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Gamespot's Site MashupDragon Age: Inquisition Has Straight, Bisexual, and Gay Romances Because They Tell Different Stories, BioWare SaysSpace Game Elite: Dangerous to Launch With Graphics Options Today's PCs Can't HandleNintendo to Use Wii U's NFC Capability for Easy Payments, but Only in JapanBuy One, Get One Free Best Buy Deals on Pokemon X/Y, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and othersCrytek's Lead Graphics Engineer Leaves Company to Work on DoomDark Souls DLC, Oddworld, The Walking Dead and Gods Will Be Watching - New ReleasesUbisoft's Open-World Racer The Crew PC Closed Beta Starts TomorrowActivision CEO Bobby Kotick Was Almost Fired Over Buyback From VivendiTekken It to the Limit With Katsuhiro HaradaDivinity: Original Sin ReviewDivinity: Original Sin - ReviewXbox One-Exclusive Quantum Break's Live Action Show Unaffected by Xbox Entertainment Studios ClosureValve Responds to Steam Developers' Security Concerns, But Leaves Unanswered QuestionsThe Evil Within Is Coming Sooner Than We ThoughtFailed Kickstarted Yogcast Game Wasted $35,000 on One Artist's Two Weeks of Work

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Mon, 21 Jul 2014 07:40:38 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-has-straight-bisexual-and-g/1100-6421222/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602123-7895737828-25832.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602123" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602123-7895737828-25832.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602123"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2602123-7895737828-25832.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-age-inquisition/">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a> will have straight, bisexual, and gay character romances because they each tell different stories, BioWare has said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Lead writer for the Dragon Age series David Gaider made the comments during BioWare's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-year-s-lgbtq-friendly-gaymerx2-event-will-be-the-last-for-the-foreseeable-future/1100-6418970/">GaymerX2</a> panel last week titled Building a Better Romance. He explained that since there were only four character romances in <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-age-ii/">Dragon Age II</a>, they were all bisexual because the team wanted to make sure every player had some type of choice.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In Inquisition we got the go ahead to include a lot more total romances, so the decision was made that we don't need to compromise," Gaider said. "So we are going to have straight romances, alongside bisexual romances, alongside gay romances. I thought that was pretty important because those are different stories to tell." This is why, for example, Inquisition includes characters like <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-s-dorian-character-is-legitimately-gay-bioware-says/1100-6420844/">Dorian, who will only romance other men</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can hear the rest of the panel in the YouTube video below. It's a great listen if you're interested in the process and design challenges in building these romance stories in the Dragon Age series and BioWare games in general. I also highly recommend BioWare's other GaymerX2 panel, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOpFrvpTD_A#t" rel="nofollow">Freaking out the Neighbors</a>, about how and why games should be more inclusive.</p><p style="">Dragon Age Inquisition launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-release-date-announced-new-gameplay-trailer-sets-up-the-story/1100-6419128/">October 7</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-age-inquisition/">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHJceORMYPo" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FrHJceORMYPo%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrHJceORMYPo&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FrHJceORMYPo%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sun, 20 Jul 2014 16:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-has-straight-bisexual-and-g/1100-6421222/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/space-game-elite-dangerous-to-launch-with-graphics/1100-6421221/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602139-9576707154-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602139" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602139-9576707154-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602139"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2602139-9576707154-25723.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Upcoming Space game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/elite-dangerous/">Elite: Dangerous</a> will launch with graphics options that players won't be able to run with their current PC hardware, head of developer Frontier Developments David Braben has said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We're going through some wonderful effects internally that look truly beautiful, and we're saying, that slows the frame-rate a bit, doesn't it?" Braben said in an interview with <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-17-frontiers-drive-to-make-elite-dangerous-on-pc-future-proof" rel="nofollow">Eurogamer</a>. "And we say yes, but we don't mind, because it looks so beautiful. But what we're going to do is attach it to this part of the detail slider. Or we'll call it out as a tick box...Even if your PC of today can't run with all the features on, your PC of tomorrow might."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Braben said he loves the idea that this will future proof Elite: Dangerous. Theoretically, it could look great long after its initial release as players get better PC hardware. Of course, Elite: Dangerous' graphics options will also scale to run and look great on a variety of current PCs when it launches.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Braben attributed part of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/rollercoaster-tycoon-3/">RollerCoaster Tycoon 3</a>'s (another Frontier Developments game) success to this strategy. "One of the things that's really helped us was we had that huge scalability, so the game could run on the laptop of 2004. It could also run on the uber desktop of 2004. Which is the laptop of today. I want to make sure we do the same with Elite: Dangerous."</p><p style="">Elite: Dangerous launches in beta on PC July 29 before its full release later this year. The Mac version will follow, and Braben also recently said that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-ps4-could-get-crowdfunded-space-game-elit/1100-6421108/">the game could come to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One</a>. For more on Elite: Dangerous, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/elite-dangerous/">GameSpot's previous coverage</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></td></tr></tbody></table> Sun, 20 Jul 2014 15:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/space-game-elite-dangerous-to-launch-with-graphics/1100-6421221/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-to-use-wii-u-s-nfc-capability-for-easy-pa/1100-6421220/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602088-nfc1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602088" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602088-nfc1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602088"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2602088-nfc1.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Wii U owners in Japan will be able to pay for eShop items by touching money cards to their GamePads starting next week, <a href="http://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/2014/140718.html" rel="nofollow">Nintendo has announced</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Cards like Suica, Toica, Pasmo, and others used in different parts of Japan are embedded with chips that allow you to pay for public transportation and make purchases at convenience stores simply by swiping them by a reader.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Japanese Wii U owners will now be able to make Nintendo eShop purchases similarly by swiping the participating cards by the console's GamePad, which has built-in NFC (near field communication) capability.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Nintendo hasn't said if and when it will make a similar feature available in other territories.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you forgot that your Wii U even included this NFC feature it's because Nintendo hasn't done much with it since the console launched. However, that may change soon with the release Amiibo, a Skylanders-like Toys to Life product line <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-nintendo-teases-new-amiibo-figures-game-watch-toad-and-more/1100-6420393/">Nintendo revealed at E3 2014</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Pressing a real-life Amiibo action figure against the Wii U GamePad will conjure up a character in Super Smash Bros. that can assist you, spar against you, or even take part in Amiibo vs. Amiibo fights.</p><p style="">Nintendo also said it will release a peripheral in 2015 that will allow Amiibo figures to work with 3DS titles. Alongside <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/">Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U</a>, Amiibo will support <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/mario-kart-8/">Mario Kart 8</a>, though Nintendo is yet to explain how that will work. Many upcoming Nintendo games will also support the service.</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> Sun, 20 Jul 2014 12:34:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-to-use-wii-u-s-nfc-capability-for-easy-pa/1100-6421220/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/buy-one-get-one-free-best-buy-deals-on-pokemon-x-y/1100-6421219/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602074-2810342679-20429.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602074" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602074-2810342679-20429.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602074"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1535/15354745/2602074-2810342679-20429.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're looking to expand your Nintendo 3DS game collection you should check out Best Buy's deals this week. The big-box retailer is currently offering a buy one, get one free deal on the following 3DS games (click on the links to find GameSpot's reviews):</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pokemon-x-y-review/1900-6415303/">Pokemon X</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pokemon-x-y-review/1900-6415303/">Pokemon Y</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kirby-triple-deluxe-review/1900-6415743/">Kirby Triple Deluxe</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/yoshi-s-new-island-review/1900-6415694/">Yoshi's New Island</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tomodachi-life-review/1900-6415783/">Tomodachi Life </a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-between-worlds-review/1900-6415543/">The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds</a> (<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/overall-game-of-the-year-2013-winner/1100-6416469/">GameSpot's 2013 game of the year</a>)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bravely-default-review/1900-6415602/">Bravely Default</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-golf-world-tour/1900-6415740/">Mario Golf: World Tour</a></li><li dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-island-tour-review/1900-6415575/">Mario Party: Island Tour</a></li><li dir="ltr">Disney Magical World</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">If you don't already own a 3DS, the Best Buy sale is also offering the 3DS XL with a pre-installed copy of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-and-luigi-dream-team-review/1900-6411220/">Mario & Luigi: Dream Team</a> for $169.99, down from the regular price of $199.99.</p><p style="">The sale is also offering discounts on a few Wii U accessories. It starts today, July 20, and will run until July 26. You can pick up the games at your local store or order them from <a href="http://deals.bestbuy.com/#!/video+games" rel="nofollow">Best Buy's website</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></td></tr></tbody></table> Sun, 20 Jul 2014 11:12:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/buy-one-get-one-free-best-buy-deals-on-pokemon-x-y/1100-6421219/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/crytek-s-lead-graphics-engineer-leaves-company-to-/1100-6421218/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419386" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419386/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Crytek's Lead Research and Development Graphics Engineer Tiago Sousa has left the company to go work at Doom developer id Software, Sousa has announced via <a href="https://twitter.com/idSoftwareTiago/status/490177133180760064" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sousa says he'll work on the next <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/doom-4/" data-ref-id="false">Doom</a> and the graphics engine the company is making for it, idTech 6. id Software released a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/e3-2014-doom-teaser-trailer/2300-6419386/">teaser trailer for Doom during E3 2014</a>. At this year's QuakeCon 2014 conference, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-doom-announced-and-detailed-by-id-software-and/1100-6421188/">it showed off the new game</a>, finally detailing what exactly we can expect, but only to those who were there in person.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to his Linkedin profile, Sousa was with Crytek for more than a decade, working as a graphics programmer and engineer on the company's proprietary CryEngine and games like the first <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/far-cry/">Far Cry</a>, Crysis, Xbox One-exclusive <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ryse-son-of-rome/">Ryse: Son of Rome</a> and other "undisclosed multiplatform projects."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">News of his departure comes after <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-30-staff-have-left-crytek-uk-since-2011-morale-is-low/1100-6420697/">multiple unconfirmed reports</a> that Crytek is struggling financially, especially at its Crytek UK office, currently working on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/homefront-the-revolution/">Homefront: The Revolution</a>. The game director of that project, Hasit Zala, is said to have <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/homefront-the-revolution-director-leaves-crytek-uk/1100-6421085/">left his position at the company</a> as well.</p><p style="">Crytek, which <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/thq-dissolved/1100-6402838/">purchased the Homefront series during THQ's bankruptcy auction in January 2013 for $544,000</a>, officially announced Homefront: The Revolution leading up to E3 2014. The game is an open-world shooter set in a Philadelphia occupied by the North Korean military, and is scheduled to release in 2015 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.</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> Sun, 20 Jul 2014 10:35:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/crytek-s-lead-graphics-engineer-leaves-company-to-/1100-6421218/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/dark-souls-dlc-oddworld-the-walking-dead-and-gods-/2300-6420314/ This week we get Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King, The Walking Dead: Season Two - Episode 4: Amid The Ruins, Gods Will be Watching, Wii U Sports Club and Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! Sun, 20 Jul 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/dark-souls-dlc-oddworld-the-walking-dead-and-gods-/2300-6420314/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-s-open-world-racer-the-crew-pc-closed-beta/1100-6421217/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602014-9127114181-25561.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602014" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602014-9127114181-25561.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602014"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2602014-9127114181-25561.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Ubisoft's open-world racing game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-crew/">The Crew</a> will launch its PC closed beta tomorrow, the company has announced.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In addition to launching just a couple of days earlier than originally planned, Ubisoft also revealed what players will be able to test drive during the beta. If you've been keeping up with our previous coverage of The Crew, you know the game features a giant, open-world map that allows you to drive from coast to coast of the United States. The closed beta will allow you to free roam the entire map, but only has missions and skill challenges for the Midwest, and skill challenges for the East Coast. You'll also be able to race other players in the East Coast and Midwest.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Different terrains will require different car specs, and the closed beta will allow you to customize The Street Spec, which you'll get in Detroit, and The Dirt Spec, which you'll get in New York. Ubisoft also said that you'll get a glimpse of the Perf, Raid, and Circuit specs.</p><p style="">The PC closed beta will run from July 21 to July 25. You can sign up for the beta on <a href="http://thecrew-game.ubi.com/portal/en-GB/beta/index.aspx" rel="nofollow">Ubisoft's website</a>. The Crew is scheduled for release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 11. 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><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sun, 20 Jul 2014 08:43:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-s-open-world-racer-the-crew-pc-closed-beta/1100-6421217/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/activision-ceo-bobby-kotick-was-almost-fired-over-/1100-6421216/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602012-1601714190-origi.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602012" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2602012-1601714190-origi.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2602012"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1535/15354745/2602012-1601714190-origi.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Activision CEO Bobby Kotick was nearly fired last year during Activision's multibillion dollar share buyback from parent company Vivendi, according to court filings.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In October 2013, Activision acquired approximately 429 million company shares from Vivendi for about $5.83 billion, and a separate investment group led by Kotick and Activision chairman Brian Kelly purchased 172 million shares from Vivendi for $2.34 billion.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Court filings obtained by <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-16/vivendi-considered-firing-activision-s-kotick-over-buyout.html" rel="nofollow">Bloomberg</a> reveal that Vivendi was ready to fire Kotick over his refusal to approve any sale of Vivendi's shares that didn't include his investment group.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I really wonder who's going to fire him," Vivendi's CEO at the time Jean-Francois Dubos asked in an email. "Myself, happily. Tomorrow if you want," Vivendi's then chief financial officer and Activision chairman replied.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Kotick and Kelly will have to face investor claims that their investment group, which also includes Chinese game publisher Tencent, wrongfully benefited from buying 25 percent of Vivendi's Activision shares at the same discount offered to Activision.</p><p style="">"Activision's board of directors supports the ongoing leadership of the company by Bobby Kotick and Brian Kelly, who are the most effective executives in the interactive entertainment industry," Activision spokeswoman Maryanne Lataif told GameSpot in a statement. "The recent transaction restructuring the company's ownership has received widespread market support."</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> Sun, 20 Jul 2014 08:07:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/activision-ceo-bobby-kotick-was-almost-fired-over-/1100-6421216/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tekken-it-to-the-limit-with-katsuhiro-harada/1100-6421195/ <p style=""><em>I'm sitting at a cramped little table at the Las Vegas Resort & Casino surrounded by Bandai Namco's Katsuhiro Harada, Daisuke Murano, and Michael Murray. We're smack-dab in the middle of the casino floor discussing fighting game development. Across from us, several rows of slot machines come alive with bright lights and electronic jingles for their patrons. Money goes in, but never comes back out. This isn't surprising. One machine continuously plays a sweet eagle screech.</em></p><p style=""><em>Katsuhiro Harada is the director of the Tekken franchise, while Daisuke Murano and Michael Murray are both producers on Bandai Namco's upcoming <a href="/rise-of-incarnates/" data-ref-id="false">Rise of Incarnates</a>, which I saw back at <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-rise-of-incarnates-is-the-gundam-game-we-never-got/1100-6420460/" data-ref-id="1100-6420460">the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo</a>. Some of you may recognize Murray's name, because he is also Harada's longtime translator for the Western press--or at least he has been for as far back as I can recall. Over beers, the four of us talked fighting games, Eastern versus Western business practices, and Twitch streaming. Unfortunately, this interview took place before <a href="/articles/tekken-7-announced-will-use-unreal-engine-4-update/1100-6421088/" data-ref-id="1100-6421088">the big Tekken 7 announcement</a>, so I don't have any juicy tidbits about that game for you just yet.</em></p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2601351-2601203-3bears1deck.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601351" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2601351-2601203-3bears1deck.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601351"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2601351-2601203-3bears1deck.jpg"></a><figcaption>GameSpot's Peter Brown took this screen shot to the limit with an extra addition.</figcaption></figure><p style=""><b>How has developing a fighting game changed since you started working at what is now Bandai Namco?</b></p><p style=""><strong>Katsuhiro Harada</strong>: The costs involved have grown exponentially. Look at the Japanese animation industry: a long time ago, we used to create by hand all the key animation cels. But recently it has become too expensive to do that, so everyone ships out their work to China or elsewhere. The same can be said for games. It's expensive to use Japanese developers, so we're increasingly relying on outsourcing to make all the assets and such for our games just to make ends meet. That's something that's definitely different from a long time ago.</p><p style=""><strong>Daisuke Murano</strong>: From the beginning of Rise of Incarnates' development, our team has been very international--just look at Michael and me. In fact, our team is so international, a lot of times we'll have our meetings exclusively in English.</p><p style=""><strong>Michael Murray</strong>: Yeah, [Daisuke] is a producer and I'm a producer, so we do it all in English. We work with our outsourcing company, the US offices, and others all in English. It's a really unique team. Even our main art lead speaks English.</p><p style=""><strong>DM</strong>: Rise of Incarnates' director lived in the US for 10 years, and the story writer lived in the US for seven years. Now they live in Japan, but sometimes we'll have conversations in English, and suggest American comics or Marvel or DC comics, or even American cities, as points of inspiration for the game.</p><p style=""><b>Was putting together this sort of international team by chance, or was it planned that way from the beginning?</b></p><p style=""><strong>MM</strong>: It was by chance. I knew Daisuke while working on <a href="/frame-city-killer/" data-ref-id="false">Frame City Killer</a>, and we became pretty close, so I would go visit him all the time and see what he was working on. One day he showed me [Rise of Incarnates] and said it would be cool if I could join the team. Tekken was wrapping up at the time, so I chose to join, and we made that happen. But that was on our level. As far as management goes, they didn't really have any designs like that.</p><p style=""><strong>DM</strong>: With Rise of Incarnates, our main user is worldwide, so we thought about it and decided we needed to make an international team with an international frame of mind.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2601272-brynhildr_04.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601272" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2601272-brynhildr_04.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601272"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2601272-brynhildr_04.jpg"></a><figcaption>Rise of Incarnates has a two-on-two fighting style similar to the Gundam Extreme Vs. series.</figcaption></figure><p style=""><b>If you're working internationally, do the Eastern and Western styles of business clash?</b></p><p style=""><strong>MM</strong>: That's actually my job! [Bandai Namco] is a Japanese company, and their way of doing things is different. They don't see the importance of community, for instance, and a lot of things that Harada is doing now [for Tekken] is by his own power. He's able to just do it without anyone complaining. He doesn't really ask management, and if they complain, he'll deal with it, but traditionally it doesn't work like that. Daisuke and I talk about what we want to do, and then it's my job to present those ideas to management. And I have to frame it correctly, because I know how [management] thinks, but I also know this is important for the American audience. I've done a lot of [that sort of work] on Tekken as well. We're the first to do this in the company for a lot of the stuff we do. I push it through management, and it's an uphill battle, but I've been there so long that I'm able to convince them. Having been there 10 years now, I've built up a little stock. That's why we're trying a lot of new things, and it can be difficult to push through.</p><p style=""><b>Since so much of Bandai Namco is centered around fighting games now, it's surprising to hear that community support isn't viewed with more urgency from up top.</b></p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p style="">"A lot of things that Harada is doing now [for Tekken] is by his own power. He doesn't really ask management, and if they complain, he'll deal with it, but traditionally it doesn't work like that."</p></blockquote><p style=""><strong>MM</strong>: They say, "Well, if we do this, how much profit does it make?" and that's hard to equate. Harada and I are the only ones who go to these events abroad and see firsthand the impact it has, and that's not something you can measure on paper. Harada just takes responsibility and does it, and a lot of times he gets yelled at.</p><p style=""><strong>KH</strong>: A lot of people just don't know what this is like.</p><p style=""><strong>MM</strong>: Western developers all have a Twitter account and just tweet whatever they want. In Japan, you have to apply for an account in the company, and there are all these restrictions. Harada had one before there were all those restrictions, and I had one as well, so we just do what we want, and it has been successful so far, but a lot of times people are just copy-pasting press releases and such. That's something I've been able to help Daisuke with because I can go to our boss and say, "Let us do this and I'll take responsibility." But I'm still not the maker of Tekken, so I can't do <i>anything</i> I choose, but I do get away with a lot more than most people, and I try to make that benefit Rise of Incarnates. Daisuke is learning the ropes though--he gets to come out with Harada to events like this after all.</p><p style=""><b>So what is the average age of the Tekken team?</b></p><p style=""><strong>KH</strong>: Probably late 30s is the average. From 35 and above is when you maybe start to be a producer. It takes some time to get those responsibilities.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2601098-1945418-652998_20120524_011.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601098" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2601098-1945418-652998_20120524_011.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601098"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2601098-1945418-652998_20120524_011.jpg"></a><figcaption>At the last Anime Expo, Bandai Namco showed off an Oculus Rift demo of Sword Art Online, which Harada worked on.</figcaption></figure><p style=""><b>I find most fighting games are still designed with the one-on-one, arcade-style mentality in mind. Do you ever see yourself moving away from the arcade scene?</b></p><p style=""><strong>KH</strong>: You gain a lot from the arcade. [Patrons] will try your game at least once, but if it sucks, they'll never play again, so it's a severe environment to be in, but that just makes you stronger. And since it's a public place, you can see how people are enjoying your game: are they pissed off or unhappy or just half-assing it and complaining? With high-speed Internet, it might be easier to balance the game because you get all this data, but you can't get that emotional feedback--unless you had a camera or something attached to the console to measure facial expression or heart rate. Using the streaming feature on the PS4 to watch how users are playing could give you a similar experience to being in the arcade, but [watching players] is still a really important aspect of development that could be lost if we didn't have an arcade presence.</p><p style=""><strong>KH</strong> (cont.): You look at Super Nintendo games or Genesis games or even mobile games, and a lot of those companies rely on KPI data and statistics alone to balance their games and get the most profit. For the most part, that is a company's focus--profit--but also those games are so simple that you're able to tell quite a bit from numbers alone. However, for something as complex as a fighting game, that's something you can't read though numbers alone. That's why we place an importance on showing up to tournaments and arcades and monitoring players' experiences with our game.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p style="">"With high-speed Internet, it might be easier to balance the game because you get all this data, but you can't get that emotional feedback...[watching players] is still a really important aspect of development that could be lost if we didn't have an arcade presence."</p></blockquote><p style=""><strong>DM</strong>: Rise of Incarnates is interesting because the length of each match is similar to an arcade [fighting game] experience, but there are elements from other genres as well. It's not purely a fighting game, per se. The overall gameplay benefits from communication with your partner. It's not just about logging in, playing for a few minutes, and logging out. It's about strategizing and discussing the matchups with your partner and implementing that theory, as well as the customization aspect as well. There is that human element at work that needs to be recognized.</p><p style=""><b>How would a fighting game that is not designed with the arcade mentality in mind function? For example, Harada-san, what if you designed Tekken without letting players share the same screen?</b></p><p style=""><strong>KH</strong>: We've discussed that before, actually. There are some cool things you could do: you could make the dramatic effects and [impact] effects even more over the top since it's not a shared screen. You could put the move list on the screen for your fighter, or other personalized stuff. There are lots of cool things you could do with screen personalization, but there are also benefits you get from being part of a community or being in an arcade where you're seeing your opponent directly. In Japan, you see top players and they have these beautiful girls alongside them, and other players see them and think, "Oh man, I want that!" And that is something you'd miss, though you could maybe show that online too.</p><p style=""><b>Perhaps using some sort of streaming service, like Twitch? How prevalent is Twitch, or online streaming in general, in Japan?</b></p><p style=""><strong>KH</strong>: Twitch is starting to pick up a bit, but the main one is still NicoNico. People are playing on that, but for very fast-paced stuff, it's hard to show it correctly on NicoNico, so people are kind of noticing that Twitch is better suited for that. Even so, it's not whether you're good at the game or a top player or whatever. In Japan, it's all about that person's personality. They need to be commentating and be interesting to listen to. We have a term that roughly translates as "stream master," and they're actually quite famous and make a lot of money doing that. It's kind of a different format than what is in the US, I think.</p><p style=""><b>Yeah, in America I think we're much more willing to simply watch a good player, even without commentary.</b></p><p style=""><strong>MM</strong>: I was thinking of doing some Twitch streaming with Daisuke, actually. Harada and I could jab at him while he's playing! But I'm kind of serious, because Rise of Incarnates is a new title, and if we could stream it from our office and just be shooting the shit, it would be fun for us at the same time, and people would be able to see something they can't play yet.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2601276-odin_04.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601276" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/949/9490474/2601276-odin_04.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601276"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/949/9490474/2601276-odin_04.jpg"></a><figcaption>What would a fighting game inside the Oculus Rift even look like?</figcaption></figure><p style=""><b>That sort of transparency in development is something that's becoming more and more important here in the US. What about in Japan?</b></p><p style=""><strong>MM</strong>: That's going to be my biggest hurdle yet. No one is doing that in Japan. This is just an idea that I came up with that I pitched to Daisuke, and he wants to do it, so the next step is convincing our boss to say OK, which might be the most difficult thing I've ever done, but I think it would be a good opportunity for this title. It's rough because we make a Facebook page or something for Tekken, and it gets three million likes instantly, and then we make one for Rise, and we get maybe three thousand to start. But yeah, [transparent development] isn't really prevalent in Japanese society, and convincing the companies that this is something we should do is still pretty difficult. If I succeed, it'll probably be the first time a Japanese company has done it. And when the next Tekken comes around, Harada will just do what he wants.</p><p style=""><b>So there are going to be a bunch of live streams with Harada in his pajamas drawing up design documents?</b></p><p style=""><strong>MM</strong>: Yeah, and he'll be drinking tequila the whole time.</p> Sun, 20 Jul 2014 08:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tekken-it-to-the-limit-with-katsuhiro-harada/1100-6421195/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/divinity-original-sin-review/1900-6415819/ <p style="">To play Divinity: Original Sin is to fall in love with role-playing games all over again. It's tempting to label the game as an immediate classic simply because it recalls the days of <a href="/baldurs-gate/" data-ref-id="false">Baldur's Gate</a> and <a href="/planescape-torment/" data-ref-id="false">Planescape: Torment</a>, a time that many role-players still look back on with much fondness. It's true that Original Sin has the trappings of those memorable gems: an isometric camera perspective, an adventuring party of four, magic spells and pubs to relax in and an intriguing fantasy kingdom that captures the imagination. What makes this game so special, however, is that it avoids slavish devotion to those games of old and instead tells a tale very much its own--a tale of conflict between the elements that plays out in electrifying turn-based battles, and a real-world tale of loyalty, in which game and player establish a bond born out of patience, perseverance, and the promise of joyous surprises in every crevasse.</p><p style="">That Original Sin expects a certain amount of patience is obvious from its opening hours, during which you grow accustomed to the game's quiet confidence in your own intelligence and wits. As you traipse about the first town learning the ins and outs of the complex crafting and combat systems, you discover that there are genre conventions you must live without. There is no automated crafting interface that pieces together recipes you have learned; instead, you must remember those recipes or refer to your logbook. Waypoints are few, and quests rarely lead you directly to your ultimate destination. You do a lot of meandering in these early hours, which makes the pace drag, but this is your chance to explore, to test the waters, and to poke and prod at the game to discover what makes it tick.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601227-acrevdivinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+12-36-12+%28p%2901.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601227" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601227-acrevdivinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+12-36-12+%28p%2901.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601227"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2601227-acrevdivinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+12-36-12+%28p%2901.jpg"></a><figcaption>Even walking through the wrong door can make you enemies. </figcaption></figure><p style="">In the process, you discover that Original Sin forces you to confront the consequences of your actions, and does so in ways that most RPGs boasting meaningful decisions fail to match. You cannot take every loaf of bread from an inn, or open any door you please, lest your actions lead to disapproval from the homeowner, or even the wrath of nearby guards. Such consequences appear in other RPGs, of course, but Original Sin goes even further, to the point where you must consider activities you would never question in most other games. In turn, you come to conduct yourself with an unusual level of care. In one instance, I dug up a grave within plain sight of a sobbing villager grieving her buried loved one. In a tear-fueled anger, the woman turned on me, a battle began, and I sliced her up with little fanfare. She was not a warrior, and no match for my party.</p><p style="">I mourned over this one simple action. Few role-playing games would have allowed this kind of conflict; they are designed to have you clicking on everything, seeking every possible gold medallion, every possible health potion. Games at large have taught me to presume there may be something valuable buried in graves and crypts, and those valuables are the journey's driving force in many (if not most) RPGs. Digging up this fresh grave rewarded me with a measly bone, a common crafting component I could easily have gone without. I had defiled a dead man's resting place and taken an innocent life because my greed was too great. I felt more guilty and more invested in this one action than I have felt in entire quest lines in other choice-driven role-playing games, and I chose not to reload an earlier save point. I forced myself to live with my decision.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601218-acrevdivinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-12+10-21-4756.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601218" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601218-acrevdivinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-12+10-21-4756.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601218"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2601218-acrevdivinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-12+10-21-4756.jpg"></a><figcaption>Expect few oases in this harsh desert. </figcaption></figure><p style="">And so you learn that every action has a reaction. This isn't <a href="/mass-effect/" data-ref-id="false">Mass Effect</a> or <a href="/reviews/dragon-age-origins-review/1900-6238628/" data-ref-id="1900-6238628">Dragon Age</a>--your narrative path isn't determined by a good-or-bad morality system and branching conversations. Rather, you hew a path with every step, and the game responds naturally, allowing you to craft small but memorable stories like the one about the lady at the grave. You engage in plenty of dialogue, of course, much of it witty, much of it dramatic, and most of it colorfully written. There's a skeleton who misses having a soul, and whom you convince to replace his head. (It seems logical at the time.) There's a statue that promises to show you how your journey ends, and rolls the game's end credits should you ask to see your future. Developer Larian Studios takes Polonius' words in <em>Hamlet</em> to heart: "Brevity is the soul of wit." The frequent conversations rarely get bogged down by endless and unnecessary dialogue, and conversation partners are drawn with broad, vibrant strokes. Some dialogue doesn't adjust properly to account for story events you have triggered (why are you talking about that necromancer as if you didn't know I murdered her?), but idiosyncrasies like that are minor distractions at worst.</p><p style="">You read more than just the onscreen dialogue. You must peruse recipe books if you want to learn how make a club out of a piece of wood and a handful of nails, or how to write a magic scroll. You craft items by dropping and dragging objects onto each other directly in your inventory window, or perhaps by dragging items onto a nearby furnace, mobile kitchen, or other gadget. You spend a lot of time in your inventory windows, which proves rather cumbersome after a while. But it's hard to contain yourself in that special moment when you create a magical starfish by accident--a moment outmatched by the one in which figure out what, exactly, you can do with that magical starfish.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601232-divinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+04-07-14+%28p%2903.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601232" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601232-divinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+04-07-14+%28p%2903.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601232"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2601232-divinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+04-07-14+%28p%2903.jpg"></a><figcaption>Into the woods without delay, but careful not to lose the way. </figcaption></figure><p style="">What a wonderful place this is to be, overflowing with visual details and unexpected occurrences that make exploration a treat. There are blizzards and dust storms to trudge through, with each weather phenomenon ensuring that you rethink how to play. (The sandy winds slow me down in battle; how, then, must I compensate? I keep slipping in the ice; I wonder if these snowboots I found could prove useful?) There are spider-worshippers and cultists and an otherworldly place to call home, where you can bring on new hirelings and stash excess junk for safekeeping. Every discovery is a thrill, not just because there are so many sights to drink in and fill up on, but because some discoveries might lead to unplanned quest developments. For instance, if you are fortunate enough to have a party member who has earned the pet pal perk, a talking rabbit might have some excellent advice that allows you to bypass a perilous cavern--advice that has you again rethinking hitherto mundane game mechanics.</p><p style="">Depending on how you spend the skill points you earn as you level up, you might be able to talk your way out of conflict by charming, intimidating, or reasoning with potential adversaries. You wouldn't think that simple chats could be so dramatic as those in Original Sin, but the game uses a straightforward but effective rock-paper-scissors minigame to turn vital conversations into a suspenseful duel of words. The higher your rating in a particular conversation style, the closer you come to winning the verbal war with every rock-paper-scissors victory. My stress levels ran high when talks came down to one final game of chance. If I win, I can walk around the encampment freely; if I lose, I must shed the blood of the opposition. And if blood must be shed, I might never know what information or stories my victims might have otherwise shared.</p><blockquote data-align="center" data-size="large"><p style="">But it's hard to contain yourself in that special moment when you create a magical starfish by accident--a moment outmatched by the one in which figure out what, exactly, you can do with that magical starfish.</p></blockquote><p style="">Intriguingly, your two primary party members--the ones you customize within moments of booting up the game--may not agree with each other on a proper course of action. When playing with a cooperative partner, this means both players have an opportunity to direct the outcome. When playing on your own, this allows you to role-play both of these characters, a circumstance that led me to an experience I don't recall having had in any role-playing game before now. I had decided my man at arms had the soul of a paladin, always yearning to support the downtrodden uphold the moral high ground no matter the cost. My witch, on the other hand, was both more practical and more adventurous in my mind, always trying to stir the pot unless the aftermath were potentially too disastrous. When the two exchanged tough words, I chose options that seemed consistent with their characters, while secretly rooting for one or the other to overcome. I was playing both roles simultaneously, rather than just outright choosing the outcome I wanted. Plenty of RPGs feature adventuring parties; few actually encourage you to play two independent roles at once. </p><p style="">Conversations can and do go awry; luckily, the tense and thoughtful battles are incredibly rewarding in their own right. The moment you engage your enemies, time pauses and combatants enter battle stance. From here, your party members perform whatever actions you command of them until you use up their action points or end their turn. Party members begin the game with very specific types skills, but Original Sin's great flexibility means that your adventurers might be able to fling all kinds of spells and swing all kinds of weapons. And while you don't want to sacrifice mastery for flexibility, having a lot of different types of attacks to choose from is highly advantageous, for battles are not just a clash of wills, but a clash of elements as well.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601222-divinity506.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601222" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601222-divinity506.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601222"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2601222-divinity506.jpg"></a><figcaption>Rain shall quench these fires and cleanse your sins. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Elements are a vital aspect of video game sorcery; fireballs, ice shards, tornadoes, and the such have long held central magical roles in fantasy fiction. In Divinity: Original Sin, those elements cooperate and collide with each other, opening up all manner of satisfying offensive possibilities. You can make it rain, and then zap puddles with electricity, stunning the orcs unfortunate enough to be standing in them. You can ignite poisonous clouds and slicks of oil, thus bringing a band of creepy-crawlies to a smoldering end. Barrels of water and oil can provide a bit of battlefield assistance should they be scattered about, but be careful: not only can your opponents turn the tables, but you can inadvertently injure or even destroy your own party members if you get careless when zapping puddles and spewing poison.</p><p style="">Battle is not just about maximizing damage, however, and elements are not just for hurting and healing, but also for hindering. I won a nail-biting struggle with four colossal guardians by carefully controlling their speed and their strength. Turn by turn, I blinded, stunned, froze, weakened, and crippled these iron giants, doing my best to keep every character alive and taking down one guardian at a time until all four had fallen. Every time one of them marched towards my party, I held my breath. They could kill my mages with a single swipe, and their slow gait was pure agony. This is turn-based combat at its best. Every attack is meaningful, every option is a consideration, and every new enemy has you rethinking your strategy.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601231-divinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+03-04-02+%28p%2938.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601231" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2601231-divinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+03-04-02+%28p%2938.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601231"><img src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2601231-divinity+-+divinity+-+2014-07-17+03-04-02+%28p%2938.jpg"></a><figcaption>Don't underestimate the usefulness of potions and one-time scrolls. They might hold the key to escaping a tight spot. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Divinity: Original Sin's minor flaws include a few bugs here and there, such as one that might turn a cave into a neverending mass of explosions. Its interface is fiddly, giving each party member his or her own supply of gold and sometimes making it a chore to do things as simple as repairing equipment or bartering with townspeople. Some idiosyncrasies aren't flaws, however, but rather reminders of how often we expect games to ask of us the simplest questions and then provide us easy answers. How do you find the forest where the White Witch lives? You go out into the world and you find it. How do you locate all the door-opening switches in an immense library? You look for them, you investigate, you open your eyes wide and truly take in the space around you. Little by little, you learn the rules--and little by little, you wonder why there are so few games so willing to trust you to examine and explore. That it believes in you is Original Sin's greatest achievement, and given its many achievements, that's high praise indeed.</p> Sat, 19 Jul 2014 20:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/divinity-original-sin-review/1900-6415819/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/divinity-original-sin-review/2300-6420322/ Great writing, creative dungeons, and fun combat will make you fall in love with RPG's all over again. Sat, 19 Jul 2014 20:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/divinity-original-sin-review/2300-6420322/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-exclusive-quantum-break-s-live-action-sho/1100-6421215/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420286" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420286/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">The live action show component of the Xbox One-exclusive game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/quantum-break/">Quantum Break</a> is still on track despite Microsoft's recent announcement that it's shutting down Xbox Entertainment Studios, the division responsible for original Xbox programming.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Developer Remedy, which previously created <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne/">Max Payne</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/alan-wake/">Alan Wake</a>, told <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/7/17/5914141/quantum-break-xbox-entertainment-studios-closure-xbox-one" rel="nofollow">Polygon</a> in a statement that both the game and show are going along as planned, and that it's excited to share more details about Quantum Break at Gamescom this August.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox Entertainment Studios' shuttering is part of Microsoft's plan to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-layoffs-greater-than-expected-up-to-18-0/1100-6421171/">lay off up to 18,000 of its employees</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Some of Xbox Entertainment Studios' employees--including president Nancy Tellem and executive vice president Jordan Levin--will "stay on and remain committed to original programming already in production." This includes Signal to Noise--the documentary series that will cover, among other subjects, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-man-who-buried-e-t-for-atari-in-1983-recalls-what-happened/1100-6419438/">the Atari E.T. dig</a>--as well as <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-halo-5-s-mysterious-spartan-named-agent-locke-backstory-coming-in-nightfall/1100-6420433/">Halo: Nightfall</a> and Steven Spielberg's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-tv-show-won-t-be-filler-microsoft-says/1100-6416982/">Halo TV series</a>.</p><p style="">Quantum Break follows Jack Joyce, a man on a mission to prevent the end of time, fighting against the nefarious corporation Monarch Solutions. The actions you take will impact how the story unfolds not only in the game, but also the show. The game follows Quantum Break's heroes, while the TV show highlights the villains. The game will launch in 2015.</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, 19 Jul 2014 16:28:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-exclusive-quantum-break-s-live-action-sho/1100-6421215/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-responds-to-steam-developers-security-concer/1100-6421214/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2601764-8943408693-25903.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601764" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2601764-8943408693-25903.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601764"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2601764-8943408693-25903.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Earlier this week, <a href="http://steamdb.info/blog/47/" rel="nofollow">SteamDB published an open letter to Valve</a> from various members of Steam's developer community concerned with some of the company's security practices.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Their primary concern is that unlike other big companies like Facebook and Google, which offer hundreds and even thousands of dollars in rewards to security researchers who discover exploits, Valve doesn't have an official "bug-bounty" program. People who do discover security flaws and want to do the right thing and report them are not sure where to turn, and usually don't get rewarded. If they do, it's in the form of rare, in-game economy items like Team Fortress 2 hats.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Regardless of bounties, not having a clear page describing how to report security bugs to Valve, and receive acknowledgement that reports have been received, is harmful to Valve's customers," The open letter reads, "the top result when searching for 'Steam bug report' on Google is a Steam Powered Users Forum section for the video game DogFighter – demonstrating that users who wish to report bugs responsibly have difficulty finding an avenue to do so."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Valve responded to the letter the same day it was published. "We take security very seriously, and your email prompted us to evaluate our current procedures," it said. "In light of that we have recently created a new security web page which explains our process for receiving and responding to security reports (<a href="http://www.valvesoftware.com/security" rel="nofollow">http://www.valvesoftware.com/security</a>). We believe our process is robust but we understand that we haven't been completely transparent about the process and that has created some confusion. We hope that the above page helps to add clarity and discoverability."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It also explained that only some teams within Valve, namely the Team Fortress 2 team, have chosen to offer small rewards for certain valuable reports. At the moment, Valve isn't planning to establish a formal bug-bounty program.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Valve's response also ignored the open letter's claim that it took the company 24 hours to patch its servers to address the notorious <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/heartbleed-bug-undoes-web-encryption-reveals-user-passwords/" rel="nofollow">Heartbleed</a> vulnerability. The letter claims that the delay was "unacceptable," and the Valve still hasn't said what data may have been compromised.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The security page is a step into the right direction, but some points are left unanswered," the authors of the letter said following Valve's response. "We will continue to communicate with Valve."</p><p style=""><em>What do you think people who report security flaws should get in return? 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, 19 Jul 2014 15:32:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-responds-to-steam-developers-security-concer/1100-6421214/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-evil-within-is-coming-sooner-than-we-thought/1100-6421213/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2601754-8415852375-24432.png" data-ref-id="1300-2601754" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2601754-8415852375-24432.png" data-ref-id="1300-2601754"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2601754-8415852375-24432.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Horror game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-evil-within/">The Evil Within</a> has moved its release date once again, but if you're eager to play it the change is in your favor this time. Previously set to launch on October 21, its new release date is October 14, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEvilWithin/status/489919341345792000" rel="nofollow">the game's official Twitter account</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Evil Within was originally scheduled to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/resident-evil-creator-s-new-horror-game-for-xbox-one-ps4-arrives-this-august/1100-6417753/">launch in August</a> for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, but was reportedly delayed to October to give the development team additional time to make further balance changes and refinements to the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Developed by <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resident-evil/">Resident Evil</a> creator Shinji Mikami and his team at Tango Gameworks, The Evil Within will be published by Fallout and Elder Scrolls publisher Bethesda Softworks. Mikami has described the game as a true return to the roots of the survival horror genre.</p><p style="">For more on The Evil Within, check out GameSpot editor Zorine Te's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-other-horror-games-lie-inside-the-evil-within/1100-6420739/">article about what other horror games seemed to influence the game's two hour preview build</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></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 19 Jul 2014 13:56:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-evil-within-is-coming-sooner-than-we-thought/1100-6421213/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/failed-kickstarted-yogcast-game-wasted-35-000-on-o/1100-6421212/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420305" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420305/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Earlier this week, we learned that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/yogventures/" data-ref-id="false">Yogventures</a>, a game from the popular YouTube channel Yogscast, has been <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-game-given-to-backers-of-failed-yogscast-game/1100-6421172/">canceled after raising $567,000 on Kickstarter</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Yogscast co-founder Lewis Brindley said that the project was ultimately "too ambitious and difficult" for the six-man developer it partnered with, Winterkewl Games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">On Friday, Winterkewl lead developer Kris Vale explained to backers via a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/winterkewlgames/yogventures/posts/919100" rel="nofollow">Kickstarter update</a> some of the issues it faced during development, including one major incident that cost it $35,000. In short, Winterkewl paid an artist in advance, who then went to work at LucasArts without finishing his commitments to the project.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This is a very good example of how my inexperience caused some problems in the development," Vale said. "Because we had worked out a contract that guaranteed each of the principal artists a $35,000 lump sum payment, and we didn't make any clear clause on how and why someone could legally stop working on the project, the artist in question got paid, worked for about 2 weeks and then stopped working on the project. We had no way to force that person to pay back any of the funds and it was a bitter lesson to learn. Always get every possible scenario in writing or you will have no legal recourse."</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2601720-3648140090-866cd.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601720" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2601720-3648140090-866cd.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2601720"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1535/15354745/2601720-3648140090-866cd.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Vale said that after this incident, Yogacast's Brindley lost faith in Vale's ability to manage the budget, and required that the money that hadn't been spent already be transferred to Yogcast.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In the end we negotiated that $150,000 would be transferred to the Yogscast with the understanding that they would use that money exclusively to create and ship all the physical rewards, AND they would help hire the main programmer that we still didn't have on the project," Vale said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Winterkewl's statement omits much and I would disagree with a number of points, but there's no value in going into detail," Brindley said in a post to the <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Yogscast/comments/2b4jgb/update_from_lewis_re_yogventures/" rel="nofollow">Yogcast subreddit </a>earlier today. "Our only goal right now is to ensure that we provide the best possible experience for the backers that we can. I can honestly say this has been our goal throughout."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Brindley also reiterated that Yogscast is working hard to reimburse the backers with other rewards and a code for a different game, TUG.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Vale said that he needs to consult with his accountant to make sure the information is accurate, but offered a detailed breakdown of how Winterkewl planned to spend the roughly $415,000 it had to work with after Amazon and Kickstarter collected their fees from the total $567,665 raised. You can find that breakdown in <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/winterkewlgames/yogventures/posts/919100" rel="nofollow">the last Kickstarter update</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></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 19 Jul 2014 12:23:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/failed-kickstarted-yogcast-game-wasted-35-000-on-o/1100-6421212/

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