers the bulk of its narrative. "Because we're going into the future, it's not as clear where humanity will end up," explained Brenk. "Players don't know anything about it intuitively, so being able to give this narrative framework for the player to tell their story is really important to us. When the game is released, we want to go on the forums and read those awesome stories fans post about their game. We love that stuff."</p><p style="">Affinities. Non-linear research. Satellites. Armed with these new features and others, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth is much more than "Civilization in space" or "Alpha Centauri 2." "While Alpha Centauri is in our DNA," explained Shirk, "we also made those games many years ago. They're games we love, and that our fans love, but we wanted to approach [Beyond Earth] in a completely fresh fashion. Both games share some similarities--they're both sim games about sending humanity into space--but in terms of being a strategy game, they don't have much in common. We set out to create a completely new game, and we think a lot of the comparisons between this game and Alpha Centauri will be left behind as people see all the thing that are coming into play that makes this a completely new experience."</p><p style=""> </p> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-earth-takes-civilization-to-the-stars/1100-6418906/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/2k-announces-new-sid-meier-s-civilization-game-beyond-earth-channels-alpha-centauri/1100-6418936/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418289" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418289/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""><a href="/civilization/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization</a> and <a href="/x-com-ufo-defense/" data-ref-id="false">XCOM</a> developer Firaxis Games has announced it's returning to the stars with <a href="/hubs/the-next-big-game-beyond-earth/?typeId=2805&id=20/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth</a>, the latest entry in their 4X strategy series.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Revealed during a PAX East panel earlier today, Beyond Earth is scheduled for release sometime this Fall and marks the first time a Civilization game has fully explored mankind's future instead of playing in the past. This game's science fiction setting will undoubtedly be familiar to fans of Firaxis' 1999 hit, <a href="/sid-meiers-alpha-centauri/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri</a>, as both share a similar, humans-on-an-alien-world premise.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Players will attempt to colonize a new planet while fending off the local wildlife and shaping the fate of humanity. Many of the changes introduced in 2010's <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-v/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Civilization V</a> will also be included, such as hexagonal tiles and the absence of unit stacking.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2504435-7497685497-25037.png" data-ref-id="1300-2504435" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2504435-7497685497-25037.png" data-ref-id="1300-2504435"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1534/15343359/2504435-7497685497-25037.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">"It's been quite a while since Alpha Centauri came out," said Civilization series creator Sid Meier. "We've got a lot of new ideas, have learned a lot, and there's so much new stuff we can do with a science fiction setting. The Civilization series has come so far and we can do a lot of new stuff now that we couldn't do before. We had an opportunity with people [at Firaxis] who had some great ideas on how to put this together--and it just all came together! We're happy to be able to have a chance to do it."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For all the early details on Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth--including satellites and the non-linear research tree--be sure to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-earth-takes-civilization-to-the-stars/1100-6418906/" data-ref-id="1100-6418906">check out our extensive preview</a> for the game. And come back over the next four days as GameSpot will be posting a new piece on the game each day as <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/hubs/the-next-big-game-beyond-earth/?typeId=2805&id=20/" data-ref-id="false">part of our Next Big Game series.</a></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>Maxwell McGee is a editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/MaxwellMcGee" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @MaxwellMcGee</a></strong></p><p style=""><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/2k-announces-new-sid-meier-s-civilization-game-beyond-earth-channels-alpha-centauri/1100-6418936/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespot-s-next-big-game-series-takes-on-sid-meier-s-beyond-earth/1100-6418937/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2504445-2513684026-25036.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504445" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2504445-2513684026-25036.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504445"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1534/15343359/2504445-2513684026-25036.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">The <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/search/?q=civilization/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization series</a> holds a special significance to many of us on the GameSpot staff, past and present. Some of my own fondest gaming memories involved <a href="/civilization-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization II</a> and not studying for an AP US History exam, though in my defense, it was a custom US Civil War campaign. That's still studying, right?</p><p style="">At any rate, Civilization has grown to be one of most beloved and enduring franchises in PC gaming, so naturally, we didn't hesitate at the opportunity to produce our second Next Big Game feature around Firaxis' latest PC-exclusive project--<a href="/hubs/the-next-big-game-beyond-earth/?typeId=2805&id=20/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth.</a></p><p style="">In case you didn't see our first <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-next-big-game-titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Next Big Game for Titanfall,</a> this is how it works. Each day for five days, there's a new story about Beyond Earth and, in some cases, the Civilization franchise. Right now, you can check our first piece--<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-earth-takes-civilization-to-the-stars/1100-6418906/" data-ref-id="1100-6418906">an extensive preview of the game with interviews from lead designers Will Miller and David McDonough</a>, as well as lead producer Lena Brenk and senior producer of the Civilization franchise, Dennis Shirk.</p><p style="">If you're a lapsed Civ fan, on day two, we take a look back at the Civilization series, highlighting key facets of the franchise over the years. Day three should be of special significance to <a href="/sid-meiers-alpha-centauri/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri</a> fans as we chat with members of the Beyond Earth team who worked on the sci-fi classic. Day four features an extensive one-on-one interview with Sid Meier and day five wraps things up with a video of the Firaxis panel from this weekend's PAX East.</p><p style="">We hope you enjoy what we've put together for this installment of The Next Big Game, as we were more than excited to put it together. As always, please continue to send in your suggestions for what you'd like to see featured for an upcoming Next Big Game.</p> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespot-s-next-big-game-series-takes-on-sid-meier-s-beyond-earth/1100-6418937/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/sid-meier-s-civilization-beyond-earth-announcement/2300-6418289/ Take your first look at Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth. Sat, 12 Apr 2014 08:58:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/sid-meier-s-civilization-beyond-earth-announcement/2300-6418289/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-viable-for-free-to-play-if-it-can-shift-5-10m-units/1100-6418946/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504536-7930134156-24221.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504536" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504536-7930134156-24221.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504536"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2504536-7930134156-24221.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Wargaming Chief Executive Officer Victor Kislyi thinks that free-to-play games like <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/world-of-tanks/" data-ref-id="false">World of Tanks</a> are viable for the Oculus Rift only if it sells 10 million units.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">He said that he tested the device in San Francisco and was impressed with it, but that the games his company makes won't work on any platform until it reaches a certain player base.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"75 percent of our players will never pay us a penny," Kislyi told <a href="http://www.computerandvideogames.com/458480/oculus-rift-viable-for-free-to-play-after-5m-units-says-world-of-tanks-boss/" rel="nofollow">CVG</a>. "For other games this percentage can be bigger, up to 90-95 percent of people just playing for free." In order for that business model to work financially, he explained, Wargaming needs at least 5-10 million people playing the game. "If Xbox One or Oculus Rift reaches those numbers, we're there," Kislyi said.</p><p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-creator-explains-why-facebook-buyout-makes-sense/1100-6418544/">As Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey explained</a>, the desire to reach an audience of that size (and much bigger) was one of the main reasons he agreed to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-facebook-buying-oculus-for-2-billion/1100-6418636/">Facebook's $2 billion acquisition</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417961" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417961/" 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>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><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></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 08:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-viable-for-free-to-play-if-it-can-shift-5-10m-units/1100-6418946/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legacy-of-kain-lives-on-in-nosgoth/1100-6418945/ <p style="">The <a href="/legacy-of-kain-defiance/" data-ref-id="false">Legacy of Kain</a> series was dormant for over a decade, and then Nosgoth popped up last year, although it wasn't exactly what fans of the series expected. Rather than an adventure game, Nosgoth is a free-to-play competitive, team deathmatch game. In fact, apart from the setting, plot, and a few character designs, there's little evidence that it has anything to do with the Legacy of Kain series. While that may not please die-hard fans, Nosgoth is shaping up well enough that it doesn't need to rely on a pre-existing formula to stand tall on its own accord. You won't see Kain or his nemesis, Raziel, but you'll be too busy scaling tall buildings and laying into vampires with magic-arrows and bolos to notice.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Nosgoth is strictly a multiplayer experience, consisting of two-rounds where teams face off as humans and vampires. There are a handful of character classes to choose from, but it's the dynamic of playing as a human or vampire that refreshes your interest, round after round, as the game forces each team to swap sides. This shift flips the moment-to-moment gameplay as the camps play entirely differently from one another.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416637" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416637/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Humans engage in long-range combat via bows and arrows, in addition to a small number of secondary abilities. Though you aren't wielding sniper rifles or shotguns, the experience of playing as a human will feel very familiar if you've played other competitive shooters, though with the third-person camera, movement doesn't feel too dissimilar to Gears of War.</p><p style="">Of course, a world filled with magic and creatures immediately separates Nosgoth from most other "shooters" on the market, but once you spend some time playing as a vampire, it really begins to feel different from other competitive action games. Unlike the relatively frail humans, vampires are tough melee fighters. Their considerable strength allows them to get in the face of their enemies, but lest they fall victim to incoming fire as they move in, vampires make use of exceptional traversal skills to move across the map. With the push of a button, they can scale buildings and leap across rooftops with considerable ease. Certain vampires can also charge a leaping maneuver that, if engaged at the top of a building, sends them halfway across Nosgoth's maps in an instant.<br /><br /><br /></p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2504532-nosgoth1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504532" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2504532-nosgoth1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504532"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2504532-nosgoth1.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The inherent differences between the two factions do a wonderful job of balancing Nosgoth's battles, and by forcing you to switch between the two, you'll have plenty of opportunities to discover the strengths of each teams' style of play. This may be a problem if you favor one over the other, but given that each side controls simply and distinctly, and comes with its own strengths in combat, its easy to find something to like in each. At the moment, there are three classes to choose from in each team, but there are plans for more down the road as the game matures.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Nosgoth is currently in closed beta, so most people will have to wait until later this year to revisit the land of Kain. Once it finally goes live, potentially later this year, Nosgoth will be a free-to-play game that makes its money off of cosmetic add-ons and so called "side-grades." Unlike upgrades, that typically power up players, Nosgoth's purchases will only alter existing abilities. It allows you to extend the game's variety without giving spendy players an unfair advantage over those who prefer to take advantage of the cheap nature of the free-to-play model. It may not be the next Soul Reaver, but Nosgoth is an interesting game on its own terms, and anyone with even a passing interest in multiplayer action should give it a go when the open beta kicks off in a few months.</p> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 08:27:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legacy-of-kain-lives-on-in-nosgoth/1100-6418945/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/don-t-live-near-boston-seattle-or-melbourne-there-s-a-new-pax-and-it-will-be-held-in-san-antonio/1100-6418944/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2504517-sanantonio.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504517" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2504517-sanantonio.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504517"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2504517-sanantonio.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is expanding. Today at PAX East, creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins <a href="https://twitter.com/Official_PAX/status/454995285396443136" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">announced</a> <strong>PAX South</strong>, which will take place in San Antonio, Texas in January 2015.</p><p style="">PAX South becomes the fourth PAX event. Others include PAX East (Boston), PAX Prime (Seattle), and PAX Australia (Melbourne). The show was announced minutes ago and we'll have more details as they become available.</p><p style="">We're still waiting on venue and ticket availability details.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:47:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/don-t-live-near-boston-seattle-or-melbourne-there-s-a-new-pax-and-it-will-be-held-in-san-antonio/1100-6418944/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-xbox-360-dark-souls-2-patch-fixes-bugs-and-calibrates-gameplay/1100-6418943/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504509-1253242964-24279.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504509" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504509-1253242964-24279.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504509"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2504509-1253242964-24279.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">If you've been paying very close attention to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dark-souls-ii/">Dark Souls II</a>, you may have noticed that it was a tiny bit different yesterday after developer From Software released a new patch.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Version 1.03 should fix some issues with multiplayer, a lot of other bugs, and make a few improvements to Dark Souls II's interface and controls.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The gameplay itself has also been calibrated in a number of ways. If you look at the full list of changes posted to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/darksouls/photos/a.123871221019264.23050.119869331419453/640567839349597/?type=1&stream_ref=10" rel="nofollow">Dark Souls II's Facebook page</a> you'll notice that the health and damage of some area bosses has been reduced, but so were a lot of player abilities, so it's not like the game is suddenly a walk in the park.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The full patch notes:</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>MULTIPLAYER:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Failing to create Multiplayer session no longer disables use of online items, such as White Soapstone.</li><li dir="ltr">Starting boss fight with the Looking Glass Knight while summoning other players no longer cancels the summoning process.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that prevented some bloodstains, illusions, and messages from being displayed.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue where "Unable to participate in Multiplayer Session" could constantly appear.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed some instances where the portrait of the person you were summoning was different than the actual character.</li><li dir="ltr">You will no longer be able to take off Covenant rings while being summoned.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that would cause some summoned players to fall through the ground at Earthen Peak.</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GAME MENU / INTERFACE / CONTROLS:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Optimized Start Menu and Bonfire Menu performance.</li><li dir="ltr">Trophy icon for "Holder of the Fort" has been fixed.</li><li dir="ltr">Controller now vibrates when blocking an attack</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>OTHER FIXES:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Bug involving Drangleic Castle door not opening has been fixed.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that would cause Souls to be lost upon death with the Ring of Life Protection equipped.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that caused some players to fall through elevators while using Binoculars and Magic simultaneously.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue causing some enemies being hit by arrows at long distances receive 0 damage.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue preventing the Brotherhood of Blood duels from starting properly.</li><li dir="ltr">Added a message for players that displays after entering the coffin in Things Betwixt</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue where all of the items and objects in an area would reset (Without using a Bonfire Ascetic).</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that didn't unlock some items from vendors on 2nd and beyond playthrough.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue causing the requirements for the Brotherhood of Blood Covenant be 50 too high.</li><li dir="ltr">Licia's conditions for moving have been optimized.</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>CALIBRATIONS:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Item "Corrosive Urn" – Strength reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Weapon Category "Twinblade" – Durability increased</li><li dir="ltr">Weapon "Moonlight Greatsword" – Made so that this weapon cannot be Enchanted, and slowed down the motion of the weapon</li><li dir="ltr">Armor "Gyrm Warrior Greathelm" – Wieght, Poise, Defense Increased</li><li dir="ltr">Ring "Ring of Thorns" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Ring "Old Sun Ring" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Sorcery "Soul Spear" and "Crystal Soul Spear" – This spell will now pierce through enemies and is able to cause damage to more than just one enemy</li><li dir="ltr">Sorcery "Soul Greatsword" – Time spell takes to take effect adjusted</li><li dir="ltr">Sorcery "Homing Soulmass" and "Homing Crystal Soulmass," Hex "Affinity" – Now take less stamina and move faster</li><li dir="ltr">Sorcery "Soul Geyser" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Recovery spell motions are now slower</li><li dir="ltr">Miracle "Wrath of the Gods" – Time to determine damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Pyromancy "Firestorm," "Fire Tempest," "Chaos Storm," "Flame Swathe," "Forbidden Sun" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Pyromancy "Firestorm," "Fire Tempest," "Chaos Storm" – Time to activation made longer</li><li dir="ltr">NPC "Lucatiel of Mirrah," "Pilgrim Bellclaire," "Benhart of Jugo," "Manscorpion Tark" – Defense increased</li><li dir="ltr">Enemy " Rupturing Hollow" – HP reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Enemies "Hollow Mage," "Amana Priestess" – Reduced ability to chase user</li><li dir="ltr">Enemy "Hammersmith" – Reduced the length of vibrations after striking ground</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "The Last Giant" – Reduced damage</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "The Lost Sinner" – HP and damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "Royal Rat Authority" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "The Duke's Dear Freja" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "The Lost Sinner" (2nd time through) – sinner in jail who appears - HP and damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "Flexile Sentry" (2nd time through) – Nimble Shadow who appears - HP and damage reduced</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on Dark Souls II, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dark-souls-2-review/1900-6415691/">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417651" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417651/" 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>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><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></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:25:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-xbox-360-dark-souls-2-patch-fixes-bugs-and-calibrates-gameplay/1100-6418943/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/harmonix-rock-band-4-is-not-in-development/1100-6418942/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/4/3/2/4/1594324-971478_20101026_031.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1594324" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/4/3/2/4/1594324-971478_20101026_031.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1594324"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/mig/4/3/2/4/1594324-971478_20101026_031.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Harmonix has ideas for what the next entry in the Rock Band series could be, but the game is not in active development right now, the Cambridge, Mass. developer said today at PAX East.</p><p style="">"No, we are not making Rock Band 4; it is not in development; it is not actively being produced in the studio. We have thoughts about what it could be and would love to put it out," director of publishing and PR John T. Drake said today.</p><p style="">Yesterday during the keynote address at PAX East, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos said Harmonix has "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/harmonix-has-grand-plans-to-bring-rock-band-back-for-xbox-one-ps4/1100-6418917/" data-ref-id="1100-6418917">grand plans</a>" to revive the Rock Band and Dance Central franchises for the "coming console cycle." This would presumably mean Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.</p><p style="">Also during the Harmonix panel today, Drake talked about the company's new <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/harmonix-has-grand-plans-to-revive-rock-band-potentially-for-xbox-one-ps4/1100-6418917/" data-ref-id="1100-6418917">free-to-play rhythm-runner game Record Run</a>, which is said to launch "soon." It will roll out first for iOS devices and later for Android. As for Windows Phone devices, Drake said, "We're ambitious; we're not crazy," going on to note that he is a fan of those devices.</p><p style="">Finally, Drake teased that Harmonix has a new game to reveal and its announcement could be imminent. "We'll have another game to talk about soon, which is pretty cool," Drake said. Unfortunately, no other details are available.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:23:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/harmonix-rock-band-4-is-not-in-development/1100-6418942/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-gets-its-own-apparel-and-accessories-collection/1100-6418941/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504493-7652792469-main_.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504493" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504493-7652792469-main_.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504493"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2504493-7652792469-main_.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Think you'd look good in <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/watch-dogs/">Watch Dogs</a> protagonist Aiden Pearce's signature coat? Now you can buy it.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft has teamed up with the gaming-oriented fashion label musterbrand to release an apparel and accessories collection based on Watch Dogs, available now through <a href="http://watchdogs.musterbrand.com/blue2.html?utm_expid=84191147-5.AtDs6Co0S0qfyMFFGrV6Lg.3" rel="nofollow">musterbrand's website</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For the complete Aiden Pearce look, you can get The Vigilante, an authentic replica of Pearce's coat for $200, Code Breaker, a white knit jacket for $100, the loop Stealth Scarf for $34, and Binary Cap for $34. You can also get other Watch Dogs-branded bags and tablet sleeves.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This durable line of street wear recreates the spirit of Watch Dogs in style, texture and detail," musterbrand said. "Each item exemplifies the feel rough flair of the game."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As with other musterbrand collections, the clothes are crafted in cooperation between the developers and musterbrand designers. Previous musterbrand collaborations include the <a href="https://www.musterbrand.com/collections/uncharted" rel="nofollow">Uncharted Collection</a>, <a href="https://www.musterbrand.com/collections/assassin-s-creed" rel="nofollow">Assassin's Creed Collection</a>, and <a href="https://www.musterbrand.com/collections/hitman" rel="nofollow">Hitman Collection</a>.</p><p style="">Watch Dogs launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-release-date-announced-for-everything-except-wii-u/1100-6417977/">May 27</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-watch-dogs-coming-to-wii-u-in-fall-2014/1100-6418928/">The Wii U version will launch this fall</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418259" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418259/" 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>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><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></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 06:45:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-gets-its-own-apparel-and-accessories-collection/1100-6418941/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-a-subtle-tweak-to-evolve-s-monster-sent-ripples-throughout-the-game/1100-6418940/ <p style="">2K and Turtle Rock Studios have brought Evolve to Boston for PAX East 2014, and with the game's introduction to the public comes a pretty substantial change. Evolve, if you'll recall, is a next-gen shooter from the team behind <a href="/left-4-dead/" data-ref-id="false">Left 4 Dead</a> that was first introduced earlier this year. It's notable for its asymmetrical structure, in which four players choose a class and team up against a much larger and more powerful monster--a role filled by a fifth player.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The aforementioned change is focused on the monster's ability system, a small tweak with profound effects on the strategic ebb and flow of any given match. Initially, players controlling the monster would begin each match by choosing a particular skill, whether that be breathing fire, a powerful charge attack, or the ability to hurl a massive rock pulled from the ground below. Then, as the monster leveled up within the match a la Dota or League of Legends, players would be able to fill in their arsenal by unlocking those other skills they initially passed over.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2434957-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%283%29_result.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2434957" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2434957-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%283%29_result.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2434957"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1365/13658182/2434957-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%283%29_result.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">All of that works differently with Evolve's PAX East build. Turtle Rock has adopted a skill point sytem for the monster, granting you a handful of points at the beginning of the match as well as each time you level up mid-game. What this does is allow players to either unlock a handful of low-level abilities right from the start, or roll the dice and go all-in on one particular type of attack.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"This change was something that we've been cooking up for a little while," says executive producer Denby Grace. "What we wanted to do was add more variety to the strategies you can employ. We saw an opportunity to make things a bit deeper."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">A safe approach to playing as the monster might entail choosing several different abilities from the start, allowing you to get a feel for everything your hulking brute character is capable of before deciding if you want to specialize in any one attack. But, as Grace tells me, the more advanced players on the development team often take a riskier approach.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We were playing a game the other day, and one of the guys dumped all his points into one or two abilities. Then we as the hunters realized he didn't have his fire-breathing ability. So our strategy was to all got really, really close to him. When you're in that close proximity, it's hard for him to use his rock throw effectively, because the rock is very much a ranged attack."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"So he chose all his ranged stuff, and we just got in tight and had our support and medic take care of the assault class. [His choice of abilities] led to a real difference with the way we played as the hunters."</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2434961-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%287%29_result.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2434961" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2434961-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%287%29_result.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2434961"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1365/13658182/2434961-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%287%29_result.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">In this instance, Grace and his team were able to spot their opponent's strategy through keen observation and a thorough familiarity with the game. That member of the development team playing as the monster could have easily exploited his maxed-out rock throwing ability to devastate newcomers, but that wasn't the case here.</p><p style="">But it's how that approach can be tweaked and fine-tuned that makes this skill point system interesting. In the earlier version of the game, you unlock a skill and that's it--there are no tiers or levels to each monster ability. With the revised version, you're granted a much more granular level of control. Maybe you still rely on your rock-throwing prowess, but save that one extra skill point to unlock fire--even if it's the least powerful tier--so that you at least have some close-range defensive capabilities against the hunters.</p><p style="">This approach also solves the cool-down dilemma: relying on one powerful attack means leaving yourself idle for those four or five seconds it takes to recharge your attack. By spreading out your skill points, you can get the full arsenal of attacks and just chain those together, knowing that by the time you're done with your last attack the cool-down on the first one has expired. But then again, a well-coordinated team of hunters can see that you've got everything unlocked and they might take confidence in the fact that no one attack is at its full strength. At least until you've evolved a couple times and turned yourself into a walking death machine. </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">And therein lies the appeal of Evolve: like Left 4 Dead before it, Evolve is a complex shooter in which teamwork and cooperation open up new doorways to strategic possibilities. Grace's team spotted what was going on and pounced on their opponent's weakness, but with this new skill point system that monster is free to take a completely different approach in the next game. What worked or didn't work in one match doesn't always transition over to the next one.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Of course, it helps that the core action in Evolve also happens to be a whole lot of fun. That blend of meta strategy and instant gratification has earned Evolve a spot on my most anticipated games of the year list, and I for one am eager to see more of it before the game's release later this year.</p> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 05:22:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-a-subtle-tweak-to-evolve-s-monster-sent-ripples-throughout-the-game/1100-6418940/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pc-space-sim-star-citizen-s-dogfighting-mode-looks-epic-even-in-pre-alpha/1100-6418939/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xyd7AV3_A8" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F5xyd7AV3_A8%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5xyd7AV3_A8&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F5xyd7AV3_A8%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">During a PAX East panel yesterday, <a href="/wing-commander/" data-ref-id="false">Wing Commander </a>creator Chris Roberts showed off the first public demo of his new PC space sim <a href="/star-citizen/" data-ref-id="false">Star Citizen</a> and it does not disappoint.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The pre-alpha footage includes an extended interstellar dogfighting scene where we see the player avoiding asteroids and laying waste to enemies at will. We also get a look at the game's HUD, though it's not the final version of the game, so it could still change, of course.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The video was captured during the panel yesterday by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xyd7AV3_A8" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">YouTube user kigamitya</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Star Citizen has raised more than <a href="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">$41.7 million</a> through combined donations to the game's original Kickstarter (the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-the-top-crowdfunded-project-of-all-time/1100-6410717/" data-ref-id="1100-6410717">most successful in Kickstarter history</a>) and its own website. More than 425,000 people have backed the project so far. The game is due to launch in full sometime in 2015.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 04:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pc-space-sim-star-citizen-s-dogfighting-mode-looks-epic-even-in-pre-alpha/1100-6418939/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-actor-to-co-write-new-star-wars-game-for-ea/1100-6418938/ <p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Todd Stashwick, who is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/actor-teases-uncharted-ps4/1100-6416413/" data-ref-id="1100-6416413">playing a mystery role</a> in the <a href="/uncharted-4/" data-ref-id="false">upcoming Uncharted game for PlayStation 4</a>, will co-write the new Star Wars game in development at EA's Visceral Games, it has been revealed. Stashwick, who has appeared in the show <em>Justified</em>, will write the story alongside former Naughty Dog creative director Amy Hennig, who <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ex-uncharted-creative-director-amy-hennig-joins-ea-to-work-on-star-wars/1100-6418754/" data-ref-id="1100-6418754">joined EA's Visceral Games earlier this month.</a></p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2504448-todd.png" data-ref-id="1300-2504448" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2504448-todd.png" data-ref-id="1300-2504448"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1179/11799911/2504448-todd.png"></a><figcaption>Todd Stashwick</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="https://twitter.com/ToddStashwick" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Writing on Twitter,</a> Stashwick thanked fans for their support and said he's going to work hard to deliver a product that fans will enjoy.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Thanks everybody for the kind words and support on the Star Wars project. I'm over the moon…wait…that's no moon…," he said. "As devout gaming/Star Wars geeks, Amy Hennig and I plan on writing a game we want to play. We will be our harshest critics."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Hennig has been teasing Stashwick's involvement with the new Star Wars game for some time. Earlier this week, she <a href="https://twitter.com/amy_hennig/status/453613445871464448" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">tweeted a picture </a>of herself having breakfast with Stashwick, as well as prolific voice actor Nolan North and even <em>Lord of the Rings</em> actor Monaghan. Curiously, Monaghan is wearing a <em>Star Wars</em>-themed t-shirt.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It is unclear if Stashwick's involvement with the new Star Wars game will in any way affect his contribution to the Uncharted game for PS4. </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Visceral Games' Star Wars title is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-developing-open-world-star-wars-game/1100-6416442/">rumored to be an open-world game</a>, though EA has yet to provide any details on what form the studio's first title in the sci-fi series will take. EA and Star Wars franchise owner Disney signed a<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-and-disney-team-up-for-star-wars-games/1100-6407982/"> ten-year, multi-title deal last year</a>that makes the Mass Effect publisher the exclusive creator of new Star Wars games. Battlefield developer DICE is currently working on a new <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/star-wars-battlefront/">Star Wars: Battlefront </a>game.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 04:13:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-actor-to-co-write-new-star-wars-game-for-ea/1100-6418938/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/resolution-disparity-continues-as-trials-fusion-is-1080p-on-ps4-and-900p-on-xbox-one/1100-6418935/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2444838-single_quad_1392978343.png" data-ref-id="1300-2444838" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2444838-single_quad_1392978343.png" data-ref-id="1300-2444838"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2444838-single_quad_1392978343.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The PlayStation 4 version of Ubisoft's upcoming motorcycle racing game <a href="/trials-fusion/" data-ref-id="false">Trials Fusion </a>will run in a higher resolution than the Xbox One, it has been revealed.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A Ubisoft representative told <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/11/ps4-and-xbox-one-graphics-disparity-continues-trial-fusion-runs-at-1080p-on-sonys-box-and-900p-on-microsofts/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">VentureBeat </a>that Trials Fusion will run in native 1080p on PS4 and native 900p on Xbox One (upscaled to 1080p). The game is also coming to Xbox 360 and PC, and all versions will run at 60fps.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The graphics disparity between PS4 and Xbox One is nothing new. Major games like <a href="/call-of-duty-ghosts/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty: Ghosts</a>, <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a>, and <a href="/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a> all run in a lower resolution on Xbox One compared to PS4.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This has led so some consternation from fans, but Microsoft says <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-xbox-one-games-will-run-in-1080p-over-time-microsoft-says/1100-6418408/" data-ref-id="1100-6418408">performance should improve over time</a>. Of course, the Xbox One is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-on-xbox-one-1080p-60fps-debate-it-s-up-to-individual-developers/1100-6417935/" data-ref-id="1100-6417935">fully capable of rendering 1080p/60fps</a>, and Turn 10's racing game <a href="/forza-motorsport-5/" data-ref-id="false">Forza Motorsport 5</a> is a great example of that.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Trials Fusion launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/trials-fusion-out-april-16/1100-6417966/" data-ref-id="1100-6417966">April 16 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PS4</a>. The <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/trials-fusion-pc-release-date-slips-but-the-open-beta-starts-tomorrow/1100-6418433/" data-ref-id="1100-6418433">PC version launches April 24</a>. For more, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/trials-fusion/" data-ref-id="false">check out GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 03:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/resolution-disparity-continues-as-trials-fusion-is-1080p-on-ps4-and-900p-on-xbox-one/1100-6418935/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/wolfenstein-the-new-order-pax-east-hands-on-impres/2300-6418294/ Chris Watters fills you in on how Wolfenstein: The New Order is shaping up in this preview from PAX East 2014. Fri, 11 Apr 2014 20:01:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/wolfenstein-the-new-order-pax-east-hands-on-impres/2300-6418294/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:08:48 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-earth-takes-civilization-to-the-stars/1100-6418906/ <p style="">Humanity's childhood has ended, the cradle of Earth abandoned so that we can find ourselves among the stars. As its name suggests, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth leaves behind our collective past--which this long-running strategy series has so thoroughly documented--and turns its gaze skyward towards our future. Cast upon some unknown world, you will encounter alien life, push the limits of humanity, and inevitably come to blows with your fellow man over whose vision of the future is "correct." For fans of the 1999 classic <a href="/reviews/sid-meiers-alpha-centauri-review/1900-2533000/" data-ref-id="1900-2533000">Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri</a>, this game has been a long time coming, and for the Civilization development team, it's a liberating experience to finally be free from the constraints of history.</p><p style="">"You could see the enthusiasm in the team when they heard about this project," said Lena Brenk, one of Beyond Earth's lead producers. "It is a very liberating thing, as all the gameplay systems we designed for Civilization are done so with an eye towards, 'Does it fit with the history of humanity?' [Beyond Earth] has been a huge opportunity to go ahead and do things that would not be possible in a historic setting." I recently spoke to Brenk, along with other members of the development team, about the many changes this game brings to the Civilization formula, and how a game of Beyond Earth compares to a game of <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-v/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Civilization V</a>.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503748-rio_3.png" data-ref-id="1300-2503748" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503748-rio_3.png" data-ref-id="1300-2503748"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2503748-rio_3.png"></a><figcaption>Earth is dying. Humanity must now find a new future for itself among the stars.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth begins at the end. Due to some sort of global catastrophe, which the developers only referred to as "The Great Mistake," Earth is experiencing a mass exodus. The various factions of humanity are piling aboard starships and setting forth in search of a new home for their species. With each new game of Beyond Earth, you play the role of one of these desperate expeditions.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p dir="ltr" style="">In Beyond Earth, not only do you choose your faction, but also which spacecraft to take, what cargo to carry, who to bring, and the type of planet you want to inhabit. Each choice will greatly impact the start of your game.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">Before you land on a new planet and start shaping humanity's destiny, you must first equip your expedition. Referred to as "the seeding," this is an expanded version of your civilization selection in previous games. In Beyond Earth, not only do you choose which faction (read: civilization) to play, but also which spacecraft to take, what cargo to carry, who to bring, and the type of planet you want to inhabit. Each selection you make will greatly impact the start of your game: you could carry high-quality cargo that grants additional funds up-front, for instance, or hard-working, production-oriented colonists who build structures faster. The Civilization series has always been about defining a strategy early on, and then adapting that strategy to accommodate whatever curveballs the game throws your way. These choices should give you greater control over how you define your opening gambit.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">After the seeding, you make planetfall and establish your first human colony. It is also the only human colony. The next human player won't arrive until much later. In the beginning, you are completely alone amid the wilderness. "What's neat about it is the feeling you get from coming into this new place," said lead producer Dennis Shirk. "It's not the same as in other Civilization games where you already know you're on Earth, the only threat is the occasional barbarian, and you're going to run into other civilizations--and if one of those is Genghis Khan or Montezuma you know what your game is going to be like! With Beyond Earth, it's basically you versus the environment in the beginning."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">And by "environment," Shirk of course means alien lifeforms. Depending on the planet, these lifeforms may be indifferent to your arrival, or hostile. You must decide how to deal with them, and in doing so the development team hopes the experience will feel more isolated, more <em>alien</em>, than in previous games. You are setting forth into the unknown reaches of space, after all. It could be 20 turns or more before you see another player make planetfall and introduce themselves, and another 15 turns after that until the next. And if you think these newcomers are going to be easy pickings just because they were late to the party, think again. Those who arrive after you receive an extra boost to help them catch up to your civilization.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503680-civbe_1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503680" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503680-civbe_1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503680"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2503680-civbe_1.jpg"></a><figcaption>After making planetfall, you are the only human colony. The next humans won't arrive until much later. You're on your own against the wilderness.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">When other players start showing up, it will most likely result in open warfare. It was at this point in the interview that I asked whether Beyond Earth would bring back unit stacking, or continue using the one-unit-per-hex rule introduced in Civilization V. According to lead designer David McDonough, Beyond Earth will not have military unit stacking. "I am a big fan of the way warfare was designed in Civilization V," McDonough added. "I thought it was very elegant and would make a good fit for this game as well considering we've added these alternate game layers--such as the orbital layer--which sort of let you break that rule by launching units into space and having them effect units on the ground without being stacked on top of them."</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p dir="ltr" style="">The orbital layer is the realm of satellites. These satellites can grant your civilization an economic, espionage, or military benefit, but their orbit will degrade over time.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">The orbital layer is the realm of satellites. These can grant your faction an economic, espionage, or military benefit depending on the type of satellite launched. Satellites also project coverage across the orbital layer, and this coverage doesn't overlap with other satellites. Securing coverage works on a first-come, first-serve basis, so you'll need to move fast. However, once you have a satellite in the air it is by no means permanent. Its orbit will degrade over time, and it will eventually crash on the planet below, sometimes leaving behind recoverable salvage. Satellites can also be pulled out of orbit (read: crashed) manually or shot down by other players.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The orbital layer may let players skirt around the one-military-unit-per-tile rule, but it doesn't solve a lingering problem this rule created in Civilization V and its expansions: the AI. While this rule did create some interesting new strategies for players, the game's AI had trouble executing those same strategies with any consistency. As an example, I often saw the AI push its archers to the front line, ahead of their sword-wielding brothers in arms, only to get slaughtered. When asked about this, McDonough explained, "We've had the opportunity to do a great deal of work and learn from the successes that Civilization V had with its AI to make AI suited for [Beyond Earth]. We're confident it's going to do a great job. We're working hard on it and the war simulations we're running in our test games are already pretty crazy and fun."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">That's good to hear, since the battles in Beyond Earth aim to provide even more variety than in the series' past. This is thanks in part to the game's new affinity system, an overarching belief structure which impacts every aspect of your civilization. There are three different affinities in the game: purity, harmony, and supremacy. Harmony, for example, focuses on understanding and adapting to your alien planet's ecosystem.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2504070-raptor_bug_concept.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504070" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2504070-raptor_bug_concept.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504070"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/949/9490474/2504070-raptor_bug_concept.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Taken to the extreme, this affinity will drive your people towards rewriting the human genome so that they can fully integrate themselves as an indigenous species of that world. You scientific research will focus on the alien sciences, geology, and genetic engineering, and your military units will become faster, heal quicker, and take on a Predator-esque appearance.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503681-civbe_3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503681" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503681-civbe_3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503681"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2503681-civbe_3.jpg"></a><figcaption>There are three different affinities--purity, harmony, and supremacy--which impact every aspect of your game, including wildlife hostility.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">You strengthen your affinity by doing quests or finding objects from expedition sites or by researching certain technologies--affinity works on a global level from the very first turn to the very last. Everything you do in the game feeds into the affinity system, and that system in turn feeds back into the very makeup of your civilization.</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p dir="ltr" style="">The team at Firaxis has a new, non-linear technology tree for Beyond Earth. In fact, it's not so much a tree as it is a web.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">Because this system can take humanity in some wildly different directions, chances are you won't need to be researching all the same technologies as the other players. Therefore, the team at Firaxis has a new, non-linear technology tree for Beyond Earth. In fact, it's not so much a tree as it is a web. As McDonough described it, this web was one of the team's "first, favorite, and most fundamental redesigns." Each player starts surrounded by a web of technologies, with the technologies closest to you being something recognizable in today's world, like engineering. From there you move outward in any direction towards more exotic--but still plausible--technologies.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We call these major technologies 'branch' technologies," he added. "Each branch technology has a number of leaf technologies underneath it, representing specific specializations of the main branch. These leaves are also associated with one of the three affinities. Gaining allegiance to an affinity begins the path towards a technology victory specific to that affinity. At no time are you ever locked out of researching any technology, but it's very unlikely you'll be able to research everything in the game. By the end of the game, you will have a set of technologies that tells a story of who you are, and who you were."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As McDonough mentioned, the game's three affinities are closely tied to three of the five possible victory conditions. Of course, if you're not willing to take your affinity to its conclusion, there are two other options available that are affinity-neutral. The five victory conditions are:</p><div data-embed-type="html"><p style=""><b>Harmony</b>: awaken a semi-sentient super organism within the planet and reach a new level of consciousness<br /> <b>Purity</b>: terraform the alien planet into a mirror of Earth and relocate Earth’s populace to this new Eden<br /> <b>Supremacy</b>: embrace cybernetic augmentation, then return to Earth and "free" the people from their bodies<br /> <b>Contact</b>: discover evidence of intelligent life and construct a means to establish first contact<br /> <b>Domination</b>: actually, domination is the same as in every other Civilization</p></div><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503682-human_hive.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503682" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2503682-human_hive.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2503682"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2503682-human_hive.jpg"></a><figcaption>Three of the game's five victory conditions are tied to the three affinities. The other two are affinity neutral.</figcaption></figure><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2504078-colonist_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504078" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2504078-colonist_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504078"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/949/9490474/2504078-colonist_02.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Since most of these victory conditions involve several steps, the developers have designed a new quest system to help guide players along. The quests are also where Beyond Earth delivers the bulk of its narrative. "Because we're going into the future, it's not as clear where humanity will end up," explained Brenk. "Players don't know anything about it intuitively, so being able to give this narrative framework for the player to tell their story is really important to us. When the game is released, we want to go on the forums and read those awesome stories fans post about their game. We love that stuff."</p><p style="">Affinities. Non-linear research. Satellites. Armed with these new features and others, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth is much more than "Civilization in space" or "Alpha Centauri 2." "While Alpha Centauri is in our DNA," explained Shirk, "we also made those games many years ago. They're games we love, and that our fans love, but we wanted to approach [Beyond Earth] in a completely fresh fashion. Both games share some similarities--they're both sim games about sending humanity into space--but in terms of being a strategy game, they don't have much in common. We set out to create a completely new game, and we think a lot of the comparisons between this game and Alpha Centauri will be left behind as people see all the thing that are coming into play that makes this a completely new experience."</p><p style=""> </p> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-earth-takes-civilization-to-the-stars/1100-6418906/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/2k-announces-new-sid-meier-s-civilization-game-beyond-earth-channels-alpha-centauri/1100-6418936/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418289" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418289/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""><a href="/civilization/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization</a> and <a href="/x-com-ufo-defense/" data-ref-id="false">XCOM</a> developer Firaxis Games has announced it's returning to the stars with <a href="/hubs/the-next-big-game-beyond-earth/?typeId=2805&id=20/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth</a>, the latest entry in their 4X strategy series.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Revealed during a PAX East panel earlier today, Beyond Earth is scheduled for release sometime this Fall and marks the first time a Civilization game has fully explored mankind's future instead of playing in the past. This game's science fiction setting will undoubtedly be familiar to fans of Firaxis' 1999 hit, <a href="/sid-meiers-alpha-centauri/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri</a>, as both share a similar, humans-on-an-alien-world premise.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Players will attempt to colonize a new planet while fending off the local wildlife and shaping the fate of humanity. Many of the changes introduced in 2010's <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-v/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Civilization V</a> will also be included, such as hexagonal tiles and the absence of unit stacking.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2504435-7497685497-25037.png" data-ref-id="1300-2504435" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2504435-7497685497-25037.png" data-ref-id="1300-2504435"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1534/15343359/2504435-7497685497-25037.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">"It's been quite a while since Alpha Centauri came out," said Civilization series creator Sid Meier. "We've got a lot of new ideas, have learned a lot, and there's so much new stuff we can do with a science fiction setting. The Civilization series has come so far and we can do a lot of new stuff now that we couldn't do before. We had an opportunity with people [at Firaxis] who had some great ideas on how to put this together--and it just all came together! We're happy to be able to have a chance to do it."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For all the early details on Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth--including satellites and the non-linear research tree--be sure to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-earth-takes-civilization-to-the-stars/1100-6418906/" data-ref-id="1100-6418906">check out our extensive preview</a> for the game. And come back over the next four days as GameSpot will be posting a new piece on the game each day as <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/hubs/the-next-big-game-beyond-earth/?typeId=2805&id=20/" data-ref-id="false">part of our Next Big Game series.</a></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>Maxwell McGee is a editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/MaxwellMcGee" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @MaxwellMcGee</a></strong></p><p style=""><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/2k-announces-new-sid-meier-s-civilization-game-beyond-earth-channels-alpha-centauri/1100-6418936/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespot-s-next-big-game-series-takes-on-sid-meier-s-beyond-earth/1100-6418937/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2504445-2513684026-25036.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504445" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2504445-2513684026-25036.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504445"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1534/15343359/2504445-2513684026-25036.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">The <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/search/?q=civilization/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization series</a> holds a special significance to many of us on the GameSpot staff, past and present. Some of my own fondest gaming memories involved <a href="/civilization-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization II</a> and not studying for an AP US History exam, though in my defense, it was a custom US Civil War campaign. That's still studying, right?</p><p style="">At any rate, Civilization has grown to be one of most beloved and enduring franchises in PC gaming, so naturally, we didn't hesitate at the opportunity to produce our second Next Big Game feature around Firaxis' latest PC-exclusive project--<a href="/hubs/the-next-big-game-beyond-earth/?typeId=2805&id=20/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth.</a></p><p style="">In case you didn't see our first <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-next-big-game-titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Next Big Game for Titanfall,</a> this is how it works. Each day for five days, there's a new story about Beyond Earth and, in some cases, the Civilization franchise. Right now, you can check our first piece--<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-earth-takes-civilization-to-the-stars/1100-6418906/" data-ref-id="1100-6418906">an extensive preview of the game with interviews from lead designers Will Miller and David McDonough</a>, as well as lead producer Lena Brenk and senior producer of the Civilization franchise, Dennis Shirk.</p><p style="">If you're a lapsed Civ fan, on day two, we take a look back at the Civilization series, highlighting key facets of the franchise over the years. Day three should be of special significance to <a href="/sid-meiers-alpha-centauri/" data-ref-id="false">Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri</a> fans as we chat with members of the Beyond Earth team who worked on the sci-fi classic. Day four features an extensive one-on-one interview with Sid Meier and day five wraps things up with a video of the Firaxis panel from this weekend's PAX East.</p><p style="">We hope you enjoy what we've put together for this installment of The Next Big Game, as we were more than excited to put it together. As always, please continue to send in your suggestions for what you'd like to see featured for an upcoming Next Big Game.</p> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespot-s-next-big-game-series-takes-on-sid-meier-s-beyond-earth/1100-6418937/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/sid-meier-s-civilization-beyond-earth-announcement/2300-6418289/ Take your first look at Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth. Sat, 12 Apr 2014 08:58:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/sid-meier-s-civilization-beyond-earth-announcement/2300-6418289/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-viable-for-free-to-play-if-it-can-shift-5-10m-units/1100-6418946/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504536-7930134156-24221.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504536" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504536-7930134156-24221.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504536"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2504536-7930134156-24221.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Wargaming Chief Executive Officer Victor Kislyi thinks that free-to-play games like <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/world-of-tanks/" data-ref-id="false">World of Tanks</a> are viable for the Oculus Rift only if it sells 10 million units.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">He said that he tested the device in San Francisco and was impressed with it, but that the games his company makes won't work on any platform until it reaches a certain player base.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"75 percent of our players will never pay us a penny," Kislyi told <a href="http://www.computerandvideogames.com/458480/oculus-rift-viable-for-free-to-play-after-5m-units-says-world-of-tanks-boss/" rel="nofollow">CVG</a>. "For other games this percentage can be bigger, up to 90-95 percent of people just playing for free." In order for that business model to work financially, he explained, Wargaming needs at least 5-10 million people playing the game. "If Xbox One or Oculus Rift reaches those numbers, we're there," Kislyi said.</p><p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-creator-explains-why-facebook-buyout-makes-sense/1100-6418544/">As Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey explained</a>, the desire to reach an audience of that size (and much bigger) was one of the main reasons he agreed to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-facebook-buying-oculus-for-2-billion/1100-6418636/">Facebook's $2 billion acquisition</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417961" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417961/" 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>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><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></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 08:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-viable-for-free-to-play-if-it-can-shift-5-10m-units/1100-6418946/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legacy-of-kain-lives-on-in-nosgoth/1100-6418945/ <p style="">The <a href="/legacy-of-kain-defiance/" data-ref-id="false">Legacy of Kain</a> series was dormant for over a decade, and then Nosgoth popped up last year, although it wasn't exactly what fans of the series expected. Rather than an adventure game, Nosgoth is a free-to-play competitive, team deathmatch game. In fact, apart from the setting, plot, and a few character designs, there's little evidence that it has anything to do with the Legacy of Kain series. While that may not please die-hard fans, Nosgoth is shaping up well enough that it doesn't need to rely on a pre-existing formula to stand tall on its own accord. You won't see Kain or his nemesis, Raziel, but you'll be too busy scaling tall buildings and laying into vampires with magic-arrows and bolos to notice.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Nosgoth is strictly a multiplayer experience, consisting of two-rounds where teams face off as humans and vampires. There are a handful of character classes to choose from, but it's the dynamic of playing as a human or vampire that refreshes your interest, round after round, as the game forces each team to swap sides. This shift flips the moment-to-moment gameplay as the camps play entirely differently from one another.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416637" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416637/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Humans engage in long-range combat via bows and arrows, in addition to a small number of secondary abilities. Though you aren't wielding sniper rifles or shotguns, the experience of playing as a human will feel very familiar if you've played other competitive shooters, though with the third-person camera, movement doesn't feel too dissimilar to Gears of War.</p><p style="">Of course, a world filled with magic and creatures immediately separates Nosgoth from most other "shooters" on the market, but once you spend some time playing as a vampire, it really begins to feel different from other competitive action games. Unlike the relatively frail humans, vampires are tough melee fighters. Their considerable strength allows them to get in the face of their enemies, but lest they fall victim to incoming fire as they move in, vampires make use of exceptional traversal skills to move across the map. With the push of a button, they can scale buildings and leap across rooftops with considerable ease. Certain vampires can also charge a leaping maneuver that, if engaged at the top of a building, sends them halfway across Nosgoth's maps in an instant.<br /><br /><br /></p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2504532-nosgoth1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504532" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2504532-nosgoth1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504532"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2504532-nosgoth1.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The inherent differences between the two factions do a wonderful job of balancing Nosgoth's battles, and by forcing you to switch between the two, you'll have plenty of opportunities to discover the strengths of each teams' style of play. This may be a problem if you favor one over the other, but given that each side controls simply and distinctly, and comes with its own strengths in combat, its easy to find something to like in each. At the moment, there are three classes to choose from in each team, but there are plans for more down the road as the game matures.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Nosgoth is currently in closed beta, so most people will have to wait until later this year to revisit the land of Kain. Once it finally goes live, potentially later this year, Nosgoth will be a free-to-play game that makes its money off of cosmetic add-ons and so called "side-grades." Unlike upgrades, that typically power up players, Nosgoth's purchases will only alter existing abilities. It allows you to extend the game's variety without giving spendy players an unfair advantage over those who prefer to take advantage of the cheap nature of the free-to-play model. It may not be the next Soul Reaver, but Nosgoth is an interesting game on its own terms, and anyone with even a passing interest in multiplayer action should give it a go when the open beta kicks off in a few months.</p> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 08:27:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-legacy-of-kain-lives-on-in-nosgoth/1100-6418945/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/don-t-live-near-boston-seattle-or-melbourne-there-s-a-new-pax-and-it-will-be-held-in-san-antonio/1100-6418944/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2504517-sanantonio.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504517" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2504517-sanantonio.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504517"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2504517-sanantonio.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is expanding. Today at PAX East, creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins <a href="https://twitter.com/Official_PAX/status/454995285396443136" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">announced</a> <strong>PAX South</strong>, which will take place in San Antonio, Texas in January 2015.</p><p style="">PAX South becomes the fourth PAX event. Others include PAX East (Boston), PAX Prime (Seattle), and PAX Australia (Melbourne). The show was announced minutes ago and we'll have more details as they become available.</p><p style="">We're still waiting on venue and ticket availability details.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:47:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/don-t-live-near-boston-seattle-or-melbourne-there-s-a-new-pax-and-it-will-be-held-in-san-antonio/1100-6418944/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-xbox-360-dark-souls-2-patch-fixes-bugs-and-calibrates-gameplay/1100-6418943/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504509-1253242964-24279.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504509" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504509-1253242964-24279.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504509"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2504509-1253242964-24279.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">If you've been paying very close attention to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dark-souls-ii/">Dark Souls II</a>, you may have noticed that it was a tiny bit different yesterday after developer From Software released a new patch.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Version 1.03 should fix some issues with multiplayer, a lot of other bugs, and make a few improvements to Dark Souls II's interface and controls.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The gameplay itself has also been calibrated in a number of ways. If you look at the full list of changes posted to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/darksouls/photos/a.123871221019264.23050.119869331419453/640567839349597/?type=1&stream_ref=10" rel="nofollow">Dark Souls II's Facebook page</a> you'll notice that the health and damage of some area bosses has been reduced, but so were a lot of player abilities, so it's not like the game is suddenly a walk in the park.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The full patch notes:</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>MULTIPLAYER:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Failing to create Multiplayer session no longer disables use of online items, such as White Soapstone.</li><li dir="ltr">Starting boss fight with the Looking Glass Knight while summoning other players no longer cancels the summoning process.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that prevented some bloodstains, illusions, and messages from being displayed.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue where "Unable to participate in Multiplayer Session" could constantly appear.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed some instances where the portrait of the person you were summoning was different than the actual character.</li><li dir="ltr">You will no longer be able to take off Covenant rings while being summoned.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that would cause some summoned players to fall through the ground at Earthen Peak.</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>GAME MENU / INTERFACE / CONTROLS:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Optimized Start Menu and Bonfire Menu performance.</li><li dir="ltr">Trophy icon for "Holder of the Fort" has been fixed.</li><li dir="ltr">Controller now vibrates when blocking an attack</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>OTHER FIXES:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Bug involving Drangleic Castle door not opening has been fixed.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that would cause Souls to be lost upon death with the Ring of Life Protection equipped.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that caused some players to fall through elevators while using Binoculars and Magic simultaneously.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue causing some enemies being hit by arrows at long distances receive 0 damage.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue preventing the Brotherhood of Blood duels from starting properly.</li><li dir="ltr">Added a message for players that displays after entering the coffin in Things Betwixt</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue where all of the items and objects in an area would reset (Without using a Bonfire Ascetic).</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue that didn't unlock some items from vendors on 2nd and beyond playthrough.</li><li dir="ltr">Fixed an issue causing the requirements for the Brotherhood of Blood Covenant be 50 too high.</li><li dir="ltr">Licia's conditions for moving have been optimized.</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>CALIBRATIONS:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Item "Corrosive Urn" – Strength reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Weapon Category "Twinblade" – Durability increased</li><li dir="ltr">Weapon "Moonlight Greatsword" – Made so that this weapon cannot be Enchanted, and slowed down the motion of the weapon</li><li dir="ltr">Armor "Gyrm Warrior Greathelm" – Wieght, Poise, Defense Increased</li><li dir="ltr">Ring "Ring of Thorns" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Ring "Old Sun Ring" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Sorcery "Soul Spear" and "Crystal Soul Spear" – This spell will now pierce through enemies and is able to cause damage to more than just one enemy</li><li dir="ltr">Sorcery "Soul Greatsword" – Time spell takes to take effect adjusted</li><li dir="ltr">Sorcery "Homing Soulmass" and "Homing Crystal Soulmass," Hex "Affinity" – Now take less stamina and move faster</li><li dir="ltr">Sorcery "Soul Geyser" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Recovery spell motions are now slower</li><li dir="ltr">Miracle "Wrath of the Gods" – Time to determine damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Pyromancy "Firestorm," "Fire Tempest," "Chaos Storm," "Flame Swathe," "Forbidden Sun" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Pyromancy "Firestorm," "Fire Tempest," "Chaos Storm" – Time to activation made longer</li><li dir="ltr">NPC "Lucatiel of Mirrah," "Pilgrim Bellclaire," "Benhart of Jugo," "Manscorpion Tark" – Defense increased</li><li dir="ltr">Enemy " Rupturing Hollow" – HP reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Enemies "Hollow Mage," "Amana Priestess" – Reduced ability to chase user</li><li dir="ltr">Enemy "Hammersmith" – Reduced the length of vibrations after striking ground</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "The Last Giant" – Reduced damage</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "The Lost Sinner" – HP and damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "Royal Rat Authority" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "The Duke's Dear Freja" – Damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "The Lost Sinner" (2nd time through) – sinner in jail who appears - HP and damage reduced</li><li dir="ltr">Area Boss "Flexile Sentry" (2nd time through) – Nimble Shadow who appears - HP and damage reduced</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on Dark Souls II, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dark-souls-2-review/1900-6415691/">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417651" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417651/" 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>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><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></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:25:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-xbox-360-dark-souls-2-patch-fixes-bugs-and-calibrates-gameplay/1100-6418943/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/harmonix-rock-band-4-is-not-in-development/1100-6418942/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/4/3/2/4/1594324-971478_20101026_031.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1594324" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/4/3/2/4/1594324-971478_20101026_031.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1594324"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/mig/4/3/2/4/1594324-971478_20101026_031.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Harmonix has ideas for what the next entry in the Rock Band series could be, but the game is not in active development right now, the Cambridge, Mass. developer said today at PAX East.</p><p style="">"No, we are not making Rock Band 4; it is not in development; it is not actively being produced in the studio. We have thoughts about what it could be and would love to put it out," director of publishing and PR John T. Drake said today.</p><p style="">Yesterday during the keynote address at PAX East, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos said Harmonix has "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/harmonix-has-grand-plans-to-bring-rock-band-back-for-xbox-one-ps4/1100-6418917/" data-ref-id="1100-6418917">grand plans</a>" to revive the Rock Band and Dance Central franchises for the "coming console cycle." This would presumably mean Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.</p><p style="">Also during the Harmonix panel today, Drake talked about the company's new <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/harmonix-has-grand-plans-to-revive-rock-band-potentially-for-xbox-one-ps4/1100-6418917/" data-ref-id="1100-6418917">free-to-play rhythm-runner game Record Run</a>, which is said to launch "soon." It will roll out first for iOS devices and later for Android. As for Windows Phone devices, Drake said, "We're ambitious; we're not crazy," going on to note that he is a fan of those devices.</p><p style="">Finally, Drake teased that Harmonix has a new game to reveal and its announcement could be imminent. "We'll have another game to talk about soon, which is pretty cool," Drake said. Unfortunately, no other details are available.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:23:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/harmonix-rock-band-4-is-not-in-development/1100-6418942/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-gets-its-own-apparel-and-accessories-collection/1100-6418941/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504493-7652792469-main_.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504493" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2504493-7652792469-main_.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2504493"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2504493-7652792469-main_.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Think you'd look good in <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/watch-dogs/">Watch Dogs</a> protagonist Aiden Pearce's signature coat? Now you can buy it.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft has teamed up with the gaming-oriented fashion label musterbrand to release an apparel and accessories collection based on Watch Dogs, available now through <a href="http://watchdogs.musterbrand.com/blue2.html?utm_expid=84191147-5.AtDs6Co0S0qfyMFFGrV6Lg.3" rel="nofollow">musterbrand's website</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For the complete Aiden Pearce look, you can get The Vigilante, an authentic replica of Pearce's coat for $200, Code Breaker, a white knit jacket for $100, the loop Stealth Scarf for $34, and Binary Cap for $34. You can also get other Watch Dogs-branded bags and tablet sleeves.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This durable line of street wear recreates the spirit of Watch Dogs in style, texture and detail," musterbrand said. "Each item exemplifies the feel rough flair of the game."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As with other musterbrand collections, the clothes are crafted in cooperation between the developers and musterbrand designers. Previous musterbrand collaborations include the <a href="https://www.musterbrand.com/collections/uncharted" rel="nofollow">Uncharted Collection</a>, <a href="https://www.musterbrand.com/collections/assassin-s-creed" rel="nofollow">Assassin's Creed Collection</a>, and <a href="https://www.musterbrand.com/collections/hitman" rel="nofollow">Hitman Collection</a>.</p><p style="">Watch Dogs launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-release-date-announced-for-everything-except-wii-u/1100-6417977/">May 27</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-watch-dogs-coming-to-wii-u-in-fall-2014/1100-6418928/">The Wii U version will launch this fall</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418259" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418259/" 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>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><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></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 06:45:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-gets-its-own-apparel-and-accessories-collection/1100-6418941/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-a-subtle-tweak-to-evolve-s-monster-sent-ripples-throughout-the-game/1100-6418940/ <p style="">2K and Turtle Rock Studios have brought Evolve to Boston for PAX East 2014, and with the game's introduction to the public comes a pretty substantial change. Evolve, if you'll recall, is a next-gen shooter from the team behind <a href="/left-4-dead/" data-ref-id="false">Left 4 Dead</a> that was first introduced earlier this year. It's notable for its asymmetrical structure, in which four players choose a class and team up against a much larger and more powerful monster--a role filled by a fifth player.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The aforementioned change is focused on the monster's ability system, a small tweak with profound effects on the strategic ebb and flow of any given match. Initially, players controlling the monster would begin each match by choosing a particular skill, whether that be breathing fire, a powerful charge attack, or the ability to hurl a massive rock pulled from the ground below. Then, as the monster leveled up within the match a la Dota or League of Legends, players would be able to fill in their arsenal by unlocking those other skills they initially passed over.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2434957-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%283%29_result.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2434957" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2434957-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%283%29_result.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2434957"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1365/13658182/2434957-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%283%29_result.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">All of that works differently with Evolve's PAX East build. Turtle Rock has adopted a skill point sytem for the monster, granting you a handful of points at the beginning of the match as well as each time you level up mid-game. What this does is allow players to either unlock a handful of low-level abilities right from the start, or roll the dice and go all-in on one particular type of attack.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"This change was something that we've been cooking up for a little while," says executive producer Denby Grace. "What we wanted to do was add more variety to the strategies you can employ. We saw an opportunity to make things a bit deeper."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">A safe approach to playing as the monster might entail choosing several different abilities from the start, allowing you to get a feel for everything your hulking brute character is capable of before deciding if you want to specialize in any one attack. But, as Grace tells me, the more advanced players on the development team often take a riskier approach.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We were playing a game the other day, and one of the guys dumped all his points into one or two abilities. Then we as the hunters realized he didn't have his fire-breathing ability. So our strategy was to all got really, really close to him. When you're in that close proximity, it's hard for him to use his rock throw effectively, because the rock is very much a ranged attack."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"So he chose all his ranged stuff, and we just got in tight and had our support and medic take care of the assault class. [His choice of abilities] led to a real difference with the way we played as the hunters."</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2434961-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%287%29_result.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2434961" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2434961-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%287%29_result.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2434961"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1365/13658182/2434961-evolve+-+jan+first+look+screenshot+%287%29_result.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">In this instance, Grace and his team were able to spot their opponent's strategy through keen observation and a thorough familiarity with the game. That member of the development team playing as the monster could have easily exploited his maxed-out rock throwing ability to devastate newcomers, but that wasn't the case here.</p><p style="">But it's how that approach can be tweaked and fine-tuned that makes this skill point system interesting. In the earlier version of the game, you unlock a skill and that's it--there are no tiers or levels to each monster ability. With the revised version, you're granted a much more granular level of control. Maybe you still rely on your rock-throwing prowess, but save that one extra skill point to unlock fire--even if it's the least powerful tier--so that you at least have some close-range defensive capabilities against the hunters.</p><p style="">This approach also solves the cool-down dilemma: relying on one powerful attack means leaving yourself idle for those four or five seconds it takes to recharge your attack. By spreading out your skill points, you can get the full arsenal of attacks and just chain those together, knowing that by the time you're done with your last attack the cool-down on the first one has expired. But then again, a well-coordinated team of hunters can see that you've got everything unlocked and they might take confidence in the fact that no one attack is at its full strength. At least until you've evolved a couple times and turned yourself into a walking death machine. </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">And therein lies the appeal of Evolve: like Left 4 Dead before it, Evolve is a complex shooter in which teamwork and cooperation open up new doorways to strategic possibilities. Grace's team spotted what was going on and pounced on their opponent's weakness, but with this new skill point system that monster is free to take a completely different approach in the next game. What worked or didn't work in one match doesn't always transition over to the next one.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Of course, it helps that the core action in Evolve also happens to be a whole lot of fun. That blend of meta strategy and instant gratification has earned Evolve a spot on my most anticipated games of the year list, and I for one am eager to see more of it before the game's release later this year.</p> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 05:22:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-a-subtle-tweak-to-evolve-s-monster-sent-ripples-throughout-the-game/1100-6418940/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pc-space-sim-star-citizen-s-dogfighting-mode-looks-epic-even-in-pre-alpha/1100-6418939/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xyd7AV3_A8" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F5xyd7AV3_A8%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5xyd7AV3_A8&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F5xyd7AV3_A8%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">During a PAX East panel yesterday, <a href="/wing-commander/" data-ref-id="false">Wing Commander </a>creator Chris Roberts showed off the first public demo of his new PC space sim <a href="/star-citizen/" data-ref-id="false">Star Citizen</a> and it does not disappoint.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The pre-alpha footage includes an extended interstellar dogfighting scene where we see the player avoiding asteroids and laying waste to enemies at will. We also get a look at the game's HUD, though it's not the final version of the game, so it could still change, of course.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The video was captured during the panel yesterday by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xyd7AV3_A8" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">YouTube user kigamitya</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Star Citizen has raised more than <a href="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">$41.7 million</a> through combined donations to the game's original Kickstarter (the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-the-top-crowdfunded-project-of-all-time/1100-6410717/" data-ref-id="1100-6410717">most successful in Kickstarter history</a>) and its own website. More than 425,000 people have backed the project so far. The game is due to launch in full sometime in 2015.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 04:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pc-space-sim-star-citizen-s-dogfighting-mode-looks-epic-even-in-pre-alpha/1100-6418939/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-actor-to-co-write-new-star-wars-game-for-ea/1100-6418938/ <p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Todd Stashwick, who is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/actor-teases-uncharted-ps4/1100-6416413/" data-ref-id="1100-6416413">playing a mystery role</a> in the <a href="/uncharted-4/" data-ref-id="false">upcoming Uncharted game for PlayStation 4</a>, will co-write the new Star Wars game in development at EA's Visceral Games, it has been revealed. Stashwick, who has appeared in the show <em>Justified</em>, will write the story alongside former Naughty Dog creative director Amy Hennig, who <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ex-uncharted-creative-director-amy-hennig-joins-ea-to-work-on-star-wars/1100-6418754/" data-ref-id="1100-6418754">joined EA's Visceral Games earlier this month.</a></p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2504448-todd.png" data-ref-id="1300-2504448" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2504448-todd.png" data-ref-id="1300-2504448"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1179/11799911/2504448-todd.png"></a><figcaption>Todd Stashwick</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="https://twitter.com/ToddStashwick" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Writing on Twitter,</a> Stashwick thanked fans for their support and said he's going to work hard to deliver a product that fans will enjoy.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Thanks everybody for the kind words and support on the Star Wars project. I'm over the moon…wait…that's no moon…," he said. "As devout gaming/Star Wars geeks, Amy Hennig and I plan on writing a game we want to play. We will be our harshest critics."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Hennig has been teasing Stashwick's involvement with the new Star Wars game for some time. Earlier this week, she <a href="https://twitter.com/amy_hennig/status/453613445871464448" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">tweeted a picture </a>of herself having breakfast with Stashwick, as well as prolific voice actor Nolan North and even <em>Lord of the Rings</em> actor Monaghan. Curiously, Monaghan is wearing a <em>Star Wars</em>-themed t-shirt.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It is unclear if Stashwick's involvement with the new Star Wars game will in any way affect his contribution to the Uncharted game for PS4. </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Visceral Games' Star Wars title is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-developing-open-world-star-wars-game/1100-6416442/">rumored to be an open-world game</a>, though EA has yet to provide any details on what form the studio's first title in the sci-fi series will take. EA and Star Wars franchise owner Disney signed a<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-and-disney-team-up-for-star-wars-games/1100-6407982/"> ten-year, multi-title deal last year</a>that makes the Mass Effect publisher the exclusive creator of new Star Wars games. Battlefield developer DICE is currently working on a new <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/star-wars-battlefront/">Star Wars: Battlefront </a>game.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 04:13:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-actor-to-co-write-new-star-wars-game-for-ea/1100-6418938/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/resolution-disparity-continues-as-trials-fusion-is-1080p-on-ps4-and-900p-on-xbox-one/1100-6418935/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2444838-single_quad_1392978343.png" data-ref-id="1300-2444838" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2444838-single_quad_1392978343.png" data-ref-id="1300-2444838"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2444838-single_quad_1392978343.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The PlayStation 4 version of Ubisoft's upcoming motorcycle racing game <a href="/trials-fusion/" data-ref-id="false">Trials Fusion </a>will run in a higher resolution than the Xbox One, it has been revealed.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A Ubisoft representative told <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/11/ps4-and-xbox-one-graphics-disparity-continues-trial-fusion-runs-at-1080p-on-sonys-box-and-900p-on-microsofts/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">VentureBeat </a>that Trials Fusion will run in native 1080p on PS4 and native 900p on Xbox One (upscaled to 1080p). The game is also coming to Xbox 360 and PC, and all versions will run at 60fps.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The graphics disparity between PS4 and Xbox One is nothing new. Major games like <a href="/call-of-duty-ghosts/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty: Ghosts</a>, <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a>, and <a href="/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a> all run in a lower resolution on Xbox One compared to PS4.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This has led so some consternation from fans, but Microsoft says <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-xbox-one-games-will-run-in-1080p-over-time-microsoft-says/1100-6418408/" data-ref-id="1100-6418408">performance should improve over time</a>. Of course, the Xbox One is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-on-xbox-one-1080p-60fps-debate-it-s-up-to-individual-developers/1100-6417935/" data-ref-id="1100-6417935">fully capable of rendering 1080p/60fps</a>, and Turn 10's racing game <a href="/forza-motorsport-5/" data-ref-id="false">Forza Motorsport 5</a> is a great example of that.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Trials Fusion launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/trials-fusion-out-april-16/1100-6417966/" data-ref-id="1100-6417966">April 16 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PS4</a>. The <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/trials-fusion-pc-release-date-slips-but-the-open-beta-starts-tomorrow/1100-6418433/" data-ref-id="1100-6418433">PC version launches April 24</a>. For more, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/trials-fusion/" data-ref-id="false">check out GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</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> Sat, 12 Apr 2014 03:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/resolution-disparity-continues-as-trials-fusion-is-1080p-on-ps4-and-900p-on-xbox-one/1100-6418935/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/wolfenstein-the-new-order-pax-east-hands-on-impres/2300-6418294/ Chris Watters fills you in on how Wolfenstein: The New Order is shaping up in this preview from PAX East 2014. Fri, 11 Apr 2014 20:01:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/wolfenstein-the-new-order-pax-east-hands-on-impres/2300-6418294/
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