http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Fri, 28 Mar 2014 07:00:49 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grey-goo-and-the-rise-fall-and-rise-of-the-rts/1100-6418604/ <p style="">What has happened to the real-time strategy genre? <a href="/starcraft-ii-wings-of-liberty/" data-ref-id="false">StarCraft II </a> is huge, obviously, but the heyday of the economy-driven RTS seems behind us, replaced by strategy games that have stripped away base-building systems while focusing on combat. The tactical micromanagement of games like <a href="/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Dawn of War II</a> and <a href="/company-of-heroes-2/" data-ref-id="false">Company of Heroes 2</a> reigns supreme.</p><p style="">Developer Petroglyph, known for real-time strategy games like <a href="/star-wars-empire-at-war/" data-ref-id="false">Star Wars: Empire at War</a> and <a href="/universe-at-war-earth-assault/" data-ref-id="false">Universe at War</a> (they really like war over there), recognizes the gap, and it's ready to fill it with Grey Goo. I recently saw Grey Goo in action, and was immediately excited by it. Three diverse factions that play differently from each other, one of which that's like nothing I've ever seen. A comprehensive approach that harks back to the classics of the genre like <a href="/age-of-empires-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Age of Empires</a> and <a href="/the-command-and-conquer-collection/" data-ref-id="false">Command & Conquer</a>. A sci-fi visual style that reminds me of <a href="/ground-control-ii-operation-exodus/" data-ref-id="false">Ground Control II</a>, one of my favorites strategy games of all time. These elements and more are the forces behind my enthusiasm for a game that could fulfill my need for new, interesting RTSs.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417680" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417680/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Petroglyph doesn't use the words "classic" or "archetypal" to describe its game, preferring instead to use the term "vintage." Petroglyph senior game designer Andrew Zoboki is quick to point out, however, that Grey Goo is not just a blast from the past. "One of the many lessons we learned from our previous games is that players are looking for something new and fun and don't want a clone of some other game is out there with a minor variation," Zoboki says. "They are hungry for a fun experience and we want to give it to them. Grey Goo is that game."</p><p style="">Why does that gap exist in the first place? A decade ago there were countless real-time strategy games on shelves, and the genre dominated PC game sales. Even rebundled classics like Red Alert and Warcraft II were making their way onto armchair strategists' hard drives; players' hunger seemed insatiable. Zoboki has a theory as to why real-time strategy fell out of favor. "The genre's evolution has headed in a direction that made the genre more complex and difficult to play. Many of the mechanics for how an RTS plays and what is needed to differentiate skills are hidden from players or rely on near perfect execution rather than strategy."</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454050-grey_goo__screenshot_05.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454050" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454050-grey_goo__screenshot_05.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454050"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1197/11970954/2454050-grey_goo__screenshot_05.jpg"></a><figcaption>Introducing the Beta. Don't get on their bad side. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Market oversaturation was another factor. "At one point there were roughly 15-plus RTS games coming out in the same year. When you have so many competitive products everyone is looking for a gimmick to get them a piece of the total RTS player pie, and the players themselves get burned out on the genre. Additionally, many other RTS games took the route of making the genre more complex as to stand out from their competition because the market was so saturated. Increased complexity without depth, along with a combination of supply of RTS games being greater than the demand, means you're no longer able to make money, hence driving a lot of the publishers to shy away from the genre."</p><p style="">So back to basics it is. Petroglyph aims to make infrastructure development, economic management, and strategic and tactical combat equally important, while keeping the basic mechanics relatively straightforward. Grey Goo isn't about the speed of your clicks, but about the strength of your strategy.</p><blockquote data-align="right"><p style="">One of the many lessons we learned from our previous games is that players are looking for something new and fun and don't want a clone of some other game is out there with a minor variation.</p><cite>Andrew Zoboki, Senior Game Designer</cite></blockquote><p style="">Petroglyph demonstrated the game to me, but I didn't get to see strategy in action. Rather, they showed me what makes the factions so different from each other. The first I saw in action was the Beta, which attaches enhancement modules to core structures, and can ultimately construct giant customizable superunits that float slowly across the map, bringing vast devastation with them. Another was the Human faction, whose structures reminded me of StarCraft's Protoss race, all clean lines and blue glow. Unlike the Beta, Humans must extend their reach from their central base using a Tetris-like system of structure placement. In the case of both factions, you can place resource-gather structures anywhere within a certain range of a resource node. The closer the building is to the center of the node, the more resources you can gather, a simple tweak to traditional mechanics that's so brilliant, I don't understand why it hasn't appeared earlier.</p><p style="">Then there's the Goo.</p><p style="">As the Goo, you begin as a single blob of nanotechnological soup, separating into smaller blobs that can ultimately morph into combat units. I've never seen anything like the Goo in a strategy game, and my only regret from the time I spent during the faction demonstration was that I didn't get to see what kind of trouble the Goo could create in a full three-faction battle. Zoboki assures me, however, that Grey Goo is rife with strategic possibilities.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454044-grey_goo_beta_tattoo_breakdown.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454044" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454044-grey_goo_beta_tattoo_breakdown.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454044"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2454044-grey_goo_beta_tattoo_breakdown.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">"Each of the races in Grey Goo gives the player a unique set of mechanics with which to solve their common RTS gameplay challenges," says Zoboki. "Each faction doesn't just approach the gameplay aspects of infrastructure development, economic management, and strategic and tactical combat differently but also caters to different play styles. Ranging from a player who likes to build massive fortresses and turtle up to being extremely aggressive and building small bases across the map, there is a faction that will suit every player for their own personal preference. Every faction has racial themes and mechanics that separate them out from each other, from the Tetris like base building mechanics of the humans, to the modularity and customization of the Beta, to the extreme flexibility and mobility of the Goo."</p><p style="">If anyone's up to the task of balancing three disparate factions, it's Petroglyph, whose Universe at War stuck three wildly diverse factions into a single game and somehow made them work together. It's a wonder that we haven't heard much from the developer in recent years; Petroglyph continues to improve its MOBA, Battle for Graxia, but has generally kept a low profile. I asked Zoboki is the lessons the developer learned when making a MOBA could be applied to Grey Goo in any meaningful way. His response was an enthusiastic "yes!"</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454052-grey_goo__screenshot_11.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454052" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454052-grey_goo__screenshot_11.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454052"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1197/11970954/2454052-grey_goo__screenshot_11.jpg"></a><figcaption>Why must such pretty places be spoiled by violence? Won't someone think of the Goo-children?</figcaption></figure><p style="">"There is a lot that can be learned from the success and failures of MOBAs and the emergence of that genre," says Zoboki. "We have incorporated much of that knowledge into Grey Goo. The most obvious example is in the player interface. The unit and structure build menu that utilizes a similar QWERT command system as is popular in MOBAs. The design for the hotkeys being in that layout was focused around giving the player an immediate hot key solution and easy to remember combinations to build units and structures without having to have a lot of hand movement. By keeping similar key combinations constant through each of the races, the system allows for a player to fall back on what they learned from a previous race when playing a new one."</p><p style="">I've been ready for a game like Grey Goo for a while. As much as I love the most prominent strategy games from recent years, I yearn for that thrill of building bases and sending out scouts into a world that I've never seen before. Thankfully, Grey Goo will let me do that offline, on the Internet, and even in LAN get-togethers (there's another "vintage" option to embrace!). Petroglyph wants their game to be fun for everyone. And since I'm included in that list, I can't help but want to get my hands on Grey Goo as soon as possible--presuming, of course, that the Goo can be washed off when I'm done.</p> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grey-goo-and-the-rise-fall-and-rise-of-the-rts/1100-6418604/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-s-dumbest-game-goat-simulator-channels-dead-island-for-its-epic-launch-trailer/1100-6418619/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417995" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417995/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/goat-simulator/" data-ref-id="false">Goat Simulator</a>, the self-described "world's dumbest game," will be available on April 1, and now developer Coffee Stain Studios has released a launch trailer that channels <a href="/dead-island/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Island</a>. Just like the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/dead-island-cgi-trailer/2300-6299756/" data-ref-id="2300-6299756">chilling Dead Island trailer before it</a>, the Goat Simulator launch trailer moves backwards, beginning with goat lying dead on the ground and then showing how he got there.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Goat Simulator is the latest in goat simulation technology, bringing next-gen goat simulation to you," Coffee Stain Studios writes. "You no longer have to fantasize about being a goat, your dreams have finally come true!" The new trailer has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvWGLcdI8o8" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">over 1.6 million views on YouTube alone</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Goat Simulator <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-s-dumbest-game-goat-simulator-launching-on-april-fools-day-of-course/1100-6418097/" data-ref-id="1100-6418097">officially launches April 1 (that's not an April Fool's joke) </a>and you can <a href="http://goat-simulator.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">preorder the game today through the developer's website for $10</a>. Preordering lets you play three days early, which is today. Goat Simulator will <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/265930/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">also be available on Steam come April 1</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Goat Simulator is a small, broken and stupid game. It was made in a couple of weeks so don't expect a game in the size and scope of GTA with goats," Coffee Stain Studios said. "In fact, you're better off not expecting anything at all actually. To be completely honest, it would be best if you'd spend your $10 on a hula hoop, a pile of bricks, or maybe a real-life goat."</p><p style="">If goats aren't your thing, there's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-guy-just-raised-38-000-to-make-a-video-game-about-being-a-bear/1100-6418495/" data-ref-id="1100-6418495">also a Bear Simulator in development</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 06:33:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-s-dumbest-game-goat-simulator-channels-dead-island-for-its-epic-launch-trailer/1100-6418619/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-epic-games-sold-gears-of-war-to-microsoft/1100-6418618/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2490275-gears.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490275" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2490275-gears.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490275"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2490275-gears.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has explained why the studio <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-buys-gears-of-war-from-epic/1100-6417361/" data-ref-id="1100-6417361">sold the Gears of War franchise</a>, what some believed was the company's crown jewel, to Microsoft. In a new interview, Sweeney simply stated that though the company adores the franchise, it has other plans in mind.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We've gone through a long process of figuring out the games we're going to build at Epic worldwide in the future and we concluded that we weren't going to be building any more Gears of War," Sweeney told <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/26/5542822/the-future-of-games-epic-games-tim-sweeney-fortnite-unreal-tournament" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Polygon</a>. "As much as we love the game, we're heading in a new direction."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The core Gears values are really tied to being big event-based, single-player console games with awesome cover mechanics and other things that really didn't translate into the future approach we were taking with online games, and competitive and cooperative multiplayer," he added. "Because we weren't planning on building any more Gears games we were just going to let that sit on the shelf for a decade or more, in case it had any future value to us."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sweeney went on to say that it's better for Gears of War to be in the hands of Microsoft than to be sitting unused on the shelf at Epic Games. "We weren't going to build it and we realized the world wanted more Gears of War," he said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Terms of Microsoft's acquisition of the Gears of War franchise were not disclosed <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-buys-gears-of-war-from-epic/1100-6417361/" data-ref-id="1100-6417361">when the deal was announced in January</a>. The Microsoft-owned Black Tusk Studios is currently working on a new entry in the series, presumably for Xbox One, with veteran Gears of War designer Rod Fergusson attached to the title as its producer. The Gears of War series has sold over 22 million copies to date, driving more than $1 billion in lifetime revenue.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As for the future of Epic Games now that Gears of War is in its past, the studio is currently working on PC-exclusive <a href="/fortnite/" data-ref-id="false">Fortnite</a> (powered by Unreal Engine 4) as well as unannounced projects. Sweeney said more than 90 developers at Epic Games are working on Fortnite right now.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Finally, Sweeney said you should expect a change of focus for Epic Games that more closely resembles the way in which <a href="/dota-2/" data-ref-id="false">DOTA 2 </a>developer Valve and <a href="/league-of-legends/" data-ref-id="false">League of Legends</a> creator Riot Games approach gaming.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We're looking at the future of gaming from kind of a Valve or Riot point of view," Sweeney said. "[Which is] making your games really accessible, being fair to customers and giving them a great value with a game that can be played for hundreds or thousands of hours."</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, 28 Mar 2014 06:14:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-epic-games-sold-gears-of-war-to-microsoft/1100-6418618/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rumor-dragon-age-inquisition-has-40-endings-five-major-regions/1100-6418617/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/6/9/8/4/2236984-718650_20130831_010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2236984" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/6/9/8/4/2236984-718650_20130831_010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2236984"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/6/9/8/4/2236984-718650_20130831_010.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">BioWare's upcoming role-playing game <a href="/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a> will have 40 possible endings to unlock and five major regions to explore, according to a new report. A <a href="http://forum.bioware.com/topic/497878-official-xbox-magazine-dragon-age-inquisition-preview/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">BioWare forum user</a> has obtained the latest issue of <em>Official Xbox Magazine</em> ahead of schedule which reportedly contains numerous details about the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The five main Dragon Age: Inquisition regions reportedly are Fereldan, The Free Marches, Orlais, Nevarra, and the Dales. BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah supposedly said that players will also visit a location known as the Emerald Graves, where the Dalish Elves planted one tree for every soldier killed in the Exalted Marches.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The tipster also revealed other details about Dragon Age: Inquisition like that you'll be able to affect the environment to influence local settlements, establish trade routes, capture territory, and disrupt the local ecosystem. In addition, the report claims that if you defeat intelligent enemies like bandits or dragons, this will have a "significant effect" on a given region.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Details reportedly pulled from the <em>Official Xbox Magazine</em> preview also include information about new companion characters; namely, there will not be any DLC party members. Creative director Mike Laidlaw supposedly said that because of how "deeply enmeshed" these characters are to Dragon Age: Inquisition, "we can't just add them on the fly."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Other reportedly confirmed companions include The Iron Bull (a one-eyed mercenary and outcast from the Qunari faith) and Sera, described as an "elven archer."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The report also sheds some light on Dragon Age: Inquisition's dialogue system. Writer David Gaider reportedly said that the game will feature three separate dialogue wheels that players will use to engage in conversation. These are the "tone wheel," the "choice wheel," and the "reaction wheel."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Finally, the <em>Official Xbox Magazine</em> preview reportedly states that Dragon Age: Inquisition will feature 40 possible endings, which depend not only on your choices made during character creation, but also actions taken throughout the storyline. Darrah reportedly said these endings will be "meaningfully different" from one another, and not simply 40 endings with only "slight degrees of variation."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">We have not seen the issue of <em>Official Xbox Magazine</em> in question, so for now, do take this news with grain of salt. Dragon Age: Inquisition launches this fall for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417542" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417542/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 05:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rumor-dragon-age-inquisition-has-40-endings-five-major-regions/1100-6418617/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-off-the-final-design-of-kinect-for-windows-v2/1100-6418615/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490252-8205821199-0574..jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490252" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490252-8205821199-0574..jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490252"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2490252-8205821199-0574..jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Microsoft has shown off the final design of its version of the Xbox One Kinect sensor that will function on Windows PCs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Unsurprisingly, it is virtually identical to its console brother--the insides are the same, and two small aesthetic tweaks have seen the Xbox symbol replaced with a power indicator and a Kinect label added to the top.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490253-6684432166-2766..jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490253" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490253-6684432166-2766..jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490253"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2490253-6684432166-2766..jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The device also comes with its own hub and power supply, with the former connecting together the sensor, USB 3.0 output, and power.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft is still yet to formally announced the price and release date of the Kinect for Windows V2, but said "we getting closer and closer to launch" <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2014/03/27/revealing-kinect-for-windows-v2-hardware.aspx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">in a blog post</a>. The company has previously said the device will launch before summer 2014.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6412013" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6412013/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 05:17:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-off-the-final-design-of-kinect-for-windows-v2/1100-6418615/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-s-buy-everything-dlc-costs-50/1100-6418616/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2457817-battlefield+4+naval+strike+-+heli_wm.png" data-ref-id="1300-2457817" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2457817-battlefield+4+naval+strike+-+heli_wm.png" data-ref-id="1300-2457817"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2457817-battlefield+4+naval+strike+-+heli_wm.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're just getting into <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a> today and you don't want to slog through the process of unlocking and upgrading your weapons and classes, DICE has a solution for you.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This week the developer launched an assortment of "shortcut" bundles for the game, including an "Ultimate Shortcut Bundle" that includes every class and weapon upgrade for $50.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This is not a change of form for DICE and publisher Electronic Arts, as various shortcut bundles were also offered for <a href="/battlefield-3/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 3</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Below is a list of every Battlefield 4 shortcut bundle available today. The weapon-specific shortcut kits include all upgrades (but not those included with DLC), while the class-specific bundles contain all upgrades and specializations related to the class.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The bundles are available to purchase from within the Battlefield 4 in-game store on consoles and PC. </p><ul><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 DMR Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Air Vehicle Shortcut Kit - $10</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield Recon Shortcut Kit - $7</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Grenade Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Support Shortcut Kit - $7</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Soldier Shortcut Bundle - $25</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Vehicle Shortcut Bundle - $20</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Ultimate Shortcut Bundle - $50</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Assault Shortcut Kit - $7</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Ground & Sea Vehicle Shortcut Kit - $15</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Handgun Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Engineer Shortcut Kit - $7</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Shotgun Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Carbine Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li>Battlefield 4 Weapon Shortcut Bundle - $15</li></ul><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, 28 Mar 2014 05:11:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-s-buy-everything-dlc-costs-50/1100-6418616/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-has-no-plans-to-release-more-halo-games-on-steam/1100-6418613/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418016" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418016/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/halo-spartan-assault/" data-ref-id="false">Halo: Spartan Assault</a> launches April 4 on PC through Steam, marking the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-franchise-makes-its-debut-on-steam-next-month/1100-6418592/" data-ref-id="1100-6418592">acclaimed franchise's debut on Valve's virtual marketplace</a>, but don't expect more Halo games to follow.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We have no further 'Halo' releases on Steam planned at this time," a Microsoft spokesperson told GameSpot.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft ported <a href="/halo-combat-evolved/" data-ref-id="false">Halo: Combat Evolved</a> and <a href="/halo-2/" data-ref-id="false">Halo 2</a> to the PC, but all subsequent entries in the series have arrived only for consoles.</p><p style="">A new Halo game will launch in 2014, but it's unclear if this is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-new-halo-for-xbox-one-is-legitimate/1100-6410554/" data-ref-id="1100-6410554">343 Industries' "legitimate" Halo title for Xbox One</a> or potentially the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-2-anniversary-on-xbox-one-would-need-fantastic-multiplayer-says-microsoft/1100-6418606/" data-ref-id="1100-6418606"> rumored Halo 2 Anniversary</a>, or maybe even something else.</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, 28 Mar 2014 04:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-has-no-plans-to-release-more-halo-games-on-steam/1100-6418613/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/delayed-battlefield-4-dlc-launching-today-on-xbox-one-pc-players-need-to-wait/1100-6418611/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417810" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417810/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a>'s Naval Strike DLC--which was expected to launch on March 25 but was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-naval-strike-dlc-also-delayed-on-xbox-one/1100-6418550/" data-ref-id="1100-6418550">delayed earlier this week</a>--is rolling out now on Xbox One for Battlefield Premium members. Developer DICE announced the news in a<a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/03/take-the-fight-to-the-sea-with-battlefield-4-naval-strike/?utm_campaign=bf-social-us-socom-tw-social-socom-tw-naval-xone&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&sourceid=bf-social-us-socom-tw-social-socom-tw-naval-xone&cid=20441" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> blog post on the Battlefield Blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">DICE delayed the Naval Strike DLC on Xbox One because it needed extra time to addresses animation system issues. The developer was originally targeting a new release date for early April, so its release today is actually ahead of schedule.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">PC players aren't as fortunate. Naval Strike for PC remains delayed because the combination of the expansion's release and planned updates would "increase performance issues on mid-range to high-end PCs," DICE said in a statement. The developer is working to fix this issue now.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Naval Strike DLC for Battlefield 4 introduces four new multiplayer maps, five new weapons, two gadgets, and a new hovercraft vehicle that can traverse both land and water. It also adds the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-how-battlefield-4-s-homage-to-battlefield-2142-s-titan-mode-will-work/1100-6418169/" data-ref-id="1100-6418169"> Carrier Assault mode</a>, which is an homage to <a href="/battlefield-2142/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 2142</a>'s fan-favorite Titan mode.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can learn more about the Naval Strike DLC in our video preview embedded above.</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, 28 Mar 2014 04:37:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/delayed-battlefield-4-dlc-launching-today-on-xbox-one-pc-players-need-to-wait/1100-6418611/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-matchmaking-tweaks-should-ease-the-frustration-of-a-losing-streak/1100-6418612/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2435942-titanfall+screen+3+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2435942" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2435942-titanfall+screen+3+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2435942"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2435942-titanfall+screen+3+%282%29.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Respawn Entertainment has detailed some of the work it's doing on <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a>'s matchmaking system, and has introduced a new beta playlist for people to experience some of the changes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The new systems have been designed to make it less frustrating for losing teams, and can be accessed now in the "Improved Matchmaking (Beta)" playlist in Titanfall's Classic mode.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What does it do? "Searching for teammates and opponents will now sometimes take more time to look for players that are a good skill level match," <a href="http://www.titanfall.com/news/titanfall-matchmaking-update" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">explains the developer</a>, "rather than purely prioritizing speed over quality. This will give us more time to build better teams and create closer games that are worth staying in for a longer period of time."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The other major change is that the beta matchmaking code will split teams apart after games in order to balance the skill levels. "Rather than playing against the same opponents over and over, the game will periodically split the teams apart and search for new opponents for each team. This means if one team is dominating, we will update the skill for all of the players and then find each team a better suited match for the next round. Did you lose to a really great team? We'll make them disappear and replace them with a new opposing team--and they will have no idea that you just got your butts kicked. This should end some of the frustration with playing for extended periods when you're having an off night."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Earlier this week Respawn Entertainment tweaked the PC version of Titanfall so that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-cheaters-will-be-placed-in-a-pool-with-other-cheaters/1100-6418580/">players caught cheating were only able to play against other cheats</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417583" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417583/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 04:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-matchmaking-tweaks-should-ease-the-frustration-of-a-losing-streak/1100-6418612/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-creator-responds-to-cliff-bleszinski-calling-him-a-pouty-kid/1100-6418609/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417961" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417961/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Following <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/facebook-buys-oculus-rift-company-in-a-massive-deal-worth-an-estimated-2-billion/1100-6418540/" data-ref-id="1100-6418540">Facebook's surprise $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR</a> on Tuesday, <a href="/minecraft/" data-ref-id="false">Minecraft</a> creator Markus "Notch" Persson announced that he had <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-developer-notch-cancels-oculus-vr-version-of-game-after-facebook-acquisition/1100-6418541/" data-ref-id="1100-6418541">canceled a version of Minecraft for Oculus Rift</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But it didn't end there. Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski called Notch a "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/cliff-bleszinski-calls-notch-a-pouty-kid-for-canceling-minecraft-vr/1100-6418579/" data-ref-id="1100-6418579">pouty kid</a>" for canceling the game, and now Notch has responded to the former Epic Games designer's claims</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I'm a man driven by principles, not capitalism, so I guess I'll just have to get used to the occasional name calling," Notch <a href="https://twitter.com/notch/status/449320103348555777" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said in a tweet to Bleszinski last night</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Notch also pointed out that Mojang was working on a free version of Minecraft designed to promote virtual reality, not a fully featured version of the popular sandbox game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Responding to this statement directly, Bleszinski said, "I understand. To be clear, it was the manner in which you pulled the plug that I mentioned, not the act itself." Bleszinski invested in Oculus VR as part of an early round of venture capital funding. He stands to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/cliff-bleszinski-calls-notch-a-pouty-kid-for-canceling-minecraft-vr/1100-6418579/" data-ref-id="1100-6418579">make a lot of money</a> from the acquisition. </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Notch canceled Minecraft VR just hours after the Facebook/Oculus VR deal was announced, saying that the social networking company "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-developer-notch-cancels-oculus-vr-version-of-game-after-facebook-acquisition/1100-6418541/" data-ref-id="1100-6418541">creeps me out</a>." He would later go on to say that Facebook's "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-creator-notch-on-why-he-doesn-t-like-facebook-in-the-wake-of-oculus-buyout/1100-6418547/" data-ref-id="1100-6418547">motives are too unclear and shifting</a>."</p><p style="">Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey says he hopes Notch's pessimism for the Oculus/Facebook deal is the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/some-deals-take-months-but-facebook-completed-its-purchase-of-oculus-vr-in-72-hours/1100-6418566/" data-ref-id="1100-6418566">minority opinion</a> and that<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/some-deals-take-months-but-facebook-completed-its-purchase-of-oculus-vr-in-72-hours/1100-6418566/" data-ref-id="1100-6418566"> he hopes Minecraft can one day be released for Oculus Rift</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 04:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-creator-responds-to-cliff-bleszinski-calling-him-a-pouty-kid/1100-6418609/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-expanding-playstation-now-beta-check-your-inbox-for-an-invite/1100-6418607/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416765" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416765/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony's PlayStation Now cloud-gaming service launches in full this summer, but you might not need to wait that long to try it out. Sony is now sending out a new wave of beta invitations to the service, multiple users who received notifications told<a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/28/fresh-wave-of-playstation-now-beta-invites-arrive?abthid=53354955065d7b3753000003" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> IGN</a> today.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Invitations with instructions on how to enter the PlayStation Now beta are being sent to your email inbox, so if you haven't already checked today, now would be a good time to do so. You can <a href="http://us.playstation.com/playstationnow/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">sign up for a spot in the PlayStation Now beta at Sony's website</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">PlayStation Now is currently undergoing a limited closed beta test before the service launches this summer in the United States. There's no details yet on where Europe will get to play.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Earlier this month, it was suggested that renting individual games through PlayStation Now <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/renting-a-ps3-game-from-playstation-now-could-cost-5-is-that-the-sweet-spot/1100-6418204/" data-ref-id="1100-6418204">could cost $5 or $6</a>, though these figures have not been confirmed. Sony will also offer a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-will-offer-netflix-like-subscription-options/1100-6417035/" data-ref-id="1100-6417035">Netflix-style subscription package</a>, but Sony hasn't said what this will cost.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Though Sony is hot on the prospect of cloud-gaming, not all gaming companies are. Mega-retailer GameStop yesterday <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-doesn-t-think-gamers-are-ready-to-adopt-cloud-gaming-in-a-meaningful-way/1100-6418582/" data-ref-id="1100-6418582">canceled its own in-development cloud-gaming service</a> after the retailer said they believe <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-doesn-t-think-gamers-are-ready-to-adopt-cloud-gaming-in-a-meaningful-way/1100-6418582/" data-ref-id="1100-6418582">gamers are not ready to adopt cloud-gaming in a meaningful way</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on PlayStation Now, check out our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-we-know-about-playstation-now-so-far/1100-6417069/" data-ref-id="1100-6417069">roundup of everything we know about the service</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-expanding-playstation-now-beta-check-your-inbox-for-an-invite/1100-6418607/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-ghosts-teases-predator-dlc/1100-6418608/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490222-predators.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490222" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490222-predators.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490222"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2490222-predators.jpg"></a><figcaption>"omg this lag is bs"</figcaption></figure><p style="">Upcoming DLC for <a href="/call-of-duty-ghosts/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty: Ghosts</a> will let players assume the role of the Predator, a tease from developer Infinity Ward suggests.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The developer <a href="http://instagram.com/p/mDb8yxSp0q/" rel="nofollow">posted a short video on Instagram last night</a>, showing a soldier in a jungle who is assaulted by a cloaked figure complete with the signature audio clicks of the extraterrestrial hunter. Neither Infinity Ward nor Activision has confirmed it yet, but let's be honest: it's a Predator.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The caption for the post also says "if it bleeds," which coincidentally is a famous line from the classic 1987 action movie <em>Predator</em>, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The last DLC pack for Call of Duty: Ghosts, Onslaught, included a map that featured <em>Halloween</em> killer Michael Myers. The game's next DLC pack, Devastation, will be released for Microsoft platforms on April 3.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6415912" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6415912/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-ghosts-teases-predator-dlc/1100-6418608/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-2-anniversary-on-xbox-one-would-need-fantastic-multiplayer-says-microsoft/1100-6418606/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490218-6292609026-41068.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490218" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490218-6292609026-41068.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490218"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2490218-6292609026-41068.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Rumours about <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-responds-to-halo-2-anniversary-rumor-halo-2-is-a-good-game/1100-6417507/" data-ref-id="1100-6417507">the existence of a Halo 2 Anniversary edition</a> refuse to go away. The game is said to be coming out for Xbox One later this year, and now Microsoft exec Phil Spencer has spoken about what he thinks the most important feature of the game--if it exists--would have to be: multiplayer.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In this fictitious world where that game existed," <a href="http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/03/27/xbox-boss-a-halo-2-remake-would-have-to-nail-multiplayer" rel="nofollow">said Spencer in an interview with IGN</a>, "it's an easy answer: it has to be just the multiplayer experience that we all found in that first Halo 2 game."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Halo 2 launched in 2004 and, due to its beloved multiplayer mode, became the poster boy for Microsoft's fledgling Xbox Live service. The multiplayer mode featured map playlists, peer-to-peer matchmaking, and a ranking system, which were all seen as pretty revolutionary at the time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"If you think about what happened in the franchise," continued Spencer, "and what were the hallmark moments--when did duel wielding come in, when did another playable character that wasn't Master Chief come in?"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"All the things that you and I know about the evolution of the franchise, if you're going to say one thing about Halo 2, you're going to talk about real multiplayer. I think you just have to nail that in just such a fundamentally core way. Frankly [we'd have to do it] probably better than we did with <a href="/halo-combat-evolved-anniversary/" data-ref-id="false">Halo 1 Anniversary</a>."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I thought the multiplayer in Halo 1 Anniversary was good, but Halo 1 never had multiplayer in the truest sense, so it always was going to be something different."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"If there were something called Halo 2 Anniversary," says Spencer, "I think the multiplayer would have to be fantastic."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft has told GameSpot that it will publish a new Halo game this year. But will it be Halo 2 Anniversary?</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6346229" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6346229/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-2-anniversary-on-xbox-one-would-need-fantastic-multiplayer-says-microsoft/1100-6418606/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/drunken-cyberpunk-comeuppance-deus-ex-the-fall-gam/2300-6418010/ If you like silenced guns, dialogue trees and being a futuristic jerk, you will like this smattering of gameplay from Deus Ex: The Fall. Thu, 27 Mar 2014 22:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/drunken-cyberpunk-comeuppance-deus-ex-the-fall-gam/2300-6418010/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-tour-offers-a-happy-return-to-mario-golf/1100-6418603/ <p style="">Mario Golf finds itself in a unique position among Nintendo's franchises. The rhythmic way you swing a club so expertly melds mechanical simplicity with strategic complexity that there's no way to improve on your basic interaction. At least, if there is a more interesting approach to digital golfing, I haven't found it. So how could Mario Golf hope to evolve if it's continually trotting out the same basic premise? Well, that's the beauty of this inventive series. Instead of leading to the malaise of repetition, each new entry returns me to a familiar and wonderful place. Mario Golf: World Tour picks up where we last left the Mushroom Kingdom crew, and I couldn't be happier.</p><p style="">Golfing is a perfect fit for a handheld. I spent hours playing <a href="/hot-shots-golf-world-invitational/" data-ref-id="false">Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational</a> on the Vita because it's easy to play a couple of holes during a free moment, yet the game has enough depth that I didn't feel ashamed when those moments turned to hours. Mario Golf: World Tour taps into a similar state of mind. Within seconds of picking up the 3DS, I was transported to the cheery greens, happily pressing once for power, and again for accuracy, and crossing my fingers that my aim was true. Once on the green, I would stare at the lines pointing out the slopes and hope against hope that I could make it to the hole in one glorious stroke. It's so peaceful that I wanted nothing more than to take in a round or two, even though my frequent mistakes could only make me cry in frustration.</p><div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6418033" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418033/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">World Tour splits its time between the reality of our world and the reality that Mario's friends inhabit. There are standard courses that have fairways, bunkers, roughs, and whatever else you would expect to find on a golf course. And then there are courses that have a cartoonish twist on those tried-and-true elements. A well-placed shot off the tee in a Peach-themed course will place your ball on a speed pad, which zips it further down the fairway. Rings of coins form perfect targets in the air, and if you collect enough, there are goodies in the shops to play around with. There are item boxes on the court that can really help in a pinch. Just use a bullet bill to fight against a strong wind, or a mushroom to get an extra burst.</p><p style="">What would a Mario sports game be without the characters we know and love? Mario, Luigi, and Peach join Boo, Walugi, and Bowser Jr., or you could be Diddy Kong if you'd rather play as someone who's not typically part of the Mario universe. If none of those characters strike your fancy, you can use your Mii avatar. In Castle Club mode, you upgrade your Mii as you work your way through the ranks. When you triumph over your competitors, you earn coins, and then you can splurge in the shop to upgrade your abilities. Such a mode could certainly suck up a lot of my time, and it seems like the course design is strong enough to keep me coming back for one more hole.</p><p style="">World Tour is exactly what you'd expect from a new Mario Golf game. And it shows that sometimes it's nice to have an unchanging, predictable franchise to rely on. Digital golfing is like a comfort food, so I'm glad that the core mechanics haven't been tampered with, and there are enough tweaks to the window dressing that I'm excited to explore the many courses and raid the golf shop. It's just a shame we have to wait until May for the final release. Now that I've gotten a taste of four-player, simultaneous golfing, I want to challenge all of my coworkers to a match. If only patience were a virtue that I had.</p> Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:37:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-tour-offers-a-happy-return-to-mario-golf/1100-6418603/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Fri, 28 Mar 2014 07:00:49 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grey-goo-and-the-rise-fall-and-rise-of-the-rts/1100-6418604/ <p style="">What has happened to the real-time strategy genre? <a href="/starcraft-ii-wings-of-liberty/" data-ref-id="false">StarCraft II </a> is huge, obviously, but the heyday of the economy-driven RTS seems behind us, replaced by strategy games that have stripped away base-building systems while focusing on combat. The tactical micromanagement of games like <a href="/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Dawn of War II</a> and <a href="/company-of-heroes-2/" data-ref-id="false">Company of Heroes 2</a> reigns supreme.</p><p style="">Developer Petroglyph, known for real-time strategy games like <a href="/star-wars-empire-at-war/" data-ref-id="false">Star Wars: Empire at War</a> and <a href="/universe-at-war-earth-assault/" data-ref-id="false">Universe at War</a> (they really like war over there), recognizes the gap, and it's ready to fill it with Grey Goo. I recently saw Grey Goo in action, and was immediately excited by it. Three diverse factions that play differently from each other, one of which that's like nothing I've ever seen. A comprehensive approach that harks back to the classics of the genre like <a href="/age-of-empires-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Age of Empires</a> and <a href="/the-command-and-conquer-collection/" data-ref-id="false">Command & Conquer</a>. A sci-fi visual style that reminds me of <a href="/ground-control-ii-operation-exodus/" data-ref-id="false">Ground Control II</a>, one of my favorites strategy games of all time. These elements and more are the forces behind my enthusiasm for a game that could fulfill my need for new, interesting RTSs.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417680" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417680/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Petroglyph doesn't use the words "classic" or "archetypal" to describe its game, preferring instead to use the term "vintage." Petroglyph senior game designer Andrew Zoboki is quick to point out, however, that Grey Goo is not just a blast from the past. "One of the many lessons we learned from our previous games is that players are looking for something new and fun and don't want a clone of some other game is out there with a minor variation," Zoboki says. "They are hungry for a fun experience and we want to give it to them. Grey Goo is that game."</p><p style="">Why does that gap exist in the first place? A decade ago there were countless real-time strategy games on shelves, and the genre dominated PC game sales. Even rebundled classics like Red Alert and Warcraft II were making their way onto armchair strategists' hard drives; players' hunger seemed insatiable. Zoboki has a theory as to why real-time strategy fell out of favor. "The genre's evolution has headed in a direction that made the genre more complex and difficult to play. Many of the mechanics for how an RTS plays and what is needed to differentiate skills are hidden from players or rely on near perfect execution rather than strategy."</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454050-grey_goo__screenshot_05.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454050" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454050-grey_goo__screenshot_05.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454050"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1197/11970954/2454050-grey_goo__screenshot_05.jpg"></a><figcaption>Introducing the Beta. Don't get on their bad side. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Market oversaturation was another factor. "At one point there were roughly 15-plus RTS games coming out in the same year. When you have so many competitive products everyone is looking for a gimmick to get them a piece of the total RTS player pie, and the players themselves get burned out on the genre. Additionally, many other RTS games took the route of making the genre more complex as to stand out from their competition because the market was so saturated. Increased complexity without depth, along with a combination of supply of RTS games being greater than the demand, means you're no longer able to make money, hence driving a lot of the publishers to shy away from the genre."</p><p style="">So back to basics it is. Petroglyph aims to make infrastructure development, economic management, and strategic and tactical combat equally important, while keeping the basic mechanics relatively straightforward. Grey Goo isn't about the speed of your clicks, but about the strength of your strategy.</p><blockquote data-align="right"><p style="">One of the many lessons we learned from our previous games is that players are looking for something new and fun and don't want a clone of some other game is out there with a minor variation.</p><cite>Andrew Zoboki, Senior Game Designer</cite></blockquote><p style="">Petroglyph demonstrated the game to me, but I didn't get to see strategy in action. Rather, they showed me what makes the factions so different from each other. The first I saw in action was the Beta, which attaches enhancement modules to core structures, and can ultimately construct giant customizable superunits that float slowly across the map, bringing vast devastation with them. Another was the Human faction, whose structures reminded me of StarCraft's Protoss race, all clean lines and blue glow. Unlike the Beta, Humans must extend their reach from their central base using a Tetris-like system of structure placement. In the case of both factions, you can place resource-gather structures anywhere within a certain range of a resource node. The closer the building is to the center of the node, the more resources you can gather, a simple tweak to traditional mechanics that's so brilliant, I don't understand why it hasn't appeared earlier.</p><p style="">Then there's the Goo.</p><p style="">As the Goo, you begin as a single blob of nanotechnological soup, separating into smaller blobs that can ultimately morph into combat units. I've never seen anything like the Goo in a strategy game, and my only regret from the time I spent during the faction demonstration was that I didn't get to see what kind of trouble the Goo could create in a full three-faction battle. Zoboki assures me, however, that Grey Goo is rife with strategic possibilities.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454044-grey_goo_beta_tattoo_breakdown.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454044" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454044-grey_goo_beta_tattoo_breakdown.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454044"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2454044-grey_goo_beta_tattoo_breakdown.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">"Each of the races in Grey Goo gives the player a unique set of mechanics with which to solve their common RTS gameplay challenges," says Zoboki. "Each faction doesn't just approach the gameplay aspects of infrastructure development, economic management, and strategic and tactical combat differently but also caters to different play styles. Ranging from a player who likes to build massive fortresses and turtle up to being extremely aggressive and building small bases across the map, there is a faction that will suit every player for their own personal preference. Every faction has racial themes and mechanics that separate them out from each other, from the Tetris like base building mechanics of the humans, to the modularity and customization of the Beta, to the extreme flexibility and mobility of the Goo."</p><p style="">If anyone's up to the task of balancing three disparate factions, it's Petroglyph, whose Universe at War stuck three wildly diverse factions into a single game and somehow made them work together. It's a wonder that we haven't heard much from the developer in recent years; Petroglyph continues to improve its MOBA, Battle for Graxia, but has generally kept a low profile. I asked Zoboki is the lessons the developer learned when making a MOBA could be applied to Grey Goo in any meaningful way. His response was an enthusiastic "yes!"</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454052-grey_goo__screenshot_11.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454052" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454052-grey_goo__screenshot_11.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2454052"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1197/11970954/2454052-grey_goo__screenshot_11.jpg"></a><figcaption>Why must such pretty places be spoiled by violence? Won't someone think of the Goo-children?</figcaption></figure><p style="">"There is a lot that can be learned from the success and failures of MOBAs and the emergence of that genre," says Zoboki. "We have incorporated much of that knowledge into Grey Goo. The most obvious example is in the player interface. The unit and structure build menu that utilizes a similar QWERT command system as is popular in MOBAs. The design for the hotkeys being in that layout was focused around giving the player an immediate hot key solution and easy to remember combinations to build units and structures without having to have a lot of hand movement. By keeping similar key combinations constant through each of the races, the system allows for a player to fall back on what they learned from a previous race when playing a new one."</p><p style="">I've been ready for a game like Grey Goo for a while. As much as I love the most prominent strategy games from recent years, I yearn for that thrill of building bases and sending out scouts into a world that I've never seen before. Thankfully, Grey Goo will let me do that offline, on the Internet, and even in LAN get-togethers (there's another "vintage" option to embrace!). Petroglyph wants their game to be fun for everyone. And since I'm included in that list, I can't help but want to get my hands on Grey Goo as soon as possible--presuming, of course, that the Goo can be washed off when I'm done.</p> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grey-goo-and-the-rise-fall-and-rise-of-the-rts/1100-6418604/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-s-dumbest-game-goat-simulator-channels-dead-island-for-its-epic-launch-trailer/1100-6418619/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417995" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417995/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/goat-simulator/" data-ref-id="false">Goat Simulator</a>, the self-described "world's dumbest game," will be available on April 1, and now developer Coffee Stain Studios has released a launch trailer that channels <a href="/dead-island/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Island</a>. Just like the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/dead-island-cgi-trailer/2300-6299756/" data-ref-id="2300-6299756">chilling Dead Island trailer before it</a>, the Goat Simulator launch trailer moves backwards, beginning with goat lying dead on the ground and then showing how he got there.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Goat Simulator is the latest in goat simulation technology, bringing next-gen goat simulation to you," Coffee Stain Studios writes. "You no longer have to fantasize about being a goat, your dreams have finally come true!" The new trailer has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvWGLcdI8o8" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">over 1.6 million views on YouTube alone</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Goat Simulator <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-s-dumbest-game-goat-simulator-launching-on-april-fools-day-of-course/1100-6418097/" data-ref-id="1100-6418097">officially launches April 1 (that's not an April Fool's joke) </a>and you can <a href="http://goat-simulator.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">preorder the game today through the developer's website for $10</a>. Preordering lets you play three days early, which is today. Goat Simulator will <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/265930/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">also be available on Steam come April 1</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Goat Simulator is a small, broken and stupid game. It was made in a couple of weeks so don't expect a game in the size and scope of GTA with goats," Coffee Stain Studios said. "In fact, you're better off not expecting anything at all actually. To be completely honest, it would be best if you'd spend your $10 on a hula hoop, a pile of bricks, or maybe a real-life goat."</p><p style="">If goats aren't your thing, there's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-guy-just-raised-38-000-to-make-a-video-game-about-being-a-bear/1100-6418495/" data-ref-id="1100-6418495">also a Bear Simulator in development</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 06:33:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-s-dumbest-game-goat-simulator-channels-dead-island-for-its-epic-launch-trailer/1100-6418619/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-epic-games-sold-gears-of-war-to-microsoft/1100-6418618/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2490275-gears.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490275" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2490275-gears.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490275"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2490275-gears.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has explained why the studio <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-buys-gears-of-war-from-epic/1100-6417361/" data-ref-id="1100-6417361">sold the Gears of War franchise</a>, what some believed was the company's crown jewel, to Microsoft. In a new interview, Sweeney simply stated that though the company adores the franchise, it has other plans in mind.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We've gone through a long process of figuring out the games we're going to build at Epic worldwide in the future and we concluded that we weren't going to be building any more Gears of War," Sweeney told <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/26/5542822/the-future-of-games-epic-games-tim-sweeney-fortnite-unreal-tournament" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Polygon</a>. "As much as we love the game, we're heading in a new direction."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The core Gears values are really tied to being big event-based, single-player console games with awesome cover mechanics and other things that really didn't translate into the future approach we were taking with online games, and competitive and cooperative multiplayer," he added. "Because we weren't planning on building any more Gears games we were just going to let that sit on the shelf for a decade or more, in case it had any future value to us."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sweeney went on to say that it's better for Gears of War to be in the hands of Microsoft than to be sitting unused on the shelf at Epic Games. "We weren't going to build it and we realized the world wanted more Gears of War," he said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Terms of Microsoft's acquisition of the Gears of War franchise were not disclosed <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-buys-gears-of-war-from-epic/1100-6417361/" data-ref-id="1100-6417361">when the deal was announced in January</a>. The Microsoft-owned Black Tusk Studios is currently working on a new entry in the series, presumably for Xbox One, with veteran Gears of War designer Rod Fergusson attached to the title as its producer. The Gears of War series has sold over 22 million copies to date, driving more than $1 billion in lifetime revenue.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As for the future of Epic Games now that Gears of War is in its past, the studio is currently working on PC-exclusive <a href="/fortnite/" data-ref-id="false">Fortnite</a> (powered by Unreal Engine 4) as well as unannounced projects. Sweeney said more than 90 developers at Epic Games are working on Fortnite right now.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Finally, Sweeney said you should expect a change of focus for Epic Games that more closely resembles the way in which <a href="/dota-2/" data-ref-id="false">DOTA 2 </a>developer Valve and <a href="/league-of-legends/" data-ref-id="false">League of Legends</a> creator Riot Games approach gaming.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We're looking at the future of gaming from kind of a Valve or Riot point of view," Sweeney said. "[Which is] making your games really accessible, being fair to customers and giving them a great value with a game that can be played for hundreds or thousands of hours."</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, 28 Mar 2014 06:14:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-epic-games-sold-gears-of-war-to-microsoft/1100-6418618/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rumor-dragon-age-inquisition-has-40-endings-five-major-regions/1100-6418617/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/6/9/8/4/2236984-718650_20130831_010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2236984" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/6/9/8/4/2236984-718650_20130831_010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2236984"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/mig/6/9/8/4/2236984-718650_20130831_010.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">BioWare's upcoming role-playing game <a href="/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a> will have 40 possible endings to unlock and five major regions to explore, according to a new report. A <a href="http://forum.bioware.com/topic/497878-official-xbox-magazine-dragon-age-inquisition-preview/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">BioWare forum user</a> has obtained the latest issue of <em>Official Xbox Magazine</em> ahead of schedule which reportedly contains numerous details about the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The five main Dragon Age: Inquisition regions reportedly are Fereldan, The Free Marches, Orlais, Nevarra, and the Dales. BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah supposedly said that players will also visit a location known as the Emerald Graves, where the Dalish Elves planted one tree for every soldier killed in the Exalted Marches.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The tipster also revealed other details about Dragon Age: Inquisition like that you'll be able to affect the environment to influence local settlements, establish trade routes, capture territory, and disrupt the local ecosystem. In addition, the report claims that if you defeat intelligent enemies like bandits or dragons, this will have a "significant effect" on a given region.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Details reportedly pulled from the <em>Official Xbox Magazine</em> preview also include information about new companion characters; namely, there will not be any DLC party members. Creative director Mike Laidlaw supposedly said that because of how "deeply enmeshed" these characters are to Dragon Age: Inquisition, "we can't just add them on the fly."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Other reportedly confirmed companions include The Iron Bull (a one-eyed mercenary and outcast from the Qunari faith) and Sera, described as an "elven archer."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The report also sheds some light on Dragon Age: Inquisition's dialogue system. Writer David Gaider reportedly said that the game will feature three separate dialogue wheels that players will use to engage in conversation. These are the "tone wheel," the "choice wheel," and the "reaction wheel."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Finally, the <em>Official Xbox Magazine</em> preview reportedly states that Dragon Age: Inquisition will feature 40 possible endings, which depend not only on your choices made during character creation, but also actions taken throughout the storyline. Darrah reportedly said these endings will be "meaningfully different" from one another, and not simply 40 endings with only "slight degrees of variation."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">We have not seen the issue of <em>Official Xbox Magazine</em> in question, so for now, do take this news with grain of salt. Dragon Age: Inquisition launches this fall for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417542" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417542/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 05:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rumor-dragon-age-inquisition-has-40-endings-five-major-regions/1100-6418617/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-off-the-final-design-of-kinect-for-windows-v2/1100-6418615/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490252-8205821199-0574..jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490252" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490252-8205821199-0574..jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490252"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2490252-8205821199-0574..jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Microsoft has shown off the final design of its version of the Xbox One Kinect sensor that will function on Windows PCs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Unsurprisingly, it is virtually identical to its console brother--the insides are the same, and two small aesthetic tweaks have seen the Xbox symbol replaced with a power indicator and a Kinect label added to the top.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490253-6684432166-2766..jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490253" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490253-6684432166-2766..jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490253"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2490253-6684432166-2766..jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The device also comes with its own hub and power supply, with the former connecting together the sensor, USB 3.0 output, and power.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft is still yet to formally announced the price and release date of the Kinect for Windows V2, but said "we getting closer and closer to launch" <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/kinectforwindows/archive/2014/03/27/revealing-kinect-for-windows-v2-hardware.aspx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">in a blog post</a>. The company has previously said the device will launch before summer 2014.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6412013" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6412013/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 05:17:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-off-the-final-design-of-kinect-for-windows-v2/1100-6418615/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-s-buy-everything-dlc-costs-50/1100-6418616/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2457817-battlefield+4+naval+strike+-+heli_wm.png" data-ref-id="1300-2457817" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2457817-battlefield+4+naval+strike+-+heli_wm.png" data-ref-id="1300-2457817"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2457817-battlefield+4+naval+strike+-+heli_wm.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're just getting into <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a> today and you don't want to slog through the process of unlocking and upgrading your weapons and classes, DICE has a solution for you.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This week the developer launched an assortment of "shortcut" bundles for the game, including an "Ultimate Shortcut Bundle" that includes every class and weapon upgrade for $50.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This is not a change of form for DICE and publisher Electronic Arts, as various shortcut bundles were also offered for <a href="/battlefield-3/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 3</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Below is a list of every Battlefield 4 shortcut bundle available today. The weapon-specific shortcut kits include all upgrades (but not those included with DLC), while the class-specific bundles contain all upgrades and specializations related to the class.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The bundles are available to purchase from within the Battlefield 4 in-game store on consoles and PC. </p><ul><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 DMR Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Air Vehicle Shortcut Kit - $10</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield Recon Shortcut Kit - $7</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Grenade Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Support Shortcut Kit - $7</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Soldier Shortcut Bundle - $25</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Vehicle Shortcut Bundle - $20</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Ultimate Shortcut Bundle - $50</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Assault Shortcut Kit - $7</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Ground & Sea Vehicle Shortcut Kit - $15</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Handgun Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Engineer Shortcut Kit - $7</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Shotgun Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li dir="ltr">Battlefield 4 Carbine Shortcut Kit - $5</li><li>Battlefield 4 Weapon Shortcut Bundle - $15</li></ul><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, 28 Mar 2014 05:11:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-s-buy-everything-dlc-costs-50/1100-6418616/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-has-no-plans-to-release-more-halo-games-on-steam/1100-6418613/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418016" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418016/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/halo-spartan-assault/" data-ref-id="false">Halo: Spartan Assault</a> launches April 4 on PC through Steam, marking the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-franchise-makes-its-debut-on-steam-next-month/1100-6418592/" data-ref-id="1100-6418592">acclaimed franchise's debut on Valve's virtual marketplace</a>, but don't expect more Halo games to follow.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We have no further 'Halo' releases on Steam planned at this time," a Microsoft spokesperson told GameSpot.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft ported <a href="/halo-combat-evolved/" data-ref-id="false">Halo: Combat Evolved</a> and <a href="/halo-2/" data-ref-id="false">Halo 2</a> to the PC, but all subsequent entries in the series have arrived only for consoles.</p><p style="">A new Halo game will launch in 2014, but it's unclear if this is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-new-halo-for-xbox-one-is-legitimate/1100-6410554/" data-ref-id="1100-6410554">343 Industries' "legitimate" Halo title for Xbox One</a> or potentially the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-2-anniversary-on-xbox-one-would-need-fantastic-multiplayer-says-microsoft/1100-6418606/" data-ref-id="1100-6418606"> rumored Halo 2 Anniversary</a>, or maybe even something else.</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, 28 Mar 2014 04:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-has-no-plans-to-release-more-halo-games-on-steam/1100-6418613/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/delayed-battlefield-4-dlc-launching-today-on-xbox-one-pc-players-need-to-wait/1100-6418611/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417810" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417810/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a>'s Naval Strike DLC--which was expected to launch on March 25 but was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-naval-strike-dlc-also-delayed-on-xbox-one/1100-6418550/" data-ref-id="1100-6418550">delayed earlier this week</a>--is rolling out now on Xbox One for Battlefield Premium members. Developer DICE announced the news in a<a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/03/take-the-fight-to-the-sea-with-battlefield-4-naval-strike/?utm_campaign=bf-social-us-socom-tw-social-socom-tw-naval-xone&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&sourceid=bf-social-us-socom-tw-social-socom-tw-naval-xone&cid=20441" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> blog post on the Battlefield Blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">DICE delayed the Naval Strike DLC on Xbox One because it needed extra time to addresses animation system issues. The developer was originally targeting a new release date for early April, so its release today is actually ahead of schedule.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">PC players aren't as fortunate. Naval Strike for PC remains delayed because the combination of the expansion's release and planned updates would "increase performance issues on mid-range to high-end PCs," DICE said in a statement. The developer is working to fix this issue now.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Naval Strike DLC for Battlefield 4 introduces four new multiplayer maps, five new weapons, two gadgets, and a new hovercraft vehicle that can traverse both land and water. It also adds the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-how-battlefield-4-s-homage-to-battlefield-2142-s-titan-mode-will-work/1100-6418169/" data-ref-id="1100-6418169"> Carrier Assault mode</a>, which is an homage to <a href="/battlefield-2142/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 2142</a>'s fan-favorite Titan mode.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can learn more about the Naval Strike DLC in our video preview embedded above.</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, 28 Mar 2014 04:37:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/delayed-battlefield-4-dlc-launching-today-on-xbox-one-pc-players-need-to-wait/1100-6418611/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-matchmaking-tweaks-should-ease-the-frustration-of-a-losing-streak/1100-6418612/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2435942-titanfall+screen+3+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2435942" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2435942-titanfall+screen+3+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2435942"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1197/11970954/2435942-titanfall+screen+3+%282%29.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Respawn Entertainment has detailed some of the work it's doing on <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a>'s matchmaking system, and has introduced a new beta playlist for people to experience some of the changes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The new systems have been designed to make it less frustrating for losing teams, and can be accessed now in the "Improved Matchmaking (Beta)" playlist in Titanfall's Classic mode.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What does it do? "Searching for teammates and opponents will now sometimes take more time to look for players that are a good skill level match," <a href="http://www.titanfall.com/news/titanfall-matchmaking-update" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">explains the developer</a>, "rather than purely prioritizing speed over quality. This will give us more time to build better teams and create closer games that are worth staying in for a longer period of time."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The other major change is that the beta matchmaking code will split teams apart after games in order to balance the skill levels. "Rather than playing against the same opponents over and over, the game will periodically split the teams apart and search for new opponents for each team. This means if one team is dominating, we will update the skill for all of the players and then find each team a better suited match for the next round. Did you lose to a really great team? We'll make them disappear and replace them with a new opposing team--and they will have no idea that you just got your butts kicked. This should end some of the frustration with playing for extended periods when you're having an off night."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Earlier this week Respawn Entertainment tweaked the PC version of Titanfall so that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-cheaters-will-be-placed-in-a-pool-with-other-cheaters/1100-6418580/">players caught cheating were only able to play against other cheats</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417583" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417583/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 04:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-matchmaking-tweaks-should-ease-the-frustration-of-a-losing-streak/1100-6418612/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-creator-responds-to-cliff-bleszinski-calling-him-a-pouty-kid/1100-6418609/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417961" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417961/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Following <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/facebook-buys-oculus-rift-company-in-a-massive-deal-worth-an-estimated-2-billion/1100-6418540/" data-ref-id="1100-6418540">Facebook's surprise $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR</a> on Tuesday, <a href="/minecraft/" data-ref-id="false">Minecraft</a> creator Markus "Notch" Persson announced that he had <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-developer-notch-cancels-oculus-vr-version-of-game-after-facebook-acquisition/1100-6418541/" data-ref-id="1100-6418541">canceled a version of Minecraft for Oculus Rift</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But it didn't end there. Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski called Notch a "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/cliff-bleszinski-calls-notch-a-pouty-kid-for-canceling-minecraft-vr/1100-6418579/" data-ref-id="1100-6418579">pouty kid</a>" for canceling the game, and now Notch has responded to the former Epic Games designer's claims</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I'm a man driven by principles, not capitalism, so I guess I'll just have to get used to the occasional name calling," Notch <a href="https://twitter.com/notch/status/449320103348555777" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said in a tweet to Bleszinski last night</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Notch also pointed out that Mojang was working on a free version of Minecraft designed to promote virtual reality, not a fully featured version of the popular sandbox game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Responding to this statement directly, Bleszinski said, "I understand. To be clear, it was the manner in which you pulled the plug that I mentioned, not the act itself." Bleszinski invested in Oculus VR as part of an early round of venture capital funding. He stands to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/cliff-bleszinski-calls-notch-a-pouty-kid-for-canceling-minecraft-vr/1100-6418579/" data-ref-id="1100-6418579">make a lot of money</a> from the acquisition. </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Notch canceled Minecraft VR just hours after the Facebook/Oculus VR deal was announced, saying that the social networking company "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-developer-notch-cancels-oculus-vr-version-of-game-after-facebook-acquisition/1100-6418541/" data-ref-id="1100-6418541">creeps me out</a>." He would later go on to say that Facebook's "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-creator-notch-on-why-he-doesn-t-like-facebook-in-the-wake-of-oculus-buyout/1100-6418547/" data-ref-id="1100-6418547">motives are too unclear and shifting</a>."</p><p style="">Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey says he hopes Notch's pessimism for the Oculus/Facebook deal is the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/some-deals-take-months-but-facebook-completed-its-purchase-of-oculus-vr-in-72-hours/1100-6418566/" data-ref-id="1100-6418566">minority opinion</a> and that<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/some-deals-take-months-but-facebook-completed-its-purchase-of-oculus-vr-in-72-hours/1100-6418566/" data-ref-id="1100-6418566"> he hopes Minecraft can one day be released for Oculus Rift</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 04:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-creator-responds-to-cliff-bleszinski-calling-him-a-pouty-kid/1100-6418609/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-expanding-playstation-now-beta-check-your-inbox-for-an-invite/1100-6418607/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416765" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416765/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony's PlayStation Now cloud-gaming service launches in full this summer, but you might not need to wait that long to try it out. Sony is now sending out a new wave of beta invitations to the service, multiple users who received notifications told<a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/28/fresh-wave-of-playstation-now-beta-invites-arrive?abthid=53354955065d7b3753000003" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> IGN</a> today.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Invitations with instructions on how to enter the PlayStation Now beta are being sent to your email inbox, so if you haven't already checked today, now would be a good time to do so. You can <a href="http://us.playstation.com/playstationnow/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">sign up for a spot in the PlayStation Now beta at Sony's website</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">PlayStation Now is currently undergoing a limited closed beta test before the service launches this summer in the United States. There's no details yet on where Europe will get to play.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Earlier this month, it was suggested that renting individual games through PlayStation Now <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/renting-a-ps3-game-from-playstation-now-could-cost-5-is-that-the-sweet-spot/1100-6418204/" data-ref-id="1100-6418204">could cost $5 or $6</a>, though these figures have not been confirmed. Sony will also offer a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-will-offer-netflix-like-subscription-options/1100-6417035/" data-ref-id="1100-6417035">Netflix-style subscription package</a>, but Sony hasn't said what this will cost.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Though Sony is hot on the prospect of cloud-gaming, not all gaming companies are. Mega-retailer GameStop yesterday <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-doesn-t-think-gamers-are-ready-to-adopt-cloud-gaming-in-a-meaningful-way/1100-6418582/" data-ref-id="1100-6418582">canceled its own in-development cloud-gaming service</a> after the retailer said they believe <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-doesn-t-think-gamers-are-ready-to-adopt-cloud-gaming-in-a-meaningful-way/1100-6418582/" data-ref-id="1100-6418582">gamers are not ready to adopt cloud-gaming in a meaningful way</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on PlayStation Now, check out our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-we-know-about-playstation-now-so-far/1100-6417069/" data-ref-id="1100-6417069">roundup of everything we know about the service</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-expanding-playstation-now-beta-check-your-inbox-for-an-invite/1100-6418607/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-ghosts-teases-predator-dlc/1100-6418608/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490222-predators.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490222" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490222-predators.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490222"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2490222-predators.jpg"></a><figcaption>"omg this lag is bs"</figcaption></figure><p style="">Upcoming DLC for <a href="/call-of-duty-ghosts/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty: Ghosts</a> will let players assume the role of the Predator, a tease from developer Infinity Ward suggests.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The developer <a href="http://instagram.com/p/mDb8yxSp0q/" rel="nofollow">posted a short video on Instagram last night</a>, showing a soldier in a jungle who is assaulted by a cloaked figure complete with the signature audio clicks of the extraterrestrial hunter. Neither Infinity Ward nor Activision has confirmed it yet, but let's be honest: it's a Predator.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The caption for the post also says "if it bleeds," which coincidentally is a famous line from the classic 1987 action movie <em>Predator</em>, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The last DLC pack for Call of Duty: Ghosts, Onslaught, included a map that featured <em>Halloween</em> killer Michael Myers. The game's next DLC pack, Devastation, will be released for Microsoft platforms on April 3.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6415912" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6415912/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-ghosts-teases-predator-dlc/1100-6418608/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-2-anniversary-on-xbox-one-would-need-fantastic-multiplayer-says-microsoft/1100-6418606/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490218-6292609026-41068.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490218" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2490218-6292609026-41068.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2490218"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1493/14930800/2490218-6292609026-41068.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Rumours about <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-responds-to-halo-2-anniversary-rumor-halo-2-is-a-good-game/1100-6417507/" data-ref-id="1100-6417507">the existence of a Halo 2 Anniversary edition</a> refuse to go away. The game is said to be coming out for Xbox One later this year, and now Microsoft exec Phil Spencer has spoken about what he thinks the most important feature of the game--if it exists--would have to be: multiplayer.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In this fictitious world where that game existed," <a href="http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/03/27/xbox-boss-a-halo-2-remake-would-have-to-nail-multiplayer" rel="nofollow">said Spencer in an interview with IGN</a>, "it's an easy answer: it has to be just the multiplayer experience that we all found in that first Halo 2 game."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Halo 2 launched in 2004 and, due to its beloved multiplayer mode, became the poster boy for Microsoft's fledgling Xbox Live service. The multiplayer mode featured map playlists, peer-to-peer matchmaking, and a ranking system, which were all seen as pretty revolutionary at the time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"If you think about what happened in the franchise," continued Spencer, "and what were the hallmark moments--when did duel wielding come in, when did another playable character that wasn't Master Chief come in?"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"All the things that you and I know about the evolution of the franchise, if you're going to say one thing about Halo 2, you're going to talk about real multiplayer. I think you just have to nail that in just such a fundamentally core way. Frankly [we'd have to do it] probably better than we did with <a href="/halo-combat-evolved-anniversary/" data-ref-id="false">Halo 1 Anniversary</a>."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I thought the multiplayer in Halo 1 Anniversary was good, but Halo 1 never had multiplayer in the truest sense, so it always was going to be something different."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"If there were something called Halo 2 Anniversary," says Spencer, "I think the multiplayer would have to be fantastic."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft has told GameSpot that it will publish a new Halo game this year. But will it be Halo 2 Anniversary?</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6346229" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6346229/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-2-anniversary-on-xbox-one-would-need-fantastic-multiplayer-says-microsoft/1100-6418606/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/drunken-cyberpunk-comeuppance-deus-ex-the-fall-gam/2300-6418010/ If you like silenced guns, dialogue trees and being a futuristic jerk, you will like this smattering of gameplay from Deus Ex: The Fall. Thu, 27 Mar 2014 22:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/drunken-cyberpunk-comeuppance-deus-ex-the-fall-gam/2300-6418010/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-tour-offers-a-happy-return-to-mario-golf/1100-6418603/ <p style="">Mario Golf finds itself in a unique position among Nintendo's franchises. The rhythmic way you swing a club so expertly melds mechanical simplicity with strategic complexity that there's no way to improve on your basic interaction. At least, if there is a more interesting approach to digital golfing, I haven't found it. So how could Mario Golf hope to evolve if it's continually trotting out the same basic premise? Well, that's the beauty of this inventive series. Instead of leading to the malaise of repetition, each new entry returns me to a familiar and wonderful place. Mario Golf: World Tour picks up where we last left the Mushroom Kingdom crew, and I couldn't be happier.</p><p style="">Golfing is a perfect fit for a handheld. I spent hours playing <a href="/hot-shots-golf-world-invitational/" data-ref-id="false">Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational</a> on the Vita because it's easy to play a couple of holes during a free moment, yet the game has enough depth that I didn't feel ashamed when those moments turned to hours. Mario Golf: World Tour taps into a similar state of mind. Within seconds of picking up the 3DS, I was transported to the cheery greens, happily pressing once for power, and again for accuracy, and crossing my fingers that my aim was true. Once on the green, I would stare at the lines pointing out the slopes and hope against hope that I could make it to the hole in one glorious stroke. It's so peaceful that I wanted nothing more than to take in a round or two, even though my frequent mistakes could only make me cry in frustration.</p><div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6418033" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418033/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">World Tour splits its time between the reality of our world and the reality that Mario's friends inhabit. There are standard courses that have fairways, bunkers, roughs, and whatever else you would expect to find on a golf course. And then there are courses that have a cartoonish twist on those tried-and-true elements. A well-placed shot off the tee in a Peach-themed course will place your ball on a speed pad, which zips it further down the fairway. Rings of coins form perfect targets in the air, and if you collect enough, there are goodies in the shops to play around with. There are item boxes on the court that can really help in a pinch. Just use a bullet bill to fight against a strong wind, or a mushroom to get an extra burst.</p><p style="">What would a Mario sports game be without the characters we know and love? Mario, Luigi, and Peach join Boo, Walugi, and Bowser Jr., or you could be Diddy Kong if you'd rather play as someone who's not typically part of the Mario universe. If none of those characters strike your fancy, you can use your Mii avatar. In Castle Club mode, you upgrade your Mii as you work your way through the ranks. When you triumph over your competitors, you earn coins, and then you can splurge in the shop to upgrade your abilities. Such a mode could certainly suck up a lot of my time, and it seems like the course design is strong enough to keep me coming back for one more hole.</p><p style="">World Tour is exactly what you'd expect from a new Mario Golf game. And it shows that sometimes it's nice to have an unchanging, predictable franchise to rely on. Digital golfing is like a comfort food, so I'm glad that the core mechanics haven't been tampered with, and there are enough tweaks to the window dressing that I'm excited to explore the many courses and raid the golf shop. It's just a shame we have to wait until May for the final release. Now that I've gotten a taste of four-player, simultaneous golfing, I want to challenge all of my coworkers to a match. If only patience were a virtue that I had.</p> Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:37:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-tour-offers-a-happy-return-to-mario-golf/1100-6418603/
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