http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Fri, 04 Apr 2014 07:03:57 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-and-the-terrifying-power-of-smartphones/1100-6418761/ <p style="">At one point in the development of Watch Dogs, a problem surfaced during the game's performance capture process. It had nothing to do with the elaborate array of cameras Ubisoft had rigged up in its Montreal capture stage, nor did it involve the computers used to turn those acting performances into in-game character animations. No, this problem was of a <i>slightly</i> less technical nature.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">There were no pockets on the actors' suits.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. But that day the Watch Dogs cinematics team was shooting a scene that required the game's main character, Aiden Pearce, to reach into his pocket and pull out a smartphone. Pearce is an urban vigilante with a mastery of electronics bordering on terrifying, so even an ordinary movement such as this had to be executed with careful gravitas.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">And so the crew had to think of a solution. Could they sew in pockets? Nope. The spandex unitards actors wear on these shoots are adorned with hundreds of tiny sensors designed to register movements large and small, but only so long as the cameras can see them. Velcro? Too awkward. A belt holster? Maybe if Aiden were a middle-aged real estate agent.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Then it came to them: magnets.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2496963-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_03.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2496963" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2496963-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_03.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2496963"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/642/6422750/2496963-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_03.jpg"></a><figcaption>Aiden Pearce totally not checking his Twitter mentions.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The team would fashion a small plate and attach it to the suit of lead actor Noam Jenkins. On the plate would be a magnet strong enough to keep the prop phone attached, but weak enough for it to be detached with a gentle upward slide. A bit like pulling a phone from one's pocket.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"It was the stupidest little thing," recalls cinematics lead Lars Bonde. "But those are the small details that make the game feel so much more real."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">In most games, a detail like this would be considered trivial. But there's nothing trivial about the smartphone in Watch Dogs. As a hacker capable of wirelessly tapping into Chicago's city-wide surveillance system, your phone is your primary tool for interacting with the gameworld. Beyond that, it's also a thematic focal point in a story revolving around instant access to information and the ways that power can be abused. Smartphones and their place in modern society are concepts that sit squarely at the heart of Watch Dogs.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">And yet, that wasn't always the case. In 2009, a team at Ubisoft Montreal was assembled to create a new open-world franchise. With <a href="/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed</a> covering the historical settings and <a href="/far-cry-3/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry</a> taking care of the rugged outdoors, this early team elected to focus on the modern urban landscape.</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p style="">Smartphones and their place in modern society are concepts that sit squarely at the heart of Watch Dogs.</p></blockquote><p style="">"The only mandate we had was to work on an open-city game," says creative director Jonathan Morin. "So one of the big things for us was reflecting on the urban life of today."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We chatted a lot about ideas for the game, and the one subject that kept coming up was the impact of technology on our daily lives. Back then, smartphones were somewhere in between pop culture and geekness. My family didn't know what they were. They were just emerging, but it was obvious they would become something big."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Morin and his team didn't know how big smartphones would become, but they had a sneaking suspicion this was a technology whose impact would only grow stronger over time. That sounds like a safe assumption now, but remember that in 2009, BlackBerry still held the majority of the smartphone market share. Apple's stock price began the year at a whopping $450 less than where it sits today. A lot has changed since then.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">In pondering the effects of smartphones, the Watch Dogs team became fascinated with the ways in which privacy would be affected by our increasingly connected world.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"It's very rare when you start a project and you have this canvas of possibilities," says Morin. "Facebook, social media, privacy--it was so easy to go into hour-long discussions about those subjects. That fascination early in the project became a weapon for me to [go to management] and say, 'Let's do something where fun can collide with thinking.'"</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2449259-watch_dogs_being_hacked.png" data-ref-id="1300-2449259" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2449259-watch_dogs_being_hacked.png" data-ref-id="1300-2449259"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/536/5360430/2449259-watch_dogs_being_hacked.png"></a><figcaption>You're not always the one doing the hacking.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">Given the focus on privacy, it was only natural that Morin and his team looked toward Chicago as the game's setting. With its vast network of surveillance cameras, Chicago is the most-watched city in North America. Last October, <a href="http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/10/16/4817988/watch-dogs-invasion" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Polygon published an excellent report</a> on the Windy City's surveillance network and pegged the number of cameras accessible by the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications at "as many as 24,000." This includes cameras installed by the Chicago Police Department as well as security cameras in private buildings where the owners have voluntarily granted surveilance access to the city.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">This surveillance infrastructure became the inspiration for the central operating system that powers Watch Dogs' version of Chicago. Dubbed ctOS, this operating system extends far beyond cameras; it controls everything from traffic lights to steam vents. As Aiden Pearce, you're able to cruise through Chicago hacking objects on the fly, triggering massive pileups at intersections to flee from the police or tapping into the system's crime prediction mechanism to stop crimes before they even happen.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The original idea for this was a lot more abstract. One of Morin's earliest presentations to Ubisoft management conveyed this structure through a single image: a finger hovering above a red object accompanied by the phrase "Control an entire city through the press of a button."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Morin knew what type of scope he wanted to build for the game, but was less certain about what exactly the game's main character would <i>do</i> with that level of access. So the team spent time working on who this character was, what his ambitions were, and how far he was willing to sidestep ethical boundaries to get there.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-embed-type="comparison" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497014-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_01.jpg,http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497015-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497014,1300-2497015" data-size="large" data-resize-urls="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/642/6422750/2497014-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_01.jpg,http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/642/6422750/2497015-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_02.jpg" data-resized="" data-resize-url=""><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497014-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_01.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497014" ><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/642/6422750/2497014-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_01.jpg"></a><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497015-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497015" ><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/642/6422750/2497015-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_02.jpg"></a><figcaption>Drag the slider above to compare two early concepts for the smartphone interface.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">"When we started to talk about the game, we asked, 'What should he do while he's at his safe house?'" says Morin. And it's here that he takes on a wry smile: "Well, he should be monitoring <i>everyone</i>. He should know about <i>everybody</i>."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"The fantasy has always been, what if you can access everything? What if you were the invisible man in the room?"</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">This focus on surveillance soon came together with that initial fascination around smartphones to form the game's profiling system. This mechanic allows you to tap into the city's repository of personal records and surveillance data to form a quick impression of every single pedestrian in the city. Details like profession, salary, and Web browsing habits flash across the screen as you pass strangers on the sidewalk. Find someone especially interesting, and the game will often let you learn more about that person by listening in on phone calls and remotely hacking his or her text message logs. And it's all done thanks to Aiden's smartphone.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We wanted to give that sense you get when you sit on a bus and overhear people talking about whatever," says lead story designer Kevin Shortt. "Snippets of conversations. You just hear enough to go, wow that's a fucked up relationship. And off you go."</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="right"><p style="">The fantasy has always been, what if you can access everything? What if you were the invisible man in the room?</p><p style=""><cite>Creative director Jonathan Morin</cite></p></blockquote><p style=""> </p><p style="">"Sometimes you get rewards, or you get opportunities for a mission. But a lot of times you're just getting a snapshot of that person and filling in the blanks."</p><p style="">Profiling is a gameplay system aimed at breathing life into the city of Chicago, tapping into the idea that we're all carrying devices with a wealth of personal information, and anyone with enough technical know-how can come along and read our life's story if they're so inclined.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Unsurprisingly, building a city's worth of cell phone owners was no easy task. It began, as so many projects do, with good old-fashioned research.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We have a cafeteria in the building that overlooks an intersection," says Bonde as he describes Ubisoft's Montreal office. "This is the artistic area of Montreal, so you have a lot of foot traffic going to cafes and all that. So we just looked at people. How do they come to a stop at a red light? Do they bring out their phone while waiting? Do they cross while talking? It's observe and learn."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Other members of the team would watch people riding the Montreal subway on their commute into work. How did they carry on phone conversations while in public? How many of them were playing games? What were the chances one of those games <i>wasn't</i> Angry Birds?</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"You start looking at people and their phones all the time when you work on Watch Dogs," jokes Morin. "You start becoming as weird as Aiden."</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497108-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497108" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497108-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497108"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/642/6422750/2497108-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_02.jpg"></a><figcaption>Who needs an umbrella when you've got technology?</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Another challenge lay on the writing side. Watch Dogs' profiling system dynamically provides character stubs for non-player characters, but somebody's got to write those stubs.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We had to create a lot of content," recalls Shortt. "<i>A lot</i>. If the fantasy is I can hack into your phone and read your text message, we've got to pay that off. If you see that text message once, you can't see it twice."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">But for as challenging as writing that content was, Shortt believes the payoff has been worth it. Even if it shows up in surprising ways.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"I was in combat one time and I had my profiler on," says Shortt. "These guys were trying to kill me, and I was trying to kill them. Then this one guy comes around the corner, and his profile tells me he's a newlywed. And I'm like, awww... Blam! [Laughs] And that's what our goal always was. Let's take these NPCs and make them characters."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Even with these systems in place, Watch Dogs is still very much an action game. There are guns to fire, cars to drive, and a city's worth of criminals and heavily armed security guards to deal with. And throughout all this, hacking remains a constant theme.</p><p style="">Everywhere you go, you'll find a context-sensitive white outline drawing your attention to objects you can hack. If you're in a police chase, you might hack a drawbridge just as you pass over it in order to lose the cops on your tail. If you're sneaking into a ctOS facility, you might hack a window washer to elevate you up to a second-floor window before accessing the security camera network to get a feel for the guards' patrol routes.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2405345-watch_dogs_aiden_pearce_steampipe_hack.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2405345" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2405345-watch_dogs_aiden_pearce_steampipe_hack.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2405345"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/536/5360430/2405345-watch_dogs_aiden_pearce_steampipe_hack.jpg"></a><figcaption>Hello? Yes, this is Watch Dogs.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">The Watch Dogs team worked hard to maintain believability within the ctOS fiction, consulting with Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab to ensure that none of the various hacks were too extravagant. But the one area where the team will admit it took creative liberties is the speed with which these hacks are done. Nearly everything in the game can be hacked with a single, instantaneous press of a button.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">But therein lay the challenge: how do you provide the player with quick hacking opportunities while giving substance to the gameplay? To lead designer Danny Belanger, it's all about building a complex web of interlocking gameplay systems so that no one hack is an immediate victory over the AI. Instead, as Belanger sees them, these hacks are the initial flick of a finger in a line of dominoes.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"The core for us is having a simple way to connect and interact with the world," says Belanger. "But by doing that, it has to be useful and not feel like a win button. It's a window of opportunity. It's a win against one guy, but the other AI might become aggressive and start searching, and that puts you in even more danger. And then you chain the other hacks to distract them. So it's all about risk-reward and giving people windows."</p><blockquote data-align="right" data-size="medium"><p style="">You start looking at people and their phones all the time when you work on Watch Dogs. You start becoming as weird as Aiden.</p><cite>Cinematics lead Lars Bonde</cite></blockquote><p style=""> </p><p style="">This puts a lot of pressure on the AI. The guards and criminals Aiden deals with need to know what's a coincidence and what's just plain fishy. A steam vent malfunctioning and scalding a guard is one thing. A steam vent malfunction followed by a car alarm and then a citywide blackout is something completely different.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"If the player doesn't respect our AI, he won't take the time to use stealth or hacking," says Belanger. "Maybe he's played a lot of shooters and says, 'I'll just shoot everything.' And if he succeeds all the time, why would he change? Why would he try hacking? We want him to have a certain fear of the AI."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">That means designing an AI system that's both aggressive and a little bit unpredictable. These are not common events that Aiden is using his phone to trigger, and Belanger doesn't want common reactions from the guards.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"When you do a hack and you interact with the world, you want to feel like these are humans. It's a bit unpredictable. Having some chaos and noise keeps things interesting. It creates gameplay stories."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Ultimately, the Watch Dogs team knows that giving you the opportunity to create stories is the central appeal of an open-world game. And by rooting its fictionalized world in the sort of technology that influences our everyday lives, it's hoping to make those stories even more relevant.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"I have a 7-year-old daughter," says Shortt. "She knows I'm making a video game, but she doesn't know what it is. One day I brought home a little statuette of Aiden, one of those little character figurines. She asked [while pointing at his phone], 'What is that?' And I said, 'That's his <i>weapon</i>!' She was fascinated by that. And that's what I love about the phone."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"The phone is his primary weapon, his primary tool. It's pretty powerful. And I think that reflects the world we've entered. These things <i>are</i> powerful."</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-and-the-terrifying-power-of-smartphones/1100-6418761/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-vs-ps4-debate-gets-prime-time-coverage-on-the-big-bang-theory/1100-6418775/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DExSQW2prGg" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FDExSQW2prGg%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDExSQW2prGg&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDExSQW2prGg%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">During last night's episode of <em>The Big Bang Theory</em>, main character Sheldon was faced with a most pressing decision: Xbox One or PlayStation 4? In the episode--<em>The Indecision Amalgamation</em><em>--</em>Sheldon debates the merits of each system, and says he can't buy both because he doesn't have enough space in his TV entertainment center.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">We won't spoil his choice, but you can watch highlights of the episode above compiled by <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DExSQW2prGg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">YouTube user FuriousWannabe</a> or you can <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/big_bang_theory/video/319C1EE5-57D6-B0A6-F8F1-24585C400672/the-big-bang-theory-the-indecision-amalgamation/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">check out the entire episode right now on the CBS website</a>. The Xbox One vs. PS4 segment begins at around 14 minutes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft joined in on the fun, <a href="https://twitter.com/Xbox/status/451879324422242304" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">tweeting last night</a>: "You know what to do, Sheldon" with an image of the Xbox One attached to the tweet. Sony didn't tweet about the show.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><em>The Big Bang Theory airs on CBS, which owns GameSpot.</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6409776" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6409776/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 06:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-vs-ps4-debate-gets-prime-time-coverage-on-the-big-bang-theory/1100-6418775/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/5-year-old-cracks-xbox-one-security-by-discovering-simple-flaw/1100-6418774/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497294-7869152414-xbox_.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497294" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497294-7869152414-xbox_.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497294"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2497294-7869152414-xbox_.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">A 5-year-old boy managed to circumvent the Xbox One's security and log in to his father's account without entering the correct password.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26879185" rel="nofollow">Reported on the BBC</a>, San Diego child Kristoffer Von Hassel has now been credited as a security researcher by Microsoft. In an alternate universe, the kid probably turned to the dark side, logged into your account, and pumped your life savings into FIFA Ultimate Team card packs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The exploit, which has already been fixed, was discovered by Kristoffer after entering the wrong password when trying to access his dad's Xbox Live account. By first attempting to log in with an incorrect password, users are taken to a second verification screen, where the child found out that by simply filling up the password field with spaces he would be able to access the account.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497293-5+year+old+genius.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497293" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497293-5+year+old+genius.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497293"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2497293-5+year+old+genius.jpg"></a><figcaption>5 year old Kristoffer Von Hassel. Image credit: KGTV.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">After besting the multibillion dollar company, the preschooler <a href="http://www.10news.com/news/5-year-old-ocean-beach-exposes-microsoft-xbox-vulnerability" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said to local news station KGTV</a> that he "was like yea!"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">After realising what he'd done, however, Kristoffer said he "got nervous. I thought [Dad] was going to find out."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Kristoffer's father, Robert, also works in computer security. Technical wizardry must run in the family.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What did Kristoffer think was going to happen after his father reported the error to Microsoft? "I thought someone was going to steal the Xbox," he said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For reporting the major security loophole, Microsoft gave the kid four free games, $50, and a 12-month subscription to Xbox Live.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We're always listening to our customers and thank them for bringing issues to our attention," said Microsoft in a statement. "We take security seriously at Xbox and fixed the issue as soon as we learned about it."</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><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, 04 Apr 2014 06:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/5-year-old-cracks-xbox-one-security-by-discovering-simple-flaw/1100-6418774/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/retailers-selling-titanfall-for-xbox-360-early-images-show-it-requires-1gb-install/1100-6418773/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497288-titanfallxbox360.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497288" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497288-titanfallxbox360.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497288"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2497288-titanfallxbox360.jpg"></a><figcaption>Image credit: Titanfall Blog</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Xbox 360 version of <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a> isn't scheduled to officially launch until <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-on-xbox-360-gets-another-delay/1100-6418398/" data-ref-id="1100-6418398">April 8</a>, but that's not keeping some retailers from selling the game ahead of time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">One user wrote on Twitter that they were <a href="https://twitter.com/thedreamysoul/status/451880398503813122" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">able to get a copy of the game from a store in Brazil</a>, while <a href="http://titanfallblog.com/2014/04/03/inside-outside-images-of-titanfall-xbox-360-case-hard-drive-required-1gb-installation/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall Blog</a> readers sent the website images of the game they purchased at an unspecified retailer. The game has also<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-for-xbox-360-appears-on-ebay-buyer-beware-servers-won-t-be-turned-on-until-april-8/1100-6418757/" data-ref-id="1100-6418757"> appeared on eBay</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to information from the back of the Titanfall for Xbox 360 box, the game will require a 1GB installation for consoles that have a hard drive.</p><p style="">If you're able to snag a copy of Titanfall for Xbox 360 ahead of its release on April 8, you won't be able to play the game, as servers <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-for-xbox-360-appears-on-ebay-buyer-beware-servers-won-t-be-turned-on-until-april-8/1100-6418757/" data-ref-id="1100-6418757">will not be turned on until next week</a>. TItanfall is a multiplayer-only online game that requires you be connected to servers at all times.</p><p style="">The Xbox 360 version of Titanfall was developed by Bluepoint Games, not Respawn Entertainment, which handled the Xbox One and PC versions. The Xbox 360 version was originally expected to launch back in early March, but publisher Electronic Arts <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-on-xbox-360-gets-another-delay/1100-6418398/" data-ref-id="1100-6418398">delayed the game twice to its new April 8 release date</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, 04 Apr 2014 05:51:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/retailers-selling-titanfall-for-xbox-360-early-images-show-it-requires-1gb-install/1100-6418773/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/did-atari-bury-millions-of-e-t-copies-in-a-landfill-in-new-mexico-we-ll-soon-find-out-if-it-s-fact-or-fiction/1100-6418772/ <p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Did Atari actually bury millions of copies of its failed movie tie-in <a href="/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial/" data-ref-id="false">E.T: The Extra Terrestrial</a> in a landfill in New Mexico, or is that just a myth? We won't have to wait much longer to find out, as <a href="http://www.alamogordonews.com/alamogordo-news/ci_25481914/atari-dig-clears-hurdle.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Alamogordo News</a> reports that the New Mexico Environmental Department has given a documentary crew the go-ahead to start excavating the site in search of the game.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497283-et.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497283" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497283-et.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497283"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1179/11799911/2497283-et.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/documentary-aims-to-unearth-millions-of-et-copies/1100-6409193/">Alamogordo city commissioners approved the search in June</a>, but the project was later <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exclusive-documentary-about-buried-atari-cartridges-put-on-hold/1100-6418477/" data-ref-id="1100-6418477">put on hold </a>because a waste excavation plan needed to be finalized before the digging could begin. That proposal has now been accepted, and the the two companies producing the documentary, Fuel Entertainment and Lightbox Interactive, can get to work.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox Entertainment Studios is commissioning the project, which will debut as a multi-part documentary series <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-original-xbox-shows-launching-in-2014-microsoft-hires-amc-exec/1100-6416732/" data-ref-id="1100-6416732">exclusively on Xbox platforms later this year</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">E.T. was released in December 1982 for the Atari 2600, with millions of copies produced under the assumption that the link to the hit Steven Spielberg movie would guarantee sales success. The failure of the game is believed to be one of the main contributing factors to 1983's crash of the video game industry.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:26:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/did-atari-bury-millions-of-e-t-copies-in-a-landfill-in-new-mexico-we-ll-soon-find-out-if-it-s-fact-or-fiction/1100-6418772/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/possible-assassin-s-creed-xbox-one-ps4-pc-artwork-appears/1100-6418771/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497275-acunity.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497275" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497275-acunity.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497275"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2497275-acunity.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">A new piece of reported <a href="/assassins-creed-unity/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed Unity</a> artwork has surfaced, showing off a character brandishing various weapons and standing in the middle of historical city street.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The image, which looks like concept art, comes from a YouTube video that has since been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NriQlHzoA4" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">removed following a copyright claim</a> from Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft. A <a href="http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=106898000#post106898000" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">NeoGAF forum member</a> was able to capture the image before the video vanished.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-assassin-s-creed-game-confirmed-for-xbox-one-ps4-and-pc/1100-6418460/" data-ref-id="1100-6418460">confirmed Assassin's Creed Unity two weeks ago</a>, slating the game to launch this holiday for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The leaked artwork is visually similar to what we say in the reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed Unity. The publisher has not commented on today's report.</p><p style="">Assassin's Creed Unity <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassin-s-creed-2014-to-be-set-in-paris-on-xbox-one-and-ps4-leaked-screenshots-suggest/1100-6418406/" data-ref-id="1100-6418406">in-development screenshots leaked last month</a>, revealing the game's 18th century France location and an unnamed protagonist. A second Assassin's Creed title called <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-2014-s-other-assassin-s-creed-game-will-let-you-play-as-a-templar/1100-6418593/" data-ref-id="1100-6418593">Assassin's Creed Comet</a> is reportedly in development for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for release in 2014.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417887" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417887/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:01:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/possible-assassin-s-creed-xbox-one-ps4-pc-artwork-appears/1100-6418771/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/soma-new-gameplay-preview/2300-6418121/ Carolyn Petit explores SOMA, the new story-driven, first person horror title from the makers of Amnesia. Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/soma-new-gameplay-preview/2300-6418121/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/soma-the-new-horror-game-from-the-creators-of-amnesia-aims-to-go-deeper/1100-6418755/ <p style="">With its upcoming game SOMA, Frictional Games is leaving behind the world of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-the-dark-descent/" data-ref-id="false">Amnesia</a> and venturing into a new setting and new thematic territory. This horror sci-fi game delves into themes of consciousness, and instead of assaulting you with a barrage of jump scares, SOMA goes for a slow buildup, trying to get inside your head. I recently had a chance to play a section of this combat-free first-person adventure, and discovered a few details about its story and setting.</p><p style="">You play as Simon, a man who has found himself in an abandoned science facility. According to Thomas Grip of Frictional Games, "He's not an amnesiac character, but something weird has happened to him that has made him end up in this place, and that's a big mystery, but I can't talk to you about that right now. What's sort of cool with the mystery is that you could actually figure it out directly, but I don't think that many people will think in those directions and want to consider that possibility."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418121" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418121/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">The places you explore can help you solve that mystery, if you take the time to examine them closely. Said Grip, "We put a ton of effort into making every area a sort of narrative playground. There's tons and tons of small clues for the player to figure out." I love environmental storytelling, so when I played SOMA, I wanted to examine every sign and every schematic to see what they might have to tell me about the strange facility and what had taken place there. But the game is also designed to pull in players who don't want to investigate every little detail. Grip said, "We're designing it for a player that reads nothing, listens to nothing, just runs through. He should get the main gist of the story. It's not that we want to cater to players like this, but it's just that if we have that as a sort of goal, then we are sure that we have more active storytelling."</p><p style="">Much of the story remains shrouded in mystery, but a few tidbits emerged from my time with the game. Something strange has happened with the robots in the science facility I explored. At one point, I made my way through an area that a couple had once shared, but the woman had hanged herself, leaving behind a message that said, "Whatever that was, it wasn't Carl, I want you to know that. Nothing about that thing was even close to OK." Nearby, a human-sounding voice emanated from a trapped robot, leading me to suspect that somehow the consciousnesses of humans were becoming imprisoned in the metal bodies of automatons.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">There were noises that sounded like distant screams, and I wasn't sure if I was hearing what I thought I was hearing or if my imagination was making more of the muffled ocean sounds than was actually there.</p></blockquote><p style="">Like the technology in another horror game I recently played, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/alien-isolation/" data-ref-id="false">Alien: Isolation</a>, the computer terminals and other machinery in SOMA look clunky and dated, but still, given the presence of robots and hints in text logs of the existence of an artificial intelligence that had gone rogue, I initially suspected that the facility I was exploring was in space, or perhaps on some alien world. But when the facility became flooded with water, and Grip then skipped ahead to an underwater section that comes an hour or two later in the game, it became clear that SOMA is actually set beneath the surface of one of Earth's own oceans.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2496505-screen_screenshot_040.png" data-ref-id="1300-2496505" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2496505-screen_screenshot_040.png" data-ref-id="1300-2496505"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/78/787590/2496505-screen_screenshot_040.png"></a><figcaption>What's lurking in the darkness?</figcaption></figure><p style="">It was as I made my way across the ocean floor that SOMA really started to scare me. There were noises that sounded like distant screams, and I wasn't sure if I was hearing what I thought I was hearing or if my imagination was making more of the muffled ocean sounds than was actually there. The murky depths of the ocean seemed like a fitting metaphor for the depths of the human psyche that Grip is keen to explore with the game. Later, making my way through the flooded wreckage of the lambda station, I encountered the jiangshi, a mysterious ghostly threat you must run or hide from. If one is nearby, the visuals and sounds are distorted by staticky disruptions, as if the proximity of the jiangshi is interfering with the frequency of Simon's mind.</p><p style="">The section of SOMA that I played really was a slow build, letting the atmosphere and sounds create a sense of psychological fear rather than relying on gore or jump scares. With sinister glee, Thomas Grip said to me, "This is an atmospheric sample of the game, just planting seeds in your mind, and then later on, four or five hours into the game, we get to the really creepy stuff!" I admit that I'm scared to return to SOMA's unsettling world, but I also look forward to spending more time in its environments and looking at all the little details that will help me piece together its narrative. SOMA is aiming for a release on the PC and PlayStation 4 in early 2015.</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/soma-the-new-horror-game-from-the-creators-of-amnesia-aims-to-go-deeper/1100-6418755/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-has-5-0952187-10-58-possible-character-variations/1100-6418770/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497270-eso.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497270" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497270-eso.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497270"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2497270-eso.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/the-elder-scrolls-online/" data-ref-id="false">The Elder Scrolls Online</a> characters are bound to be unique. Bethesda announced in a <a href="http://www.bethblog.com/2014/04/03/the-elder-scrolls-online-by-the-numbers/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">new infographic</a> that there are 5.0952187*10^58 possible character variations, which is "so many that we don't have room to show you the full number," Bethesda said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The developer has previously described the character creation system for The Elder Scrolls Online as "very robust." You can define your character's physique (overweight, skinny, etc.), as well as their height, width of shoulders, size of hands, thickness of arms, and facial composition, among other elements.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The new MMO is available today on PC, while the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-xbox-one-and-ps4-release-date-is-two-months-after-pc/1100-6416658/" data-ref-id="1100-6416658">Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions will follow sometime in June</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Elder Scrolls Online infographic also reveals statistics like 5 million people played the beta, which is equivalent to the population of Norway or the number of Big Macs eaten every day around the world. There are also 61 million items in the game and 40.656 million weapon variations.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Finally, The Elder Scrolls Online features 10,202 non-player characters and 2235 in-game books. Bethesda also notes that since May 2011, developers at Zenimax Online drank 162,784 cups of coffee, weighing in at 5087 pounds of coffee beans.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418109" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418109/" 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, 04 Apr 2014 04:36:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-has-5-0952187-10-58-possible-character-variations/1100-6418770/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ffxiv-beta-on-ps4-open-to-everyone-this-weekend/1100-6418769/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454644-ffxiv_pub_patch2.2_19.png" data-ref-id="1300-2454644" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454644-ffxiv_pub_patch2.2_19.png" data-ref-id="1300-2454644"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2454644-ffxiv_pub_patch2.2_19.png"></a></figure><p style="">Square Enix has opened up its PlayStation 4 beta for <a href="/final-fantasy-xiv-online-a-realm-reborn/" data-ref-id="false">Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn</a> to everyone this weekend.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The beta started at 09:00 BST/01:00 PT this morning, and will run until 09:00/01:00 PT on Monday April 7.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The beta will be running on the actual game servers, so it's possible to join your friends playing the game on PlayStation 3 or PC. Square Enix adds that any characters created or progress made in this beta will carry over the full version of the game, which is released on April 14.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">To get involved, the 11GB client can now be downloaded from the PlayStation Store. You'll also have to register an account with Square Enix to get started.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The successful relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV is one of the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-enix-rethinks-its-bid-to-appeal-to-the-mass-market-after-bravely-default-success/1100-6418665/"> main reasons Square Enix expects to return to profit this year</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414801" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414801/" 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, 04 Apr 2014 04:33:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ffxiv-beta-on-ps4-open-to-everyone-this-weekend/1100-6418769/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-pro-wrestling-creator-masato-masuda-passes-away-at-48/1100-6418767/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497264-fire+pro+wrestling.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497264" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497264-fire+pro+wrestling.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497264"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2497264-fire+pro+wrestling.jpg"></a><figcaption>Cover art for 1996's Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Masato Masuda, creator of the Fire Pro Wrestling series, has passed away. He was 48.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The news was confirmed by Grasshopper Manufacture boss Goichi "Suda51" Suda, who spoke of him time working with Masuda in the 90s. "He was 48 years old, still young," <a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s18ufv" rel="nofollow">wrote Suda on Twitter</a>. "I genuinely pray for his happiness in the next world."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"He was one of the greatest creators of video games and he was my direct teacher," added Suda.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The series--a hit in Japan--started in 1989 with <a href="/fire-prowrestling-combination-tag/" data-ref-id="false">Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag</a> for the PC Engine. The series saw releases on the SNES, Saturn, Game Boy Advance, Dreamcast, and the PlayStation 2.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Recently, an Xbox Live Arcade version of Fire Pro Wrestling was released in 2012.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Thank you for giving us our favorite Fire Pro Wrestling. You are the god of it," concluded Suda.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6303627" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6303627/" 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, 04 Apr 2014 04:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-pro-wrestling-creator-masato-masuda-passes-away-at-48/1100-6418767/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-off-how-it-believes-the-cloud-will-change-gaming-forever/1100-6418766/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxHdUDhOMyw" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fvideoseries%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26list%3DUU-zjH-e5XBzMpy_VtwIGRxQ&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQxHdUDhOMyw%26list%3DUU-zjH-e5XBzMpy_VtwIGRxQ%26index%3D1&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FQxHdUDhOMyw%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft hasn't held back from <em>talking</em> about how offloading computational efforts to the cloud will advance gaming, but now they are finally <em>showing</em> us what that looks like. In short, this system allows developers to offload processing to remote servers, which in theory frees up local hardware to improve things like rendering.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This week during Microsoft's developer-centric Build conference in San Francisco, the company showed off a custom tech demo illustrating the system running on PC hardware. Importantly, what we're seeing here in the video above is not Xbox One footage and the demo is merely a prototype.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Still, as we see in the video, the PC that's not connected to Microsoft's Azure server network seriously struggles when the building begins to collapse. Meanwhile, the connected rig is able to achieve a far more steady frame-rate throughout.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft says that tapping into the power of the cloud for gaming will allow for "news kinds of experiences that have never been possible."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">We're already seeing some of this come to life, as Respawn Entertainment's Xbox One game <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a> offloads some <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-cloud-servers-absolutely-essential-to-titanfall/1100-6418222/" data-ref-id="1100-6418222">computational efforts to the cloud</a>. Microsoft released a new video (below) highlighting how the cloud improves the Titanfall experience, though much of what is said is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-cloud-servers-absolutely-essential-to-titanfall/1100-6418222/" data-ref-id="1100-6418222">already known</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The video from Microsoft's Build conference was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArekkzG" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">captured by YouTube user Arekkz Gaming</a>. You can watch the entire presentation at <a href="http://channel9.msdn.com/?wt.mc_id=build_hp" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Microsoft's website</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418132" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418132/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 04:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-off-how-it-believes-the-cloud-will-change-gaming-forever/1100-6418766/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-info-on-xbox-one-external-storage-coming-soon-says-major-nelson/1100-6418765/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497258-6878368302-21292.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497258" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497258-6878368302-21292.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497258"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2497258-6878368302-21292.jpg"></a><figcaption>This is a picture of an Xbox One controller, because finding a good image to represent external storage is tough.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Xbox One support for external storage is inching closer, with Microsoft spokesperson Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb saying that the much-requested feature will be "coming soon".</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/21ye2f/xbox_one_momentum/" rel="nofollow">Writing on Reddit</a>, Hryb said that the Xbox One would soon support the ability to keep games on external storage. He added that he would need to check about whether the console could also support media held on an external drive.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Hryb also added that he will confirm whether there will be a limit--such as how the Xbox 360 can't format a USB stick partition higher than 32GB--when there is more information.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The comments follow Microsoft saying in March that it was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-rolls-out-huge-xbox-one-update-teases-external-storage-support/1100-6418114/">working on supporting external storage</a>. Xbox One planning chief Albert Penello also recently said that Microsoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-external-storage-aims-to-be-open/1100-6418143/">intends for external storage on the console to be "open"</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The next Xbox One system update, due in April, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/about-time-xbox-one-friend-notifications-to-return-in-next-update/1100-6418374/">will bring friend notifications back to the console</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6412699" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6412699/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 03:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-info-on-xbox-one-external-storage-coming-soon-says-major-nelson/1100-6418765/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-smash-bros-for-wii-u-and-3ds-info-coming-next-week/1100-6418764/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2453996-smashmar13.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453996" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2453996-smashmar13.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453996"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2453996-smashmar13.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> Nintendo will reveal fresh <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Super Smash Bros. for Wii U</a> <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-nintendo-3ds/" data-ref-id="false">and 3DS</a> information next week.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The company will hold a Nintendo Direct event on Tuesday April 8 at 15:00 PT/23:00 BST, where it will talk about the latest Smash Bros. title.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Might we get a release date? Nintendo is yet to confirm when we'll see the game, outside of some point in 2014. The latest entry in the popular brawling series is a a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-smashing-collaboration-for-next-smash-bros/1100-6383790/" data-ref-id="1100-6383790">collaborative effort between Sora Ltd. and Namco</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In recent days, we've also heard that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/luigi-is-really-going-to-suck-in-the-new-smash-bros-for-wii-u-and-3ds/1100-6418667/">Luigi will get the Poltergust</a>, that the game will feature <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u-3ds-will-feature-lots-of-zelda-items/1100-6418717/">many items from The Legend of Zelda</a>, and that Pikachu's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-overhauling-pikachu-s-iconic-thunder-attack-for-new-super-smash-bros-on-wii-u-and-3ds/1100-6418749/">thunder attack will be overhauled</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416628" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416628/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 02:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-smash-bros-for-wii-u-and-3ds-info-coming-next-week/1100-6418764/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/unboxing-the-amazon-fire-tv-and-controller/2300-6418142/ Danny and Shaun open up the Amazon Fire TV and give their first hands-on impressions of the streaming device and its controller. Thu, 03 Apr 2014 16:49:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/unboxing-the-amazon-fire-tv-and-controller/2300-6418142/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Fri, 04 Apr 2014 07:03:57 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-and-the-terrifying-power-of-smartphones/1100-6418761/ <p style="">At one point in the development of Watch Dogs, a problem surfaced during the game's performance capture process. It had nothing to do with the elaborate array of cameras Ubisoft had rigged up in its Montreal capture stage, nor did it involve the computers used to turn those acting performances into in-game character animations. No, this problem was of a <i>slightly</i> less technical nature.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">There were no pockets on the actors' suits.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. But that day the Watch Dogs cinematics team was shooting a scene that required the game's main character, Aiden Pearce, to reach into his pocket and pull out a smartphone. Pearce is an urban vigilante with a mastery of electronics bordering on terrifying, so even an ordinary movement such as this had to be executed with careful gravitas.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">And so the crew had to think of a solution. Could they sew in pockets? Nope. The spandex unitards actors wear on these shoots are adorned with hundreds of tiny sensors designed to register movements large and small, but only so long as the cameras can see them. Velcro? Too awkward. A belt holster? Maybe if Aiden were a middle-aged real estate agent.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Then it came to them: magnets.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2496963-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_03.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2496963" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2496963-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_03.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2496963"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/642/6422750/2496963-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_03.jpg"></a><figcaption>Aiden Pearce totally not checking his Twitter mentions.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The team would fashion a small plate and attach it to the suit of lead actor Noam Jenkins. On the plate would be a magnet strong enough to keep the prop phone attached, but weak enough for it to be detached with a gentle upward slide. A bit like pulling a phone from one's pocket.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"It was the stupidest little thing," recalls cinematics lead Lars Bonde. "But those are the small details that make the game feel so much more real."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">In most games, a detail like this would be considered trivial. But there's nothing trivial about the smartphone in Watch Dogs. As a hacker capable of wirelessly tapping into Chicago's city-wide surveillance system, your phone is your primary tool for interacting with the gameworld. Beyond that, it's also a thematic focal point in a story revolving around instant access to information and the ways that power can be abused. Smartphones and their place in modern society are concepts that sit squarely at the heart of Watch Dogs.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">And yet, that wasn't always the case. In 2009, a team at Ubisoft Montreal was assembled to create a new open-world franchise. With <a href="/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed</a> covering the historical settings and <a href="/far-cry-3/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry</a> taking care of the rugged outdoors, this early team elected to focus on the modern urban landscape.</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p style="">Smartphones and their place in modern society are concepts that sit squarely at the heart of Watch Dogs.</p></blockquote><p style="">"The only mandate we had was to work on an open-city game," says creative director Jonathan Morin. "So one of the big things for us was reflecting on the urban life of today."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We chatted a lot about ideas for the game, and the one subject that kept coming up was the impact of technology on our daily lives. Back then, smartphones were somewhere in between pop culture and geekness. My family didn't know what they were. They were just emerging, but it was obvious they would become something big."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Morin and his team didn't know how big smartphones would become, but they had a sneaking suspicion this was a technology whose impact would only grow stronger over time. That sounds like a safe assumption now, but remember that in 2009, BlackBerry still held the majority of the smartphone market share. Apple's stock price began the year at a whopping $450 less than where it sits today. A lot has changed since then.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">In pondering the effects of smartphones, the Watch Dogs team became fascinated with the ways in which privacy would be affected by our increasingly connected world.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"It's very rare when you start a project and you have this canvas of possibilities," says Morin. "Facebook, social media, privacy--it was so easy to go into hour-long discussions about those subjects. That fascination early in the project became a weapon for me to [go to management] and say, 'Let's do something where fun can collide with thinking.'"</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2449259-watch_dogs_being_hacked.png" data-ref-id="1300-2449259" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2449259-watch_dogs_being_hacked.png" data-ref-id="1300-2449259"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/536/5360430/2449259-watch_dogs_being_hacked.png"></a><figcaption>You're not always the one doing the hacking.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">Given the focus on privacy, it was only natural that Morin and his team looked toward Chicago as the game's setting. With its vast network of surveillance cameras, Chicago is the most-watched city in North America. Last October, <a href="http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/10/16/4817988/watch-dogs-invasion" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Polygon published an excellent report</a> on the Windy City's surveillance network and pegged the number of cameras accessible by the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications at "as many as 24,000." This includes cameras installed by the Chicago Police Department as well as security cameras in private buildings where the owners have voluntarily granted surveilance access to the city.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">This surveillance infrastructure became the inspiration for the central operating system that powers Watch Dogs' version of Chicago. Dubbed ctOS, this operating system extends far beyond cameras; it controls everything from traffic lights to steam vents. As Aiden Pearce, you're able to cruise through Chicago hacking objects on the fly, triggering massive pileups at intersections to flee from the police or tapping into the system's crime prediction mechanism to stop crimes before they even happen.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The original idea for this was a lot more abstract. One of Morin's earliest presentations to Ubisoft management conveyed this structure through a single image: a finger hovering above a red object accompanied by the phrase "Control an entire city through the press of a button."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Morin knew what type of scope he wanted to build for the game, but was less certain about what exactly the game's main character would <i>do</i> with that level of access. So the team spent time working on who this character was, what his ambitions were, and how far he was willing to sidestep ethical boundaries to get there.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-embed-type="comparison" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497014-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_01.jpg,http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497015-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497014,1300-2497015" data-size="large" data-resize-urls="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/642/6422750/2497014-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_01.jpg,http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/642/6422750/2497015-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_02.jpg" data-resized="" data-resize-url=""><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497014-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_01.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497014" ><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/642/6422750/2497014-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_01.jpg"></a><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497015-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497015" ><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/642/6422750/2497015-wd_mobilephone_conceptualinterface_02.jpg"></a><figcaption>Drag the slider above to compare two early concepts for the smartphone interface.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">"When we started to talk about the game, we asked, 'What should he do while he's at his safe house?'" says Morin. And it's here that he takes on a wry smile: "Well, he should be monitoring <i>everyone</i>. He should know about <i>everybody</i>."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"The fantasy has always been, what if you can access everything? What if you were the invisible man in the room?"</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">This focus on surveillance soon came together with that initial fascination around smartphones to form the game's profiling system. This mechanic allows you to tap into the city's repository of personal records and surveillance data to form a quick impression of every single pedestrian in the city. Details like profession, salary, and Web browsing habits flash across the screen as you pass strangers on the sidewalk. Find someone especially interesting, and the game will often let you learn more about that person by listening in on phone calls and remotely hacking his or her text message logs. And it's all done thanks to Aiden's smartphone.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We wanted to give that sense you get when you sit on a bus and overhear people talking about whatever," says lead story designer Kevin Shortt. "Snippets of conversations. You just hear enough to go, wow that's a fucked up relationship. And off you go."</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="right"><p style="">The fantasy has always been, what if you can access everything? What if you were the invisible man in the room?</p><p style=""><cite>Creative director Jonathan Morin</cite></p></blockquote><p style=""> </p><p style="">"Sometimes you get rewards, or you get opportunities for a mission. But a lot of times you're just getting a snapshot of that person and filling in the blanks."</p><p style="">Profiling is a gameplay system aimed at breathing life into the city of Chicago, tapping into the idea that we're all carrying devices with a wealth of personal information, and anyone with enough technical know-how can come along and read our life's story if they're so inclined.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Unsurprisingly, building a city's worth of cell phone owners was no easy task. It began, as so many projects do, with good old-fashioned research.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We have a cafeteria in the building that overlooks an intersection," says Bonde as he describes Ubisoft's Montreal office. "This is the artistic area of Montreal, so you have a lot of foot traffic going to cafes and all that. So we just looked at people. How do they come to a stop at a red light? Do they bring out their phone while waiting? Do they cross while talking? It's observe and learn."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Other members of the team would watch people riding the Montreal subway on their commute into work. How did they carry on phone conversations while in public? How many of them were playing games? What were the chances one of those games <i>wasn't</i> Angry Birds?</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"You start looking at people and their phones all the time when you work on Watch Dogs," jokes Morin. "You start becoming as weird as Aiden."</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497108-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497108" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2497108-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_02.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497108"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/642/6422750/2497108-wd_mobilephone_ingame_interface_02.jpg"></a><figcaption>Who needs an umbrella when you've got technology?</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Another challenge lay on the writing side. Watch Dogs' profiling system dynamically provides character stubs for non-player characters, but somebody's got to write those stubs.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"We had to create a lot of content," recalls Shortt. "<i>A lot</i>. If the fantasy is I can hack into your phone and read your text message, we've got to pay that off. If you see that text message once, you can't see it twice."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">But for as challenging as writing that content was, Shortt believes the payoff has been worth it. Even if it shows up in surprising ways.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"I was in combat one time and I had my profiler on," says Shortt. "These guys were trying to kill me, and I was trying to kill them. Then this one guy comes around the corner, and his profile tells me he's a newlywed. And I'm like, awww... Blam! [Laughs] And that's what our goal always was. Let's take these NPCs and make them characters."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Even with these systems in place, Watch Dogs is still very much an action game. There are guns to fire, cars to drive, and a city's worth of criminals and heavily armed security guards to deal with. And throughout all this, hacking remains a constant theme.</p><p style="">Everywhere you go, you'll find a context-sensitive white outline drawing your attention to objects you can hack. If you're in a police chase, you might hack a drawbridge just as you pass over it in order to lose the cops on your tail. If you're sneaking into a ctOS facility, you might hack a window washer to elevate you up to a second-floor window before accessing the security camera network to get a feel for the guards' patrol routes.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2405345-watch_dogs_aiden_pearce_steampipe_hack.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2405345" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2405345-watch_dogs_aiden_pearce_steampipe_hack.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2405345"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/536/5360430/2405345-watch_dogs_aiden_pearce_steampipe_hack.jpg"></a><figcaption>Hello? Yes, this is Watch Dogs.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">The Watch Dogs team worked hard to maintain believability within the ctOS fiction, consulting with Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab to ensure that none of the various hacks were too extravagant. But the one area where the team will admit it took creative liberties is the speed with which these hacks are done. Nearly everything in the game can be hacked with a single, instantaneous press of a button.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">But therein lay the challenge: how do you provide the player with quick hacking opportunities while giving substance to the gameplay? To lead designer Danny Belanger, it's all about building a complex web of interlocking gameplay systems so that no one hack is an immediate victory over the AI. Instead, as Belanger sees them, these hacks are the initial flick of a finger in a line of dominoes.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"The core for us is having a simple way to connect and interact with the world," says Belanger. "But by doing that, it has to be useful and not feel like a win button. It's a window of opportunity. It's a win against one guy, but the other AI might become aggressive and start searching, and that puts you in even more danger. And then you chain the other hacks to distract them. So it's all about risk-reward and giving people windows."</p><blockquote data-align="right" data-size="medium"><p style="">You start looking at people and their phones all the time when you work on Watch Dogs. You start becoming as weird as Aiden.</p><cite>Cinematics lead Lars Bonde</cite></blockquote><p style=""> </p><p style="">This puts a lot of pressure on the AI. The guards and criminals Aiden deals with need to know what's a coincidence and what's just plain fishy. A steam vent malfunctioning and scalding a guard is one thing. A steam vent malfunction followed by a car alarm and then a citywide blackout is something completely different.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"If the player doesn't respect our AI, he won't take the time to use stealth or hacking," says Belanger. "Maybe he's played a lot of shooters and says, 'I'll just shoot everything.' And if he succeeds all the time, why would he change? Why would he try hacking? We want him to have a certain fear of the AI."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">That means designing an AI system that's both aggressive and a little bit unpredictable. These are not common events that Aiden is using his phone to trigger, and Belanger doesn't want common reactions from the guards.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"When you do a hack and you interact with the world, you want to feel like these are humans. It's a bit unpredictable. Having some chaos and noise keeps things interesting. It creates gameplay stories."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Ultimately, the Watch Dogs team knows that giving you the opportunity to create stories is the central appeal of an open-world game. And by rooting its fictionalized world in the sort of technology that influences our everyday lives, it's hoping to make those stories even more relevant.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"I have a 7-year-old daughter," says Shortt. "She knows I'm making a video game, but she doesn't know what it is. One day I brought home a little statuette of Aiden, one of those little character figurines. She asked [while pointing at his phone], 'What is that?' And I said, 'That's his <i>weapon</i>!' She was fascinated by that. And that's what I love about the phone."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"The phone is his primary weapon, his primary tool. It's pretty powerful. And I think that reflects the world we've entered. These things <i>are</i> powerful."</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-and-the-terrifying-power-of-smartphones/1100-6418761/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-vs-ps4-debate-gets-prime-time-coverage-on-the-big-bang-theory/1100-6418775/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DExSQW2prGg" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FDExSQW2prGg%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDExSQW2prGg&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FDExSQW2prGg%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">During last night's episode of <em>The Big Bang Theory</em>, main character Sheldon was faced with a most pressing decision: Xbox One or PlayStation 4? In the episode--<em>The Indecision Amalgamation</em><em>--</em>Sheldon debates the merits of each system, and says he can't buy both because he doesn't have enough space in his TV entertainment center.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">We won't spoil his choice, but you can watch highlights of the episode above compiled by <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DExSQW2prGg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">YouTube user FuriousWannabe</a> or you can <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/big_bang_theory/video/319C1EE5-57D6-B0A6-F8F1-24585C400672/the-big-bang-theory-the-indecision-amalgamation/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">check out the entire episode right now on the CBS website</a>. The Xbox One vs. PS4 segment begins at around 14 minutes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft joined in on the fun, <a href="https://twitter.com/Xbox/status/451879324422242304" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">tweeting last night</a>: "You know what to do, Sheldon" with an image of the Xbox One attached to the tweet. Sony didn't tweet about the show.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><em>The Big Bang Theory airs on CBS, which owns GameSpot.</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6409776" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6409776/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 06:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-vs-ps4-debate-gets-prime-time-coverage-on-the-big-bang-theory/1100-6418775/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/5-year-old-cracks-xbox-one-security-by-discovering-simple-flaw/1100-6418774/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497294-7869152414-xbox_.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497294" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497294-7869152414-xbox_.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497294"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2497294-7869152414-xbox_.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">A 5-year-old boy managed to circumvent the Xbox One's security and log in to his father's account without entering the correct password.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26879185" rel="nofollow">Reported on the BBC</a>, San Diego child Kristoffer Von Hassel has now been credited as a security researcher by Microsoft. In an alternate universe, the kid probably turned to the dark side, logged into your account, and pumped your life savings into FIFA Ultimate Team card packs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The exploit, which has already been fixed, was discovered by Kristoffer after entering the wrong password when trying to access his dad's Xbox Live account. By first attempting to log in with an incorrect password, users are taken to a second verification screen, where the child found out that by simply filling up the password field with spaces he would be able to access the account.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497293-5+year+old+genius.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497293" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497293-5+year+old+genius.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497293"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2497293-5+year+old+genius.jpg"></a><figcaption>5 year old Kristoffer Von Hassel. Image credit: KGTV.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">After besting the multibillion dollar company, the preschooler <a href="http://www.10news.com/news/5-year-old-ocean-beach-exposes-microsoft-xbox-vulnerability" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said to local news station KGTV</a> that he "was like yea!"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">After realising what he'd done, however, Kristoffer said he "got nervous. I thought [Dad] was going to find out."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Kristoffer's father, Robert, also works in computer security. Technical wizardry must run in the family.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What did Kristoffer think was going to happen after his father reported the error to Microsoft? "I thought someone was going to steal the Xbox," he said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For reporting the major security loophole, Microsoft gave the kid four free games, $50, and a 12-month subscription to Xbox Live.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We're always listening to our customers and thank them for bringing issues to our attention," said Microsoft in a statement. "We take security seriously at Xbox and fixed the issue as soon as we learned about it."</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><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, 04 Apr 2014 06:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/5-year-old-cracks-xbox-one-security-by-discovering-simple-flaw/1100-6418774/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/retailers-selling-titanfall-for-xbox-360-early-images-show-it-requires-1gb-install/1100-6418773/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497288-titanfallxbox360.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497288" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497288-titanfallxbox360.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497288"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2497288-titanfallxbox360.jpg"></a><figcaption>Image credit: Titanfall Blog</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Xbox 360 version of <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a> isn't scheduled to officially launch until <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-on-xbox-360-gets-another-delay/1100-6418398/" data-ref-id="1100-6418398">April 8</a>, but that's not keeping some retailers from selling the game ahead of time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">One user wrote on Twitter that they were <a href="https://twitter.com/thedreamysoul/status/451880398503813122" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">able to get a copy of the game from a store in Brazil</a>, while <a href="http://titanfallblog.com/2014/04/03/inside-outside-images-of-titanfall-xbox-360-case-hard-drive-required-1gb-installation/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall Blog</a> readers sent the website images of the game they purchased at an unspecified retailer. The game has also<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-for-xbox-360-appears-on-ebay-buyer-beware-servers-won-t-be-turned-on-until-april-8/1100-6418757/" data-ref-id="1100-6418757"> appeared on eBay</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to information from the back of the Titanfall for Xbox 360 box, the game will require a 1GB installation for consoles that have a hard drive.</p><p style="">If you're able to snag a copy of Titanfall for Xbox 360 ahead of its release on April 8, you won't be able to play the game, as servers <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-for-xbox-360-appears-on-ebay-buyer-beware-servers-won-t-be-turned-on-until-april-8/1100-6418757/" data-ref-id="1100-6418757">will not be turned on until next week</a>. TItanfall is a multiplayer-only online game that requires you be connected to servers at all times.</p><p style="">The Xbox 360 version of Titanfall was developed by Bluepoint Games, not Respawn Entertainment, which handled the Xbox One and PC versions. The Xbox 360 version was originally expected to launch back in early March, but publisher Electronic Arts <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-on-xbox-360-gets-another-delay/1100-6418398/" data-ref-id="1100-6418398">delayed the game twice to its new April 8 release date</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, 04 Apr 2014 05:51:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/retailers-selling-titanfall-for-xbox-360-early-images-show-it-requires-1gb-install/1100-6418773/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/did-atari-bury-millions-of-e-t-copies-in-a-landfill-in-new-mexico-we-ll-soon-find-out-if-it-s-fact-or-fiction/1100-6418772/ <p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Did Atari actually bury millions of copies of its failed movie tie-in <a href="/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial/" data-ref-id="false">E.T: The Extra Terrestrial</a> in a landfill in New Mexico, or is that just a myth? We won't have to wait much longer to find out, as <a href="http://www.alamogordonews.com/alamogordo-news/ci_25481914/atari-dig-clears-hurdle.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Alamogordo News</a> reports that the New Mexico Environmental Department has given a documentary crew the go-ahead to start excavating the site in search of the game.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497283-et.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497283" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497283-et.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497283"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1179/11799911/2497283-et.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/documentary-aims-to-unearth-millions-of-et-copies/1100-6409193/">Alamogordo city commissioners approved the search in June</a>, but the project was later <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exclusive-documentary-about-buried-atari-cartridges-put-on-hold/1100-6418477/" data-ref-id="1100-6418477">put on hold </a>because a waste excavation plan needed to be finalized before the digging could begin. That proposal has now been accepted, and the the two companies producing the documentary, Fuel Entertainment and Lightbox Interactive, can get to work.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox Entertainment Studios is commissioning the project, which will debut as a multi-part documentary series <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-original-xbox-shows-launching-in-2014-microsoft-hires-amc-exec/1100-6416732/" data-ref-id="1100-6416732">exclusively on Xbox platforms later this year</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">E.T. was released in December 1982 for the Atari 2600, with millions of copies produced under the assumption that the link to the hit Steven Spielberg movie would guarantee sales success. The failure of the game is believed to be one of the main contributing factors to 1983's crash of the video game industry.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:26:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/did-atari-bury-millions-of-e-t-copies-in-a-landfill-in-new-mexico-we-ll-soon-find-out-if-it-s-fact-or-fiction/1100-6418772/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/possible-assassin-s-creed-xbox-one-ps4-pc-artwork-appears/1100-6418771/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497275-acunity.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497275" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497275-acunity.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497275"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2497275-acunity.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">A new piece of reported <a href="/assassins-creed-unity/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed Unity</a> artwork has surfaced, showing off a character brandishing various weapons and standing in the middle of historical city street.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The image, which looks like concept art, comes from a YouTube video that has since been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NriQlHzoA4" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">removed following a copyright claim</a> from Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft. A <a href="http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=106898000#post106898000" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">NeoGAF forum member</a> was able to capture the image before the video vanished.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-assassin-s-creed-game-confirmed-for-xbox-one-ps4-and-pc/1100-6418460/" data-ref-id="1100-6418460">confirmed Assassin's Creed Unity two weeks ago</a>, slating the game to launch this holiday for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The leaked artwork is visually similar to what we say in the reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed Unity. The publisher has not commented on today's report.</p><p style="">Assassin's Creed Unity <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassin-s-creed-2014-to-be-set-in-paris-on-xbox-one-and-ps4-leaked-screenshots-suggest/1100-6418406/" data-ref-id="1100-6418406">in-development screenshots leaked last month</a>, revealing the game's 18th century France location and an unnamed protagonist. A second Assassin's Creed title called <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-2014-s-other-assassin-s-creed-game-will-let-you-play-as-a-templar/1100-6418593/" data-ref-id="1100-6418593">Assassin's Creed Comet</a> is reportedly in development for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for release in 2014.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417887" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417887/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:01:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/possible-assassin-s-creed-xbox-one-ps4-pc-artwork-appears/1100-6418771/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/soma-new-gameplay-preview/2300-6418121/ Carolyn Petit explores SOMA, the new story-driven, first person horror title from the makers of Amnesia. Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/soma-new-gameplay-preview/2300-6418121/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/soma-the-new-horror-game-from-the-creators-of-amnesia-aims-to-go-deeper/1100-6418755/ <p style="">With its upcoming game SOMA, Frictional Games is leaving behind the world of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-the-dark-descent/" data-ref-id="false">Amnesia</a> and venturing into a new setting and new thematic territory. This horror sci-fi game delves into themes of consciousness, and instead of assaulting you with a barrage of jump scares, SOMA goes for a slow buildup, trying to get inside your head. I recently had a chance to play a section of this combat-free first-person adventure, and discovered a few details about its story and setting.</p><p style="">You play as Simon, a man who has found himself in an abandoned science facility. According to Thomas Grip of Frictional Games, "He's not an amnesiac character, but something weird has happened to him that has made him end up in this place, and that's a big mystery, but I can't talk to you about that right now. What's sort of cool with the mystery is that you could actually figure it out directly, but I don't think that many people will think in those directions and want to consider that possibility."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418121" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418121/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">The places you explore can help you solve that mystery, if you take the time to examine them closely. Said Grip, "We put a ton of effort into making every area a sort of narrative playground. There's tons and tons of small clues for the player to figure out." I love environmental storytelling, so when I played SOMA, I wanted to examine every sign and every schematic to see what they might have to tell me about the strange facility and what had taken place there. But the game is also designed to pull in players who don't want to investigate every little detail. Grip said, "We're designing it for a player that reads nothing, listens to nothing, just runs through. He should get the main gist of the story. It's not that we want to cater to players like this, but it's just that if we have that as a sort of goal, then we are sure that we have more active storytelling."</p><p style="">Much of the story remains shrouded in mystery, but a few tidbits emerged from my time with the game. Something strange has happened with the robots in the science facility I explored. At one point, I made my way through an area that a couple had once shared, but the woman had hanged herself, leaving behind a message that said, "Whatever that was, it wasn't Carl, I want you to know that. Nothing about that thing was even close to OK." Nearby, a human-sounding voice emanated from a trapped robot, leading me to suspect that somehow the consciousnesses of humans were becoming imprisoned in the metal bodies of automatons.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">There were noises that sounded like distant screams, and I wasn't sure if I was hearing what I thought I was hearing or if my imagination was making more of the muffled ocean sounds than was actually there.</p></blockquote><p style="">Like the technology in another horror game I recently played, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/alien-isolation/" data-ref-id="false">Alien: Isolation</a>, the computer terminals and other machinery in SOMA look clunky and dated, but still, given the presence of robots and hints in text logs of the existence of an artificial intelligence that had gone rogue, I initially suspected that the facility I was exploring was in space, or perhaps on some alien world. But when the facility became flooded with water, and Grip then skipped ahead to an underwater section that comes an hour or two later in the game, it became clear that SOMA is actually set beneath the surface of one of Earth's own oceans.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2496505-screen_screenshot_040.png" data-ref-id="1300-2496505" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2496505-screen_screenshot_040.png" data-ref-id="1300-2496505"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/78/787590/2496505-screen_screenshot_040.png"></a><figcaption>What's lurking in the darkness?</figcaption></figure><p style="">It was as I made my way across the ocean floor that SOMA really started to scare me. There were noises that sounded like distant screams, and I wasn't sure if I was hearing what I thought I was hearing or if my imagination was making more of the muffled ocean sounds than was actually there. The murky depths of the ocean seemed like a fitting metaphor for the depths of the human psyche that Grip is keen to explore with the game. Later, making my way through the flooded wreckage of the lambda station, I encountered the jiangshi, a mysterious ghostly threat you must run or hide from. If one is nearby, the visuals and sounds are distorted by staticky disruptions, as if the proximity of the jiangshi is interfering with the frequency of Simon's mind.</p><p style="">The section of SOMA that I played really was a slow build, letting the atmosphere and sounds create a sense of psychological fear rather than relying on gore or jump scares. With sinister glee, Thomas Grip said to me, "This is an atmospheric sample of the game, just planting seeds in your mind, and then later on, four or five hours into the game, we get to the really creepy stuff!" I admit that I'm scared to return to SOMA's unsettling world, but I also look forward to spending more time in its environments and looking at all the little details that will help me piece together its narrative. SOMA is aiming for a release on the PC and PlayStation 4 in early 2015.</p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/soma-the-new-horror-game-from-the-creators-of-amnesia-aims-to-go-deeper/1100-6418755/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-has-5-0952187-10-58-possible-character-variations/1100-6418770/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497270-eso.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497270" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2497270-eso.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497270"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2497270-eso.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/the-elder-scrolls-online/" data-ref-id="false">The Elder Scrolls Online</a> characters are bound to be unique. Bethesda announced in a <a href="http://www.bethblog.com/2014/04/03/the-elder-scrolls-online-by-the-numbers/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">new infographic</a> that there are 5.0952187*10^58 possible character variations, which is "so many that we don't have room to show you the full number," Bethesda said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The developer has previously described the character creation system for The Elder Scrolls Online as "very robust." You can define your character's physique (overweight, skinny, etc.), as well as their height, width of shoulders, size of hands, thickness of arms, and facial composition, among other elements.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The new MMO is available today on PC, while the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-xbox-one-and-ps4-release-date-is-two-months-after-pc/1100-6416658/" data-ref-id="1100-6416658">Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions will follow sometime in June</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Elder Scrolls Online infographic also reveals statistics like 5 million people played the beta, which is equivalent to the population of Norway or the number of Big Macs eaten every day around the world. There are also 61 million items in the game and 40.656 million weapon variations.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Finally, The Elder Scrolls Online features 10,202 non-player characters and 2235 in-game books. Bethesda also notes that since May 2011, developers at Zenimax Online drank 162,784 cups of coffee, weighing in at 5087 pounds of coffee beans.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418109" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418109/" 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, 04 Apr 2014 04:36:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-online-has-5-0952187-10-58-possible-character-variations/1100-6418770/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ffxiv-beta-on-ps4-open-to-everyone-this-weekend/1100-6418769/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454644-ffxiv_pub_patch2.2_19.png" data-ref-id="1300-2454644" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2454644-ffxiv_pub_patch2.2_19.png" data-ref-id="1300-2454644"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2454644-ffxiv_pub_patch2.2_19.png"></a></figure><p style="">Square Enix has opened up its PlayStation 4 beta for <a href="/final-fantasy-xiv-online-a-realm-reborn/" data-ref-id="false">Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn</a> to everyone this weekend.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The beta started at 09:00 BST/01:00 PT this morning, and will run until 09:00/01:00 PT on Monday April 7.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The beta will be running on the actual game servers, so it's possible to join your friends playing the game on PlayStation 3 or PC. Square Enix adds that any characters created or progress made in this beta will carry over the full version of the game, which is released on April 14.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">To get involved, the 11GB client can now be downloaded from the PlayStation Store. You'll also have to register an account with Square Enix to get started.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The successful relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV is one of the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/square-enix-rethinks-its-bid-to-appeal-to-the-mass-market-after-bravely-default-success/1100-6418665/"> main reasons Square Enix expects to return to profit this year</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414801" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414801/" 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, 04 Apr 2014 04:33:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ffxiv-beta-on-ps4-open-to-everyone-this-weekend/1100-6418769/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-pro-wrestling-creator-masato-masuda-passes-away-at-48/1100-6418767/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497264-fire+pro+wrestling.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497264" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497264-fire+pro+wrestling.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497264"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2497264-fire+pro+wrestling.jpg"></a><figcaption>Cover art for 1996's Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Masato Masuda, creator of the Fire Pro Wrestling series, has passed away. He was 48.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The news was confirmed by Grasshopper Manufacture boss Goichi "Suda51" Suda, who spoke of him time working with Masuda in the 90s. "He was 48 years old, still young," <a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s18ufv" rel="nofollow">wrote Suda on Twitter</a>. "I genuinely pray for his happiness in the next world."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"He was one of the greatest creators of video games and he was my direct teacher," added Suda.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The series--a hit in Japan--started in 1989 with <a href="/fire-prowrestling-combination-tag/" data-ref-id="false">Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag</a> for the PC Engine. The series saw releases on the SNES, Saturn, Game Boy Advance, Dreamcast, and the PlayStation 2.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Recently, an Xbox Live Arcade version of Fire Pro Wrestling was released in 2012.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Thank you for giving us our favorite Fire Pro Wrestling. You are the god of it," concluded Suda.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6303627" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6303627/" 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, 04 Apr 2014 04:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fire-pro-wrestling-creator-masato-masuda-passes-away-at-48/1100-6418767/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-off-how-it-believes-the-cloud-will-change-gaming-forever/1100-6418766/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxHdUDhOMyw" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fvideoseries%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26list%3DUU-zjH-e5XBzMpy_VtwIGRxQ&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQxHdUDhOMyw%26list%3DUU-zjH-e5XBzMpy_VtwIGRxQ%26index%3D1&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FQxHdUDhOMyw%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft hasn't held back from <em>talking</em> about how offloading computational efforts to the cloud will advance gaming, but now they are finally <em>showing</em> us what that looks like. In short, this system allows developers to offload processing to remote servers, which in theory frees up local hardware to improve things like rendering.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">This week during Microsoft's developer-centric Build conference in San Francisco, the company showed off a custom tech demo illustrating the system running on PC hardware. Importantly, what we're seeing here in the video above is not Xbox One footage and the demo is merely a prototype.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Still, as we see in the video, the PC that's not connected to Microsoft's Azure server network seriously struggles when the building begins to collapse. Meanwhile, the connected rig is able to achieve a far more steady frame-rate throughout.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft says that tapping into the power of the cloud for gaming will allow for "news kinds of experiences that have never been possible."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">We're already seeing some of this come to life, as Respawn Entertainment's Xbox One game <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a> offloads some <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-cloud-servers-absolutely-essential-to-titanfall/1100-6418222/" data-ref-id="1100-6418222">computational efforts to the cloud</a>. Microsoft released a new video (below) highlighting how the cloud improves the Titanfall experience, though much of what is said is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-cloud-servers-absolutely-essential-to-titanfall/1100-6418222/" data-ref-id="1100-6418222">already known</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The video from Microsoft's Build conference was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ArekkzG" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">captured by YouTube user Arekkz Gaming</a>. You can watch the entire presentation at <a href="http://channel9.msdn.com/?wt.mc_id=build_hp" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Microsoft's website</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418132" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418132/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 04:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shows-off-how-it-believes-the-cloud-will-change-gaming-forever/1100-6418766/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-info-on-xbox-one-external-storage-coming-soon-says-major-nelson/1100-6418765/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497258-6878368302-21292.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497258" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2497258-6878368302-21292.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2497258"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2497258-6878368302-21292.jpg"></a><figcaption>This is a picture of an Xbox One controller, because finding a good image to represent external storage is tough.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Xbox One support for external storage is inching closer, with Microsoft spokesperson Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb saying that the much-requested feature will be "coming soon".</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/21ye2f/xbox_one_momentum/" rel="nofollow">Writing on Reddit</a>, Hryb said that the Xbox One would soon support the ability to keep games on external storage. He added that he would need to check about whether the console could also support media held on an external drive.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Hryb also added that he will confirm whether there will be a limit--such as how the Xbox 360 can't format a USB stick partition higher than 32GB--when there is more information.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The comments follow Microsoft saying in March that it was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-rolls-out-huge-xbox-one-update-teases-external-storage-support/1100-6418114/">working on supporting external storage</a>. Xbox One planning chief Albert Penello also recently said that Microsoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-external-storage-aims-to-be-open/1100-6418143/">intends for external storage on the console to be "open"</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The next Xbox One system update, due in April, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/about-time-xbox-one-friend-notifications-to-return-in-next-update/1100-6418374/">will bring friend notifications back to the console</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6412699" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6412699/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 03:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/more-info-on-xbox-one-external-storage-coming-soon-says-major-nelson/1100-6418765/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-smash-bros-for-wii-u-and-3ds-info-coming-next-week/1100-6418764/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2453996-smashmar13.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453996" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2453996-smashmar13.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2453996"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2453996-smashmar13.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> Nintendo will reveal fresh <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Super Smash Bros. for Wii U</a> <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-nintendo-3ds/" data-ref-id="false">and 3DS</a> information next week.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The company will hold a Nintendo Direct event on Tuesday April 8 at 15:00 PT/23:00 BST, where it will talk about the latest Smash Bros. title.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Might we get a release date? Nintendo is yet to confirm when we'll see the game, outside of some point in 2014. The latest entry in the popular brawling series is a a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-smashing-collaboration-for-next-smash-bros/1100-6383790/" data-ref-id="1100-6383790">collaborative effort between Sora Ltd. and Namco</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In recent days, we've also heard that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/luigi-is-really-going-to-suck-in-the-new-smash-bros-for-wii-u-and-3ds/1100-6418667/">Luigi will get the Poltergust</a>, that the game will feature <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u-3ds-will-feature-lots-of-zelda-items/1100-6418717/">many items from The Legend of Zelda</a>, and that Pikachu's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-overhauling-pikachu-s-iconic-thunder-attack-for-new-super-smash-bros-on-wii-u-and-3ds/1100-6418749/">thunder attack will be overhauled</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6416628" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416628/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 02:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-smash-bros-for-wii-u-and-3ds-info-coming-next-week/1100-6418764/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/unboxing-the-amazon-fire-tv-and-controller/2300-6418142/ Danny and Shaun open up the Amazon Fire TV and give their first hands-on impressions of the streaming device and its controller. Thu, 03 Apr 2014 16:49:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/unboxing-the-amazon-fire-tv-and-controller/2300-6418142/
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