http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 05 Apr 2014 09:04:25 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-revitalises-stealth-by-making-failure-fun/1100-6418681/ <p style="">Despite being a relatively short prologue to <a href="/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain/" data-ref-id="false">Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain</a>, <a href="/metal-gear-solid-ground-zeroes/" data-ref-id="false">Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes</a> is an important milestone for the stealth genre. It is building on a relatively recent trend running through other stealth icons: a renewed focus on failure design. In other words, Ground Zeroes has figured out how to make failure fun, by giving you the scope to turn each little failure into an opportunity.</p><p style="">Failure as a gameplay state is far more commonly encountered in the stealth genre than in more popular genres like shooters and role-playing games. Perhaps because of this, the stealth genre has struggled to crawl out of its cubbyhole and find mass appeal. Stealth games require patience and dedication, are often brimming with complex concealment mechanics and deep enemy artificial intelligence, and withhold their payoffs to maximise long stretches of tense gameplay. These factors can make stealth games appear initially intimidating, but with time they become the reason the genre can be immensely captivating.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497196-image-0011.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497196" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497196-image-0011.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497196"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2497196-image-0011.jpg"></a><figcaption>Everyone loves explosions, but setting one off in a stealth game usually means you're on the road to failure.</figcaption></figure><p style="">One of the most egregious factors that was turning people off stealth games was the frustration brought about by total failure. Elements like forced game-over screens upon being detected and clunky controls surrounding the last-ditch use of less-stealthy weapons felt like artificial difficulty increases that simply resulted in the reload of a save game.</p><blockquote data-align="right"><p style="">A stealth game that exhibits good failure design is one that is less abusive to you.</p></blockquote><p style="">Understandably, not everyone finds this stop-and-start gameplay fun. So recent stealth games like <a href="/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-blacklist/" data-ref-id="false">Splinter Cell Blacklist</a>, <a href="/hitman-absolution/" data-ref-id="false">Hitman: Absolution</a>, and Ground Zeroes exhibit a renewed focus on failure design. Extra attention has been paid to the gradual failure states of these stealth games, and to what options are open to you once you trigger such a failure. A stealth game that exhibits good failure design is one that is less abusive to you, by replacing its hard game-over screens, or reasons to simply quick-load, with mechanics that extend or alter gameplay beyond failure in interesting and engaging ways.</p><p style="">The gameplay within those failure states needs to be tense, thrilling, and fun--all the things that moving undetected is, as well. Supporting an action approach is the first step. Combat controls need to be responsive. Weapon feedback needs to be punchy. Enemies need to behave in a manner that makes them challenging combat opponents, but one that also provides you with opportunities to slip away and reset your detection state.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497197-im+the+fucking+batman-003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497197" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497197-im+the+fucking+batman-003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497197"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2497197-im+the+fucking+batman-003.jpg"></a><figcaption>That the enemy just ahead didn't hear me grab his buddy right behind him is a design decision made to encourage this kind of close-quarters risk-taking.</figcaption></figure><p style="">But if an action approach is well supported, what stops you from taking this path of least resistance when a stealth approach still requires the same patience and dedication as in the earlier games in the genre? If good failure design turns stealth games into stealth-action hybrids, why should you sneak when shooting can be just as fun? Ground Zeroes answers this by pursuing an approach to failure design that gives you the information and ability to turn failures into opportunities.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497198-image-0026.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497198" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497198-image-0026.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497198"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1536/15366587/2497198-image-0026.jpg"></a><figcaption>There is a high density of systems to take into account in Camp Omega, each potentially nudging you closer to a failure state.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Ground Zeroes is billed as one of the first open-world stealth games. Stealth gameplay and open worlds have met before in the likes of <a href="/far-cry-3/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry 3</a> and <a href="/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed</a>. But those games contained their stealth encounters to distinct pockets within their open worlds by way of mission area boundaries. In Ground Zeroes, the whole environment is enemy territory. Nowhere is safe. That's standard operating procedure for Snake. But the sheer scope of Ground Zeroes' open-world approach creates a vast playpen of interconnected systems that exist to nudge you closer to, or further from, failure.</p><p style="">Reacting to this push-and-pull as you navigate Camp Omega in pursuit of your objectives keeps tension high, because this larger physical environment is accompanied by an increased consequence for significant failure. Getting spotted, or creating a loud enough disturbance, completely disrupts the behaviour of enemies not just in your immediate area, but throughout the entire location. In stealth games without the scope of Ground Zeroes' open world, this would usually result in just a few minutes of tense, reactive gameplay as you attempted to creep past twitchy trigger fingers before the situation reset, or before you made it to a new safe area. In Ground Zeroes, those few minutes could potentially become an hour or more. The sense that you are infiltrating a large location is all the more real when that location exists without load screens, and the consequences for disrupting that system are felt across its entirety.</p><blockquote><p style="">The sense that you are infiltrating a large location is all the more real when that location exists without load screens.</p></blockquote><p style="">This greater consequence to failure within the scope of an open world would make for frustrating or overwhelming gameplay if not for the fact that such disruption creates opportunities. Part of this involves the removal of the radar to make way for Ground Zeroes' spotting system, whereby guards can be tagged with markers to remain visible through walls. The more time you spend creeping around the base and utilising multiple vantage points to spot enemies, the more information you will have when guards become alerted.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497199-aa+failure-001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497199" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497199-aa+failure-001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497199"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2497199-aa+failure-001.jpg"></a><figcaption>Taking the time to observe Camp Omega and tag as many enemies as possible is worth the situational awareness this provides if all hell breaks loose.</figcaption></figure><p style="">At an initial alert phase, the game won't spawn new guards from off the map, so you're dealing with a consistent threat level. In this respect, the failure of alerting enemies or making them suspicious becomes fun, because the work you put into marking those enemies allows you to poke and prod at the AI with intent. Want to get through a heavily guarded area? Plant some C4 explosives on the other side of the base, sneak back to the guarded area, detonate the bomb, and watch the markers above all the enemies you've spotted show the guards leaving their posts to investigate--giving you the opportunity to slip by. Sure, alerting enemies at all is a small failure in a stealth game, but the fact that this plays out on the scale of Ground Zeroes' open world makes the sensation that you are exploiting an opportunity all the more tangible.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497200-planting+c4+1020+detonating+2304-006.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497200" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497200-planting+c4+1020+detonating+2304-006.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497200"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1536/15366587/2497200-planting+c4+1020+detonating+2304-006.jpg"></a><figcaption>Detonating this C4 charge causes all the guards to investigate the disturbance, creating an opportunity to escape in the other direction.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The situational awareness acquired through spotting enemies, and the opportunities that awareness can be exploited to create, does not come at the cost of tension. Keeping you tense by balancing you on the knife's edge of chaos and control is what stealth games do best. But tipping too rapidly into chaos replaces tension with frustration; the best stealth games instil a sense that control is gradually being wrested from you. It's the idea of building in smaller, analogue failure states that stack upon one another, as opposed to one of two binary states: being hidden, and every guard knowing exactly where you are.</p><p style="">If you're executing this master plan, but a single guard catches a glimpse of you as he runs to investigate the explosion, what then? Ground Zeroes' new reflex system accounts for the first slip off the knife to create its own small and self-contained failure state. When you're spotted by an individual guard, the game will go into slow motion and allow you to lock on to that enemy's torso with your currently equipped weapon. You then have just a few seconds to take that guard down before he radios in and initiates a camp-wide alert. This reflex system strikes a fine balance between accessibility and consequence. You still need to manually aim for the head for a clean takedown. You don't have time to change weapons, so you're committed to firing with whatever is currently equipped--let's hope it's silenced. And the very real consequence of a dead body is something you will still have to deal with, quickly. It is a fantastic piece of failure design; it augments Ground Zeroes' polished action controls but still requires skill, precision, and the ability to account for the consequences.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497201-image-0026+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497201" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497201-image-0026+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497201"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2497201-image-0026+%282%29.jpg"></a><figcaption>Getting a headshot with the silent tranquiliser pistol during Reflex mode means this guard will go down without sounding the alarm.</figcaption></figure><p style="">What makes Ground Zeroes so fascinating is how those consequences can filter out like a butterfly effect. Let's say you take this guard out in reflex mode and move his body. Another guard may be driving a truck from the other side of the map past that body, and he'll pull over to investigate. That truck may be your way to progress even deeper into Camp Omega by hiding in its cargo tray. Can you take out the driver before he radios for backup? How will you get further into the base if the driver is dead? Can you risk driving the truck yourself past the remaining guards?</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497203-image-0022.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497203" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497203-image-0022.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497203"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1536/15366587/2497203-image-0022.jpg"></a><figcaption>Even the location you choose to call your evacuation chopper into can create new opportunities by distracting the enemy. Just hope it doesn't get shot down.</figcaption></figure><p style="">In Ground Zeroes, tension remains high as small failures can potentially snowball into something worse. But even as that snowball picks up speed, you always have the chance to change its course and turn those failures into opportunities. The scope of the game's open world and the systems within it allow for such a wider range of smaller failure states that each little mistake is perfectly readable and sufficiently tense.</p><p style="">Ground Zeroes' new spotting mechanic promotes a risk versus reward play style, while the world is filled with elements that promote creative problem solving. That the game does all of this without compromising your ability to pursue a perfect stealth approach if you desire is a significant landmark for the genre.</p><p style="">But as good as Ground Zeroes is at making failure fun, the playpen that is Camp Omega eventually becomes too familiar. If the game's mechanics translate well to the far more massive open world of The Phantom Pain, then it's possible Kojima Productions may be in the midst of creating one of the most important stealth games ever made.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417772" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417772/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Sat, 05 Apr 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-revitalises-stealth-by-making-failure-fun/1100-6418681/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-shuts-down-resistance-series-online-features-for-good-april-8/1100-6418790/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498435-4638820067-17825.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498435" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498435-4638820067-17825.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498435"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2498435-4638820067-17825.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">If you enjoy the online features of Insomniac Games' Resistance series on the PlayStation 3 you should use the next couple of days to play them one last time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As it announced late last year, Sony is ending support for online features in <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-fall-of-man/">Resistance: Fall of Man</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-2/">Resistance 2</a>, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-3/">Resistance 3</a> on April 8. That means you will no longer be able to play the games' multiplayer or cooperative modes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Insomniac Games suggested on <a href="https://twitter.com/insomniacgames/status/452125866374348801" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> that fans hop on and relive memories with some of Insomniac's employees, who will supposedly be playing as well.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"There are a large variety of reasons why they have to shut down," Insomniac said in response to a fan who asked why it was ending support of online features. "Sony makes that call though, not us. They maintain online."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Insomniac said it didn't know if Sony would be ending online support for <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-burning-skies/">Resistance: Burning Skies</a> for the PlayStation Vita, but it doesn't appear that way according to <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/26/5245972/sony-pulling-online-support-for-gran-turismo-5-resistance-games-in" rel="nofollow">Sony's online support pages</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Last year, the developer said it <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/insomniac-seriously-considered-resistance-4/1100-6408517/">seriously considered making a fourth Resistance game</a>, but was wary of franchise fatigue. It is currently working on the Xbox One exclusive <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/sunset-overdrive/">Sunset Overdrive</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6325730" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6325730/" 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></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 05 Apr 2014 08:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-shuts-down-resistance-series-online-features-for-good-april-8/1100-6418790/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-this-the-last-console-generation/1100-6418785/ <p style="">Is the home game console market in trouble? Some <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/09/console-crisis/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">analysts certainly think so</a>. Despite reports of record-breaking sales for both the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-4-crosses-6-million-sales-following-strong-japan-launch/1100-6418086/" data-ref-id="1100-6418086">PlayStation 4</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-launch-sees-xbox-one-sales-almost-double-in-the-uk/1100-6418348/" data-ref-id="1100-6418348">Xbox One</a>, some industry doomsayers are forecasting the end of the home console as we know it, citing increased competition from mobile games, a resurgent PC space, and spiraling costs in AAA-game development. So will the PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U be the last "generation" of consoles? Or will dedicated game machines continue to have a place in our living rooms for many more years to come? Check out what some of our editors think about this vexing issue.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2497504-3914025386-24962.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497504" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2497504-3914025386-24962.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497504"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2497504-3914025386-24962.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><h4>Consoles have a future -- Justin Haywald</h4><p style="">Consoles as we know them are going to go away at some point, but the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U certainly won't be the last. Everyone always talks about the cloud, and that it's going to bring in some great ways to access updated content that does not require buying a new system with upgraded specs every couple of years. But there are a lot of obstacles that stand in the way of that future, with one of the biggest being a lack of cheap, widespread access to the Internet. Right now, decent Internet services are expensive, and even in a tech hot spot like San Francisco, not everyone has access to the faster speeds you need for reliable online gaming and multi-gigabyte downloading.</p><p style="">When and if those pipeline issues get cleared up across the county, we'll see rapid changes and a focus on delivering streaming gaming content, but without some technological innovation that can circumvent the virtual cable monopolies that rule our Internet connections, that future seems like a long way off.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p style="">There's going to be another round of consoles that provide the high-quality and immediate gratification that physical media provides.</p><cite>Justin Haywald</cite></blockquote><p style="">But even then, the most vocal arguing for the death of the console say that the demand for another console itself is nonexistent because of the strength of casual, mobile experiences and the failure of so many AAA studios. Besides the fact that the people enjoying mobile games are a different audience entirely that extends beyond what we consider gaming, the movie industry provides a pretty good analogue to what we're seeing in games. There are a lot fewer middle-tier movies these days; you either have ultra-low-budget indie films or Hollywood mega-blockbusters. There's some middle ground, but generally if a studio wants to spend a lot of money, it wants a guaranteed success, while smaller indie outfits are able to take risks and work outside the system. Access to online streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime hasn't killed movie theaters; it has just made consumers more cautious about how they spend the $20 plus it costs one person to go see a film. And games are just the same: of course there's room for a $60 Grand Theft Auto V experience, but consumers aren't going to pay that for every game that comes along. Gaming studios may be changing, but there is still a strong demand for high-quality AAA games, and that isn't going away anytime soon.</p><p style="">Consoles have a future, but I think they're going to be less about providing an all-in-one media service (since more and more, our TVs take care of all of that for us); gamers still want something that fills their needs as gamers. And no matter what, I need a solid gaming experience that isn't dependent on whether I have the bandwidth for streaming HD graphics online. In a few years that will change, but there's going to be another round of consoles that provide the high-quality and immediate gratification that physical media provides.</p><h4>The end can't come soon enough -- Tom Mc Shea</h4><p style="">Exclusive is a dirty word. Games are the only medium where you have to buy a multitude of devices to enjoy everything out there. We briefly had this split with movies, where Blu-ray and HD-DVD vied for content, but the industry reached an agreement that elimated that separation. Imagine how annoying it would be if you could only watch CBS programs on one television while another broadcast NBC, and you needed a third set just for sports. We wouldn't stand for it. And yet, we've accepted that games are supposed to be like that. It's a mentality that will not last forever.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2498190-9573688326-24191.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498190" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2498190-9573688326-24191.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498190"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2498190-9573688326-24191.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">I hope that this will be the final console generation. Games need to adopt a universal standard so that segregation is no longer built into the ecosystem. I can't believe I'm going to praise the 3DO, but it's a model that's welcoming and oddly prescient if I have my way. Multiple partners brought their own version of the hardware to consumers, tearing down the boundaries that separate different consoles. Every game runs on every version of the 3DO, no matter whose name is imprinted on the front. Granted, no one wants to play Way of the Warrior (sorry Naughty Dog!), but the idea the system was built on is still a great compromise.</p><p style="">We're seeing Steam Machines now borrow those themes for the modern age. But we need more companies to cede to the inevitable future. After all, Steam Machines are nothing more than bite-size PCs, and we've already had variability and inclusion in that market for decades. No, what we need is for Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to jump into this pool. People will still buy whatever games these companies put out, but instead of forcing people to spend thousands so they can play Mario, Uncharted, and Halo on three different devices, they can coexist in one place.</p><p style="">Yes, I envision a magical future that's so idealized it hurts. But for games to grow even larger, we need to tear down the walls that confine us. There's no gain for people who just want to play games in our current ecosystem. None. So we should be happy if the dark days of exclusivity burn away, and we're left with a utopian industry where the best games can be played no matter which hardware you decide to purchase. Consoles are going to die off. It's just a matter of when.</p><p style=""> </p><h4>Give the new consoles some time -- Daniel Hindes</h4><p style="">To think that a supposed dip in launch sales of the latest generation of consoles could signify the end of consoles themselves is not looking at the bigger picture. Microsoft and Sony shot themselves in the foot by committing to a 10-year life cycle for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Those systems have become entrenched, offer a fantastic selection of games and excellent media functionality.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p style="">Gamers will be coaxed out of their 10-year comfort zones. Then we'll see numbers that won't spell doom and gloom.</p><cite>Daniel Hindes</cite></blockquote><p style="">What are the new consoles offering? Few experiences that can yet justify the boxes' price tags (what kinds of numbers do you expect when you launch with <a href="/knack/" data-ref-id="false">Knack</a>, or <a href="/ryse-son-of-rome/" data-ref-id="false">Ryse</a>?) and media functionality that focuses on new, closed services rather than your existing library. But give it time. Must-play games will show up that won't also have previous-gen versions. Sony may introduce media functionality to the PS4 to bring it on par with the PS3. And all while the consoles themselves get cheaper. Gamers will be coaxed out of their 10-year comfort zones. Then we'll see numbers that won't spell doom and gloom.</p><p style="">But even if everything does go belly-up, we'll still have Steam Machines.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2498206-5624108475-B009A.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498206" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2498206-5624108475-B009A.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498206"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2498206-5624108475-B009A.jpg"></a></figure><h4> </h4><h4>Don't lament the loss of traditional consoles -- Eddie Makuch</h4><p dir="ltr" style="">The Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U console generation very well might be the last. But don't cry at their funeral. Their impending death is not something to be afraid of, but rather a proposition we should be excited about. My prediction of their demise is not an indictment of their technical prowess--they are mightily powerful boxes, and I fully expect them to remain relevant for the next five years or longer. But do you really think we're going to be playing physical media eight to 10 years from now?</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Some form of local hardware might remain, but it won't be much more than a channel through which your games are delivered. You need only look at video services like Netflix and Amazon Instant for evidence that this is the future gamers are in for. Just this week <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-announces-99-streaming-device-has-2gb-ram-quad-core-processor-game-controller-is-40/1100-6418719/">Amazon announced its own set-top box,</a> and it's a wonderful window into the future you can expect for gaming. It streams TV and movies, and it plays games. Not <a href="/grand-theft-auto-v/" data-ref-id="false">Grand Theft Auto V</a> or <a href="/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/" data-ref-id="false">Skyrim</a>, sure, but don't you think we're headed that way?</p><p style="">What's more, platform holders like Sony and Microsoft are already preparing for and investing in this future. Sony <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-to-acquire-cloud-gaming-service-gaikai-for-380m/1100-6385186/">snapped up Gaikai in 2012 for $380 million</a> and put it to work on the streaming service PlayStation Now. Meanwhile, Microsoft has been open in saying its <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-talks-digital-only-future-kinect-and-why-xbox-one-is-worth-100-more-than-playstation-4/1100-6413920/">network of Azure cloud servers are capable of streaming full games</a>. It's only a matter of time before these services--as well as some we don't even know about--become commonplace. Don't lament the loss of traditional consoles; be excited about the future and what's to come.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Sat, 05 Apr 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-this-the-last-console-generation/1100-6418785/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-the-next-deus-ex-adding-a-multiplayer-mode/1100-6418789/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498413-4796080389-24920.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498413" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498413-4796080389-24920.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498413"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2498413-4796080389-24920.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">A job posted to developer Eidos Montreal's website suggests that the next game in the Deus Ex series might be getting a multiplayer mode.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The developer is looking for an <a href="http://www.eidosmontreal.com/jobs/online-programmer" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Online Programmer</a> to work on Deus Ex: Universe, a project for the new consoles and PC announced in October 2013 that spans multiple games. The Online Programmer's duties will include implementing online game features and building a suite of tools for running a live game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Eidos says that experience in working on multiplayer games would be an asset, as is good knowledge of the Xbox Live, PSN, and Steam APIs.</p><p style="">Last week, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-is-deus-ex-mankind-divided/1100-6418658/">Square Enix filed a trademark for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided</a>, but it's unclear whether it's related to the game currently in development for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, or another mobile title such as last year's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/deus-ex-the-fall/">Deus Ex: The Fall</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6411276" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6411276/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><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></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 05 Apr 2014 07:33:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-the-next-deus-ex-adding-a-multiplayer-mode/1100-6418789/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-now-available-to-preorder-on-steam-recommended-system-requirements-revealed/1100-6418788/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498400-0263493743-24838.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498400" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498400-0263493743-24838.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498400"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2498400-0263493743-24838.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The PC version of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/watch-dogs/">Watch Dogs</a> is now available to preorder from <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/243470/" rel="nofollow">Steam</a>, which also posted the game's minimum and recommended system requirements.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Minimum:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">OS: Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows 8 (Please note that we only support 64 bit OSs.)</li><li dir="ltr">Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66Ghz or AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.0Ghz</li><li dir="ltr">Memory: 6 GB RAM</li><li dir="ltr">Graphics: DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video RAM - Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 or AMD Radeon HD 5770</li><li dir="ltr">DirectX: Version 11</li><li dir="ltr">Hard Drive: 25 GB available space</li><li dir="ltr">Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card with Latest Drivers</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">Recommended:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">OS: Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows 8 (Please note that we only support 64 bit OSs.)</li><li dir="ltr">Processor: Eight core - Intel Core i7-3770 @3.5 GHz or AMD FX-8350 X8 @ 4 GHz</li><li dir="ltr">Memory: 8 GB RAM</li><li dir="ltr">Graphics: DirectX 11 graphics card with 2 GB Video RAM - Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 ti or AMD Radeon HD 7850</li><li dir="ltr">DirectX: Version 11</li><li dir="ltr">Hard Drive: 25 GB available space</li><li dir="ltr">Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card with Latest Drivers</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">The recommended system requirements are a little demanding (especially that CPU), and pretty close to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/leaked-watch-dogs-pc-specifications-state-64-bit-os-requirement/1100-6415280/">"ultra" specifications that leaked last year</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can preorder the regular version of the game for $60, or get the Digital Deluxe Edition for $70 and get some bonus content. It includes the White Hat Hacker Suit and four missions that add up to an hour of additional gameplay, which <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-exclusive-watch-dogs-content-shown-off-in-new-trailer/1100-6418480/">on consoles are exclusive to PlayStation 4</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" 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. The Wii U version <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-for-wii-u-definitely-not-canceled/1100-6418164/">will come sometime later</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on Watch Dogs, be sure to check out GameSpot editor <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-and-the-terrifying-power-of-smartphones/1100-6418761/">Shaun McInnis' story about how smartphones became a central part of the game</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418004" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418004/" 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, 05 Apr 2014 06:56:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-now-available-to-preorder-on-steam-recommended-system-requirements-revealed/1100-6418788/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/arma-3-updated-review/1900-6415721/ <p style="">The most famous of the classic blunders, we're told, is getting involved in a land war in Asia. Arma III should be at a healthy remove then, centered as it is around the battle for a fictional Mediterranean archipelago. It certainly plays all the right cards: vaguely foreboding news montages, not-so-vague allusions to real-world conflicts, and realistic weaponry and other military miscellanea. Here is the modern shooter, dressed for success.</p><p style="">But what's to be said for the wisdom of appending a campaign mode to a game that has traditionally been appreciated as a multiplayer creative suite? There's a blunder for the modern era. The Arma series is known foremost as a platform: a malleable assembly of characters and military objects, and rules to govern their behavior. Modding enthusiasts leverage in-game editors and a relatively ungated code structure to produce their own playable content in lieu of formal designs, and to great effect. It was odd, then, to see some lamenting the relegation of Arma III's campaign to three downloadable post-release entries. There's a stubborn canard that asserts a video game's single-player campaign, if offered, must be its nominal flagship, even when in practice it's a secondary (or tertiary) concern for player and developer alike.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497458-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497458" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497458-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497458"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2497458-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>The topography of Altis gives way to roads and towns in a way that looks natural.</figcaption></figure><p style="">But a campaign was promised, and so a campaign must be delivered. NATO forces are in the midst of a drawdown on the island of Stratis, when the once-friendly local forces lash out in a surprise attack. A multistage affair ensues, playing out in a dull triptych: Survive. Adapt. Win. The grunt tasked with doing that surviving, adapting, and winning is one Corporal Kerry, who reacts to every order he's given with a beleaguered protest ("You want me to do what??"), which is a curious trait for a soldier with a non-zero amount of experience. You, as Kerry, take on an escalating part in an escalating war, eventually graduating from a follower role on Stratis' meager 20 square kilometers to commanding a squad on Altis and its staggering 270 square kilometers. There are a few vague allusions to an overarching plot involving a British black-ops group and some suspicious earthquakes, but neither plot point stakes much of a claim on the proceedings.</p><p style="">The campaign is a strange beast, torn between an earnest attempt to render the tedium and dispassionate remove that color modern warfare, and the Hollywood bombast that colors Modern Warfare a la Call of Duty. This is the sort of conflict where acronyms (NATO, FIA) fight acronyms (CSAT, AAF) over acronyms (LZs, OPs). But it's also the sort where trite wartime quotes fill the interstitial screens, and where the only attempt to characterize the enemy force is an epithet--"greenback"--that's occasionally spat. Arma III is content to let you idle while an ally goes through a lengthy, inaudible, and ultimately inconsequential discussion with a checkpoint guard, or direct you to report in to characters whose only purpose is to refer you over to talk to your commanding officer a few yards away. It restricts your character's movement speed to a controlled jog--elbows in, gun stock squarely nestled on the shoulder--and sends you humping across the hills and valleys of Altis for miles without encountering anything worth loosing a round at. Then an electric guitar wails, a bomber starts strafing your position, and you're forced to bug out at the same ponderous pace that you entered with seconds ago.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497460-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497460" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497460-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497460"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2497460-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Arma III's in-game editor packs a lot of features.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The fractured nature of Arma III's campaign makes for an uneven experience at best, but that variability does have an accentuating effect when things fall into a more natural stride. For one, there's a real fragility to Kerry and his unit. So when Bohemia dangles the carrot of an escape helicopter before you at the end of one grueling mission, and then snatches it away with an untimely bit of antiaircraft fire, Kerry's horror-struck pleas of "no no No No NO!" take on a bitter pathos. The introduction of the island of Altis is another high point, presenting a rigorous mission that sees Kerry attempting to rearm and regroup after being stranded behind enemy lines. When Arma III isn't trying to show off a fancy new military gadget or weave in its half-baked tale of black-ops intrigue, when it's leaning on the more tangible drama of a botched rescue or frantic coms chatter, it simmers in a way most shooters can't.</p><p style="">It helps that your forces aren't punctuating every explosion with a string of expletives, of course. But for the better part of the campaign I supplied my own. Not two skirmishes into the Survive campaign's relatively tame first level, it seems I'd already died more times than I had in the entirety of <a href="/dark-souls/" data-ref-id="false">Dark Souls</a>, and that game's motto is "Prepare to Die." I'd hop off five-foot-tall ledges and crumple into a bloody heap. I'd get gunned down while looking at the full screen map, after being prompted to look at the map. I'd open up the help menu for instructions on some trial-by-fire task, and get killed while reading them. I'd succumb to razor-accurate shots fired by enemies in distant hills, enemies who never seemed to have a scope on their guns when I eventually overcame them. Some of these instances were learning experiences, and not soon repeated. Others felt like side effects of the campaign's delay and piecemeal release schedule--what Arma veteran would have welcomed a long-awaited mode that leads with a thorough introduction to controls he or she is already familiar with?</p><blockquote data-align="center" data-size="large"><p style="">The campaign is a strange beast, torn between an earnest attempt to render the tedium and dispassionate remove that color modern warfare, and the Hollywood bombast that colors Modern Warfare a la Call of Duty.</p></blockquote><p style="">Arma III uses the full keyboard for its array of possible actions, split between personal affairs like toggling flashlights and binoculars, and issuing orders to your squad. Much of the heavy lifting is foisted on the mousewheel, of all things, which scrolls through contextual actions for almost anything that's to be done in the game. The controls alternate between instrumental and overly finicky, but they never cease to be an aspect of Arma III that requires constant attention. The unwieldiness does lend combat a certain gravitas, however. Most modern shooters grant an athletic flourish to the act of killing; here, the satisfaction of downing an enemy comes from the knowledge that he won't be shooting at you anymore, not in how adroitly you head-shotted him.</p><p style="">There isn't such a positive spin to be put on Arma III's artificial intelligence, however. It's particularly damning, because the strategic underpinnings require a close coordination with squadmates that the game's engine isn't prepared to give. Teammates follow commands at their leisure, if they follow them at all. During one marathon trek across the island, I reached my destination with only two of my eight-man squad in tow. Looking back from the top of our hilltop destination, I could chart the lost squad members like dropped breadcrumbs--one trapped on a rock, four frozen solid in the middle of a field, and the last determined never to leave the two-story building he'd wandered into of his own volition. All attempts to order a regroup returned a chorus of firm but vexing "Negative." So much for "no man gets left behind," then.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497461-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497461" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497461-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497461"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2497461-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Succinct.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Though Arma III's campaign may be a bit of a dud, the rest of the game remains more than capable of carrying a payload. There are the packaged showcases, which are one-off missions that introduce the game's more varied weapons, vehicles, and techniques in isolation. There's a firing range that offers a bit of shooting gallery-style diversion. What's of more significance is the multiplayer, which bolsters the mission-running experience by supplanting the artificial intelligence with human allies that need less babysitting. They aren't always any more helpful than the AI (and they're a tad more likely to frag you), but they're better company, and one good session is worth trawling the server browser for a little while. A capable human team can achieve the closest thing to agility that Arma III's punctilious controls allow, leapfrogging between bits of cover and sweeping buildings with a collective conscience.</p><p style="">Better still is the library of mods, packed with thousands of player-created variants that run the gamut from atomic tests and rally races to fully-scripted missions and dynamic war simulations. You can take on a gauntlet of snipers, playing off the variable lines of sight that Altis' hills and valleys proffer. You can attempt a recreation of the real-life Neptune Spear mission that takes some curious artistic liberties. Chief among the offerings is Wasteland, a survivalist affair that highlights Arma III's talent for brooding, deliberate engagements, where discretion begins to really feel like the better part of valor. Or you could simply wander the islands, grabbing a few pictures to put alongside the towns, salt flats, and castles that litter the map's expansive topography.</p><p style="">In any direction you go, there's loosely structured fun to be had. It's there where the islands Bohemia Interactive have created are put through their paces, stretched and warped by the collective whim of the internet, unconstrained by the expectations that burden the words "modern warfare."</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 21:34:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/arma-3-updated-review/1900-6415721/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-this-robot-play-threes-at-a-pro-level/1100-6418787/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.twitch.tv/teamcolorblind" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Fwidgets%2Flive_embed_player.swf%3Fchannel%3Dteamcolorblind&wmode=opaque&fv=hostname%3Dwww.twitch.tv%26start_volume%3D25%26channel%3Dteamcolorblind%26auto_play%3Dfalse&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Fteamcolorblind&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-cdn.jtvnw.net%2Fimages%2Ftwitch_logo3.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=application%2Fx-shockwave-flash&schema=twitch" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""><em>(Editor's Note: The Twitch stream broadcasts intermittently, but will be playing during the weekend). </em></p><p style="">Depending on how good your are at the mobile game Threes, you can either watch the stream above and scoff at the computer's rookie mistakes, or despair that you'll ever be anywhere near as good. (I'm in the latter camp).</p><p style="">Threes is a mobile matching game that's simple to learn and deviously addictive, but the later levels especially involve quite a bit of luck. So, it's understandable that the computer does great in the early game getting to 1,536, but has trouble setting record-breaking scores. But that's also because robots lack the latent psychic abilities that set apart true Threes master*.</p><p style="">The computer takes a screenshot after every move, runs some calculations, then physically swipes the board in the next direction it needs. Unlike when I play, he never needs to gently nudge the cards in one direction or another to help decide whether that'll be a good choice or not.</p><p style="">*Real Threes masters probably aren't psychic, but it makes me feel better to imagine that when I look at my own leaderboard rankings.</p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinHaywald" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @JustinHaywald</a>. Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-this-robot-play-threes-at-a-pro-level/1100-6418787/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-amazon-fire-tv/1100-6418763/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418142" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418142/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">After <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-amazon-s-android-console-out-this-year-below-300/1100-6417389/" data-ref-id="1100-6417389">months of rumors and leaks</a>, the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-announces-99-streaming-device-has-2gb-ram-quad-core-processor-game-controller-is-40/1100-6418719/" data-ref-id="1100-6418719">Amazon Fire TV was finally revealed earlier this week in New York</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The system is priced at $99 for the base model and $140 for a bundle with a controller, but <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ouya-responds-to-amazon-fire-tv-says-it-lacks-a-focus-on-games/1100-6418743/" data-ref-id="1100-6418743">Amazon has been clear that this is not a console contender.</a> They're aiming to compete with Apple TV and Roku rather than Sony and Microsoft.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Though Ouya's CEO criticized the Fire TV for it's lack of a focus on gaming, that doesn't mean Amazon is ignoring gamers completely. Besides the system exclusive <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-reveals-tower-defense-shooter-hybrid-sev-zero-for-its-new-fire-tv-streaming-box/1100-6418720/" data-ref-id="1100-6418720">third-person shooter/tower defense hybrid Sev Zero</a>, Amazon has also made key gaming acquisitions including:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-buys-killer-instinct-developer-double-helix-games/1100-6417554/" data-ref-id="1100-6417554">Killer Instinct developer Double Helix</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-is-serious-about-gaming-hires-portal-and-far-cry-designers/1100-6418727/" data-ref-id="1100-6418727">Portal designer Kim Swift</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-is-serious-about-gaming-hires-portal-and-far-cry-designers/1100-6418727/" data-ref-id="1100-6418727">Far Cry developer Clint Hocking</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-writer-joins-amazon/1100-6413105/" data-ref-id="1100-6413105">Halo writer Eric Nylund</a></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">Here's everything else you need to know about the system.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>The hardware specs:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Dimensions: 4.5" x 4.5" x 0.7", weighing 9.9oz</li><li dir="ltr">CPU: Qualcomm Krait 300 1.7Ghz quad-core</li><li dir="ltr">GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 320</li><li dir="ltr">RAM: 2GB LPDDR2 @ 533 MHz</li><li dir="ltr">Storage: 8GB internal storage</li><li dir="ltr">Wi-Fi: Dual-band, dual-antenna MIMO</li><li dir="ltr">Bluetooth: 4.0 with HID, HFP 1.6, and SPP profile support.</li><li dir="ltr">Ports: HDMI 1.4b, TOSLINK Optical Audio, 10/100 Ethernet, USB 2.0, 5.5mm DC</li><li dir="ltr">What's in the box?</li><li dir="ltr">Amazon Fire TV and Remote</li><li dir="ltr">Power cord</li><li dir="ltr">2x AAA batteries</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>What will you need to buy?</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">HDMI cable</li><li dir="ltr">Game controller</li></ul><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418113" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418113/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Here are the game available so far (though the list will grow rapidly over the coming months):</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>Free</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">You Don't Know Jack Party</li><li dir="ltr">Despicable Me: Minion Rush</li><li dir="ltr">The Walking Dead: Season One (first episode free)</li><li dir="ltr">Hungry Shark Evolution</li><li dir="ltr">Asphalt 8: Airborne</li><li dir="ltr">Deer Hunter 2014</li><li dir="ltr">Hill Climb Racing</li><li dir="ltr">Riptide GP2</li><li dir="ltr">BINGO Blitz</li><li dir="ltr">Reaper</li><li dir="ltr">Stickman downhill - Motocross</li><li dir="ltr">Big Win Slots</li><li dir="ltr">Into the Dead</li><li dir="ltr">PBA Bowling Challenge</li><li dir="ltr">Badland</li><li dir="ltr">Stickman Base Jumper</li><li dir="ltr">Dead Trigger 2</li><li dir="ltr">Zen Pinball HD</li><li dir="ltr">Dead on Arrival 2</li><li dir="ltr">Voodoo Whisperer</li><li dir="ltr">Dead System</li><li dir="ltr">CLARC lite</li><li dir="ltr">Shadow Fight 2</li><li dir="ltr">Haunted Past</li><li dir="ltr">Snailbow</li><li dir="ltr">Fibbage</li><li dir="ltr">Vendetta Online</li><li dir="ltr">Concussion Boxing</li><li dir="ltr">ARC Squadron: Redux</li><li dir="ltr">Brick Break Blitz</li><li dir="ltr">Crystal Picnic</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>$0.99</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Naught 2</li><li dir="ltr">Grandpa and the Zombies</li><li dir="ltr">Endless Skater</li><li dir="ltr">Ski Safari</li><li dir="ltr">Polar Bowler 1st Frame</li><li dir="ltr">Gravity Guy</li><li dir="ltr">Buddy & Me</li><li dir="ltr">Rabbids Big Bang</li><li dir="ltr">Quell</li><li dir="ltr">Monsters University</li><li dir="ltr">Pocket Rally</li><li dir="ltr">GraveStompers: Kid Zombies Save Eradication</li><li dir="ltr">Motorbike</li><li dir="ltr">Quiet, Please!</li><li dir="ltr">Beyond Ynth HD</li><li dir="ltr">Grow</li><li dir="ltr">Puddle</li><li dir="ltr">Micronytes Director's Cut</li><li dir="ltr">Recursion</li><li dir="ltr">Dream Flight</li><li dir="ltr">A Ride into the Mountains</li><li dir="ltr">Cannon Ballers</li><li dir="ltr">League of Evil</li><li dir="ltr">Super Daddio 2</li><li dir="ltr">Super Mega Worm</li><li dir="ltr">Quiet Christmas</li><li dir="ltr">Melee Man</li><li dir="ltr">Range Man</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>$1.00+</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Alpha Wave ($1.00)</li><li dir="ltr">Sci-Fighters ($1.29)</li><li dir="ltr">Experiment ($1.31)</li><li dir="ltr">Ascent Of Kings ($1.49)</li><li dir="ltr">Kung Fu FIGHT! ($1.49)</li><li dir="ltr">Striker Soccer Euro 2012 Pro ($1.87)</li><li dir="ltr">Quell Reflect ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Radiant ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Fantastic 4 in A Row 2 ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Vacation Vexation ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">FIST OF AWESOME ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Atlantis Sky Patrol ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Aces of the Luftwaffe Premium ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">EVAC ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Tank Riders 2 ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Mini Golf Mundo ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Mystery Castle HD (5 Episodes, $1.99 each)</li><li dir="ltr">Fractal Combat X ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Truck Monsters ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Syder Arcade HD ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Grand Truckismo ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Ninja Hero Cats Premium ($2.44)</li><li dir="ltr">Coaster Crazy Deluxe ($2.49)</li><li dir="ltr">Monster RPG 2 ($2.91)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic CD ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic the Hedgehog ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic The Hedgehog 2 ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Doom & Destiny ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Rayman Fiesta Run ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Quell Memento ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Double Dragon Trilogy ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">King Oddball ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Canabalt HD ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">No Brakes Valet ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Dark Incursion ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Homeland Strike Force Part One ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Hard Lines ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Trouserheart ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Time Surfer ($3.00)</li><li dir="ltr">Save the Puppies Premium ($3.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I ($3.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Bit Brawlers ($3.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Hero of Many ($3.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Burn Zombie Burn ($4.96)</li><li dir="ltr">The Game of Life ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Terraria ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Episode II ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Crazy Taxi ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">AirFighters Pro ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Clarc ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Anomaly 2 ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">The Cave ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Tetris ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Wraithborne ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Virtua Tennis Challenge ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Twin Robots ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">BombSquad ($5.00)</li><li dir="ltr">Aftermath XHD ($5.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Ground Effect Pro XHD ($5.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Farm Invasion USA Premium ($5.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Gene Effect ($6.78)</li><li dir="ltr">Minecraft - Pocket Edition ($6.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour ($6.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sev Zero ($6.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Deus Ex: The Fall ($6.99)</li><li dir="ltr">NBA 2K14 ($7.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Electronic Super Joy ($7.99)</li><li dir="ltr">RPG Alphadia Genesis ($9.99)</li></ul> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:19:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-amazon-fire-tv/1100-6418763/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/arma-iii-updated-review/2300-6418162/ We return to Arma III to play the full campaign and new scenarios. Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:09:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/arma-iii-updated-review/2300-6418162/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/get-a-first-look-at-gamespot-s-new-homepage/2300-6418161/ Our new homepage will improve your experience by streamlining the way content is presented on the site. Enjoy this video preview and let us know what you think in the comments below. Fri, 04 Apr 2014 17:11:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/get-a-first-look-at-gamespot-s-new-homepage/2300-6418161/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/elder-scrolls-online-imperial-edition-unboxing/2300-6418158/ Go on a journey of discovery with Danny and Kevin into the depths of the Elder Scrolls Online: Imperial Edition box Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:59:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/elder-scrolls-online-imperial-edition-unboxing/2300-6418158/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-top-5-death-threats-for-oculus-devs-dragon/2300-6418143/ ALL the Dragon Age: Inquisition details, Oculus employees come under fire after Facebook buyout, and what can we expect out of games from E3? Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-top-5-death-threats-for-oculus-devs-dragon/2300-6418143/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-point-virtual-reality-future-or-fad/2300-6418148/ Danny explores the reality of playing games using a VR headset and asks whether this technology is part of our gaming future, or just another fad. Also he murders a shark with a knife. Fri, 04 Apr 2014 12:03:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-point-virtual-reality-future-or-fad/2300-6418148/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-players-discover-massive-megalodon-shark-easter-egg/1100-6418784/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-WladmrdNQ" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fvideoseries%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26list%3DUUw7FkXsC00lH2v2yB5LQoYA&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DV-WladmrdNQ%26list%3DUUw7FkXsC00lH2v2yB5LQoYA&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FV-WladmrdNQ%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="">An enemy lurks in the waters of <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a>'s <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-s-delayed-naval-strike-dlc-finally-out-for-pc/1100-6418664/" data-ref-id="1100-6418664">new Nansha Strike map</a>, but it might not be what you expect. Battlefield 4 players have finally discovered a virtual version of the prehistoric Megalodon shark and it does not disappoint.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">YouTuber JackFrags made the discovery following the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-s-delayed-naval-strike-dlc-finally-out-for-pc/1100-6418664/" data-ref-id="1100-6418664">release of the Naval Strike DLC this week</a>, which introduced the Nansha Strike map. He pieced together some clues last year that led him to believe the creature was stirring in the waters, but he was unable to discover the beast until this week.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"When it happened for the first time I didn't think it was real, like I had imagined it or something," JackFrags <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrags/status/452104153872224256" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said on Twitter</a>. He said he asked the other players on the server if they saw the shark as well and they reported that they did. "The reaction was amazing," he said.</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> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:18:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-players-discover-massive-megalodon-shark-easter-egg/1100-6418784/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii-a-newcomer-s-/1900-6415719/ <p style=""> </p><p style="">I had never played a Final Fantasy game. For all the countless hours I've spent at a computer or a console, how had I never delved into this iconic franchise? Lack of access to the right systems and lack of time to devote to such lengthy adventures have come and gone as excuses. Maybe it's a question of desire? I don't often seek out Japanese role-playing games, but there have been a few over the years that have snagged my interest. I played and enjoyed a solid chunk of <a href="/chrono-trigger/" data-ref-id="false">Chrono Trigger</a>, and was charmed by the world of <a href="/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/" data-ref-id="false">Ni No Kuni</a>. I completed 2007's lovely, sentimental <a href="/eternal-sonata/" data-ref-id="false">Eternal Sonata</a>, perhaps the best experience I've had with a JRPG. A paltry resume, to be sure, but I've always been intrigued by the grand adventures and enduring characters that FF fans are so passionate about, and so I resolved to play a Final Fantasy game.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">I chose the wrong Final Fantasy game.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418123" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418123/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII starts off with a splashy cutscene that shows beautiful people engaged in elegant combat in a fantastical city. This kind of intricately rendered video seems to have fallen out of fashion of late, but as aspirational introductions go, it did the trick. Even though I didn't know the players involved, I was intrigued and excited about the world I was about to explore, eager to learn more about the creatures and characters. But as a newcomer to the trilogy that Lightning Returns concludes (as well as the series as a whole), I knew I had some catching up to do, and I was a bit worried about keeping up with all the lore I was about to immerse myself in.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">As it turns out, Lightning Returns does a very thorough job of laying the foundation for the events to come. It didn't take me long to understand Lightning's strange role as the savior charged by God to save the souls of the citizenry before God's own doomsday clock runs out. Apparently, the world of Nova Chrysalia has been in a slowly decaying holding pattern for five centuries since the events of Final Fantasy XIII-2. No one has aged, no one has died of natural causes, and no one has been born; they've all just coasted along waiting for something to happen as a mysterious force called chaos slowly encroached on their world.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">It's an intriguing setting, one that raises questions about how a static society might change as its citizens grow wise, bored, or crazy after long years of the same thing. But Lightning Returns continues to explain the setting long after the stage has been set. In the interminable exposition sequence and subsequently through hours and hours of adventuring, the dialogue in Lightning Returns is riddled with redundancy. Characters make observations only to have their conversation partners reword and regurgitate the same information without adding anything of substance. This constant reiteration makes it seem like the only reason that people talk is to drill information into your head rather than to flesh out personalities, create dramatic tension, or evoke emotion.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">And so Lightning Returns isn't initially confusing, as I'd feared, but initially dull. Lightning herself doesn't exactly sparkle with charisma, and in the early hours she acts like she's still a bit groggy after her epic nap. The fate of thousands of strangers isn't much motivation, but the chance to reunite with her long-dead sister gets her going even though, as she remarks, "God is using my dead sister as a bargaining chip." This quip is a welcome bit of sardonic self-awareness, and it's when Lightning Returns gets a bit playful that it begins to show a spark of life. A chef observes, "People are more health conscious these days, which is ironic, given the times." A public announcement seeking Lightning declares, "She has rose-colored hair and is carrying an enormous weapon." A random kid running through a plaza trips and falls. Unfortunately, these lighthearted moments are rare, and most conversations with townsfolk and quest givers are dry and colorless.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2495977-%23%23%2300005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2495977" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2495977-%23%23%2300005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2495977"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/542/5424362/2495977-%23%23%2300005.jpg"></a><figcaption>And playing the role of the trickster...</figcaption></figure><p style=""><span>Interactions with returning characters are more colorful. Lightning reunites with a few friends from the past, though whether or not they are friends anymore is often uncertain. One clash pits Lightning against a grief-stricken former comrade in a test of how far each is willing to go for the chance to see a dead loved one again. Another relationship has become antagonistic over the centuries, and Lightning's musings about the passage of time and its effect on relationships resonate nicely with the intriguing setting. Yet these conversations, while often staged with stylish camera angles, nonetheless suffer from the redundancy that plagues so much of the dialogue. Characters repeat themselves and parrot each other frequently, as if trying to drill basic situations and concepts into your head so you don't forget them. Narrative development becomes belabored exposition, and even after I was well into the game, I still felt impatient for things to get under way.</span></p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The first proper task set before Lightning is to investigate a string of murders in the city of Luxerion. The worlds of Final Fantasy have always struck me as having an interesting mix of gothic, modern, and fantastical architecture, and this proved true about the streets of Luxerion. Attendants in trim, vaguely futuristic uniforms populate train stations with gold Victorian trimmings. A soaring gothic cathedral plays host to supplicants that wouldn't look out of place in a pop music video. Coming across these exotic pairings makes exploring the city enjoyable, though the abundance of drab plazas and dreary alleyways begins to get tiresome after a while. Luxerion has seen better days, but the glittering city of Yusnaan seems to be in a state of perpetual polish. Nightly festivals make this area much livelier and more visually appealing, but this hustle and bustle has a downside. Street musicians, loudspeaker announcements, idle chatter, and walkie-talkie messages from Hope can all layer on top of one another and create a cacophony in which everything is unintelligible.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The two wilderness areas offer quieter exploration, though the incidence of tough monsters effectively confines you to the urban areas for quite some time. You can travel freely between each of these four large locales, and each offers an array of quests that lead to the collection of the all-important souls. Some quests must be hunted down by talking to citizens, while others can be grabbed from a handy quest board staffed in each area by a character that looks like a cross between a tropical bird and a female prostitute. I'm not sure what turn of events led to this provocative reimagining of the iconic chocobo, but judging by some of Lightning's outfits, it's not a new phenomenon.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2495982-chocolina1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2495982" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2495982-chocolina1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2495982"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/542/5424362/2495982-chocolina1.jpg"></a><figcaption>Bird on a Street Corner.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Some quests require more running around and listening to lackluster dialogue, but most involve the game's most enjoyable element: combat. Lightning enters the fray with three different gear sets called schemata. Each schemata is made up of a weapon, a few abilities, and a number of clothing options, all of which can affect your attributes and resistances. Switching between schemata on the fly isn't just a matter of bringing your deadliest attacks to bear on the enemy; it's also a resource management challenge. You have only a certain amount of energy per schemata, and once it's drained, you can't use any of that schemata's abilities until it recharges.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">This makes combat a bit of a juggling act, which encourages you to design your schemata strategically. Early on I simply loaded all my best gear into one schemata and used the others to kill time while my best one recharged. As I acquired more gear and enemies grew tougher, I restructured my schemata to focus on physical attack, magical attack, and defense. Dealing the right kind of damage can stagger enemies, opening them up to serious pummeling, and timely blocking is essential in tougher fights. Nimble schemata switching and smart energy management are the keys to victory, and exploiting these tactics is an engaging and dynamic challenge.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Which is not to say that I was a terribly skilled fighter. I had to use heal and revive items frequently while clashing with formidable enemies, and occasionally made use of Lightning's handful of special EP powers to get myself out of a bind. As I progressed, difficult fights began to drag on longer and longer, and the lively juggling act of combat began to lose its luster. The challenge no longer seemed to arise from skillfully juggling schemata, but rather from simply grinding out tedious encounters. Combat was still tough, but as endurance took on a larger and larger role, my interest waned.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Almost 20 hours in to Lightning Returns, I gave it up. Perhaps if I had known the main characters' histories, their relationships would have resonated more strongly. Perhaps if I was previously enamored with the worlds of Final Fantasy, Nova Chrysalia would have intrigued me more. While I'll never know what my perspective would have been, I do know that, as a newcomer to Final Fantasy, Lightning Returns didn't feel unwelcoming. From combat to characters, the game did a lot to make sure I knew where I was, what I was doing, and why I was doing it. The problem isn't that it's a poor choice for newcomers; the problem is that it's a poor game.</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 10:59:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii-a-newcomer-s-/1900-6415719/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 05 Apr 2014 09:04:25 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-revitalises-stealth-by-making-failure-fun/1100-6418681/ <p style="">Despite being a relatively short prologue to <a href="/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain/" data-ref-id="false">Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain</a>, <a href="/metal-gear-solid-ground-zeroes/" data-ref-id="false">Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes</a> is an important milestone for the stealth genre. It is building on a relatively recent trend running through other stealth icons: a renewed focus on failure design. In other words, Ground Zeroes has figured out how to make failure fun, by giving you the scope to turn each little failure into an opportunity.</p><p style="">Failure as a gameplay state is far more commonly encountered in the stealth genre than in more popular genres like shooters and role-playing games. Perhaps because of this, the stealth genre has struggled to crawl out of its cubbyhole and find mass appeal. Stealth games require patience and dedication, are often brimming with complex concealment mechanics and deep enemy artificial intelligence, and withhold their payoffs to maximise long stretches of tense gameplay. These factors can make stealth games appear initially intimidating, but with time they become the reason the genre can be immensely captivating.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497196-image-0011.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497196" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497196-image-0011.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497196"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2497196-image-0011.jpg"></a><figcaption>Everyone loves explosions, but setting one off in a stealth game usually means you're on the road to failure.</figcaption></figure><p style="">One of the most egregious factors that was turning people off stealth games was the frustration brought about by total failure. Elements like forced game-over screens upon being detected and clunky controls surrounding the last-ditch use of less-stealthy weapons felt like artificial difficulty increases that simply resulted in the reload of a save game.</p><blockquote data-align="right"><p style="">A stealth game that exhibits good failure design is one that is less abusive to you.</p></blockquote><p style="">Understandably, not everyone finds this stop-and-start gameplay fun. So recent stealth games like <a href="/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-blacklist/" data-ref-id="false">Splinter Cell Blacklist</a>, <a href="/hitman-absolution/" data-ref-id="false">Hitman: Absolution</a>, and Ground Zeroes exhibit a renewed focus on failure design. Extra attention has been paid to the gradual failure states of these stealth games, and to what options are open to you once you trigger such a failure. A stealth game that exhibits good failure design is one that is less abusive to you, by replacing its hard game-over screens, or reasons to simply quick-load, with mechanics that extend or alter gameplay beyond failure in interesting and engaging ways.</p><p style="">The gameplay within those failure states needs to be tense, thrilling, and fun--all the things that moving undetected is, as well. Supporting an action approach is the first step. Combat controls need to be responsive. Weapon feedback needs to be punchy. Enemies need to behave in a manner that makes them challenging combat opponents, but one that also provides you with opportunities to slip away and reset your detection state.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497197-im+the+fucking+batman-003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497197" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497197-im+the+fucking+batman-003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497197"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2497197-im+the+fucking+batman-003.jpg"></a><figcaption>That the enemy just ahead didn't hear me grab his buddy right behind him is a design decision made to encourage this kind of close-quarters risk-taking.</figcaption></figure><p style="">But if an action approach is well supported, what stops you from taking this path of least resistance when a stealth approach still requires the same patience and dedication as in the earlier games in the genre? If good failure design turns stealth games into stealth-action hybrids, why should you sneak when shooting can be just as fun? Ground Zeroes answers this by pursuing an approach to failure design that gives you the information and ability to turn failures into opportunities.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497198-image-0026.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497198" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497198-image-0026.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497198"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1536/15366587/2497198-image-0026.jpg"></a><figcaption>There is a high density of systems to take into account in Camp Omega, each potentially nudging you closer to a failure state.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Ground Zeroes is billed as one of the first open-world stealth games. Stealth gameplay and open worlds have met before in the likes of <a href="/far-cry-3/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry 3</a> and <a href="/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed</a>. But those games contained their stealth encounters to distinct pockets within their open worlds by way of mission area boundaries. In Ground Zeroes, the whole environment is enemy territory. Nowhere is safe. That's standard operating procedure for Snake. But the sheer scope of Ground Zeroes' open-world approach creates a vast playpen of interconnected systems that exist to nudge you closer to, or further from, failure.</p><p style="">Reacting to this push-and-pull as you navigate Camp Omega in pursuit of your objectives keeps tension high, because this larger physical environment is accompanied by an increased consequence for significant failure. Getting spotted, or creating a loud enough disturbance, completely disrupts the behaviour of enemies not just in your immediate area, but throughout the entire location. In stealth games without the scope of Ground Zeroes' open world, this would usually result in just a few minutes of tense, reactive gameplay as you attempted to creep past twitchy trigger fingers before the situation reset, or before you made it to a new safe area. In Ground Zeroes, those few minutes could potentially become an hour or more. The sense that you are infiltrating a large location is all the more real when that location exists without load screens, and the consequences for disrupting that system are felt across its entirety.</p><blockquote><p style="">The sense that you are infiltrating a large location is all the more real when that location exists without load screens.</p></blockquote><p style="">This greater consequence to failure within the scope of an open world would make for frustrating or overwhelming gameplay if not for the fact that such disruption creates opportunities. Part of this involves the removal of the radar to make way for Ground Zeroes' spotting system, whereby guards can be tagged with markers to remain visible through walls. The more time you spend creeping around the base and utilising multiple vantage points to spot enemies, the more information you will have when guards become alerted.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497199-aa+failure-001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497199" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497199-aa+failure-001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497199"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2497199-aa+failure-001.jpg"></a><figcaption>Taking the time to observe Camp Omega and tag as many enemies as possible is worth the situational awareness this provides if all hell breaks loose.</figcaption></figure><p style="">At an initial alert phase, the game won't spawn new guards from off the map, so you're dealing with a consistent threat level. In this respect, the failure of alerting enemies or making them suspicious becomes fun, because the work you put into marking those enemies allows you to poke and prod at the AI with intent. Want to get through a heavily guarded area? Plant some C4 explosives on the other side of the base, sneak back to the guarded area, detonate the bomb, and watch the markers above all the enemies you've spotted show the guards leaving their posts to investigate--giving you the opportunity to slip by. Sure, alerting enemies at all is a small failure in a stealth game, but the fact that this plays out on the scale of Ground Zeroes' open world makes the sensation that you are exploiting an opportunity all the more tangible.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497200-planting+c4+1020+detonating+2304-006.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497200" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497200-planting+c4+1020+detonating+2304-006.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497200"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1536/15366587/2497200-planting+c4+1020+detonating+2304-006.jpg"></a><figcaption>Detonating this C4 charge causes all the guards to investigate the disturbance, creating an opportunity to escape in the other direction.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The situational awareness acquired through spotting enemies, and the opportunities that awareness can be exploited to create, does not come at the cost of tension. Keeping you tense by balancing you on the knife's edge of chaos and control is what stealth games do best. But tipping too rapidly into chaos replaces tension with frustration; the best stealth games instil a sense that control is gradually being wrested from you. It's the idea of building in smaller, analogue failure states that stack upon one another, as opposed to one of two binary states: being hidden, and every guard knowing exactly where you are.</p><p style="">If you're executing this master plan, but a single guard catches a glimpse of you as he runs to investigate the explosion, what then? Ground Zeroes' new reflex system accounts for the first slip off the knife to create its own small and self-contained failure state. When you're spotted by an individual guard, the game will go into slow motion and allow you to lock on to that enemy's torso with your currently equipped weapon. You then have just a few seconds to take that guard down before he radios in and initiates a camp-wide alert. This reflex system strikes a fine balance between accessibility and consequence. You still need to manually aim for the head for a clean takedown. You don't have time to change weapons, so you're committed to firing with whatever is currently equipped--let's hope it's silenced. And the very real consequence of a dead body is something you will still have to deal with, quickly. It is a fantastic piece of failure design; it augments Ground Zeroes' polished action controls but still requires skill, precision, and the ability to account for the consequences.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497201-image-0026+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497201" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497201-image-0026+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497201"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2497201-image-0026+%282%29.jpg"></a><figcaption>Getting a headshot with the silent tranquiliser pistol during Reflex mode means this guard will go down without sounding the alarm.</figcaption></figure><p style="">What makes Ground Zeroes so fascinating is how those consequences can filter out like a butterfly effect. Let's say you take this guard out in reflex mode and move his body. Another guard may be driving a truck from the other side of the map past that body, and he'll pull over to investigate. That truck may be your way to progress even deeper into Camp Omega by hiding in its cargo tray. Can you take out the driver before he radios for backup? How will you get further into the base if the driver is dead? Can you risk driving the truck yourself past the remaining guards?</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497203-image-0022.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497203" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2497203-image-0022.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497203"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1536/15366587/2497203-image-0022.jpg"></a><figcaption>Even the location you choose to call your evacuation chopper into can create new opportunities by distracting the enemy. Just hope it doesn't get shot down.</figcaption></figure><p style="">In Ground Zeroes, tension remains high as small failures can potentially snowball into something worse. But even as that snowball picks up speed, you always have the chance to change its course and turn those failures into opportunities. The scope of the game's open world and the systems within it allow for such a wider range of smaller failure states that each little mistake is perfectly readable and sufficiently tense.</p><p style="">Ground Zeroes' new spotting mechanic promotes a risk versus reward play style, while the world is filled with elements that promote creative problem solving. That the game does all of this without compromising your ability to pursue a perfect stealth approach if you desire is a significant landmark for the genre.</p><p style="">But as good as Ground Zeroes is at making failure fun, the playpen that is Camp Omega eventually becomes too familiar. If the game's mechanics translate well to the far more massive open world of The Phantom Pain, then it's possible Kojima Productions may be in the midst of creating one of the most important stealth games ever made.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417772" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417772/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Sat, 05 Apr 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-revitalises-stealth-by-making-failure-fun/1100-6418681/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-shuts-down-resistance-series-online-features-for-good-april-8/1100-6418790/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498435-4638820067-17825.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498435" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498435-4638820067-17825.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498435"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2498435-4638820067-17825.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">If you enjoy the online features of Insomniac Games' Resistance series on the PlayStation 3 you should use the next couple of days to play them one last time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As it announced late last year, Sony is ending support for online features in <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-fall-of-man/">Resistance: Fall of Man</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-2/">Resistance 2</a>, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-3/">Resistance 3</a> on April 8. That means you will no longer be able to play the games' multiplayer or cooperative modes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Insomniac Games suggested on <a href="https://twitter.com/insomniacgames/status/452125866374348801" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> that fans hop on and relive memories with some of Insomniac's employees, who will supposedly be playing as well.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"There are a large variety of reasons why they have to shut down," Insomniac said in response to a fan who asked why it was ending support of online features. "Sony makes that call though, not us. They maintain online."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Insomniac said it didn't know if Sony would be ending online support for <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resistance-burning-skies/">Resistance: Burning Skies</a> for the PlayStation Vita, but it doesn't appear that way according to <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/26/5245972/sony-pulling-online-support-for-gran-turismo-5-resistance-games-in" rel="nofollow">Sony's online support pages</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Last year, the developer said it <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/insomniac-seriously-considered-resistance-4/1100-6408517/">seriously considered making a fourth Resistance game</a>, but was wary of franchise fatigue. It is currently working on the Xbox One exclusive <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/sunset-overdrive/">Sunset Overdrive</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6325730" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6325730/" 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></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 05 Apr 2014 08:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-shuts-down-resistance-series-online-features-for-good-april-8/1100-6418790/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-this-the-last-console-generation/1100-6418785/ <p style="">Is the home game console market in trouble? Some <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/09/console-crisis/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">analysts certainly think so</a>. Despite reports of record-breaking sales for both the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-4-crosses-6-million-sales-following-strong-japan-launch/1100-6418086/" data-ref-id="1100-6418086">PlayStation 4</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-launch-sees-xbox-one-sales-almost-double-in-the-uk/1100-6418348/" data-ref-id="1100-6418348">Xbox One</a>, some industry doomsayers are forecasting the end of the home console as we know it, citing increased competition from mobile games, a resurgent PC space, and spiraling costs in AAA-game development. So will the PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U be the last "generation" of consoles? Or will dedicated game machines continue to have a place in our living rooms for many more years to come? Check out what some of our editors think about this vexing issue.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2497504-3914025386-24962.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497504" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2497504-3914025386-24962.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497504"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2497504-3914025386-24962.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><h4>Consoles have a future -- Justin Haywald</h4><p style="">Consoles as we know them are going to go away at some point, but the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U certainly won't be the last. Everyone always talks about the cloud, and that it's going to bring in some great ways to access updated content that does not require buying a new system with upgraded specs every couple of years. But there are a lot of obstacles that stand in the way of that future, with one of the biggest being a lack of cheap, widespread access to the Internet. Right now, decent Internet services are expensive, and even in a tech hot spot like San Francisco, not everyone has access to the faster speeds you need for reliable online gaming and multi-gigabyte downloading.</p><p style="">When and if those pipeline issues get cleared up across the county, we'll see rapid changes and a focus on delivering streaming gaming content, but without some technological innovation that can circumvent the virtual cable monopolies that rule our Internet connections, that future seems like a long way off.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p style="">There's going to be another round of consoles that provide the high-quality and immediate gratification that physical media provides.</p><cite>Justin Haywald</cite></blockquote><p style="">But even then, the most vocal arguing for the death of the console say that the demand for another console itself is nonexistent because of the strength of casual, mobile experiences and the failure of so many AAA studios. Besides the fact that the people enjoying mobile games are a different audience entirely that extends beyond what we consider gaming, the movie industry provides a pretty good analogue to what we're seeing in games. There are a lot fewer middle-tier movies these days; you either have ultra-low-budget indie films or Hollywood mega-blockbusters. There's some middle ground, but generally if a studio wants to spend a lot of money, it wants a guaranteed success, while smaller indie outfits are able to take risks and work outside the system. Access to online streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime hasn't killed movie theaters; it has just made consumers more cautious about how they spend the $20 plus it costs one person to go see a film. And games are just the same: of course there's room for a $60 Grand Theft Auto V experience, but consumers aren't going to pay that for every game that comes along. Gaming studios may be changing, but there is still a strong demand for high-quality AAA games, and that isn't going away anytime soon.</p><p style="">Consoles have a future, but I think they're going to be less about providing an all-in-one media service (since more and more, our TVs take care of all of that for us); gamers still want something that fills their needs as gamers. And no matter what, I need a solid gaming experience that isn't dependent on whether I have the bandwidth for streaming HD graphics online. In a few years that will change, but there's going to be another round of consoles that provide the high-quality and immediate gratification that physical media provides.</p><h4>The end can't come soon enough -- Tom Mc Shea</h4><p style="">Exclusive is a dirty word. Games are the only medium where you have to buy a multitude of devices to enjoy everything out there. We briefly had this split with movies, where Blu-ray and HD-DVD vied for content, but the industry reached an agreement that elimated that separation. Imagine how annoying it would be if you could only watch CBS programs on one television while another broadcast NBC, and you needed a third set just for sports. We wouldn't stand for it. And yet, we've accepted that games are supposed to be like that. It's a mentality that will not last forever.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2498190-9573688326-24191.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498190" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2498190-9573688326-24191.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498190"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2498190-9573688326-24191.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">I hope that this will be the final console generation. Games need to adopt a universal standard so that segregation is no longer built into the ecosystem. I can't believe I'm going to praise the 3DO, but it's a model that's welcoming and oddly prescient if I have my way. Multiple partners brought their own version of the hardware to consumers, tearing down the boundaries that separate different consoles. Every game runs on every version of the 3DO, no matter whose name is imprinted on the front. Granted, no one wants to play Way of the Warrior (sorry Naughty Dog!), but the idea the system was built on is still a great compromise.</p><p style="">We're seeing Steam Machines now borrow those themes for the modern age. But we need more companies to cede to the inevitable future. After all, Steam Machines are nothing more than bite-size PCs, and we've already had variability and inclusion in that market for decades. No, what we need is for Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to jump into this pool. People will still buy whatever games these companies put out, but instead of forcing people to spend thousands so they can play Mario, Uncharted, and Halo on three different devices, they can coexist in one place.</p><p style="">Yes, I envision a magical future that's so idealized it hurts. But for games to grow even larger, we need to tear down the walls that confine us. There's no gain for people who just want to play games in our current ecosystem. None. So we should be happy if the dark days of exclusivity burn away, and we're left with a utopian industry where the best games can be played no matter which hardware you decide to purchase. Consoles are going to die off. It's just a matter of when.</p><p style=""> </p><h4>Give the new consoles some time -- Daniel Hindes</h4><p style="">To think that a supposed dip in launch sales of the latest generation of consoles could signify the end of consoles themselves is not looking at the bigger picture. Microsoft and Sony shot themselves in the foot by committing to a 10-year life cycle for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Those systems have become entrenched, offer a fantastic selection of games and excellent media functionality.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p style="">Gamers will be coaxed out of their 10-year comfort zones. Then we'll see numbers that won't spell doom and gloom.</p><cite>Daniel Hindes</cite></blockquote><p style="">What are the new consoles offering? Few experiences that can yet justify the boxes' price tags (what kinds of numbers do you expect when you launch with <a href="/knack/" data-ref-id="false">Knack</a>, or <a href="/ryse-son-of-rome/" data-ref-id="false">Ryse</a>?) and media functionality that focuses on new, closed services rather than your existing library. But give it time. Must-play games will show up that won't also have previous-gen versions. Sony may introduce media functionality to the PS4 to bring it on par with the PS3. And all while the consoles themselves get cheaper. Gamers will be coaxed out of their 10-year comfort zones. Then we'll see numbers that won't spell doom and gloom.</p><p style="">But even if everything does go belly-up, we'll still have Steam Machines.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2498206-5624108475-B009A.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498206" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2498206-5624108475-B009A.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498206"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2498206-5624108475-B009A.jpg"></a></figure><h4> </h4><h4>Don't lament the loss of traditional consoles -- Eddie Makuch</h4><p dir="ltr" style="">The Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U console generation very well might be the last. But don't cry at their funeral. Their impending death is not something to be afraid of, but rather a proposition we should be excited about. My prediction of their demise is not an indictment of their technical prowess--they are mightily powerful boxes, and I fully expect them to remain relevant for the next five years or longer. But do you really think we're going to be playing physical media eight to 10 years from now?</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Some form of local hardware might remain, but it won't be much more than a channel through which your games are delivered. You need only look at video services like Netflix and Amazon Instant for evidence that this is the future gamers are in for. Just this week <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-announces-99-streaming-device-has-2gb-ram-quad-core-processor-game-controller-is-40/1100-6418719/">Amazon announced its own set-top box,</a> and it's a wonderful window into the future you can expect for gaming. It streams TV and movies, and it plays games. Not <a href="/grand-theft-auto-v/" data-ref-id="false">Grand Theft Auto V</a> or <a href="/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/" data-ref-id="false">Skyrim</a>, sure, but don't you think we're headed that way?</p><p style="">What's more, platform holders like Sony and Microsoft are already preparing for and investing in this future. Sony <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-to-acquire-cloud-gaming-service-gaikai-for-380m/1100-6385186/">snapped up Gaikai in 2012 for $380 million</a> and put it to work on the streaming service PlayStation Now. Meanwhile, Microsoft has been open in saying its <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-talks-digital-only-future-kinect-and-why-xbox-one-is-worth-100-more-than-playstation-4/1100-6413920/">network of Azure cloud servers are capable of streaming full games</a>. It's only a matter of time before these services--as well as some we don't even know about--become commonplace. Don't lament the loss of traditional consoles; be excited about the future and what's to come.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Sat, 05 Apr 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-this-the-last-console-generation/1100-6418785/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-the-next-deus-ex-adding-a-multiplayer-mode/1100-6418789/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498413-4796080389-24920.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498413" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498413-4796080389-24920.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498413"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2498413-4796080389-24920.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">A job posted to developer Eidos Montreal's website suggests that the next game in the Deus Ex series might be getting a multiplayer mode.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The developer is looking for an <a href="http://www.eidosmontreal.com/jobs/online-programmer" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Online Programmer</a> to work on Deus Ex: Universe, a project for the new consoles and PC announced in October 2013 that spans multiple games. The Online Programmer's duties will include implementing online game features and building a suite of tools for running a live game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Eidos says that experience in working on multiplayer games would be an asset, as is good knowledge of the Xbox Live, PSN, and Steam APIs.</p><p style="">Last week, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-is-deus-ex-mankind-divided/1100-6418658/">Square Enix filed a trademark for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided</a>, but it's unclear whether it's related to the game currently in development for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, or another mobile title such as last year's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/deus-ex-the-fall/">Deus Ex: The Fall</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6411276" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6411276/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><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></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 05 Apr 2014 07:33:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/is-the-next-deus-ex-adding-a-multiplayer-mode/1100-6418789/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-now-available-to-preorder-on-steam-recommended-system-requirements-revealed/1100-6418788/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498400-0263493743-24838.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498400" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2498400-0263493743-24838.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2498400"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2498400-0263493743-24838.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The PC version of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/watch-dogs/">Watch Dogs</a> is now available to preorder from <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/243470/" rel="nofollow">Steam</a>, which also posted the game's minimum and recommended system requirements.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Minimum:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">OS: Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows 8 (Please note that we only support 64 bit OSs.)</li><li dir="ltr">Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66Ghz or AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.0Ghz</li><li dir="ltr">Memory: 6 GB RAM</li><li dir="ltr">Graphics: DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB Video RAM - Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 or AMD Radeon HD 5770</li><li dir="ltr">DirectX: Version 11</li><li dir="ltr">Hard Drive: 25 GB available space</li><li dir="ltr">Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card with Latest Drivers</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">Recommended:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">OS: Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows 8 (Please note that we only support 64 bit OSs.)</li><li dir="ltr">Processor: Eight core - Intel Core i7-3770 @3.5 GHz or AMD FX-8350 X8 @ 4 GHz</li><li dir="ltr">Memory: 8 GB RAM</li><li dir="ltr">Graphics: DirectX 11 graphics card with 2 GB Video RAM - Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 ti or AMD Radeon HD 7850</li><li dir="ltr">DirectX: Version 11</li><li dir="ltr">Hard Drive: 25 GB available space</li><li dir="ltr">Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card with Latest Drivers</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">The recommended system requirements are a little demanding (especially that CPU), and pretty close to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/leaked-watch-dogs-pc-specifications-state-64-bit-os-requirement/1100-6415280/">"ultra" specifications that leaked last year</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can preorder the regular version of the game for $60, or get the Digital Deluxe Edition for $70 and get some bonus content. It includes the White Hat Hacker Suit and four missions that add up to an hour of additional gameplay, which <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-exclusive-watch-dogs-content-shown-off-in-new-trailer/1100-6418480/">on consoles are exclusive to PlayStation 4</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" 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. The Wii U version <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-for-wii-u-definitely-not-canceled/1100-6418164/">will come sometime later</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on Watch Dogs, be sure to check out GameSpot editor <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-and-the-terrifying-power-of-smartphones/1100-6418761/">Shaun McInnis' story about how smartphones became a central part of the game</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418004" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418004/" 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, 05 Apr 2014 06:56:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-now-available-to-preorder-on-steam-recommended-system-requirements-revealed/1100-6418788/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/arma-3-updated-review/1900-6415721/ <p style="">The most famous of the classic blunders, we're told, is getting involved in a land war in Asia. Arma III should be at a healthy remove then, centered as it is around the battle for a fictional Mediterranean archipelago. It certainly plays all the right cards: vaguely foreboding news montages, not-so-vague allusions to real-world conflicts, and realistic weaponry and other military miscellanea. Here is the modern shooter, dressed for success.</p><p style="">But what's to be said for the wisdom of appending a campaign mode to a game that has traditionally been appreciated as a multiplayer creative suite? There's a blunder for the modern era. The Arma series is known foremost as a platform: a malleable assembly of characters and military objects, and rules to govern their behavior. Modding enthusiasts leverage in-game editors and a relatively ungated code structure to produce their own playable content in lieu of formal designs, and to great effect. It was odd, then, to see some lamenting the relegation of Arma III's campaign to three downloadable post-release entries. There's a stubborn canard that asserts a video game's single-player campaign, if offered, must be its nominal flagship, even when in practice it's a secondary (or tertiary) concern for player and developer alike.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497458-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497458" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497458-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497458"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2497458-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>The topography of Altis gives way to roads and towns in a way that looks natural.</figcaption></figure><p style="">But a campaign was promised, and so a campaign must be delivered. NATO forces are in the midst of a drawdown on the island of Stratis, when the once-friendly local forces lash out in a surprise attack. A multistage affair ensues, playing out in a dull triptych: Survive. Adapt. Win. The grunt tasked with doing that surviving, adapting, and winning is one Corporal Kerry, who reacts to every order he's given with a beleaguered protest ("You want me to do what??"), which is a curious trait for a soldier with a non-zero amount of experience. You, as Kerry, take on an escalating part in an escalating war, eventually graduating from a follower role on Stratis' meager 20 square kilometers to commanding a squad on Altis and its staggering 270 square kilometers. There are a few vague allusions to an overarching plot involving a British black-ops group and some suspicious earthquakes, but neither plot point stakes much of a claim on the proceedings.</p><p style="">The campaign is a strange beast, torn between an earnest attempt to render the tedium and dispassionate remove that color modern warfare, and the Hollywood bombast that colors Modern Warfare a la Call of Duty. This is the sort of conflict where acronyms (NATO, FIA) fight acronyms (CSAT, AAF) over acronyms (LZs, OPs). But it's also the sort where trite wartime quotes fill the interstitial screens, and where the only attempt to characterize the enemy force is an epithet--"greenback"--that's occasionally spat. Arma III is content to let you idle while an ally goes through a lengthy, inaudible, and ultimately inconsequential discussion with a checkpoint guard, or direct you to report in to characters whose only purpose is to refer you over to talk to your commanding officer a few yards away. It restricts your character's movement speed to a controlled jog--elbows in, gun stock squarely nestled on the shoulder--and sends you humping across the hills and valleys of Altis for miles without encountering anything worth loosing a round at. Then an electric guitar wails, a bomber starts strafing your position, and you're forced to bug out at the same ponderous pace that you entered with seconds ago.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497460-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497460" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497460-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497460"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2497460-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Arma III's in-game editor packs a lot of features.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The fractured nature of Arma III's campaign makes for an uneven experience at best, but that variability does have an accentuating effect when things fall into a more natural stride. For one, there's a real fragility to Kerry and his unit. So when Bohemia dangles the carrot of an escape helicopter before you at the end of one grueling mission, and then snatches it away with an untimely bit of antiaircraft fire, Kerry's horror-struck pleas of "no no No No NO!" take on a bitter pathos. The introduction of the island of Altis is another high point, presenting a rigorous mission that sees Kerry attempting to rearm and regroup after being stranded behind enemy lines. When Arma III isn't trying to show off a fancy new military gadget or weave in its half-baked tale of black-ops intrigue, when it's leaning on the more tangible drama of a botched rescue or frantic coms chatter, it simmers in a way most shooters can't.</p><p style="">It helps that your forces aren't punctuating every explosion with a string of expletives, of course. But for the better part of the campaign I supplied my own. Not two skirmishes into the Survive campaign's relatively tame first level, it seems I'd already died more times than I had in the entirety of <a href="/dark-souls/" data-ref-id="false">Dark Souls</a>, and that game's motto is "Prepare to Die." I'd hop off five-foot-tall ledges and crumple into a bloody heap. I'd get gunned down while looking at the full screen map, after being prompted to look at the map. I'd open up the help menu for instructions on some trial-by-fire task, and get killed while reading them. I'd succumb to razor-accurate shots fired by enemies in distant hills, enemies who never seemed to have a scope on their guns when I eventually overcame them. Some of these instances were learning experiences, and not soon repeated. Others felt like side effects of the campaign's delay and piecemeal release schedule--what Arma veteran would have welcomed a long-awaited mode that leads with a thorough introduction to controls he or she is already familiar with?</p><blockquote data-align="center" data-size="large"><p style="">The campaign is a strange beast, torn between an earnest attempt to render the tedium and dispassionate remove that color modern warfare, and the Hollywood bombast that colors Modern Warfare a la Call of Duty.</p></blockquote><p style="">Arma III uses the full keyboard for its array of possible actions, split between personal affairs like toggling flashlights and binoculars, and issuing orders to your squad. Much of the heavy lifting is foisted on the mousewheel, of all things, which scrolls through contextual actions for almost anything that's to be done in the game. The controls alternate between instrumental and overly finicky, but they never cease to be an aspect of Arma III that requires constant attention. The unwieldiness does lend combat a certain gravitas, however. Most modern shooters grant an athletic flourish to the act of killing; here, the satisfaction of downing an enemy comes from the knowledge that he won't be shooting at you anymore, not in how adroitly you head-shotted him.</p><p style="">There isn't such a positive spin to be put on Arma III's artificial intelligence, however. It's particularly damning, because the strategic underpinnings require a close coordination with squadmates that the game's engine isn't prepared to give. Teammates follow commands at their leisure, if they follow them at all. During one marathon trek across the island, I reached my destination with only two of my eight-man squad in tow. Looking back from the top of our hilltop destination, I could chart the lost squad members like dropped breadcrumbs--one trapped on a rock, four frozen solid in the middle of a field, and the last determined never to leave the two-story building he'd wandered into of his own volition. All attempts to order a regroup returned a chorus of firm but vexing "Negative." So much for "no man gets left behind," then.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497461-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497461" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2497461-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497461"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2497461-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Succinct.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Though Arma III's campaign may be a bit of a dud, the rest of the game remains more than capable of carrying a payload. There are the packaged showcases, which are one-off missions that introduce the game's more varied weapons, vehicles, and techniques in isolation. There's a firing range that offers a bit of shooting gallery-style diversion. What's of more significance is the multiplayer, which bolsters the mission-running experience by supplanting the artificial intelligence with human allies that need less babysitting. They aren't always any more helpful than the AI (and they're a tad more likely to frag you), but they're better company, and one good session is worth trawling the server browser for a little while. A capable human team can achieve the closest thing to agility that Arma III's punctilious controls allow, leapfrogging between bits of cover and sweeping buildings with a collective conscience.</p><p style="">Better still is the library of mods, packed with thousands of player-created variants that run the gamut from atomic tests and rally races to fully-scripted missions and dynamic war simulations. You can take on a gauntlet of snipers, playing off the variable lines of sight that Altis' hills and valleys proffer. You can attempt a recreation of the real-life Neptune Spear mission that takes some curious artistic liberties. Chief among the offerings is Wasteland, a survivalist affair that highlights Arma III's talent for brooding, deliberate engagements, where discretion begins to really feel like the better part of valor. Or you could simply wander the islands, grabbing a few pictures to put alongside the towns, salt flats, and castles that litter the map's expansive topography.</p><p style="">In any direction you go, there's loosely structured fun to be had. It's there where the islands Bohemia Interactive have created are put through their paces, stretched and warped by the collective whim of the internet, unconstrained by the expectations that burden the words "modern warfare."</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 21:34:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/arma-3-updated-review/1900-6415721/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-this-robot-play-threes-at-a-pro-level/1100-6418787/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.twitch.tv/teamcolorblind" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Fwidgets%2Flive_embed_player.swf%3Fchannel%3Dteamcolorblind&wmode=opaque&fv=hostname%3Dwww.twitch.tv%26start_volume%3D25%26channel%3Dteamcolorblind%26auto_play%3Dfalse&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Fteamcolorblind&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-cdn.jtvnw.net%2Fimages%2Ftwitch_logo3.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=application%2Fx-shockwave-flash&schema=twitch" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""><em>(Editor's Note: The Twitch stream broadcasts intermittently, but will be playing during the weekend). </em></p><p style="">Depending on how good your are at the mobile game Threes, you can either watch the stream above and scoff at the computer's rookie mistakes, or despair that you'll ever be anywhere near as good. (I'm in the latter camp).</p><p style="">Threes is a mobile matching game that's simple to learn and deviously addictive, but the later levels especially involve quite a bit of luck. So, it's understandable that the computer does great in the early game getting to 1,536, but has trouble setting record-breaking scores. But that's also because robots lack the latent psychic abilities that set apart true Threes master*.</p><p style="">The computer takes a screenshot after every move, runs some calculations, then physically swipes the board in the next direction it needs. Unlike when I play, he never needs to gently nudge the cards in one direction or another to help decide whether that'll be a good choice or not.</p><p style="">*Real Threes masters probably aren't psychic, but it makes me feel better to imagine that when I look at my own leaderboard rankings.</p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinHaywald" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @JustinHaywald</a>. Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-this-robot-play-threes-at-a-pro-level/1100-6418787/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-amazon-fire-tv/1100-6418763/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418142" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418142/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">After <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-amazon-s-android-console-out-this-year-below-300/1100-6417389/" data-ref-id="1100-6417389">months of rumors and leaks</a>, the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-announces-99-streaming-device-has-2gb-ram-quad-core-processor-game-controller-is-40/1100-6418719/" data-ref-id="1100-6418719">Amazon Fire TV was finally revealed earlier this week in New York</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The system is priced at $99 for the base model and $140 for a bundle with a controller, but <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ouya-responds-to-amazon-fire-tv-says-it-lacks-a-focus-on-games/1100-6418743/" data-ref-id="1100-6418743">Amazon has been clear that this is not a console contender.</a> They're aiming to compete with Apple TV and Roku rather than Sony and Microsoft.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Though Ouya's CEO criticized the Fire TV for it's lack of a focus on gaming, that doesn't mean Amazon is ignoring gamers completely. Besides the system exclusive <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-reveals-tower-defense-shooter-hybrid-sev-zero-for-its-new-fire-tv-streaming-box/1100-6418720/" data-ref-id="1100-6418720">third-person shooter/tower defense hybrid Sev Zero</a>, Amazon has also made key gaming acquisitions including:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-buys-killer-instinct-developer-double-helix-games/1100-6417554/" data-ref-id="1100-6417554">Killer Instinct developer Double Helix</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-is-serious-about-gaming-hires-portal-and-far-cry-designers/1100-6418727/" data-ref-id="1100-6418727">Portal designer Kim Swift</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-is-serious-about-gaming-hires-portal-and-far-cry-designers/1100-6418727/" data-ref-id="1100-6418727">Far Cry developer Clint Hocking</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-writer-joins-amazon/1100-6413105/" data-ref-id="1100-6413105">Halo writer Eric Nylund</a></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">Here's everything else you need to know about the system.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>The hardware specs:</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Dimensions: 4.5" x 4.5" x 0.7", weighing 9.9oz</li><li dir="ltr">CPU: Qualcomm Krait 300 1.7Ghz quad-core</li><li dir="ltr">GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 320</li><li dir="ltr">RAM: 2GB LPDDR2 @ 533 MHz</li><li dir="ltr">Storage: 8GB internal storage</li><li dir="ltr">Wi-Fi: Dual-band, dual-antenna MIMO</li><li dir="ltr">Bluetooth: 4.0 with HID, HFP 1.6, and SPP profile support.</li><li dir="ltr">Ports: HDMI 1.4b, TOSLINK Optical Audio, 10/100 Ethernet, USB 2.0, 5.5mm DC</li><li dir="ltr">What's in the box?</li><li dir="ltr">Amazon Fire TV and Remote</li><li dir="ltr">Power cord</li><li dir="ltr">2x AAA batteries</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>What will you need to buy?</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">HDMI cable</li><li dir="ltr">Game controller</li></ul><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418113" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418113/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Here are the game available so far (though the list will grow rapidly over the coming months):</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>Free</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">You Don't Know Jack Party</li><li dir="ltr">Despicable Me: Minion Rush</li><li dir="ltr">The Walking Dead: Season One (first episode free)</li><li dir="ltr">Hungry Shark Evolution</li><li dir="ltr">Asphalt 8: Airborne</li><li dir="ltr">Deer Hunter 2014</li><li dir="ltr">Hill Climb Racing</li><li dir="ltr">Riptide GP2</li><li dir="ltr">BINGO Blitz</li><li dir="ltr">Reaper</li><li dir="ltr">Stickman downhill - Motocross</li><li dir="ltr">Big Win Slots</li><li dir="ltr">Into the Dead</li><li dir="ltr">PBA Bowling Challenge</li><li dir="ltr">Badland</li><li dir="ltr">Stickman Base Jumper</li><li dir="ltr">Dead Trigger 2</li><li dir="ltr">Zen Pinball HD</li><li dir="ltr">Dead on Arrival 2</li><li dir="ltr">Voodoo Whisperer</li><li dir="ltr">Dead System</li><li dir="ltr">CLARC lite</li><li dir="ltr">Shadow Fight 2</li><li dir="ltr">Haunted Past</li><li dir="ltr">Snailbow</li><li dir="ltr">Fibbage</li><li dir="ltr">Vendetta Online</li><li dir="ltr">Concussion Boxing</li><li dir="ltr">ARC Squadron: Redux</li><li dir="ltr">Brick Break Blitz</li><li dir="ltr">Crystal Picnic</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>$0.99</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Naught 2</li><li dir="ltr">Grandpa and the Zombies</li><li dir="ltr">Endless Skater</li><li dir="ltr">Ski Safari</li><li dir="ltr">Polar Bowler 1st Frame</li><li dir="ltr">Gravity Guy</li><li dir="ltr">Buddy & Me</li><li dir="ltr">Rabbids Big Bang</li><li dir="ltr">Quell</li><li dir="ltr">Monsters University</li><li dir="ltr">Pocket Rally</li><li dir="ltr">GraveStompers: Kid Zombies Save Eradication</li><li dir="ltr">Motorbike</li><li dir="ltr">Quiet, Please!</li><li dir="ltr">Beyond Ynth HD</li><li dir="ltr">Grow</li><li dir="ltr">Puddle</li><li dir="ltr">Micronytes Director's Cut</li><li dir="ltr">Recursion</li><li dir="ltr">Dream Flight</li><li dir="ltr">A Ride into the Mountains</li><li dir="ltr">Cannon Ballers</li><li dir="ltr">League of Evil</li><li dir="ltr">Super Daddio 2</li><li dir="ltr">Super Mega Worm</li><li dir="ltr">Quiet Christmas</li><li dir="ltr">Melee Man</li><li dir="ltr">Range Man</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style=""><strong>$1.00+</strong></p><ul><li dir="ltr">Alpha Wave ($1.00)</li><li dir="ltr">Sci-Fighters ($1.29)</li><li dir="ltr">Experiment ($1.31)</li><li dir="ltr">Ascent Of Kings ($1.49)</li><li dir="ltr">Kung Fu FIGHT! ($1.49)</li><li dir="ltr">Striker Soccer Euro 2012 Pro ($1.87)</li><li dir="ltr">Quell Reflect ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Radiant ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Fantastic 4 in A Row 2 ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Vacation Vexation ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">FIST OF AWESOME ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Atlantis Sky Patrol ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Aces of the Luftwaffe Premium ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">EVAC ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Tank Riders 2 ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Mini Golf Mundo ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Mystery Castle HD (5 Episodes, $1.99 each)</li><li dir="ltr">Fractal Combat X ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Truck Monsters ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Syder Arcade HD ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Grand Truckismo ($1.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Ninja Hero Cats Premium ($2.44)</li><li dir="ltr">Coaster Crazy Deluxe ($2.49)</li><li dir="ltr">Monster RPG 2 ($2.91)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic CD ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic the Hedgehog ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic The Hedgehog 2 ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Doom & Destiny ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Rayman Fiesta Run ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Quell Memento ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Double Dragon Trilogy ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">King Oddball ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Canabalt HD ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">No Brakes Valet ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Dark Incursion ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Homeland Strike Force Part One ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Hard Lines ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Trouserheart ($2.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Time Surfer ($3.00)</li><li dir="ltr">Save the Puppies Premium ($3.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I ($3.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Bit Brawlers ($3.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Hero of Many ($3.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Burn Zombie Burn ($4.96)</li><li dir="ltr">The Game of Life ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Terraria ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Episode II ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Crazy Taxi ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">AirFighters Pro ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Clarc ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Anomaly 2 ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">The Cave ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Tetris ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Wraithborne ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Virtua Tennis Challenge ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Twin Robots ($4.99)</li><li dir="ltr">BombSquad ($5.00)</li><li dir="ltr">Aftermath XHD ($5.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Ground Effect Pro XHD ($5.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Farm Invasion USA Premium ($5.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Gene Effect ($6.78)</li><li dir="ltr">Minecraft - Pocket Edition ($6.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour ($6.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Sev Zero ($6.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Deus Ex: The Fall ($6.99)</li><li dir="ltr">NBA 2K14 ($7.99)</li><li dir="ltr">Electronic Super Joy ($7.99)</li><li dir="ltr">RPG Alphadia Genesis ($9.99)</li></ul> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:19:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-amazon-fire-tv/1100-6418763/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/arma-iii-updated-review/2300-6418162/ We return to Arma III to play the full campaign and new scenarios. Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:09:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/arma-iii-updated-review/2300-6418162/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/get-a-first-look-at-gamespot-s-new-homepage/2300-6418161/ Our new homepage will improve your experience by streamlining the way content is presented on the site. Enjoy this video preview and let us know what you think in the comments below. Fri, 04 Apr 2014 17:11:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/get-a-first-look-at-gamespot-s-new-homepage/2300-6418161/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/elder-scrolls-online-imperial-edition-unboxing/2300-6418158/ Go on a journey of discovery with Danny and Kevin into the depths of the Elder Scrolls Online: Imperial Edition box Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:59:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/elder-scrolls-online-imperial-edition-unboxing/2300-6418158/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-top-5-death-threats-for-oculus-devs-dragon/2300-6418143/ ALL the Dragon Age: Inquisition details, Oculus employees come under fire after Facebook buyout, and what can we expect out of games from E3? Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-top-5-death-threats-for-oculus-devs-dragon/2300-6418143/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-point-virtual-reality-future-or-fad/2300-6418148/ Danny explores the reality of playing games using a VR headset and asks whether this technology is part of our gaming future, or just another fad. Also he murders a shark with a knife. Fri, 04 Apr 2014 12:03:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-point-virtual-reality-future-or-fad/2300-6418148/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-players-discover-massive-megalodon-shark-easter-egg/1100-6418784/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-WladmrdNQ" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fvideoseries%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26list%3DUUw7FkXsC00lH2v2yB5LQoYA&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DV-WladmrdNQ%26list%3DUUw7FkXsC00lH2v2yB5LQoYA&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FV-WladmrdNQ%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="">An enemy lurks in the waters of <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a>'s <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-s-delayed-naval-strike-dlc-finally-out-for-pc/1100-6418664/" data-ref-id="1100-6418664">new Nansha Strike map</a>, but it might not be what you expect. Battlefield 4 players have finally discovered a virtual version of the prehistoric Megalodon shark and it does not disappoint.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">YouTuber JackFrags made the discovery following the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-s-delayed-naval-strike-dlc-finally-out-for-pc/1100-6418664/" data-ref-id="1100-6418664">release of the Naval Strike DLC this week</a>, which introduced the Nansha Strike map. He pieced together some clues last year that led him to believe the creature was stirring in the waters, but he was unable to discover the beast until this week.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"When it happened for the first time I didn't think it was real, like I had imagined it or something," JackFrags <a href="https://twitter.com/jackfrags/status/452104153872224256" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said on Twitter</a>. He said he asked the other players on the server if they saw the shark as well and they reported that they did. "The reaction was amazing," he said.</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> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:18:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-players-discover-massive-megalodon-shark-easter-egg/1100-6418784/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii-a-newcomer-s-/1900-6415719/ <p style=""> </p><p style="">I had never played a Final Fantasy game. For all the countless hours I've spent at a computer or a console, how had I never delved into this iconic franchise? Lack of access to the right systems and lack of time to devote to such lengthy adventures have come and gone as excuses. Maybe it's a question of desire? I don't often seek out Japanese role-playing games, but there have been a few over the years that have snagged my interest. I played and enjoyed a solid chunk of <a href="/chrono-trigger/" data-ref-id="false">Chrono Trigger</a>, and was charmed by the world of <a href="/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/" data-ref-id="false">Ni No Kuni</a>. I completed 2007's lovely, sentimental <a href="/eternal-sonata/" data-ref-id="false">Eternal Sonata</a>, perhaps the best experience I've had with a JRPG. A paltry resume, to be sure, but I've always been intrigued by the grand adventures and enduring characters that FF fans are so passionate about, and so I resolved to play a Final Fantasy game.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">I chose the wrong Final Fantasy game.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418123" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418123/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII starts off with a splashy cutscene that shows beautiful people engaged in elegant combat in a fantastical city. This kind of intricately rendered video seems to have fallen out of fashion of late, but as aspirational introductions go, it did the trick. Even though I didn't know the players involved, I was intrigued and excited about the world I was about to explore, eager to learn more about the creatures and characters. But as a newcomer to the trilogy that Lightning Returns concludes (as well as the series as a whole), I knew I had some catching up to do, and I was a bit worried about keeping up with all the lore I was about to immerse myself in.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">As it turns out, Lightning Returns does a very thorough job of laying the foundation for the events to come. It didn't take me long to understand Lightning's strange role as the savior charged by God to save the souls of the citizenry before God's own doomsday clock runs out. Apparently, the world of Nova Chrysalia has been in a slowly decaying holding pattern for five centuries since the events of Final Fantasy XIII-2. No one has aged, no one has died of natural causes, and no one has been born; they've all just coasted along waiting for something to happen as a mysterious force called chaos slowly encroached on their world.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">It's an intriguing setting, one that raises questions about how a static society might change as its citizens grow wise, bored, or crazy after long years of the same thing. But Lightning Returns continues to explain the setting long after the stage has been set. In the interminable exposition sequence and subsequently through hours and hours of adventuring, the dialogue in Lightning Returns is riddled with redundancy. Characters make observations only to have their conversation partners reword and regurgitate the same information without adding anything of substance. This constant reiteration makes it seem like the only reason that people talk is to drill information into your head rather than to flesh out personalities, create dramatic tension, or evoke emotion.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">And so Lightning Returns isn't initially confusing, as I'd feared, but initially dull. Lightning herself doesn't exactly sparkle with charisma, and in the early hours she acts like she's still a bit groggy after her epic nap. The fate of thousands of strangers isn't much motivation, but the chance to reunite with her long-dead sister gets her going even though, as she remarks, "God is using my dead sister as a bargaining chip." This quip is a welcome bit of sardonic self-awareness, and it's when Lightning Returns gets a bit playful that it begins to show a spark of life. A chef observes, "People are more health conscious these days, which is ironic, given the times." A public announcement seeking Lightning declares, "She has rose-colored hair and is carrying an enormous weapon." A random kid running through a plaza trips and falls. Unfortunately, these lighthearted moments are rare, and most conversations with townsfolk and quest givers are dry and colorless.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2495977-%23%23%2300005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2495977" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2495977-%23%23%2300005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2495977"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/542/5424362/2495977-%23%23%2300005.jpg"></a><figcaption>And playing the role of the trickster...</figcaption></figure><p style=""><span>Interactions with returning characters are more colorful. Lightning reunites with a few friends from the past, though whether or not they are friends anymore is often uncertain. One clash pits Lightning against a grief-stricken former comrade in a test of how far each is willing to go for the chance to see a dead loved one again. Another relationship has become antagonistic over the centuries, and Lightning's musings about the passage of time and its effect on relationships resonate nicely with the intriguing setting. Yet these conversations, while often staged with stylish camera angles, nonetheless suffer from the redundancy that plagues so much of the dialogue. Characters repeat themselves and parrot each other frequently, as if trying to drill basic situations and concepts into your head so you don't forget them. Narrative development becomes belabored exposition, and even after I was well into the game, I still felt impatient for things to get under way.</span></p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The first proper task set before Lightning is to investigate a string of murders in the city of Luxerion. The worlds of Final Fantasy have always struck me as having an interesting mix of gothic, modern, and fantastical architecture, and this proved true about the streets of Luxerion. Attendants in trim, vaguely futuristic uniforms populate train stations with gold Victorian trimmings. A soaring gothic cathedral plays host to supplicants that wouldn't look out of place in a pop music video. Coming across these exotic pairings makes exploring the city enjoyable, though the abundance of drab plazas and dreary alleyways begins to get tiresome after a while. Luxerion has seen better days, but the glittering city of Yusnaan seems to be in a state of perpetual polish. Nightly festivals make this area much livelier and more visually appealing, but this hustle and bustle has a downside. Street musicians, loudspeaker announcements, idle chatter, and walkie-talkie messages from Hope can all layer on top of one another and create a cacophony in which everything is unintelligible.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The two wilderness areas offer quieter exploration, though the incidence of tough monsters effectively confines you to the urban areas for quite some time. You can travel freely between each of these four large locales, and each offers an array of quests that lead to the collection of the all-important souls. Some quests must be hunted down by talking to citizens, while others can be grabbed from a handy quest board staffed in each area by a character that looks like a cross between a tropical bird and a female prostitute. I'm not sure what turn of events led to this provocative reimagining of the iconic chocobo, but judging by some of Lightning's outfits, it's not a new phenomenon.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2495982-chocolina1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2495982" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2495982-chocolina1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2495982"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/542/5424362/2495982-chocolina1.jpg"></a><figcaption>Bird on a Street Corner.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Some quests require more running around and listening to lackluster dialogue, but most involve the game's most enjoyable element: combat. Lightning enters the fray with three different gear sets called schemata. Each schemata is made up of a weapon, a few abilities, and a number of clothing options, all of which can affect your attributes and resistances. Switching between schemata on the fly isn't just a matter of bringing your deadliest attacks to bear on the enemy; it's also a resource management challenge. You have only a certain amount of energy per schemata, and once it's drained, you can't use any of that schemata's abilities until it recharges.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">This makes combat a bit of a juggling act, which encourages you to design your schemata strategically. Early on I simply loaded all my best gear into one schemata and used the others to kill time while my best one recharged. As I acquired more gear and enemies grew tougher, I restructured my schemata to focus on physical attack, magical attack, and defense. Dealing the right kind of damage can stagger enemies, opening them up to serious pummeling, and timely blocking is essential in tougher fights. Nimble schemata switching and smart energy management are the keys to victory, and exploiting these tactics is an engaging and dynamic challenge.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Which is not to say that I was a terribly skilled fighter. I had to use heal and revive items frequently while clashing with formidable enemies, and occasionally made use of Lightning's handful of special EP powers to get myself out of a bind. As I progressed, difficult fights began to drag on longer and longer, and the lively juggling act of combat began to lose its luster. The challenge no longer seemed to arise from skillfully juggling schemata, but rather from simply grinding out tedious encounters. Combat was still tough, but as endurance took on a larger and larger role, my interest waned.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Almost 20 hours in to Lightning Returns, I gave it up. Perhaps if I had known the main characters' histories, their relationships would have resonated more strongly. Perhaps if I was previously enamored with the worlds of Final Fantasy, Nova Chrysalia would have intrigued me more. While I'll never know what my perspective would have been, I do know that, as a newcomer to Final Fantasy, Lightning Returns didn't feel unwelcoming. From combat to characters, the game did a lot to make sure I knew where I was, what I was doing, and why I was doing it. The problem isn't that it's a poor choice for newcomers; the problem is that it's a poor game.</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 10:59:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii-a-newcomer-s-/1900-6415719/
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