Daikatana now available on Steam

High-profile gaming flop Daikatana is now available on Steam.

Daikatana was originally released for PC in 2000, though was once due to come out in 1997, and was followed by a poorly received N64 port. Critical reception for the game was almost universally negative.

The game was heavily marketed through its high-profile creator, John Romero, who had seen huge success from previous projects Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake at id Software. One particular instance of the game's many advertising campaigns--featuring the text "John Romero's about to make you his bitch" against a blood red background--has remained a point of discussion in the games industry ever since.

Daikatana was set in an alternate future, where the game's villain disrupted history using magical eponymous sword the Daikatana. Levels are set across futuristic Japan, ancient Greece, medieval Norway and near-future San Francisco, and a key part of the game was the relationship between protagonist Hiro Miyamoto and his two sidekicks Superfly Johnson and Mikiko Ebihara.

Poor AI led the sidekick characters to be heavily criticised in particular, with missions failing if either of the AI characters died.

GameSpot awarded the game a score of 4.6 in its review when the game was originally released in 2000.

"There are moments playing Daikatana in which everything comes together--the sidekicks act as they should or simply aren't around, and you're able to enjoy the game as a pure, unadulterated shooter. But these moments are rare and are separated by long stretches of frustration punctuated by tedium. It's true that the game has a lot of content. The levels are large, there are plenty of monsters and weapons, and it will take you some time to finish. Yet a shorter, less disjointed experience with a few memorable set pieces would have been preferable. After years of development and a vast body of negative press, Daikatana is not an unmitigated disaster. But unfortunately, that's not enough to endorse it."

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First DLC for The Bureau features new character, psychic government testing

2K Games today announced the Hangar 6 R&D downloadable content for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, the game's first expansion pack, set to arrive October 8 for $5 only on Xbox 360.

The Hangar 6 R&D expansion is set shortly before Agent Carter's adventures in the main game, in the lead-up to the initial alien invasion.

In the content, players will learn that during his period, Agent DaSilva volunteers to participate in a series of psychic experiments at a location known as Hangar 6.

"In this DLC, players will take control of Agent DaSilva, and his squad, as they are treated with an elerium-based compound gas in order to visualize and combat the mental defenses of another agent infected with the 'Sleepwalker' pathogen," 2K Games said.

According to 2K, DaSilva will be an "entirely different" kind of character compared to Carter. However, the studio said it kept the "cool 60s vibe" from the main game intact.

"We did a lot of research on psychic and psychotropic military experiments of the 60s. We watched lots of videos of soldiers giggling in trees," 2K said. "We read up on Remote Viewing (a series of government experiments wherein trained soldiers were supposedly able to know things about a subject using only Extra-Sensory Perception--that is, psychically). We stared really, really hard at goats."

2K said the Hangar 6 R&D expansion will be "even more difficult" than The Bureau, though players will have a number of new abilities to make use of. These include a new series of powers and perks based on the "plant and trigger" abilities, as well as new weapons like the AK-47 and a prototype Microwave Gun that cooks enemies from the inside out.

Though the Hangar 6 R&D expansion is exclusive to Xbox 360, 2K previously announced that new content is also in the works for PlayStation 3 and PC.

The Bureau is set in 1962 America at the end of the Cold War. John F. Kennedy is president and the U.S. public at large is afraid of a nuclear war with Russia. At the same time, the US government is establishing a secret organization to combat this threat. As it turns out, it's not the Russians who invade, it's the aliens.

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Netgear reveals router "ideal" for gamers

October 2, 2013 5:26AM PDT

New 802.11ac Wi-Fi Nighthawk router features 1GHz dual-core processor, USB 3.0 port, and speeds of up to AC1900.

Netgear has announced an all-new router described as "ideal" for gamers.

Known officially as the Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router (R7000), the router claims to soar above the competition to provide the "best performance" with the "world's fastest" WiFi speed.

It is available for purchase today through a variety of retailers for $200.

The Nighthawk features a 1GHz dual-core processor with a USB 3.0 port and Netgear Beamforming+ for "unmatched connectivity in the home."

The router's WiFi connection speeds of up to AC1900 WiFi (600 + 1300 Mbps) make the Nighthawk "ideal" of bandwidth-heavy activities like online gaming and video streaming, Netgear said.

The Nighthawk also features "high-power" amplifiers that promise "outstanding" coverage inside the home and out.

By Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.

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Rockstar "working around the clock" to fix GTA Online issues

Rockstar Games is "working around the clock" to resolve the various known issues for Grand Theft Auto Online, the developer said today on its official Support page.

"We are continuing to look into these issues and are working around the clock on resolving them as quickly as possible," Rockstar Games said. "This includes close monitoring of our Support systems, forums, social media, and in-game data to measure traffic along with Community sentiment to ensure ongoing improvements to stability. Please stay tuned for more updates."

GTA Online, the multiplayer mode for Grand Theft Auto V, launched yesterday on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Rockstar Games apologized for various launch issues and asked fans for patience as the developer works to fix the bugs.

The launch issues for GTA Online were expected. Ahead of release last week, Rockstar said players should expect various "growing pains," including crashes, glitches, "crazy bugs," and gameplay modes and mechanics that need rebalancing.

These issues are "inevitable," Rockstar said at the time, due to the "massive" nature of the open-world game.

For more on GTA Online, check out GameSpot's "Five Tips to Get You Started in GTA Online" feature.

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Grand Theft Auto Online launching at 12pm BST/7am EDT

Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer component of Grand Theft Auto V, will be available today starting from 12:00 BST/07:00 EDT/04:00 PDT.

Around this time, Rockstar says it will release a "small" downloadable title update on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, which will unlock access to Grand Theft Auto Online from the game's menu.

Rockstar adds that the title update depends on the content becoming available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 network, and may be delayed slightly.

When downloaded, GTA Online can be accessed by using the bottom slot from the game's character wheel, where players have previously been able to flick between the single-player campaign's protagonists Franklin, Michael, and Trevor.

Rockstar further detailed the mode in a post on its site, explaining that GTA Online is set a few months before the game's single-player campaign and will contain an invitation-based anti-griefing system so players can show off their homes and vehicles without fear of having them stolen or destroyed.

The company also reiterated that the game's microtransactions will not negatively affect the experience. "To allay some concerns we've heard on this subject, we can assure you that the game is designed such that the option of purchasable GTA$ should not disrupt the playing field--and there are a few mechanics in place to help ensure that."

"All players still have to rank up with Reputation Points (RP) in order to get access to purchase high-end items. No one can begin GTA Online and simply spend a lot of money out of the gate to get a leg up. You will have to earn your stripes and play to unlock access to the aspirational clothes, guns and other items. Please also remember that in GTA Online, hustling to afford the finer things by earning GTA$ doing robberies, stick-ups, winning races and other profitable activities is a fun gameplay experience rather than ever being a 'grind'."

The company also adds that it "will constantly tweak all areas of the game to make it play fairer and iron out any balancing problems (while fixing all the other problems we encounter!), but we really need your help in figuring out what those issues are. So please work with us on that!"

Global sales of Grand Theft Auto V reached $1 billion less than three days after the game went on sale in September.

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Latest Wii U update allows GamePad display of original Wii games

October 1, 2013 3:07AM PDT

Users still required to use a Wii Remote in order to play Wii games displayed on the GamePad.

Nintendo's latest Wii U update allows users to play original Wii titles from the Wii U GamePad, the company has said.

Update 4.0.0 will output video and sound from Wii games through the GamePad, although the games must still be played with the Wii Remote.

Other features in the update include Dolby® Pro Logic® II support, the option to automatically download demos through SpotPass, and multiple improvements to the system's web browser.

Nintendo also says the update brings "further improvements to overall system stability."

More information about the 4.0.0 update can be found on Nintendo's site.

By Martin Gaston, News Editor

Martin Gaston has absolutely never at all had the song from Beauty and the Beast sung to him at any point during his life, ever.

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Battlefield 4 beta live on PC and Xbox 360, PS3 later today

October 1, 2013 3:51AM PDT

EA details Battlefield 4 beta rollout times for those eligible for early access.

The Battlefield 4 beta is now live on Xbox 360 and PC for players eligible for early access, EA has announced.

PlayStation 3 owners will be able to download the beta later today, with approximate launch times of 15:00 PDT in North America and 15:00 BST on the European PlayStation Network.

The beta will become available to all on October 4, starting from 01:00 PDT for PC, 02:00 PDT for Xbox 360, and on PlayStation 3 at 11:00 PDT in the US and 15:00 BST in Europe.

Players who download the beta will be able to play the game's new Siege of Shanghai map on Conquest and Domination game modes. The full game will ship with seven modes and ten maps.

More information about the Battlefield 4 beta rollout times can be found on Battlelog.

Battlefield 4 will be released on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on October 29 in North America and November 1 in Europe. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions will be available later in November.

By Martin Gaston, News Editor

Martin Gaston has absolutely never at all had the song from Beauty and the Beast sung to him at any point during his life, ever.

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Destiny beta in early 2014 - Report

Bungie will hold a beta for upcoming shared-world shooter Destiny in early 2014 on all announced platforms, according to an Amazon product page spotted today by NeoGAF.

The beta will be offered on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 for those who preorder the game while supplies last, according to the product page.

No mention was made concerning when the Destiny beta will officially begin. All existing preorders through Amazon will be given beta keys.

Neither Bungie nor Activision has officially announced a beta for Destiny. Bungie is no stranger to betas, as the developer has offered betas for Halo 3 and Halo: Reach.

Destiny--which requires an Internet connection--launches in 2014. It is Bungie's first post-Halo project and the first game as part of the company's ten-year exclusive publishing deal with Activision.

Yesterday, Bungie teased preorder bonuses for Destiny and said a new gameplay trailer will be released sometime today, October 1.

→ More coverage of PS4 on GameSpot.com

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Reality Check - Do we need 4K?

We need 4k, 8k, 16k, 32k, etc. The reason we need these is actually quite simple. Without them, GPU manufacturers such as Nvidia and ATI have no reason to develop high performance hardware that can support say 60fps at ultra settings at such resolutions. Why is that a big deal? Well, because the longer we wait for that tech to become available, the longer we have to wait to experience a truly immersive, indistinguishable from life, Virtual Reality environment. This will also effect the potential of Augmented Reality as we head into the future. Palmer Luckey, the original designer of the Oculus Rift, has stated that even 8k per eye won't be enough for VR. While that might sound ridiculous at first, consider this. If you are in virtual reality, everything may seem wonderful at first glance. However, pick up a book with a really small font, hold it away from your face and try to read it. Without an extremely dense screen, it would be practically impossible. Unfortunately, the pixel density required to achieve that kind of resolution on that size of screen is most likely impossible due to the laws of physics. However, there is already work being done on Virtual Retina Displays, which will basically take low powered lasers and essentially draw images directly onto the retina. Once these displays are available, their will no longer be a need to squeeze higher resolution into smaller screens. That said, the need for hardware capable of rendering the image at such resolutions will still be required.

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Batman: Arkham Origins I Am the Knight and Initiation DLC detailed

Warner Bros. Games Montreal's upcoming Dark Knight adventure Batman: Arkham Origins will feature a permadeath difficulty mode, the studio has revealed, alongside new information about the game's prequel DLC set in Asia.

Speaking to Eurogamer, producer Guillaume Voghel revealed more about the one life and no saves I Am the Knight difficulty, which opens up after players complete the game and then its New Game Plus mode.

"The main narrative arc and side missions last about 12 hours," he said, "and then you have all the collectibles. To get 100 per cent of that will take much, much longer. We have a new difficulty level, New Game Plus is coming back--that's really difficult--and when you're done with that there's I Am The Night mode--which is no saves and one life."

Voghel also confirmed that the game's Initiation DLC will offer a single-player campaign set in Asia, with Bruce Wayne training to become Batman.

"You play as Bruce Wayne learning to be a ninja," said Voghel. "That's a really cool one. Narratively there's some added content that will give players a little more background story."

Initiation will be included in Batman: Arkham Origins' $19.99 season pass, along with four other pieces of downloadable content. Three DLC packs have been confirmed as skins, with the last pack yet to be confirmed. The game will also feature Knightfall DLC exclusive to the PlayStation 3.

Part of the Initiation DLC will feature Batman proving himself to his teacher, Kirigi, who also trained Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins.

"[But] it's not League of Assassins, it's ninja-related," Voghel added. "It's when he learned to be a ninja and learned those techniques. He goes to a monastery--custom content was created for the DLC. You'll be in Asia in the monastery. The team did a great job on that, it looks really good."

Batman: Arkham Origins will be released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Wii U on October 25.

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