http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sun, 13 Jul 2014 07:15:02 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-test-of-time-looking-back-at-the-last-of-us/1100-6421041/ <p style="">It's been a little over a year now since The Last of Us was released. Part of the last hurrah of AAA releases before the dawn of a new console generation, the game had tremendous expectations to live up to. Now that the dust has had some time to settle, and with the game's PlayStation 4 release just a few weeks off, join us as we take a look back at what The Last of Us represented at the time of its release, and as we look forward to what it might contribute to gaming's future.</p><h3>Pre-release: Venturing Away from Uncharted</h3><p style="">It was December of 2011. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/uncharted-3-drakes-deception/" data-ref-id="false">Uncharted 3</a> had come out the previous month, and though the reviews were glowing and the game was a huge hit, the level of excitement around it didn't reach the spectacular heights that accompanied the release of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/uncharted-2-among-thieves/" data-ref-id="false">Uncharted 2</a>. As successful as the exploits of Nathan Drake had been for Naughty Dog, there was a risk that the studio would be seen as falling into a rut if the next announcement from them revealed yet another swashbuckling adventure for the treasure hunter and his friends. It was time for something different.</p><p style="">The Last of Us looked different.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6347442" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6347442/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Revealed at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, the announcement of The Last of Us was accompanied by a trailer that introduced us to Joel and Ellie's struggle for survival in a world where society has collapsed and horrifying infected humans threaten those who survive. Another Uncharted game, this was not.</p><p style="">It would be 18 months before the game was released, but over that time, Naughty Dog kept interest in the game high with <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-last-of-us-surviving-the-end-of-the-world-demo/2300-6380479/" data-ref-id="2300-6380479">an intense E3 stage demo</a> in 2012, and by slowly doling out information in the months that followed about things like the cause of society's collapse and the nature of the relationship between Joel and Ellie, who many initially assumed were father and daughter. Given Naughty Dog's pedigree with the Uncharted games and Sony's smartly understated handling of PR, by the time The Last of Us was finally released in June of 2013, it had become one of the most anticipated console releases of the year.</p><h3>Release: The Reception</h3><p style="">The Last of Us was met with near-universal critical acclaim. It has <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/the-last-of-us/critic-reviews" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">a 95 rating on Metacritic</a>, and earned the highest possible review score from a huge number of outlets, with critics particularly praising the game's narrative and atmosphere. Some critics felt that the game was so excellent that it breathed new life into the sometimes-predictable action adventure genre. Awarding the game a 10 out of 10, Oli Welsh of Eurogamer <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-05-the-last-of-us-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="2013-06">wrote</a>, "At a time when blockbuster action games are sinking into a mire of desperate overproduction, shallow gameplay and broken narrative logic, The Last of Us is a deeply impressive demonstration of how it can and should be done. It starts out safe but ends brave; it has heart and grit, and it hangs together beautifully. And it's a real video game, too. An elegy for a dying world, The Last of Us is also a beacon of hope for its genre." Edge Magazine similarly felt that the game had more soul than you typically find in a big-budget mainstream release, saying in <a href="http://www.edge-online.com/review/the-last-of-us-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">their review</a>, " At times it's easy to feel like big-budget development has too much on the line to allow stubbornly artful ideas to flourish, but then a game like The Last Of Us emerges through the crumbled blacktop like a climbing vine, green as a burnished emerald."</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/0/7/0/8/1990708-652686_20120814_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1990708" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/0/7/0/8/1990708-652686_20120814_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1990708"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/mig/0/7/0/8/1990708-652686_20120814_001.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Other critics, however, felt that the game reflected the limits of its genre. In his ongoing video series <a href="http://youtu.be/bAzqDgKYfiM" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Errant Signal</a>, critic Chris Franklin said that the game is "very driven by the traditional complete-a-gameplay-section-and-be-rewarded-with-story-chunks mentality that games have been trying to move away from for years" and that it "pushes the... formula to its breaking point, taking it perhaps as far as you possibly can, but in the process showing its fundamental limitations." Polygon's Philip Kollar also felt that the game was compromised by its adherence to genre conventions, <a href="http://www.polygon.com/game/the-last-of-us/3040" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">saying</a> that it "achieves incredible emotional high points about as often as it bumps up against tired scenario design that doesn't fit its world."</p><p style="">The combat at the heart of The Last of Us owes a debt to the gunplay of the Uncharted games, but while those games went for a freewheeling, summer action movie vibe, the action in The Last of Us was meant to put you on edge, encouraging you to be sneaky and make the most of your limited resources to survive. Many critics felt the combat was intense and harrowing. In his review for IGN, Colin Moriarty <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">wrote</a>, "The beauty of stealth in The Last of Us is the incredible, uncomfortable realism you're forced to witness each and every time you execute a silent kill. Watching a survivor fruitlessly swat at Joel's arms as he strangles him to death is disturbing, as is quickly shiving a man in his neck and listening to him gurgle some parting breaths as he collapses to the ground. The Last of Us does a phenomenal job of making each and every enemy feel human. Every life taken has weight and each target feels unique and alive."</p><blockquote data-size="medium"><p style="">In the wake of The Last of Us, the real question seemed to be whether or not the conventions of its genre, which had developed over much of the previous console generation, represented an approach to game design that could stay relevant as we moved into the next generation.</p></blockquote><p style="">For some, however, the game's attempts to foster a sense of dread were undercut by its unwillingness to make death meaningful. In his review for GameSpot, Tom Mc Shea <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-last-of-us-review/1900-6409197/" data-ref-id="1900-6409197">wrote</a>, "The Last of Us refuses to punish failure in a manner befitting the harshness of its world. Become overwhelmed and you quickly perish, but with checkpoints only a few seconds apart, the danger of expiring never dissuades you from recklessness."</p><p style="">In the end, however, while some admired the skill with which The Last of Us employed common elements of its genre and some felt that the game was limited by its adherence to those elements, most agreed that there had rarely been a more well-crafted, more narratively engaging example of the traditional action-adventure game. And the game was adored by players as well. It currently has an average score of 9.1 from <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/the-last-of-us/user-reviews" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Metacritic users</a>, and an average rating of 9 from <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-last-of-us/reviews/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot readers</a>. In the wake of The Last of Us, the real question seemed to be whether or not the conventions of its genre, which had developed over much of the previous console generation, represented an approach to game design that could stay relevant as we moved into the next generation.</p><h3>The Impact of Left Behind</h3><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2590419-photo+booth.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590419" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2590419-photo+booth.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590419"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/78/787590/2590419-photo+booth.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">If The Last of Us was hemmed in by genre conventions, then its add-on chapter, Left Behind, found a way to push up against those conventions, both narratively and mechanically. While some, like <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/arts/video-games/in-the-video-game-the-last-of-us-survival-favors-the-man.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Chris Suellentrop in the New York Times</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/jul/01/last-of-us-bioshock-infinite-male-view" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Keith Stuart in The Guardian</a>, had lamented that The Last of Us, for all of its narrative ambitions, was yet another game that was somewhat predictable in the ways that it was about men and violence, Left Behind focuses on Ellie, and uses its gameplay mechanics and its narrative to foster a real sense of connection between her and her friend Riley.</p><p style="">In his feature <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/coming-of-age-in-the-last-of-us-left-behind/1100-6417768/" data-ref-id="1100-6417768">Coming of Age in The Last of Us: Left Behind</a>, GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea wrote admiringly about the way that Left Behind lets us feel like a participant in many of the moments that bond Ellie and Riley together. "Though some of her personality building stems from the quiet cinematics where I was just an interested observer," he writes, "Left Behind doesn't end her development there. What really caught my attention was how the core of her change occurs while we're in control of her. It's the combat, exploration, and bonding activities she shares with her friend Riley that establish who she is, and who she'll ultimately become."</p><p style="">And in her piece for Wired entitled <a href="http://www.wired.com/2014/02/left-behind-women-video-games/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">The Videogame That Finally Made Me Feel Like a Human Being</a>, Laura Hudson praised Left Behind's characterization of Ellie, writing that she "got to be both vulnerable and dangerous, scared and brave, weak and strong. She got to be human."</p><h3>Where The Last of Us Belongs</h3><p style="">From a gameplay perspective, The Last of Us took a kitchen sink approach, cramming in zombie-like enemies, stealth action, cover shooting, quick-time events, simple environmental puzzles, and numerous other elements that had previously surfaced in any number of similar games. It truly was, as Chris Franklin astutely observed, "a greatest hits tour through the last decade of AAA action adventure game design by major studios." But as familiar as these numerous elements are and as many times as we've experienced them before, the care with which the story and the characters of The Last of Us were crafted elevated the game, making it something that, for many players, transcended the typical action-adventure game experience. The Last of Us took its place as the pinnacle of the genre. For all its excellence, though, it felt like the end of an arc, the crowning achievement in trends that had been building up for a long time, and not something that spoke to where games might go in the future.</p><p style="">With Left Behind, though, the legacy of The Last of Us has shifted somewhat. It is now a game that speaks to how the action adventure genre can evolve, how it can tell different kinds of stories from the kind the genre has typically told, and how, rather than treating story and gameplay as two alternating components, it can effectively fuse narrative and gameplay to strengthen our sense of connection to the characters. Because of this, it's immensely fitting that The Last of Us will be not just a late PlayStation 3 release, but also, come July 29th, an early PlayStation 4 release. It's a game that borrows shamelessly from so many games that came before, but it may also have much to offer the games that are yet to come.</p> Sun, 13 Jul 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-test-of-time-looking-back-at-the-last-of-us/1100-6421041/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mighty-no-9-s-inafune-says-player-feedback-is-appr/1100-6421083/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591850-9659325352-22370.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591850" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591850-9659325352-22370.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591850"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591850-9659325352-22370.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Last week, Comcept founder and former Mega Man producer Keiji Inafune made the surprising announcement that his next game, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/mighty-no-9/" data-ref-id="false">Mighty No. 9</a>, which was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mega-man-creators-mighty-no-9-coming-to-consoles/1100-6414555/">successfully Kickstrarted</a> last year with $3,845,170, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mighty-no-9-launches-another-crowdfunding-campaign/1100-6420929/">will continue to accept funding from fans directly on its website</a>. Some comments Inafune made at Barcelona's Gamelab conference late last month that have surfaced recently help explain the thinking behind the decision.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The only difficulty I've been facing is, as we make the game, we're constantly talking to the backers and we get new feedback every day," Inafune told <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-07-11-keiji-inafune-from-capcom-to-kickstarter" rel="nofollow">GamesIndustry International</a>. "We try our best to incorporate the ideas, but sometimes that feedback goes beyond what I expected. In that case, it can be difficult to explain that, while the feedback is appreciated, certain ideas would require us to ask for extra budget. That's a difficulty, because I never experienced that at Capcom."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">When we reported on Inafune's second round of crowdfunding last week, the first stretch goal was at $100,000, in order to add English voice acting to the game. That stretch goal has since been upped to $200,000, in order to add English <em>and</em> Japanese voice acting. So far, Comcept raised $9,309 from 238 new or returning backers toward that goal.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can fund the project by pre-ordering the "Funding" tier copies of the game via PayPal on <a href="http://mightyno9.com/en/support" rel="nofollow">its website.</a> $50 will get you the final game and some "digital rewards" like a retro manual, art book, and more, and $80 will get you Steam Early Access as well. You can also just pre-order the game now for as low as $23 without contributing to the new crowdfunding effort.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Unrelated to the new funding campaign, Comcept also announced at the 2014 Anime Expo in Los Angeles last week that it's partnering with Japanese animation company Digital Frontier to produce the Mighty No. 9: The Animated TV Series.</p><p style="">None of the money Comcept is raising will be used for the animated series.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mighty-no-9-s-inafune-says-player-feedback-is-appr/1100-6421083/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-the-sopranos-opening-credits-sequence-meticu/1100-6421082/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgYwsM5UkXs" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FWgYwsM5UkXs%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWgYwsM5UkXs&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FWgYwsM5UkXs%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">A group of machinima creators called 8-Bit Bastard have recreated HBO's The Sopranos opening credits by capturing footage from Rockstar Games' <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-v/">Grand Theft Auto V</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As you can see by comparing the video above to the original below, it's a meticulous, close to shot-for-shot remake, and it's especially impressive since it was made with <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-v/">Grand Theft Auto V</a>. That game takes place in the Los Angeles-inspired Los Santos, as opposed to The Sopranos-appropriate New York and New Jersey-inspired Liberty City from <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-iv/">Grand Theft Auto IV</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It's all made with footage captured in-game, but with the help of at least one special effect. "Recreating The Sopranos intro in GTAV was pretty time-consuming, but a lot of fun," 8-Bit Bastard said in the video's description. "It was also our first experience using green screen (you can't smoke in the car while it's moving)!"</p><p style="">You can watch the rest of 8-Bit Bastards creations, including their own version of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/epic-james-bond-train-scene-recreated-in-gta-5/1100-6418065/"><em>Skyfall</em>'s train scene</a> on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY6VstowOKOfvGOhw8hJVXg" rel="nofollow">their YouTube channel</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiDoBYu-S04" data-width="640" data-height="480"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FRiDoBYu-S04%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRiDoBYu-S04&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FRiDoBYu-S04%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 16:51:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-the-sopranos-opening-credits-sequence-meticu/1100-6421082/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/originally-designed-for-vita-controls-rogue-legacy/1100-6421081/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591830-9672925271-20455.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591830" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591830-9672925271-20455.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591830"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591830-9672925271-20455.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Cellar Door Games' 2D platformer with roguelike elements <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/rogue-legacy/">Rogue Legacy</a> will release on all PlayStation Platforms July 29, according to the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/07/09/rogue-legacy-coming-july-29th-to-ps4-ps3-ps-vita/" rel="nofollow">PlayStation Blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Cellar Door said that the PlayStation version of the game includes "101% Content," meaning you'll get all the extra bonus zones, traits, and boss remixes from the PC version, and "just a little bit more," but Cellar Door didn't specify what.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">More importantly, Vita owners will be happy to learn that the game will work well with the handheld's control scheme. "When we originally made Rogue Legacy, we made it with the PS Vita buttons in mind. No joke," Cellar Door's Teddy Lee said. "We gambled that if it did well, we wouldn't want the Vita version being nerfed in the control department, so we made sure to not use too many buttons. That crazy gamble we made over a year ago paid off, and that means the Vita version plays perfectly!"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The PlayStation version of the game comes with Sony's Cross Buy feature, so buying the game for one platform will let you play on all of them. It also features Cross Save, so your progress is consistent across all platforms.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Currently exclusive to the PC, Cellar Door describes Rogue Legacy as a "rogue-lite." You try to defeat a number of bosses in a magical, randomly generated castle. When you die, you play as the dead hero's child, who has his own unique set of abilities. The money you collect passes on to the next generation, so each attempt can get easier as you buy better gear.</p><p style="">The game earned an <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/rogue-legacy-review/1900-6411102/">8.5 in GameSpot's review</a>, and made it to many GameSpot Editors' Top 10 Games for 2013 lists, which you can find <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/rogue-legacy/news/">here</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 15:58:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/originally-designed-for-vita-controls-rogue-legacy/1100-6421081/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/thunder-god-raiden-revealed-for-mortal-kombat-x/1100-6421079/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2591798-evo2014_mortalkombatx_raiden_reveal_trailer+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591798" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2591798-evo2014_mortalkombatx_raiden_reveal_trailer+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591798"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2591798-evo2014_mortalkombatx_raiden_reveal_trailer+%282%29.jpg"></a><figcaption>Thunder take you!</figcaption></figure><p style="">In a shocking turn of events, Raiden has been revealed as the latest addition to <a href="/mortal-kombat-x/" data-ref-id="false">Mortal Kombat X</a>'s roster. Ed Boon, creative director at developer NetherRealm Studios, announced the thunder god's return with a new trailer at the Evolution Championship Series in Las Vegas.</p><p style="">The trailer itself highlighted the three different fighting styles Raiden will have access to in the game. Each of Mortal Kombat X's characters will have the option of choosing from three fighting styles at the start of a match, and will be locked into that style until the match is over. Boon described Raiden's three styles as such:</p><p style=""><strong>Thunder God</strong>. The first style shown focuses on flashy combos that incorporate several electric blasts. This makes Raiden more of an in-your-face sort of fighter as he needs to get in close to his opponent to deal serious damage.</p><p style=""><strong>Displacer</strong>. Raiden's second style is all about tricks and teleportation. He can move all around the screen this way to quickly avoid enemy attacks and projectiles. He can also incorporate teleports into his combos.</p><p style=""><strong>Storm Lord</strong>. The final style shown for Raiden is centered around traps. In this style, Raiden has the ability to place lighting orbs on the screen. When Raiden is standing between two orbs, he can use a lighting attack to activate them, thus creating a bolt of lighting between the two that stuns opponents on contact. This style is much more indirect than the other two.</p><p style="">Of course, there are some moves, such as Raiden's classic flying tackle, that are shared between all three styles. Outside of Raiden's moveset, Boon wasn't ready to go into specifics about the thunder god's place in this new Mortal Kombat's plot, other than to say that he is still trying to fight the good fight. Mortal Kombat X is a follow-up to 2011's <a href="/reviews/mortal-kombat-review/1900-6309219/" data-ref-id="1900-6309219">Mortal Kombat</a>, and you can read our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-how-mortal-kombat-x-is-improving-the-mk-formula/1100-6420403/" data-ref-id="1100-6420403">early impressions of the game here</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420181" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420181/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 15:07:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/thunder-god-raiden-revealed-for-mortal-kombat-x/1100-6421079/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-to-sell-white-ps4-separately-from-destiny-lat/1100-6421080/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591803-3281459147-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591803" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591803-3281459147-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591803"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591803-3281459147-25723.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Want a white PlayStation 4 but not interested in Bungie's sci-fi first-person shooter <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/destiny/">Destiny</a>? Just wait. Sony will sell a white PS4 without a bundled copy of Destiny later this year, the company has said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In Europe, we're going to launch the bundle with Destiny on September 9th, but after that, later this year, we're going to release the white standalone PS4 as well in Europe," Sony Computer Entertainment's President of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida said in an interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWhpRnTvrio&t=6m38s" rel="nofollow">Game One</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yoshida did not specify if and when the standalone white PS4 will be sold in other territories.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">At E3 2014, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-450-white-ps4-destiny-bundle-arriving-september-9/1100-6420272/">Sony revealed that it will launch a $450, 500GB "glacier white" PS4</a> bundled with a copy of Destiny on the game's September 9 release date. The bundle also comes with a matching white DualShock 4 controller and a month-long subscription to PlayStation Network.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In addition to the standard Black, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blue-ps4-controller-coming-to-united-states-this-fall-no-word-on-magma-red/1100-6420717/">Wave Blue</a>, and Magma Red PS4 controllers, a special <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-450-white-ps4-destiny-bundle-arriving-september-9/1100-6420272/">Urban Camouflage gamepad</a> is in the works. These are expected to launch this year for the regular $60 price.</p><p style="">Yesterday, we also learned that a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/limited-edition-frozen-ps4-revealed-for-japan/1100-6421049/">limited edition Frozen PS4</a> will be released in Japan. So far it hasn't been announced for other territories.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 15:05:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-to-sell-white-ps4-separately-from-destiny-lat/1100-6421080/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-uncertain-about-future-of-aaa-western-games-o/1100-6421078/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591706-8422527293-25206.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591706" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591706-8422527293-25206.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591706"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591706-8422527293-25206.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony recently touted that between the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita the company has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-ps3-and-vita-combined-have-sold-over-100-milli/1100-6421018/" data-ref-id="1100-6421018">sold over 100 million systems</a>, but it admits that the Vita might not be the platform of choice for AAA Western games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I certainly think you'll still see [Vita] as a AAA machine in Japan where it has a different function with the console dynamic of the marketplace," PlayStation boss Andrew House told <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/12/sony-the-future-for-the-ps-vita-remains-unclear?+main+twitter" rel="nofollow">IGN</a>. "That for me is a given. It's hard to say in terms of the other markets."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">House echoed the sentiment from Director of Product Planning and Platform Software Innovation at Sony Computer Entertainment Don Mesa, who in May said that the economics for AAA games on Vita "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/economics-for-aaa-games-simply-don-t-work-on-playstation-vita-sony-says/1100-6419548/">simply don't work</a>."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Instead, House suggests that Vita owners will be able to get their AAA fix by taking advantage of the device's remote play feature. "I think remote play is still in its nascent stages, I think we need to have better understanding," he said. "We know a lot of players are embracing it and using it and seem to like the experience a lot, but necessarily that changes the dynamic. You know, if you can play your PlayStation 4 content at will on Vita, then does that obviate the necessity of having AAA content or not?"</p><p style=""><em>What kind of games do prefer to play on your handheld device? Let us know in the comment below.</em></p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 12:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-uncertain-about-future-of-aaa-western-games-o/1100-6421078/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-adds-support-for-game-trials/1100-6421077/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591686-0516942856-25901.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591686" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591686-0516942856-25901.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591686"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591686-0516942856-25901.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox One will now allow developers to offer free trials of their games you can then buy and convert to full versions without additional downloads, Microsoft has said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox One offered full game downloads and demos since launch, but it didn't support the game trials functionality available on Xbox 360.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"But now we do," Microsoft's director of ID@Xbox Chris Charla told <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-11-xbox-one-now-supports-trial-and-unlock-game-demos" rel="nofollow">Eurogamer</a> in an interview. "In the same way that we update the Xbox One OS every month, they update the development system every month - or regularly, anyway. So that's something that we recently turned on. I don't think we've seen any ID@Xbox games yet that have shipped with trials, but we may well in the future. It's something that's open to everybody."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Charla also said that Microsoft is working on ways to make ID@Xbox games easier to discover. The company doesn't want to segregate those indie developers from the rest of the store, but it is considering the option of allowing you to search for just ID@Xbox games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Despite <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-s-controversial-indie-launch-parity-clause-will-continue/1100-6418684/">Xbox One's controversial indie "launch parity" clause</a>, ID@Xbox continues to grow in popularity, with more than <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-indie-program-adds-65-new-developers-to-its-ranks/1100-6417991/">65 developers</a> joining its ranks in February, and according to Charla, "literally hundreds" of ID@Xbox games currently in development.</p><p style=""><em>What Xbox One games would you like to try before you buy? Let us know in the comments below.</em></p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 11:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-adds-support-for-game-trials/1100-6421077/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-s-open-world-racer-the-crew-will-get-free-/1100-6421076/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419312" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419312/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft's open-world racing game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-crew/">The Crew</a> will get free content updates after it launches, Ubisoft has said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"One of the things that I really want to do is to keep providing people with content after launch," The Crew Creative Director Julian Gerighty said in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW0yvMU1B_8" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">a video interview posted to Ubisoft's YouTube channel</a>. "Free Content just to keep people engaged in the game. I really see this as your one stop shop for action driving."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft has previously positioned The Crew as the "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-s-racer-the-crew-is-the-world-of-warcraft-of-driving-games/1100-6419665/">World of Warcraft of driving games</a>," and massively multiplayer online games of that type usually get a lot of free content in addition to paid post-launch content. As Ubisoft VP of digital publishing <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-says-players-more-open-to-dlc-now-are-you/1100-6420924/">Chris Early recently said</a>, Ubisoft is embracing the latter model as well, as players are more accepting of DLC and Season Passes.</p><p style="">The Crew lets you drive coast-to-coast across America, supposedly with no loading screens. You'll be able to drive by familiar locations like Mount Rushmore and San Francisco, as well as a desert-based areas with off-road cars. The Crew is scheduled for release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 11, with a beta launching on July 23. GameSpot's own Carolyn Petit recently took a trip from Detroit to Miami in The Crew, so be sure to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/from-detroit-to-miami-my-time-with-the-crew/1100-6418826/">check out her preview</a> for more on the game.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:55:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-s-open-world-racer-the-crew-will-get-free-/1100-6421076/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/is-battlefield-2-as-good-as-you-remember/2300-6420178/ Battlefield 2 lives on in my memory as the defining multiplayer FPS of my lifetime, but what magic did this decade-old title have that the Battlefield series lost along the way? Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/is-battlefield-2-as-good-as-you-remember/2300-6420178/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-says-it-loves-xbox-and-playstation-fans-equ/1100-6421075/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591625-9590184888-venus.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591625" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591625-9590184888-venus.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591625"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591625-9590184888-venus.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Most Bungie fans got to know the developer while it was working for Microsoft on the Halo series, which helped define Xbox in the last two console generations. Some of these fans, which stuck with Microsoft and Xbox One, are upset that Bungie has aligned itself with Sony and the PlayStation 4 for its upcoming sci-fi shooter <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/destiny/">Destiny</a>. PS4 and PS3 owners already got a chance to play an <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/6-5-million-games-were-played-during-destiny-alpha/1100-6420682/">alpha of the game</a>, the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-destiny-beta-kicks-off-july-17-first-on-ps3-ps4/1100-6420271/">beta will hit PlayStation consoles first</a>, and Destiny will also have <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-s-playstation-exclusive-content-includes-maps-and-ships/1100-6420514/">PlayStation-exclusive content</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In a recent post to <a href="http://www.bungie.net/7_Bungie-Weekly-Update---07112014/en/News/News?aid=11651" rel="nofollow">Bungie's official website</a>, Community Manager David Dague explained that despite its new relationship with Sony, Bungie doesn't "hate" its Xbox fans, as one fan suggested in a question.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Loving a good game and the hard-working developers who create it is not a console exclusive," Dague said. "Bungie has embraced many different platforms in our storied history. We have a hard time sitting still. Our goal has been to create amazing worlds and fill them with as many passionate people as possible. What we would tell you is that, if you want to explore the world of Destiny, it was built with you in mind. We make games here at Bungie. We love the people who play them equally."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">And as Head of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-s-phil-spencer-says-he-s-not-mad-at-bungie-after-alignment-with-playstation-for-destiny/1100-6420871/">Xbox Phil Spencer recently made clear</a>, there's no bad blood between Microsoft and Bungie.</p><p style="">Destiny launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-announces-destiny-release-date-delays-beta/1100-6416594/">September 9</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. A beta begins <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-destiny-beta-kicks-off-july-17-first-on-ps3-ps4/1100-6420271/">July 17 for PlayStation consoles</a>, before coming to Xbox <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-starts-late-july-on-xbox-360-and-xbox-one/1100-6420745/">later in the month</a>. To find out what version of the game you want to pick up, be sure to read about <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-info-blowout-150-ghost-edition-revealed-tw/1100-6420946/">Destiny's different special editions</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 08:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-says-it-loves-xbox-and-playstation-fans-equ/1100-6421075/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tips-to-make-your-pc-cool-and-quiet/1100-6421028/ <p style="">With the likes of Steam's Big Picture mode and better controller support making it more attractive then ever to get a gaming PC in the living room, the business of keeping that box of spinning fans and clicking hard drives quiet is essential. After all, the last thing you want while sitting down to play your favourite games on the couch is to have all the game audio pouring out of your classy surround system drowned out by the incessant whine of a cooling fan. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to quiet down a PC, which have the added benefit of keeping it cooler too. Whether it's an existing box, or a brand new build, here are our top tips for making your PC cool and quiet.</p><h2>Clean Your Computer</h2><p style="">An obvious one, perhaps, but giving your PC a thoroughly good clean is one the easiest, and cheapest ways to help reduce noise, particularly if you've had the machine a while. The fanciest things you'll need are a can of compressed air, a dust cloth, and maybe a dust buster if you have one. The vast majority of PCs will have some cooling fans on it somewhere, usually on the front and rear of the case, and inside on the CPU. Even water-cooled machines use fans to cool the liquid inside the radiator that circulates over your components. Naturally, as fans draw in air, they draw in dust too. If your components are clogged with dust, the harder your fans have to work to keep them cool, thus increasing noise.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590723-img_1074.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590723" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590723-img_1074.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590723"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2590723-img_1074.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">First, look to see if your PC has removable dust filters--they're often just clipped on or attached with magnets--and give them a good clean, removing all that trapped dust. Next, open up your PC (unplug it first!) and go in with your can of compressed air or a cloth and remove the dust around fans and heatsinks inside the case. You may need to remove things like the GPU, or the CPU heatsink to give things a really good clean, but only do so if you're confident with the inner workings of a PC. A carefully placed dust buster will make short work of any large amounts of dust, but don't be too heavy handed, and remember that PC components are sensitive items!</p><p style=""><em>How to do it: Remove dust filters and give them a thoroughly good clean. Open up your PC and get to work with a can of compressed air, a dust cloth, and a dust buster, cleaning up dust from around fans and heatsinks.</em></p><h2>Do Some Cable Management</h2><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590724-img_1063.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590724" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590724-img_1063.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590724"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/917/9176928/2590724-img_1063.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Cable management is a similarly cheap and easy way to boost airflow in your case, and thus make cooling more efficient. Typically, there are myriad of cables knocking around a PC case, connecting power and data to various components. If they're left in an untidy state, particularly if they're blocking fans, then air can't circulate, and case temperatures rise. It's a very easy fix, though, and all it takes is a few minutes of your time and some cable ties that you can pick up for mere cents.</p><p style="">First off, identify if your case has space behind the motherboard to stash cables. Enthusiast cases like <a href="http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/obsidian-series-450d-mid-tower-pc-case" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Corsair's 450D </a>come equipped with holes and rubber grommets so you can thread cables behind the motherboard and secure them with cable ties. Also, be aware that smaller Mini ITX cases like <a href="http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/prodigy/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Bitfenix's Prodigy</a> might look pretty on the outside, but their smaller size means there's less room for cables, which makes keeping them tidy that much trickier. But, even if your case doesn't have built in cable management, there's nothing to stop you from getting a little creative. For example, when I was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/can-we-build-a-gaming-pc-on-a-console-budget/1100-6418829/" data-ref-id="1100-6418829">building the budget AMD PC for GameSpot</a>, I used one of the 5 1/2" drive bays of <a href="http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/core-series/core-1000-usb-30" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Fractal's Core 1000</a> case to bundle up any unused power cables.</p><p style=""><em>How to do it: Grab some cable ties and find places where you can bundle cables up, or tuck them out of the way of fans, and components like the GPU or traditional spinning platter hard drives that get hot. As an added bonus, clean cabling looks far better than a random bundle of wires, especially if you have a windowed case</em>.</p><h2>Upgrade Your CPU and GPU Cooling</h2><p style="">If cleaning and cable tidying don't help, then it might be time to look at buying a few new bits and pieces to help keep your PC quiet. The two noisiest parts of PC tend to be the CPU and GPU, because they run the hottest, and all that heat needs to be dispersed as efficiently as possible. If you've got a standard, off-the-shelf PC, it's more than likely it'll come equipped with a stock CPU cooler supplied by the CPU manufacturer. The same will apply if you bought a retail CPU from a store that came with a cooler in the box.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590725-img_1103.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590725" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590725-img_1103.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590725"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2590725-img_1103.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">While these coolers mostly do their job just fine, they're designed to a budget, and to do nothing more than keep your PC's CPU within tolerable temperatures: noise and efficiency tend to be an afterthought. Fortunately, it's not too tricky to swap a CPU cooler, although, you'll need to be reasonably proficient with a screwdriver and comfortable working inside your PC case. There are numerous types of CPU cooler to choose from, including excellent air coolers from the likes <a href="http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=start" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Noctua</a> and all-in-one water-cooling setups from <a href="http://www.corsair.com/en-us/cpu-coolers/hydro-series" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Corsair</a>.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The one thing they have in common is that they increase the surface area for heat to dissipate. This means heat is more efficiently moved away from the CPU, and because they use larger fans, more air is moved at slower fan speeds, making your PC quieter. Things are a little trickier on the GPU side, in that it's difficult to change their cooling systems. That said, it's not impossible, and if you're confident with PC building there are third-party solutions like <a href="http://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/accelero-xtreme-iv.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Arctic's Accelero Xtreme IV</a> you can fit to an existing GPU. Alternatively, if you're putting together a new PC, get a GPU with either Nvidia's excellent all-metal cooler or a decent third-party solution. You can read more about GPU cooling in <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/building-a-pc-everything-you-need-to-know-about-gp/1100-6420869/" data-ref-id="1100-6420869">our guide on how to pick the right GPU for your PC</a>.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""><em>How to do it: If you're using a stock CPU cooler, look into a buying a new one from the likes of Noctua or Corsair, which will make cooling more efficient, and therefore quieter. Invest in a GPU with a decent cooling system, or--if you're confident with PC building--kit out your GPU with a new cooler like Arctic's Accelero Xtreme IV.</em></p><p style=""> </p><h2>Upgrade Your Fans and Consider Airflow</h2><p style="">PC fans come in all shapes, sizes, and colours. While they're not the most glamorous of purchases and it might be tempting to just go for the cheapest you can find, or the ones with the brightest LEDs, investing in a decent set of fans can work wonders on the noise levels of your PC, and how efficiently it's cooled. Before you splurge all your cash on Newegg, though, it's good to take a look at just how the air is being moved through your PC. A typical mid-tower case will have a couple of fans on the front, with an exhaust in the back. Ideally, you want air to flow in one direction from the front of case, over your components, and then dissipate out the back. Some cases have fans on the side or on the bottom as intakes, which help move things along.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590726-img_0992.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590726" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590726-img_0992.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590726"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2590726-img_0992.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">If there are more fans bringing air in than exhausting it, it's called positive air pressure. This is often the preferred method for cooling, because it's far better at keeping dust out of your PC, making cooling efficient and quiet. The higher pressure of air inside the case means it's forced out of various other unfiltered holes and vents on your PC--aside from the exhaust fan--where dust can easily escape, preventing it from entering the case. With this is mind, take a look at how your PC is currently cooled, and whether fans are blowing air out or sucking it in and adjust accordingly. You might choose to add more fans, which makes for better cooling, but will be noisier, so choose wisely.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Next look at the fans themselves. Cheaper fans are typically noisier and less efficient then their slightly pricier counterparts. When buying a fan, look at specs like airflow, noise level, and static pressure. Airflow is expressed in cubic feet per minute (CFM). The higher the number, the more air that fan can move, which is better for cooling. Noise level is expressed in dBA, and here the lower the number the quieter the fan. Anything around 20 dBA is regarded as a quiet fan, although, there's no standard method between manufacturers for testing this, so it's best to look at reviews online before taking the plunge. Static pressure is measured in units of mmH2O. The higher this number is, the more force the fan can exert on an object, which is important if you're mounting your fan next to something that will block some of its airflow, such as a water cooling radiator, CPU heat sink, or an hard drive cage.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Fan size is also important. Typically, PC cases are equipped with 120mm fans, but you can often swap these out for 140mm versions or larger. Have a look at where your fan is mounted and see if there are extra mounting holes around it, which means you should be able to fit a larger fan. Some cases even feature mounts for fans as large as 200mm. The larger the fan, the more air it can move at a lower speed, which is exactly what you want for a quieter PC. Also, look at what speed your fans are running at. Sometimes, if your motherboard settings are incorrectly adjusted, fans will run at full speed all the time, which is horribly loud. The same thing will happen if you hook up a fan directly to your power supply via a Molex connector without a separate fan controller. There are too many variances in motherboards to go into how to change fan settings here, but dive into your motherboard manual and make sure that your fans are automatically adjusting their speed based on a certain temperature threshold.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Finally, invest in some dust filters for your intake fans if your PC doesn't come equipped with them, and screw them in with the aid of silicone fan fasteners, which will help dampen out any vibrations. If you're rocking a lot of fans in your PC, then a separate fan controller that mounts in a spare drive bay will give you instant control over their speed.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""><em>How to do it: Look at how the air flows through your case and aim for positive air pressure. Invest in bigger fans where possible, and look at specs like airflow, noise level, and static pressure when making a purchase. Dust filters and silicone fan fasteners are cheap ways of improving cooling and reducing noise.</em></p><p style=""> </p><h2>Acoustic Foam, Hard Drives, and the Rest</h2><p style="">If you're still not satisfied with the noise performance of your PC, you can look into attaching sheets of acoustic foam to the inside of your case from manufacturers like <a href="http://www.quietpcusa.com/Acoustic-Materials-C4.aspx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">AcousticPack</a> to help dampen noise. If you do use them, just be careful not to restrict airflow inside your case. Some cases like <a href="http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/define-series/define-r4-black-pearl" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Fractal's Define R4</a> come with acoustic foam pre-installed, should you not wish to do the dirty work. Noisy PC components like hard drives can be housed in things like <a href="http://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/arctic-hc01-tc.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Arctic's HC01 hard drive silencer</a>, but if your hard drive is particularly old and noisy, you're better off looking to replace it with a new one. Or, better yet, go for an SSD, which will be miles quicker, and--thanks to a lack of moving parts--completely silent.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590727-img_1111.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590727" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590727-img_1111.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590727"><img src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2590727-img_1111.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">Power supply units can often be another source of noise, particularly in cheaper models. We're going to be taking a more in-depth look at PSUs at a later date, but suffice to say, don't cheap out on it! Look for 80-plus rated units from reputable manufacturers like <a href="http://www.corsair.com/en-us/power-supply-units" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Corsair</a> and <a href="http://www.silverstonetek.com/product_power.php?tno=1&area=en" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Silverstone</a>, and study the same fan stats like airflow and noise level to help you choose the right one for you. If you really want the quietest gaming PC around, though, then the absolute best solution is to look at water-cooling the whole thing. That's a whole other world of PC building to dive into, though, something we'll be investigating at a later date.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""><em>How to do it: Acoustic foam is a cheap way to dampen noise, but watch that you're not reducing airflow in your case. Consider replacing spinning platter drives with SSDs, and make sure your PSU is up to snuff.</em></p> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tips-to-make-your-pc-cool-and-quiet/1100-6421028/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/how-does-xenonauts-compare-to-the-xcoms/2300-6420179/ Resident XCOM veteran Benito lays out some of the differences between Xenonauts, the original X-Com: UFO Defense, and the more recent XCOM: Enemy Unkown. Sat, 12 Jul 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/how-does-xenonauts-compare-to-the-xcoms/2300-6420179/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/get-south-park-the-stick-of-truth-for-45-madden-nf/1100-6421074/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591590-7486409145-24375.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591590" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591590-7486409145-24375.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591590"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591590-7486409145-24375.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Day 5 of the Xbox 360 "<a href="http://majornelson.com/2014/07/07/this-weeks-deals-with-gold-xbox-360-ultimate-games-sale/" rel="nofollow">Ultimate Games Sale</a>" adds some pretty good deals for the recently released South Park: The Stick of Truth and Madden NFL 25. The deals highlighted below are valid until the end of today, July 12. You can click the links for more information about the games and the "download" link to queue up the game.</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/south-park-the-stick-of-truth/">South Park: The Stick of Truth</a> - $44.99 [<a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/The-Stick-of-Truth/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802555308c5?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson" rel="nofollow">download</a>]</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/madden-nfl-25/">Madden NFL 25</a> - $20.99 [<a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Madden-NFL-25/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802454109c1?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson" rel="nofollow">download</a>]</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/left-4-dead-2/">Left for Dead 2</a> - $4.99 [<a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Left-4-Dead-2/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802454108d4?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson" rel="nofollow">download</a>]</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/peggle/">Peggle</a> - $2.49 [<a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Peggle/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410889?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson" rel="nofollow">download</a>]</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">Today's special deals are in addition to the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-40-on-xbox-one-skyrim-10-fallout-3-5-and/1100-6420981/"> week-long discounts Microsoft is offering</a> for games like <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/titanfall/">Titanfall</a>,<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/"> Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/">The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</a>, and many more.</p><p style=""><em>Let us know what games you're picking up this weekend in the comments below.</em></p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 07:59:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/get-south-park-the-stick-of-truth-for-45-madden-nf/1100-6421074/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sick-of-madden-keep-an-eye-out-for-joe-montana-foo/1100-6421073/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591541-3138778018-BsSTLIZCMAATSxt.jpg%3Alarge" data-ref-id="1300-2591541" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591541-3138778018-BsSTLIZCMAATSxt.jpg%3Alarge" data-ref-id="1300-2591541"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591541-3138778018-BsSTLIZCMAATSxt.jpg%3Alarge"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Joe Montana might be getting ready to announce a new football game more than 20 years after the release of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/joe-montana-football/">Joe Montana Football</a> for the Sega Genesis.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The hall of fame quarterback from the San Francisco 49ers posted the above image to his official Twitter account along with hashtags saying "you've waited long enough" and "Joe Montana Football 16."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The image could be a promotion for the Legends of Candlestick, a flag football game taking place in San Francisco today staring Montana and other retired NFL players, but the uniform and the image itself are inconsistent with the rest of the marketing for the event.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It's been hard if not impossible to compete with Electronic Arts' Madden games since 2004, when the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/big-deal-ea-and-nfl-ink-exclusive-licensing-agreement/1100-6114977/">publisher secured an exclusive licensing deal with the NFL</a> to use its teams and players.</p><p style="">If whatever Montana is teasing is in fact a new game, it would have to work around that limitation unless it was being made with EA. The company, incidentally, also developed the original Joe Montana Football game for Sega.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 07:21:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sick-of-madden-keep-an-eye-out-for-joe-montana-foo/1100-6421073/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sun, 13 Jul 2014 07:15:02 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-test-of-time-looking-back-at-the-last-of-us/1100-6421041/ <p style="">It's been a little over a year now since The Last of Us was released. Part of the last hurrah of AAA releases before the dawn of a new console generation, the game had tremendous expectations to live up to. Now that the dust has had some time to settle, and with the game's PlayStation 4 release just a few weeks off, join us as we take a look back at what The Last of Us represented at the time of its release, and as we look forward to what it might contribute to gaming's future.</p><h3>Pre-release: Venturing Away from Uncharted</h3><p style="">It was December of 2011. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/uncharted-3-drakes-deception/" data-ref-id="false">Uncharted 3</a> had come out the previous month, and though the reviews were glowing and the game was a huge hit, the level of excitement around it didn't reach the spectacular heights that accompanied the release of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/uncharted-2-among-thieves/" data-ref-id="false">Uncharted 2</a>. As successful as the exploits of Nathan Drake had been for Naughty Dog, there was a risk that the studio would be seen as falling into a rut if the next announcement from them revealed yet another swashbuckling adventure for the treasure hunter and his friends. It was time for something different.</p><p style="">The Last of Us looked different.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6347442" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6347442/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Revealed at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, the announcement of The Last of Us was accompanied by a trailer that introduced us to Joel and Ellie's struggle for survival in a world where society has collapsed and horrifying infected humans threaten those who survive. Another Uncharted game, this was not.</p><p style="">It would be 18 months before the game was released, but over that time, Naughty Dog kept interest in the game high with <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-last-of-us-surviving-the-end-of-the-world-demo/2300-6380479/" data-ref-id="2300-6380479">an intense E3 stage demo</a> in 2012, and by slowly doling out information in the months that followed about things like the cause of society's collapse and the nature of the relationship between Joel and Ellie, who many initially assumed were father and daughter. Given Naughty Dog's pedigree with the Uncharted games and Sony's smartly understated handling of PR, by the time The Last of Us was finally released in June of 2013, it had become one of the most anticipated console releases of the year.</p><h3>Release: The Reception</h3><p style="">The Last of Us was met with near-universal critical acclaim. It has <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/the-last-of-us/critic-reviews" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">a 95 rating on Metacritic</a>, and earned the highest possible review score from a huge number of outlets, with critics particularly praising the game's narrative and atmosphere. Some critics felt that the game was so excellent that it breathed new life into the sometimes-predictable action adventure genre. Awarding the game a 10 out of 10, Oli Welsh of Eurogamer <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-05-the-last-of-us-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="2013-06">wrote</a>, "At a time when blockbuster action games are sinking into a mire of desperate overproduction, shallow gameplay and broken narrative logic, The Last of Us is a deeply impressive demonstration of how it can and should be done. It starts out safe but ends brave; it has heart and grit, and it hangs together beautifully. And it's a real video game, too. An elegy for a dying world, The Last of Us is also a beacon of hope for its genre." Edge Magazine similarly felt that the game had more soul than you typically find in a big-budget mainstream release, saying in <a href="http://www.edge-online.com/review/the-last-of-us-review/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">their review</a>, " At times it's easy to feel like big-budget development has too much on the line to allow stubbornly artful ideas to flourish, but then a game like The Last Of Us emerges through the crumbled blacktop like a climbing vine, green as a burnished emerald."</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/0/7/0/8/1990708-652686_20120814_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1990708" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/mig/0/7/0/8/1990708-652686_20120814_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-1990708"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/mig/0/7/0/8/1990708-652686_20120814_001.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Other critics, however, felt that the game reflected the limits of its genre. In his ongoing video series <a href="http://youtu.be/bAzqDgKYfiM" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Errant Signal</a>, critic Chris Franklin said that the game is "very driven by the traditional complete-a-gameplay-section-and-be-rewarded-with-story-chunks mentality that games have been trying to move away from for years" and that it "pushes the... formula to its breaking point, taking it perhaps as far as you possibly can, but in the process showing its fundamental limitations." Polygon's Philip Kollar also felt that the game was compromised by its adherence to genre conventions, <a href="http://www.polygon.com/game/the-last-of-us/3040" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">saying</a> that it "achieves incredible emotional high points about as often as it bumps up against tired scenario design that doesn't fit its world."</p><p style="">The combat at the heart of The Last of Us owes a debt to the gunplay of the Uncharted games, but while those games went for a freewheeling, summer action movie vibe, the action in The Last of Us was meant to put you on edge, encouraging you to be sneaky and make the most of your limited resources to survive. Many critics felt the combat was intense and harrowing. In his review for IGN, Colin Moriarty <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">wrote</a>, "The beauty of stealth in The Last of Us is the incredible, uncomfortable realism you're forced to witness each and every time you execute a silent kill. Watching a survivor fruitlessly swat at Joel's arms as he strangles him to death is disturbing, as is quickly shiving a man in his neck and listening to him gurgle some parting breaths as he collapses to the ground. The Last of Us does a phenomenal job of making each and every enemy feel human. Every life taken has weight and each target feels unique and alive."</p><blockquote data-size="medium"><p style="">In the wake of The Last of Us, the real question seemed to be whether or not the conventions of its genre, which had developed over much of the previous console generation, represented an approach to game design that could stay relevant as we moved into the next generation.</p></blockquote><p style="">For some, however, the game's attempts to foster a sense of dread were undercut by its unwillingness to make death meaningful. In his review for GameSpot, Tom Mc Shea <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-last-of-us-review/1900-6409197/" data-ref-id="1900-6409197">wrote</a>, "The Last of Us refuses to punish failure in a manner befitting the harshness of its world. Become overwhelmed and you quickly perish, but with checkpoints only a few seconds apart, the danger of expiring never dissuades you from recklessness."</p><p style="">In the end, however, while some admired the skill with which The Last of Us employed common elements of its genre and some felt that the game was limited by its adherence to those elements, most agreed that there had rarely been a more well-crafted, more narratively engaging example of the traditional action-adventure game. And the game was adored by players as well. It currently has an average score of 9.1 from <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/the-last-of-us/user-reviews" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Metacritic users</a>, and an average rating of 9 from <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-last-of-us/reviews/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot readers</a>. In the wake of The Last of Us, the real question seemed to be whether or not the conventions of its genre, which had developed over much of the previous console generation, represented an approach to game design that could stay relevant as we moved into the next generation.</p><h3>The Impact of Left Behind</h3><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2590419-photo+booth.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590419" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2590419-photo+booth.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590419"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/78/787590/2590419-photo+booth.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">If The Last of Us was hemmed in by genre conventions, then its add-on chapter, Left Behind, found a way to push up against those conventions, both narratively and mechanically. While some, like <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/arts/video-games/in-the-video-game-the-last-of-us-survival-favors-the-man.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Chris Suellentrop in the New York Times</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/jul/01/last-of-us-bioshock-infinite-male-view" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Keith Stuart in The Guardian</a>, had lamented that The Last of Us, for all of its narrative ambitions, was yet another game that was somewhat predictable in the ways that it was about men and violence, Left Behind focuses on Ellie, and uses its gameplay mechanics and its narrative to foster a real sense of connection between her and her friend Riley.</p><p style="">In his feature <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/coming-of-age-in-the-last-of-us-left-behind/1100-6417768/" data-ref-id="1100-6417768">Coming of Age in The Last of Us: Left Behind</a>, GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea wrote admiringly about the way that Left Behind lets us feel like a participant in many of the moments that bond Ellie and Riley together. "Though some of her personality building stems from the quiet cinematics where I was just an interested observer," he writes, "Left Behind doesn't end her development there. What really caught my attention was how the core of her change occurs while we're in control of her. It's the combat, exploration, and bonding activities she shares with her friend Riley that establish who she is, and who she'll ultimately become."</p><p style="">And in her piece for Wired entitled <a href="http://www.wired.com/2014/02/left-behind-women-video-games/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">The Videogame That Finally Made Me Feel Like a Human Being</a>, Laura Hudson praised Left Behind's characterization of Ellie, writing that she "got to be both vulnerable and dangerous, scared and brave, weak and strong. She got to be human."</p><h3>Where The Last of Us Belongs</h3><p style="">From a gameplay perspective, The Last of Us took a kitchen sink approach, cramming in zombie-like enemies, stealth action, cover shooting, quick-time events, simple environmental puzzles, and numerous other elements that had previously surfaced in any number of similar games. It truly was, as Chris Franklin astutely observed, "a greatest hits tour through the last decade of AAA action adventure game design by major studios." But as familiar as these numerous elements are and as many times as we've experienced them before, the care with which the story and the characters of The Last of Us were crafted elevated the game, making it something that, for many players, transcended the typical action-adventure game experience. The Last of Us took its place as the pinnacle of the genre. For all its excellence, though, it felt like the end of an arc, the crowning achievement in trends that had been building up for a long time, and not something that spoke to where games might go in the future.</p><p style="">With Left Behind, though, the legacy of The Last of Us has shifted somewhat. It is now a game that speaks to how the action adventure genre can evolve, how it can tell different kinds of stories from the kind the genre has typically told, and how, rather than treating story and gameplay as two alternating components, it can effectively fuse narrative and gameplay to strengthen our sense of connection to the characters. Because of this, it's immensely fitting that The Last of Us will be not just a late PlayStation 3 release, but also, come July 29th, an early PlayStation 4 release. It's a game that borrows shamelessly from so many games that came before, but it may also have much to offer the games that are yet to come.</p> Sun, 13 Jul 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-test-of-time-looking-back-at-the-last-of-us/1100-6421041/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mighty-no-9-s-inafune-says-player-feedback-is-appr/1100-6421083/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591850-9659325352-22370.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591850" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591850-9659325352-22370.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591850"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591850-9659325352-22370.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Last week, Comcept founder and former Mega Man producer Keiji Inafune made the surprising announcement that his next game, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/mighty-no-9/" data-ref-id="false">Mighty No. 9</a>, which was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mega-man-creators-mighty-no-9-coming-to-consoles/1100-6414555/">successfully Kickstrarted</a> last year with $3,845,170, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mighty-no-9-launches-another-crowdfunding-campaign/1100-6420929/">will continue to accept funding from fans directly on its website</a>. Some comments Inafune made at Barcelona's Gamelab conference late last month that have surfaced recently help explain the thinking behind the decision.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The only difficulty I've been facing is, as we make the game, we're constantly talking to the backers and we get new feedback every day," Inafune told <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-07-11-keiji-inafune-from-capcom-to-kickstarter" rel="nofollow">GamesIndustry International</a>. "We try our best to incorporate the ideas, but sometimes that feedback goes beyond what I expected. In that case, it can be difficult to explain that, while the feedback is appreciated, certain ideas would require us to ask for extra budget. That's a difficulty, because I never experienced that at Capcom."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">When we reported on Inafune's second round of crowdfunding last week, the first stretch goal was at $100,000, in order to add English voice acting to the game. That stretch goal has since been upped to $200,000, in order to add English <em>and</em> Japanese voice acting. So far, Comcept raised $9,309 from 238 new or returning backers toward that goal.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can fund the project by pre-ordering the "Funding" tier copies of the game via PayPal on <a href="http://mightyno9.com/en/support" rel="nofollow">its website.</a> $50 will get you the final game and some "digital rewards" like a retro manual, art book, and more, and $80 will get you Steam Early Access as well. You can also just pre-order the game now for as low as $23 without contributing to the new crowdfunding effort.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Unrelated to the new funding campaign, Comcept also announced at the 2014 Anime Expo in Los Angeles last week that it's partnering with Japanese animation company Digital Frontier to produce the Mighty No. 9: The Animated TV Series.</p><p style="">None of the money Comcept is raising will be used for the animated series.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mighty-no-9-s-inafune-says-player-feedback-is-appr/1100-6421083/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-the-sopranos-opening-credits-sequence-meticu/1100-6421082/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgYwsM5UkXs" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FWgYwsM5UkXs%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWgYwsM5UkXs&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FWgYwsM5UkXs%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">A group of machinima creators called 8-Bit Bastard have recreated HBO's The Sopranos opening credits by capturing footage from Rockstar Games' <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-v/">Grand Theft Auto V</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As you can see by comparing the video above to the original below, it's a meticulous, close to shot-for-shot remake, and it's especially impressive since it was made with <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-v/">Grand Theft Auto V</a>. That game takes place in the Los Angeles-inspired Los Santos, as opposed to The Sopranos-appropriate New York and New Jersey-inspired Liberty City from <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/grand-theft-auto-iv/">Grand Theft Auto IV</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It's all made with footage captured in-game, but with the help of at least one special effect. "Recreating The Sopranos intro in GTAV was pretty time-consuming, but a lot of fun," 8-Bit Bastard said in the video's description. "It was also our first experience using green screen (you can't smoke in the car while it's moving)!"</p><p style="">You can watch the rest of 8-Bit Bastards creations, including their own version of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/epic-james-bond-train-scene-recreated-in-gta-5/1100-6418065/"><em>Skyfall</em>'s train scene</a> on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY6VstowOKOfvGOhw8hJVXg" rel="nofollow">their YouTube channel</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiDoBYu-S04" data-width="640" data-height="480"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FRiDoBYu-S04%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRiDoBYu-S04&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FRiDoBYu-S04%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 16:51:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-the-sopranos-opening-credits-sequence-meticu/1100-6421082/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/originally-designed-for-vita-controls-rogue-legacy/1100-6421081/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591830-9672925271-20455.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591830" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591830-9672925271-20455.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591830"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591830-9672925271-20455.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Cellar Door Games' 2D platformer with roguelike elements <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/rogue-legacy/">Rogue Legacy</a> will release on all PlayStation Platforms July 29, according to the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/07/09/rogue-legacy-coming-july-29th-to-ps4-ps3-ps-vita/" rel="nofollow">PlayStation Blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Cellar Door said that the PlayStation version of the game includes "101% Content," meaning you'll get all the extra bonus zones, traits, and boss remixes from the PC version, and "just a little bit more," but Cellar Door didn't specify what.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">More importantly, Vita owners will be happy to learn that the game will work well with the handheld's control scheme. "When we originally made Rogue Legacy, we made it with the PS Vita buttons in mind. No joke," Cellar Door's Teddy Lee said. "We gambled that if it did well, we wouldn't want the Vita version being nerfed in the control department, so we made sure to not use too many buttons. That crazy gamble we made over a year ago paid off, and that means the Vita version plays perfectly!"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The PlayStation version of the game comes with Sony's Cross Buy feature, so buying the game for one platform will let you play on all of them. It also features Cross Save, so your progress is consistent across all platforms.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Currently exclusive to the PC, Cellar Door describes Rogue Legacy as a "rogue-lite." You try to defeat a number of bosses in a magical, randomly generated castle. When you die, you play as the dead hero's child, who has his own unique set of abilities. The money you collect passes on to the next generation, so each attempt can get easier as you buy better gear.</p><p style="">The game earned an <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/rogue-legacy-review/1900-6411102/">8.5 in GameSpot's review</a>, and made it to many GameSpot Editors' Top 10 Games for 2013 lists, which you can find <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/rogue-legacy/news/">here</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 15:58:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/originally-designed-for-vita-controls-rogue-legacy/1100-6421081/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/thunder-god-raiden-revealed-for-mortal-kombat-x/1100-6421079/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2591798-evo2014_mortalkombatx_raiden_reveal_trailer+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591798" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2591798-evo2014_mortalkombatx_raiden_reveal_trailer+%282%29.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591798"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2591798-evo2014_mortalkombatx_raiden_reveal_trailer+%282%29.jpg"></a><figcaption>Thunder take you!</figcaption></figure><p style="">In a shocking turn of events, Raiden has been revealed as the latest addition to <a href="/mortal-kombat-x/" data-ref-id="false">Mortal Kombat X</a>'s roster. Ed Boon, creative director at developer NetherRealm Studios, announced the thunder god's return with a new trailer at the Evolution Championship Series in Las Vegas.</p><p style="">The trailer itself highlighted the three different fighting styles Raiden will have access to in the game. Each of Mortal Kombat X's characters will have the option of choosing from three fighting styles at the start of a match, and will be locked into that style until the match is over. Boon described Raiden's three styles as such:</p><p style=""><strong>Thunder God</strong>. The first style shown focuses on flashy combos that incorporate several electric blasts. This makes Raiden more of an in-your-face sort of fighter as he needs to get in close to his opponent to deal serious damage.</p><p style=""><strong>Displacer</strong>. Raiden's second style is all about tricks and teleportation. He can move all around the screen this way to quickly avoid enemy attacks and projectiles. He can also incorporate teleports into his combos.</p><p style=""><strong>Storm Lord</strong>. The final style shown for Raiden is centered around traps. In this style, Raiden has the ability to place lighting orbs on the screen. When Raiden is standing between two orbs, he can use a lighting attack to activate them, thus creating a bolt of lighting between the two that stuns opponents on contact. This style is much more indirect than the other two.</p><p style="">Of course, there are some moves, such as Raiden's classic flying tackle, that are shared between all three styles. Outside of Raiden's moveset, Boon wasn't ready to go into specifics about the thunder god's place in this new Mortal Kombat's plot, other than to say that he is still trying to fight the good fight. Mortal Kombat X is a follow-up to 2011's <a href="/reviews/mortal-kombat-review/1900-6309219/" data-ref-id="1900-6309219">Mortal Kombat</a>, and you can read our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-how-mortal-kombat-x-is-improving-the-mk-formula/1100-6420403/" data-ref-id="1100-6420403">early impressions of the game here</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420181" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420181/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 15:07:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/thunder-god-raiden-revealed-for-mortal-kombat-x/1100-6421079/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-to-sell-white-ps4-separately-from-destiny-lat/1100-6421080/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591803-3281459147-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591803" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591803-3281459147-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591803"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591803-3281459147-25723.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Want a white PlayStation 4 but not interested in Bungie's sci-fi first-person shooter <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/destiny/">Destiny</a>? Just wait. Sony will sell a white PS4 without a bundled copy of Destiny later this year, the company has said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In Europe, we're going to launch the bundle with Destiny on September 9th, but after that, later this year, we're going to release the white standalone PS4 as well in Europe," Sony Computer Entertainment's President of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida said in an interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWhpRnTvrio&t=6m38s" rel="nofollow">Game One</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yoshida did not specify if and when the standalone white PS4 will be sold in other territories.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">At E3 2014, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-450-white-ps4-destiny-bundle-arriving-september-9/1100-6420272/">Sony revealed that it will launch a $450, 500GB "glacier white" PS4</a> bundled with a copy of Destiny on the game's September 9 release date. The bundle also comes with a matching white DualShock 4 controller and a month-long subscription to PlayStation Network.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In addition to the standard Black, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blue-ps4-controller-coming-to-united-states-this-fall-no-word-on-magma-red/1100-6420717/">Wave Blue</a>, and Magma Red PS4 controllers, a special <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-450-white-ps4-destiny-bundle-arriving-september-9/1100-6420272/">Urban Camouflage gamepad</a> is in the works. These are expected to launch this year for the regular $60 price.</p><p style="">Yesterday, we also learned that a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/limited-edition-frozen-ps4-revealed-for-japan/1100-6421049/">limited edition Frozen PS4</a> will be released in Japan. So far it hasn't been announced for other territories.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 15:05:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-to-sell-white-ps4-separately-from-destiny-lat/1100-6421080/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-uncertain-about-future-of-aaa-western-games-o/1100-6421078/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591706-8422527293-25206.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591706" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591706-8422527293-25206.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591706"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591706-8422527293-25206.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony recently touted that between the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita the company has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-ps3-and-vita-combined-have-sold-over-100-milli/1100-6421018/" data-ref-id="1100-6421018">sold over 100 million systems</a>, but it admits that the Vita might not be the platform of choice for AAA Western games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I certainly think you'll still see [Vita] as a AAA machine in Japan where it has a different function with the console dynamic of the marketplace," PlayStation boss Andrew House told <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/12/sony-the-future-for-the-ps-vita-remains-unclear?+main+twitter" rel="nofollow">IGN</a>. "That for me is a given. It's hard to say in terms of the other markets."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">House echoed the sentiment from Director of Product Planning and Platform Software Innovation at Sony Computer Entertainment Don Mesa, who in May said that the economics for AAA games on Vita "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/economics-for-aaa-games-simply-don-t-work-on-playstation-vita-sony-says/1100-6419548/">simply don't work</a>."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Instead, House suggests that Vita owners will be able to get their AAA fix by taking advantage of the device's remote play feature. "I think remote play is still in its nascent stages, I think we need to have better understanding," he said. "We know a lot of players are embracing it and using it and seem to like the experience a lot, but necessarily that changes the dynamic. You know, if you can play your PlayStation 4 content at will on Vita, then does that obviate the necessity of having AAA content or not?"</p><p style=""><em>What kind of games do prefer to play on your handheld device? Let us know in the comment below.</em></p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 12:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-uncertain-about-future-of-aaa-western-games-o/1100-6421078/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-adds-support-for-game-trials/1100-6421077/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591686-0516942856-25901.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591686" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591686-0516942856-25901.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591686"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591686-0516942856-25901.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox One will now allow developers to offer free trials of their games you can then buy and convert to full versions without additional downloads, Microsoft has said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox One offered full game downloads and demos since launch, but it didn't support the game trials functionality available on Xbox 360.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"But now we do," Microsoft's director of ID@Xbox Chris Charla told <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-11-xbox-one-now-supports-trial-and-unlock-game-demos" rel="nofollow">Eurogamer</a> in an interview. "In the same way that we update the Xbox One OS every month, they update the development system every month - or regularly, anyway. So that's something that we recently turned on. I don't think we've seen any ID@Xbox games yet that have shipped with trials, but we may well in the future. It's something that's open to everybody."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Charla also said that Microsoft is working on ways to make ID@Xbox games easier to discover. The company doesn't want to segregate those indie developers from the rest of the store, but it is considering the option of allowing you to search for just ID@Xbox games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Despite <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-s-controversial-indie-launch-parity-clause-will-continue/1100-6418684/">Xbox One's controversial indie "launch parity" clause</a>, ID@Xbox continues to grow in popularity, with more than <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-indie-program-adds-65-new-developers-to-its-ranks/1100-6417991/">65 developers</a> joining its ranks in February, and according to Charla, "literally hundreds" of ID@Xbox games currently in development.</p><p style=""><em>What Xbox One games would you like to try before you buy? Let us know in the comments below.</em></p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 11:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-adds-support-for-game-trials/1100-6421077/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-s-open-world-racer-the-crew-will-get-free-/1100-6421076/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419312" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419312/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft's open-world racing game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-crew/">The Crew</a> will get free content updates after it launches, Ubisoft has said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"One of the things that I really want to do is to keep providing people with content after launch," The Crew Creative Director Julian Gerighty said in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW0yvMU1B_8" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">a video interview posted to Ubisoft's YouTube channel</a>. "Free Content just to keep people engaged in the game. I really see this as your one stop shop for action driving."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft has previously positioned The Crew as the "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-s-racer-the-crew-is-the-world-of-warcraft-of-driving-games/1100-6419665/">World of Warcraft of driving games</a>," and massively multiplayer online games of that type usually get a lot of free content in addition to paid post-launch content. As Ubisoft VP of digital publishing <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-says-players-more-open-to-dlc-now-are-you/1100-6420924/">Chris Early recently said</a>, Ubisoft is embracing the latter model as well, as players are more accepting of DLC and Season Passes.</p><p style="">The Crew lets you drive coast-to-coast across America, supposedly with no loading screens. You'll be able to drive by familiar locations like Mount Rushmore and San Francisco, as well as a desert-based areas with off-road cars. The Crew is scheduled for release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 11, with a beta launching on July 23. GameSpot's own Carolyn Petit recently took a trip from Detroit to Miami in The Crew, so be sure to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/from-detroit-to-miami-my-time-with-the-crew/1100-6418826/">check out her preview</a> for more on the game.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:55:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-s-open-world-racer-the-crew-will-get-free-/1100-6421076/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/is-battlefield-2-as-good-as-you-remember/2300-6420178/ Battlefield 2 lives on in my memory as the defining multiplayer FPS of my lifetime, but what magic did this decade-old title have that the Battlefield series lost along the way? Sat, 12 Jul 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/is-battlefield-2-as-good-as-you-remember/2300-6420178/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-says-it-loves-xbox-and-playstation-fans-equ/1100-6421075/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591625-9590184888-venus.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591625" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591625-9590184888-venus.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591625"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591625-9590184888-venus.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Most Bungie fans got to know the developer while it was working for Microsoft on the Halo series, which helped define Xbox in the last two console generations. Some of these fans, which stuck with Microsoft and Xbox One, are upset that Bungie has aligned itself with Sony and the PlayStation 4 for its upcoming sci-fi shooter <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/destiny/">Destiny</a>. PS4 and PS3 owners already got a chance to play an <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/6-5-million-games-were-played-during-destiny-alpha/1100-6420682/">alpha of the game</a>, the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-destiny-beta-kicks-off-july-17-first-on-ps3-ps4/1100-6420271/">beta will hit PlayStation consoles first</a>, and Destiny will also have <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-s-playstation-exclusive-content-includes-maps-and-ships/1100-6420514/">PlayStation-exclusive content</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In a recent post to <a href="http://www.bungie.net/7_Bungie-Weekly-Update---07112014/en/News/News?aid=11651" rel="nofollow">Bungie's official website</a>, Community Manager David Dague explained that despite its new relationship with Sony, Bungie doesn't "hate" its Xbox fans, as one fan suggested in a question.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Loving a good game and the hard-working developers who create it is not a console exclusive," Dague said. "Bungie has embraced many different platforms in our storied history. We have a hard time sitting still. Our goal has been to create amazing worlds and fill them with as many passionate people as possible. What we would tell you is that, if you want to explore the world of Destiny, it was built with you in mind. We make games here at Bungie. We love the people who play them equally."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">And as Head of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-s-phil-spencer-says-he-s-not-mad-at-bungie-after-alignment-with-playstation-for-destiny/1100-6420871/">Xbox Phil Spencer recently made clear</a>, there's no bad blood between Microsoft and Bungie.</p><p style="">Destiny launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-announces-destiny-release-date-delays-beta/1100-6416594/">September 9</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. A beta begins <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-destiny-beta-kicks-off-july-17-first-on-ps3-ps4/1100-6420271/">July 17 for PlayStation consoles</a>, before coming to Xbox <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-starts-late-july-on-xbox-360-and-xbox-one/1100-6420745/">later in the month</a>. To find out what version of the game you want to pick up, be sure to read about <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-info-blowout-150-ghost-edition-revealed-tw/1100-6420946/">Destiny's different special editions</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 08:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-says-it-loves-xbox-and-playstation-fans-equ/1100-6421075/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tips-to-make-your-pc-cool-and-quiet/1100-6421028/ <p style="">With the likes of Steam's Big Picture mode and better controller support making it more attractive then ever to get a gaming PC in the living room, the business of keeping that box of spinning fans and clicking hard drives quiet is essential. After all, the last thing you want while sitting down to play your favourite games on the couch is to have all the game audio pouring out of your classy surround system drowned out by the incessant whine of a cooling fan. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to quiet down a PC, which have the added benefit of keeping it cooler too. Whether it's an existing box, or a brand new build, here are our top tips for making your PC cool and quiet.</p><h2>Clean Your Computer</h2><p style="">An obvious one, perhaps, but giving your PC a thoroughly good clean is one the easiest, and cheapest ways to help reduce noise, particularly if you've had the machine a while. The fanciest things you'll need are a can of compressed air, a dust cloth, and maybe a dust buster if you have one. The vast majority of PCs will have some cooling fans on it somewhere, usually on the front and rear of the case, and inside on the CPU. Even water-cooled machines use fans to cool the liquid inside the radiator that circulates over your components. Naturally, as fans draw in air, they draw in dust too. If your components are clogged with dust, the harder your fans have to work to keep them cool, thus increasing noise.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590723-img_1074.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590723" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590723-img_1074.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590723"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2590723-img_1074.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">First, look to see if your PC has removable dust filters--they're often just clipped on or attached with magnets--and give them a good clean, removing all that trapped dust. Next, open up your PC (unplug it first!) and go in with your can of compressed air or a cloth and remove the dust around fans and heatsinks inside the case. You may need to remove things like the GPU, or the CPU heatsink to give things a really good clean, but only do so if you're confident with the inner workings of a PC. A carefully placed dust buster will make short work of any large amounts of dust, but don't be too heavy handed, and remember that PC components are sensitive items!</p><p style=""><em>How to do it: Remove dust filters and give them a thoroughly good clean. Open up your PC and get to work with a can of compressed air, a dust cloth, and a dust buster, cleaning up dust from around fans and heatsinks.</em></p><h2>Do Some Cable Management</h2><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590724-img_1063.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590724" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590724-img_1063.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590724"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/917/9176928/2590724-img_1063.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Cable management is a similarly cheap and easy way to boost airflow in your case, and thus make cooling more efficient. Typically, there are myriad of cables knocking around a PC case, connecting power and data to various components. If they're left in an untidy state, particularly if they're blocking fans, then air can't circulate, and case temperatures rise. It's a very easy fix, though, and all it takes is a few minutes of your time and some cable ties that you can pick up for mere cents.</p><p style="">First off, identify if your case has space behind the motherboard to stash cables. Enthusiast cases like <a href="http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/obsidian-series-450d-mid-tower-pc-case" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Corsair's 450D </a>come equipped with holes and rubber grommets so you can thread cables behind the motherboard and secure them with cable ties. Also, be aware that smaller Mini ITX cases like <a href="http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/prodigy/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Bitfenix's Prodigy</a> might look pretty on the outside, but their smaller size means there's less room for cables, which makes keeping them tidy that much trickier. But, even if your case doesn't have built in cable management, there's nothing to stop you from getting a little creative. For example, when I was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/can-we-build-a-gaming-pc-on-a-console-budget/1100-6418829/" data-ref-id="1100-6418829">building the budget AMD PC for GameSpot</a>, I used one of the 5 1/2" drive bays of <a href="http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/core-series/core-1000-usb-30" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Fractal's Core 1000</a> case to bundle up any unused power cables.</p><p style=""><em>How to do it: Grab some cable ties and find places where you can bundle cables up, or tuck them out of the way of fans, and components like the GPU or traditional spinning platter hard drives that get hot. As an added bonus, clean cabling looks far better than a random bundle of wires, especially if you have a windowed case</em>.</p><h2>Upgrade Your CPU and GPU Cooling</h2><p style="">If cleaning and cable tidying don't help, then it might be time to look at buying a few new bits and pieces to help keep your PC quiet. The two noisiest parts of PC tend to be the CPU and GPU, because they run the hottest, and all that heat needs to be dispersed as efficiently as possible. If you've got a standard, off-the-shelf PC, it's more than likely it'll come equipped with a stock CPU cooler supplied by the CPU manufacturer. The same will apply if you bought a retail CPU from a store that came with a cooler in the box.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590725-img_1103.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590725" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590725-img_1103.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590725"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2590725-img_1103.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">While these coolers mostly do their job just fine, they're designed to a budget, and to do nothing more than keep your PC's CPU within tolerable temperatures: noise and efficiency tend to be an afterthought. Fortunately, it's not too tricky to swap a CPU cooler, although, you'll need to be reasonably proficient with a screwdriver and comfortable working inside your PC case. There are numerous types of CPU cooler to choose from, including excellent air coolers from the likes <a href="http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=start" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Noctua</a> and all-in-one water-cooling setups from <a href="http://www.corsair.com/en-us/cpu-coolers/hydro-series" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Corsair</a>.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The one thing they have in common is that they increase the surface area for heat to dissipate. This means heat is more efficiently moved away from the CPU, and because they use larger fans, more air is moved at slower fan speeds, making your PC quieter. Things are a little trickier on the GPU side, in that it's difficult to change their cooling systems. That said, it's not impossible, and if you're confident with PC building there are third-party solutions like <a href="http://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/accelero-xtreme-iv.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Arctic's Accelero Xtreme IV</a> you can fit to an existing GPU. Alternatively, if you're putting together a new PC, get a GPU with either Nvidia's excellent all-metal cooler or a decent third-party solution. You can read more about GPU cooling in <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/building-a-pc-everything-you-need-to-know-about-gp/1100-6420869/" data-ref-id="1100-6420869">our guide on how to pick the right GPU for your PC</a>.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""><em>How to do it: If you're using a stock CPU cooler, look into a buying a new one from the likes of Noctua or Corsair, which will make cooling more efficient, and therefore quieter. Invest in a GPU with a decent cooling system, or--if you're confident with PC building--kit out your GPU with a new cooler like Arctic's Accelero Xtreme IV.</em></p><p style=""> </p><h2>Upgrade Your Fans and Consider Airflow</h2><p style="">PC fans come in all shapes, sizes, and colours. While they're not the most glamorous of purchases and it might be tempting to just go for the cheapest you can find, or the ones with the brightest LEDs, investing in a decent set of fans can work wonders on the noise levels of your PC, and how efficiently it's cooled. Before you splurge all your cash on Newegg, though, it's good to take a look at just how the air is being moved through your PC. A typical mid-tower case will have a couple of fans on the front, with an exhaust in the back. Ideally, you want air to flow in one direction from the front of case, over your components, and then dissipate out the back. Some cases have fans on the side or on the bottom as intakes, which help move things along.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590726-img_0992.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590726" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590726-img_0992.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590726"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2590726-img_0992.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">If there are more fans bringing air in than exhausting it, it's called positive air pressure. This is often the preferred method for cooling, because it's far better at keeping dust out of your PC, making cooling efficient and quiet. The higher pressure of air inside the case means it's forced out of various other unfiltered holes and vents on your PC--aside from the exhaust fan--where dust can easily escape, preventing it from entering the case. With this is mind, take a look at how your PC is currently cooled, and whether fans are blowing air out or sucking it in and adjust accordingly. You might choose to add more fans, which makes for better cooling, but will be noisier, so choose wisely.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Next look at the fans themselves. Cheaper fans are typically noisier and less efficient then their slightly pricier counterparts. When buying a fan, look at specs like airflow, noise level, and static pressure. Airflow is expressed in cubic feet per minute (CFM). The higher the number, the more air that fan can move, which is better for cooling. Noise level is expressed in dBA, and here the lower the number the quieter the fan. Anything around 20 dBA is regarded as a quiet fan, although, there's no standard method between manufacturers for testing this, so it's best to look at reviews online before taking the plunge. Static pressure is measured in units of mmH2O. The higher this number is, the more force the fan can exert on an object, which is important if you're mounting your fan next to something that will block some of its airflow, such as a water cooling radiator, CPU heat sink, or an hard drive cage.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Fan size is also important. Typically, PC cases are equipped with 120mm fans, but you can often swap these out for 140mm versions or larger. Have a look at where your fan is mounted and see if there are extra mounting holes around it, which means you should be able to fit a larger fan. Some cases even feature mounts for fans as large as 200mm. The larger the fan, the more air it can move at a lower speed, which is exactly what you want for a quieter PC. Also, look at what speed your fans are running at. Sometimes, if your motherboard settings are incorrectly adjusted, fans will run at full speed all the time, which is horribly loud. The same thing will happen if you hook up a fan directly to your power supply via a Molex connector without a separate fan controller. There are too many variances in motherboards to go into how to change fan settings here, but dive into your motherboard manual and make sure that your fans are automatically adjusting their speed based on a certain temperature threshold.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Finally, invest in some dust filters for your intake fans if your PC doesn't come equipped with them, and screw them in with the aid of silicone fan fasteners, which will help dampen out any vibrations. If you're rocking a lot of fans in your PC, then a separate fan controller that mounts in a spare drive bay will give you instant control over their speed.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""><em>How to do it: Look at how the air flows through your case and aim for positive air pressure. Invest in bigger fans where possible, and look at specs like airflow, noise level, and static pressure when making a purchase. Dust filters and silicone fan fasteners are cheap ways of improving cooling and reducing noise.</em></p><p style=""> </p><h2>Acoustic Foam, Hard Drives, and the Rest</h2><p style="">If you're still not satisfied with the noise performance of your PC, you can look into attaching sheets of acoustic foam to the inside of your case from manufacturers like <a href="http://www.quietpcusa.com/Acoustic-Materials-C4.aspx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">AcousticPack</a> to help dampen noise. If you do use them, just be careful not to restrict airflow inside your case. Some cases like <a href="http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/define-series/define-r4-black-pearl" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Fractal's Define R4</a> come with acoustic foam pre-installed, should you not wish to do the dirty work. Noisy PC components like hard drives can be housed in things like <a href="http://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/arctic-hc01-tc.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Arctic's HC01 hard drive silencer</a>, but if your hard drive is particularly old and noisy, you're better off looking to replace it with a new one. Or, better yet, go for an SSD, which will be miles quicker, and--thanks to a lack of moving parts--completely silent.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590727-img_1111.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590727" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/917/9176928/2590727-img_1111.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2590727"><img src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/917/9176928/2590727-img_1111.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">Power supply units can often be another source of noise, particularly in cheaper models. We're going to be taking a more in-depth look at PSUs at a later date, but suffice to say, don't cheap out on it! Look for 80-plus rated units from reputable manufacturers like <a href="http://www.corsair.com/en-us/power-supply-units" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Corsair</a> and <a href="http://www.silverstonetek.com/product_power.php?tno=1&area=en" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Silverstone</a>, and study the same fan stats like airflow and noise level to help you choose the right one for you. If you really want the quietest gaming PC around, though, then the absolute best solution is to look at water-cooling the whole thing. That's a whole other world of PC building to dive into, though, something we'll be investigating at a later date.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""><em>How to do it: Acoustic foam is a cheap way to dampen noise, but watch that you're not reducing airflow in your case. Consider replacing spinning platter drives with SSDs, and make sure your PSU is up to snuff.</em></p> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tips-to-make-your-pc-cool-and-quiet/1100-6421028/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/how-does-xenonauts-compare-to-the-xcoms/2300-6420179/ Resident XCOM veteran Benito lays out some of the differences between Xenonauts, the original X-Com: UFO Defense, and the more recent XCOM: Enemy Unkown. Sat, 12 Jul 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/how-does-xenonauts-compare-to-the-xcoms/2300-6420179/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/get-south-park-the-stick-of-truth-for-45-madden-nf/1100-6421074/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591590-7486409145-24375.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591590" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591590-7486409145-24375.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2591590"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591590-7486409145-24375.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Day 5 of the Xbox 360 "<a href="http://majornelson.com/2014/07/07/this-weeks-deals-with-gold-xbox-360-ultimate-games-sale/" rel="nofollow">Ultimate Games Sale</a>" adds some pretty good deals for the recently released South Park: The Stick of Truth and Madden NFL 25. The deals highlighted below are valid until the end of today, July 12. You can click the links for more information about the games and the "download" link to queue up the game.</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/south-park-the-stick-of-truth/">South Park: The Stick of Truth</a> - $44.99 [<a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/The-Stick-of-Truth/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802555308c5?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson" rel="nofollow">download</a>]</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/madden-nfl-25/">Madden NFL 25</a> - $20.99 [<a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Madden-NFL-25/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802454109c1?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson" rel="nofollow">download</a>]</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/left-4-dead-2/">Left for Dead 2</a> - $4.99 [<a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Left-4-Dead-2/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802454108d4?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson" rel="nofollow">download</a>]</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/peggle/">Peggle</a> - $2.49 [<a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Peggle/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410889?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson" rel="nofollow">download</a>]</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">Today's special deals are in addition to the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-40-on-xbox-one-skyrim-10-fallout-3-5-and/1100-6420981/"> week-long discounts Microsoft is offering</a> for games like <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/titanfall/">Titanfall</a>,<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/"> Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/">The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</a>, and many more.</p><p style=""><em>Let us know what games you're picking up this weekend in the comments below.</em></p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 07:59:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/get-south-park-the-stick-of-truth-for-45-madden-nf/1100-6421074/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sick-of-madden-keep-an-eye-out-for-joe-montana-foo/1100-6421073/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591541-3138778018-BsSTLIZCMAATSxt.jpg%3Alarge" data-ref-id="1300-2591541" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2591541-3138778018-BsSTLIZCMAATSxt.jpg%3Alarge" data-ref-id="1300-2591541"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2591541-3138778018-BsSTLIZCMAATSxt.jpg%3Alarge"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Joe Montana might be getting ready to announce a new football game more than 20 years after the release of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/joe-montana-football/">Joe Montana Football</a> for the Sega Genesis.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The hall of fame quarterback from the San Francisco 49ers posted the above image to his official Twitter account along with hashtags saying "you've waited long enough" and "Joe Montana Football 16."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The image could be a promotion for the Legends of Candlestick, a flag football game taking place in San Francisco today staring Montana and other retired NFL players, but the uniform and the image itself are inconsistent with the rest of the marketing for the event.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It's been hard if not impossible to compete with Electronic Arts' Madden games since 2004, when the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/big-deal-ea-and-nfl-ink-exclusive-licensing-agreement/1100-6114977/">publisher secured an exclusive licensing deal with the NFL</a> to use its teams and players.</p><p style="">If whatever Montana is teasing is in fact a new game, it would have to work around that limitation unless it was being made with EA. The company, incidentally, also developed the original Joe Montana Football game for Sega.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 12 Jul 2014 07:21:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sick-of-madden-keep-an-eye-out-for-joe-montana-foo/1100-6421073/
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