Written By Kom Limpulnam on Sabtu, 31 Mei 2014 | 21.50
This half year we got with PS + all these games:
PS4:
1. Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition 2. Outlast 3. Don't Starve 4. Mercenary Kings 5. Stick It To The Man 6. Trine 2: The Complete Story
PS3:
1. Tomb Raider 2. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons 3. Metro: Last Light 4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 5. Borderlands 2 6. DmC Devil May Cry 7. Bioshock Infinite 8. Puppeteer 9. Payday 2 10. NBA 2K14
FOR PS, PS VITA (Cross-Buy):
1. Smart As ... 2. Pixeljunk Monsters: Ultimate HD 3. Soul Sacrifice 4. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time 5. Hotline Miami 6. Lone Survivor
Now tell me, which list is better :) and Xbox Gold is also not for free, you can't do anything other than play SP, when your subscription runs out. Let the ranting continiue :) Why would you want to cancel PS+, it's the gratest thing beside Steam and now Microsoft is trying poorly to copy Sony.
It's the best selling so conform with the masses and buy it. It doesn't matter if it's any good or not. With that said, 'm sure it's great and I'll buy buying a copy this week end.
XBox One Games
Halo 5 = Great!!! But only if Cortana is in it. Behind every great Master Chief is a great or great woman. Give her more lines and romantic dialog.
Battlefield Hardline
It would be great if you could play both as the robbers and the cops like in Need For Speed: Rivals and other one a few years ago. I'm almost finished with my second play through of Battlefield 4 and I haven't experienced all the glitches and stuff people complained about in the past. I bought it last week.
Special Surprise
If your getting married. . .marry me please (that is a compliment).
Crysis may be the series that we most associate with developer Crytek, but it was Far Cry that put it on the map. The original Far Cry was a visual marvel, featuring a vast and gorgeous tropical island to explore, but it was more than just pretty. It was also a highly immersive game that made getting lost in its world both tense and joyous as it introduced elements that were more and more removed from the reality we know.
While some new Far Cry adventures would make their way to consoles packaged with the original game, it wasn't until 2008 that a proper sequel arrived, courtesy of Ubisoft Montreal. The game met with mixed reactions, but it found a passionate audience that loved its African setting and weapon degradation. Far Cry 3 met with wider acclaim, but it's the original game that has proven most important, providing a foundation not just for the Far Cry series itself, but for Crysis and its sequels as well.
Daniel Hindes
The thing I most fondly remember from my tropical vacation in the first Far Cry was the only thing that was excised from the series' later installments: its tone. Protagonist Jack Carver's bright orange Hawaiian shirt was a constant reminder of Far Cry's playful origins. This was a first-person shooter that didn't care about the evils of arms smuggling, or about the definition of insanity. It cared about saturating you with its colorful, open levels, and keeping you on your toes with what were, at the time, some of the most intelligent enemies I've ever seen in a shooter. These mercenaries actually used the jungle for cover, creeping behind plants and--get this--not shooting at you until they had snuck right up behind you for a kill shot. I can't remember a time in a game since then that an enemy has surprised me like that.
Of course, what's not surprising now is Crytek's desire to change up the enemy roster halfway through, such as the introduction of Crysis' aliens, or here, mutated apes. Once I started fighting these trigens in a volcanic caldera, I checked out. But until that point, Far Cry was a pure and refreshing shooter about bright colors, big guns, and loud shirts.
Kevin VanOrd
There comes a "Holy crap!" moment just minutes into Far Cry when the sight of your lush island prison is revealed to you for the first time. It's one of the most stunning sights I've ever witnessed in a game, and at the time, I couldn't believe my eyes. How could a game look this incredible? What was in store for me in this violent paradise?
I couldn't believe my eyes. How could a game look this incredible?
It was the best birthday present I could imagine, and the game arrived only a week after the awesome Unreal Tournament 2004. My time was split between both games afterward--Far Cry for its single-player thrills, and UT 2004 for the continuing excitement of onslaught matches. Far Cry was my personal jewel, however. I can still envision the heightened tropical ambience when swimming underwater, surrounded by impossibly vibrant fish and perfect round bubbles. I can still remember the opening cutscene, which begins with a rewind shot depicting floating flotsam reassembling itself into a sailboat. I still remember using the different rendering options, which let you change the look of the entire game. If you grabbed the recently released HD version (called Far Cry Classic), try turning on the cartoon setting, which makes the game look rather like Borderlands.
Crytek moved on to Crysis, and Ubisoft now handles the Far Cry franchise, and while both Far Cry sequels were great on their own terms, I miss the Island of Doctor Moreau vibe of the original. The series tastes best with a touch of the unnatural.
Shaun McInnis
My experience with the original Far Cry requires a little bit of backstory. Back in 2004, I was a sophomore at the University of Washington. In between reading stacks of 18th-century English novels and trying to convince myself that dirt-cheap beer wasn't so bad once you got used to it--college is a weird place--I somehow still managed to find time for video games. So here I was, browsing reviews on a little website called GameSpot.com, in search of that one game I should check out next. And that's when I saw it: Far Cry.
It was a review done by former GameSpot editor Jason Ocampo. I mention that because one year prior, I shared an English literature class with him and had absolutely no idea he went on to write about video games for a living. And that's what grabbed my attention. Yes, Far Cry looked great, but my PC at the time was a feeble Dell laptop--I was a console gamer back then. But seeing someone I had taken a class with was just too weird for me. I had to see what this game was about.
I'm glad I did, because that game was really something else. Even on my sad little laptop, Far Cry's jungle environment was amazing. The way prowling through lush foliage made you feel like a predator stalking its prey, the freedom with which you could approach enemies, the way everything just felt so reactive--it was one of the first games I could remember where I really felt like I was using the world around me as a weapon.
And it's a series that I still love to this day. Even as Crytek has moved on to different projects, I still enjoy the legacy that studio created. I'm just happy that a wild coincidence convinced me to take a shot on it in the first place.
Microsoft today announced that Quantum Break, the Xbox One-exclusive from Max Payne and Alan Wake creator Remedy Entertainment, will launch in 2015. Previously, the game--announced in May 2013--had no release window whatsoever.
A new trailer for Quantum Break is also now available, and you can watch it above. Narrated by Remedy Entertainment creative director Sam Lake, the video reveals new Quantum Break story details and gives you a look at never-before-seen footage from the game.
Microsoft also announced today that it will show off Quantum Break's signature "time-amplified" gameplay for the first time at Europe's Gamescom convention in August. Today's trailer is meant to serve as a "sneak peek" for the full reveal later this summer.
Quantum Break is not just a video game, as it's also going to be paired with a live-action show. The game 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.
Remedy Entertainment is also working on an iOS game called Agents of Storm.
One day after teasing that Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, PopCap's "weird" FPS, would be coming to PlayStation consoles, publisher Electronic Arts has now made it official. EA announced today that Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare will be available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on August 19. The company also added that the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions have together sold over 1 million copies.
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare runs on the Frostbite 3 engine, the same technology that powers games like Battlefield 4 and Need for Speed: Rivals, and runs in 1080p at 60fps on PS4. It originally launched in February for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and it comes to PC next month.
Producer Brian Lindley said in a statement that Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare players have so far already "vanquished" more than 400 million plants and zombies. "We can't wait for PlayStation gamers to add to this total," he said.
PlayStation gamers can preorder Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare today to receive two digital card packs and PlayStation-exclusive customization packs for characters in the form of Hat Packs based on Sony's franchises like Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, and Fat Princess. The game also supports Remote Play, meaning you can start playing on PS3 or PS4 and then move to PlayStation Vita without interruption.
The PlayStation 4 version of Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare will also support split-screen multiplayer and Boss Mode, which was previously available exclusively on Xbox One. It also includes all previously released DLC, like the Garden Variety and Zomboss Down expansions.
EA added microtransactions to Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare in April. For more on Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, be sure to read GameSpot's review.
Written By Kom Limpulnam on Rabu, 28 Mei 2014 | 21.51
Gamespot's Site MashupFallout, Elder Scrolls publisher making a 32-player free-to-play game with no gunsBattlecry Announcement TrailerHalf-Life 2: The Anatomy of a Classic - Part OneBattlecry Is Bethesda's Stylish and Gun-Free Shot at Team Fortress 2Nintendo will share money with YouTubersWatch Dogs PR stunt goes wrong, bomb squad called inLooks like EA's "weird" Plants vs. Zombies FPS is coming to PlayStation consolesSteam Controller delayed to 2015Microsoft CEO rubbishes idea that Xbox division will be soldReport: Wolfenstein: The New Order pirated more than 100,000 timesBattlefield Hardline video leaks online, shows new gameplay footageBattlefield Hardline to launch this fallMario Kart 8, Bounden, Watch Dogs - The LobbyMario Kart 8 - Now PlayingReport: New Battlefield game revealed [UPDATE]
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 28 May 2014 07:24:22 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-elder-scrolls-publisher-making-a-32-player-free-to-play-game-with-no-guns/1100-6419913/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418976" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418976/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Almost two years after <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bethesda-opens-new-studio-with-ex-bioware-dev-rich-vogel/1100-6397646/" data-ref-id="1100-6397646">opening Battlecry Studios in Austin, Texas</a>, studio owner Bethesda (Fallout, Elder Scrolls) has announced the company's first game: <a href="/battlecry/" data-ref-id="false">Battlecry</a>. It's a free-to-play multiplayer action game for PC being worked on under the direction of studio head Richard Vogel. He previously held the position of vice president at BioWare Austin (<a href="/star-wars-the-old-republic/" data-ref-id="false">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a>).</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Battlecry supports up to 32 players at once and because there are no guns in the game (it's set in an alternate history where nations signed a peace treaty forbidding the use of gunpowder), combat is often up-close and personal. There are exceptions, however, including a ranged Archer class for either side. The game features two factions--Royal Marines and Cossacks--and a host of classes for each side, including the aforementioned Archer, as well as Gadgeteer, Duelist, Enforcer, and Brawler.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The BattleCry team is happy to unveil the game that bears our studio's name," Vogel said in a statement. "We have been hard at work to create a fresh experience for gamers that brings together multiplayer action with visually stunning combat and are excited to share details about the game and have people play Battlecry in Bethesda's booth at E3."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Vogel is not the only industry veteran working on Battlecry. Its creative director is Viktor Antonov, a visual artist whose credits include <a href="/half-life-2/" data-ref-id="false">Half-Life 2</a>'s City 17 and <a href="/dishonored/" data-ref-id="false">Dishonored</a>'s Dunwall. An open beta for Battlecry kicks off in 2015, and you can read much more about the game through our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlecry-is-bethesda-s-stylish-and-gun-free-shot-at-team-fortress-2/1100-6419907/" data-ref-id="1100-6419907">just-published preview </a>and at Battlecry's <a href="http://www.battlecrythegame.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">official website</a>.</p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Wed, 28 May 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-elder-scrolls-publisher-making-a-32-player-free-to-play-game-with-no-guns/1100-6419913/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/battlecry-announcement-trailer/2300-6418976/ Check out the first bloody trailer for Battlecry. Wed, 28 May 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/battlecry-announcement-trailer/2300-6418976/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-2-the-anatomy-of-a-classic-part-one/1100-6419674/ <p style="">"Wake up and smell the ashes."</p><p style="">These words from G-Man, spoken just moments after Half-Life 2 begins, resonate throughout the game. There are plentiful theories as to who this man is, who employs him, and what his relationship is to Gordon. But Half-Life 2 is not one of the greatest games of all time simply because the G-Man speaks such mysteries with his halting voice, but because it is so thoughtfully assembled and thematically consistent.</p><p style="">Of course, a few thousand words isn't enough to express what makes Valve's masterpiece so enthralling. I have much to share with you--so much, in fact, that I want to close out Video Game History Month with a multipart analysis. My dissection isn't intended to speculate on the story elements that give rise to so many wonderful theories and extrapolations. Instead, I hope to look at its various mechanics, narrative devices, and map designs--to explore the anatomy of Half-Life 2. And its birth begins with a gaunt G-Man's call to action, and a train ride to City 17's rail station.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418965" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418965/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><h3>One Man, One State</h3><p style="">Once the opening credits conclude and you disembark, you immediately understand that you are not an aggressor--and that the Combine soldiers are in control. Should you draw too close to a soldier, he will shove you backwards, and it's hard to forget the soldier who later asks you to pick up a soda can and drop it into the nearby wastebasket. This is a small touch, no doubt, but it's a great example of how gameplay and story can be merged in a single interaction. Mechanically speaking, the game is teaching you how to pick up and drop objects, if you haven't already figured it out. Narratively speaking, the game is reinforcing who is truly dominant--and it isn't you. This is a theme that Half-Life 2 returns to time and time again, and one that allows it to stand proud among shooters a decade later. Where the majority of modern shooters make you the aggressor, Half-Life 2 is no power trip. In fact, you spend a good while without a weapon in your hands. That may sound boring, but Half-Life 2 keeps your attention by giving you a number of sights, sounds, and events to ponder and analyze.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532203-we1_cr.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532203" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532203-we1_cr.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532203"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2532203-we1_cr.jpg"></a><figcaption>A still from a German television production of Yevgeny Zamyatin's We. Note how One State's citizens, like City 17's, are clad all in blue. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Consider, for instance, the vortigaunt you glimpse within a station. He is sweeping the floor and closely watched by a nearby Combine grunt. The alien may look odd, but he is performing a mundane duty. Note the collar and other hardware attached to his body. You immediately understand that the vortigaunt is either subservient or enslaved, and in one small stroke, Half-Life 2 casts these aliens not as threats, but as allies, or at very least, victims of the Combine. All of this exposition occurs at your own pace. Half-Life 2 does not introduce you to these concepts by having one of the nearby residents catch you up on current events or explaining the circumstance in an opening narration.</p><p style="">Instead, Half-Life 2 remains a masterclass in environmental storytelling. Dr. Wallace Breen's "welcoming" telecast is particularly noteworthy not just in how insincere his words sound, but in the kind of language he uses. The word "benefactor"--the word he uses to describe the faceless ones who have seemingly imprisoned humanity--is a not-so-subtle attempt to characterize these beings as benevolent (clearly, they are not), but also harks back to Yevgeny Zamyatin's novel <em>We</em>, which is largely considered to have inspired Adolf Huxley's <em>Brave New World</em>, to which Half-Life 2 is occasionally compared. <em>We</em> is one of the first depictions of a dystopian future that satirized the author's culture--in this case, Soviet Russia. Its world is presided over by a man known only as The Benefactor, and its citizens are known only by numbers.</p><p style="">City 17 and <em>We</em>'s One State are different, of course, and the plots of these works aren't particularly parallel, but the similarities are worth noting, particularly in light of the Combine propaganda on the walls. Consider the poster featuring Breen looking off into the horizon in a pose long associated with an individual facing a brighter future. Soviet propaganda often depicted Stalin and Lenin in similar poses, as you can see below, and given the Cyrillic text on these posters, the references to Soviet Russia seem obvious. Half-Life 2 doesn't take place in Russia, most likely, though City 17 is assumed to be somewhere in Eastern Europe. I'll let devoted Half-Life 2 theorists debate about City 17's exact location; I am more concerned with how these small details communicate totalitarian ideals without the game expressly spelling out the backstory. If you're an American, particular one that lived during the height of the Cold War, the Cyrillic text communicates the kind of otherness you were taught to fear. We'll visit this subject later as we rush through the canals and make our way to Nova Prospekt.</p><figure data-embed-type="comparison" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541076-hl2+2014-05-06+22-56-56-45.jpg,http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541077-lenin-on-a-soviet-propaga-001_cr.png" data-ref-id="1300-2541076,1300-2541077" data-size="large" data-image-titles=",Soviet Propaganda" data-resize-urls="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2541076-hl2+2014-05-06+22-56-56-45.jpg,http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2541077-lenin-on-a-soviet-propaga-001_cr.jpg" data-resized="" data-resize-url=""><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541076-hl2+2014-05-06+22-56-56-45.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541076" ><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2541076-hl2+2014-05-06+22-56-56-45.jpg"></a><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541077-lenin-on-a-soviet-propaga-001_cr.png" data-ref-id="1300-2541077" title="Soviet Propaganda"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2541077-lenin-on-a-soviet-propaga-001_cr.jpg"></a><figcaption>Fact: Men in beards cannot be trusted.* *Not actual fact.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">Of course, systemic oppression wasn't the exclusive domain of Soviet Russia. Consider Breen's own words: "And so, whether you are here to stay, or passing through on your way to parts unknown, welcome to City 17. It's safer here." Safety versus freedom is a frequent theme in an age where we are taught to fear terror by a government that would violate our privacy in the name of security. With the jingoism of <a href="/call-of-duty-ghosts/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty</a> and <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield</a> finding more prominent roles in modern games, Half-Life 2 provides a vital counterpoint.</p><h3>Basic Instinct</h3><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541466-hl2+2014-05-06+23-11-29-38.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541466" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541466-hl2+2014-05-06+23-11-29-38.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541466"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2541466-hl2+2014-05-06+23-11-29-38.jpg"></a><figcaption>Freedom? Not quite. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Just after Barney arrives, dressed as a Combine soldier, Valve raises the fear factor, showing you glimpses of presumably violent interrogations occurring behind closed doors. If you're worried, you needn't be, of course: Barney uncovers his friendly face just moments later, and you soon emerge into City 17. It's a fantastic reveal for its immediate impression of openness, followed by the realization that the Combine are watching, documenting, and imprisoning as much as possible. That freedom-versus-confinement dichotomy plays out in a number of ways. You see buildings in the distance and the Citadel rising above you, but the Combine's blockades confine you. A hotel and souvenir shop greet you, but they are boarded up and abandoned. It's the nature of most shooters--and games in general, for that matter--to provide a sense of a greater world while limiting your freedom, but Valve finds a way to make this gaming convention make sense in its world. The Combine have a vested interested in limiting your movement. There is no control when you cannot leash your subjects.</p><p style="">Before you emerge into City 17, however, listen to Breen's second telecast in which he responds to a supposed letter written to him about overcoming instinct, the instinct in this case to reproduce. No surprise: he is once again echoing major themes of the Soviet era, in this case espousing the concept of the "New Soviet Man." Here are some of Breen's words: "Instinct creates its own oppressors, and bids us rise up against them. Instinct tells us that the unknown is a threat, rather than an opportunity. Instinct slyly and covertly compels us away from change and progress. Instinct, therefore, must be expunged." Compare them to Leon Trotsky's words in <em>Literature and Revolution</em>: "Man will make it his purpose to master his own feelings, to raise his instincts to the heights of consciousness, to make them transparent, to extend the wires of his will into hidden recesses, and thereby to raise himself to a new plane, to create a higher social biologic type, or, if you please, a superman." The New Soviet Man's goal was to triumph over his own instincts.</p><blockquote><p style="">Superstition, which lies at the root of ritual, must, of course, be opposed by rationalistic criticism.</p><cite>Leon Trotsky, The Family and Ceremony</cite></blockquote><blockquote><p style="">Let me remind all citizens of the dangers of magical thinking. We have scarcely begun to climb from the dark pit of our species' evolution. Let us not slide backward into oblivion, just as we have finally begun to see the light.</p><cite>Dr. Wallace Breen, Half-Life 2</cite></blockquote><p style="">Gordon still has no offensive capabilities, but he is absolutely capable of taking damage. The apartment escape sequence initiates Half-Life 2's primary narrative arc, which begins with a vulnerable Gordon on the run, powerless to fight back, and ends with him at the forefront of a revolution. These moments leading to your first encounter with Alyx Vance are self-explanatory, but they provide an effective glimpse at the lives of City 17's citizens, who live sparsely, and in constant fear. Alyx's introduction, however, is notable for how it subverts the common damsel-in-distress trope, with Alyx in the role of savior, and Gordon in the role of victim. Of course, Gordon is this world's true chosen one (more on this later), but Alyx is a leader in her own right, and it's a shame that she doesn't earn more screen time.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541468-hl2+2014-05-06+23-27-18-80.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541468" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541468-hl2+2014-05-06+23-27-18-80.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541468"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2541468-hl2+2014-05-06+23-27-18-80.jpg"></a><figcaption>Dr. Kleiner and Alyx have obviously been very close for a long time. Note the little construction-paper cutout signed by Alyx near the bottom right of the corkboard. Adorably, it looks like she didn't spell 'Kleiner' quite right.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Now that Alyx has brought you to relative safety and you've been reunited with Barney, you collide with the telling traits of lean storytelling: there are few activities or lines of dialogue that don't have purpose. The upshot to lean storytelling is that you spend less time listening to other characters telling you about the world and more time seeing it for yourself. The downside is that you can infer future events from minor details. Every line of dialogue or story event either moves the plot, develops a character, tells a joke, or foreshadows the future. "I still have nightmares about that cat," says Barney, and Alyx replies with slight panic, "What cat?" We now know not only that the teleporter is unsafe, but we can presume that Gordon's transfer to Eli's facility will not go according to plan. The shenanigans of Lamarr, the de-fanged headcrab, occur just afterwards. Hmm--could it be that Lamarr is going to disrupt the transfer?</p><p style="">Well of course that's what it means, but at least you get to play around a little beforehand. Check out the miniature teleporter against the wall with a cactus in it. Not only can you transfer the cactus from one point to the other, but you can remove the cactus and replace it with other objects lying around the room. What a nice touch: the current key story element is also presented in a simple interactive form. You also get to put on your HEV suit before stepping into the teleporter. Putting on the HEV suit is an interesting moment, not only because we see more of Gordon's body than we ever do, albeit only his arms and hands, but because it's accompanied by a musical riff that now plays during the introductory credits of every Valve game. Half-Life 2 is, overall, a musically quiet game. Music is reserved for the most vital moments, rather than being a crutch to communicate tension, as it so often is in games and film. When Half-Life 2's soundtrack kicks in, it's telling you to pay attention.</p><p style="">In any case, the teleportation doesn't go according to plan and your scrambled brains get a peek inside Breen's office. He recognizes you, of course, but I'm more interested in the Combine prisoner pods you see to Breen's left. It's easy to miss them, but they, too, provide a very early glimpse of the future. Again: Valve rarely puts something into its games just to have it there. Remember the glimpse of your first strider back in City 17? That wasn't for show: that was Half-Life 2's version of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chekhov's_gun" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Chekhov's gun</a>. Those pods mean something, and while you may not consciously notice them, they become part of the game's narrative tapestry. Chekhov would have been proud of Valve's ability to keep narrative elements relevant. Valve also applies Chekhov's principle to gameplay. For instance, in Half-Life 2, you don't get to take control of a mounted gun if there's no reason to use it.</p><h3>Crowbar and Sickle</h3><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418967" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418967/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541465-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541465" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541465-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541465"><img src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2541465-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>A collapsing bridge may seem old-hat now, but this was really something back in 2004. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Action! Physics! The journey is finally underway, but your crowbar isn't much help against the Combine soldiers firing at you in the distance. Fortunately, it isn't long before you grab a pistol, though even after you've taken down a few Combine, there's always something even more powerful suppressing you, such as the gunship that dogs you as you travel to the canals. As phenomenal as Half-Life 2 is even today, there are elements of it that come across as rather quaint, such as the insanity of the ragdoll deaths and the all-too convenient placement of explosive barrels. (What are those barrels doing there?!) Even with the action underway, Valve continually sends the message that Half-Life 2 is not primarily about shooting. Luckily, it's not just about stacking cement blocks either. (Does anyone like that puzzle?)</p><p style="">A few notes about this level before moving on. First: the introduction of barnacles is handled incredibly well. A barnacle's tentacle pulls up a crow and draws it into its maw. You know in 10 seconds what a barnacle does and what makes it dangerous without the game having to cut away to a tutorial video to show you. Moments later, you discover that a barnacle will latch on to anything, even if it isn't edible. Again, you are being introduced to an important behavior without Half-Life 2 making a parade of it. Second: Valve is very good at designing levels that subtly draw your attention to enemies and point of interest. Barnacles are often placed on ceilings next to lights, for instance, ensuring that you notice them.</p><p style="">Soon after begins the oft-discussed and oft-criticized Water Hazard level. It's important, however, that this sequence exist in the game where it does. While we have had glimpses of the resistance, and how the One Free Man symbolizes their struggle and future emancipation, Gordon is not yet entrenched in this group, and their safe havens are few and far between. "Run, Gordon, Run" would have been an apt title for the next few hours of the game, which reinforce Half-Life 2's lengthy narrative and gameplay arc showing Gordon slowly gaining control.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418968" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418968/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Throughout this arc, Gordon Freeman is a man who doesn't make things happen so much as he's a man to whom things happen. That may seem like an unlikely attitude in a genre in which shooting people is your primary goal, but it's not so uncommon in fiction, and science fiction and fantasy in particular. This is the nature of the "chosen one" narrative: the chosen one has not decided upon his or her own path. Sometimes it's a deity making the decision (<em>The Stand</em>'s Mother Abigail); sometimes it's a prophesied destiny (<em>The Wheel of Time</em>'s Rand al'Thor, Harry Potter); and other times it's luck, circumstance, or the sheer force of social upheaval, as is the case with Doctor Freeman. (As G-Man says, he is "the right man in the wrong place.")</p><p style="">Valve, in turn, underscores its Chosen One narrative with several sensible storytelling and presentation decisions. Gordon doesn't speak, we never see his reflection in a mirror, and we don't even see his arms and hands when he pilots the airboat. The Half-Life series occasionally receives flak for the inert nature of its protagonist, but Gordon's silence is a vital artistic choice that emphasizes his lack of agency. Alyx and Barney both have a little fun at Gordon's expense before the teleporter incident, pointing out his muteness (as well as his MIT education), but Valve is wise in this case to acknowledge their storytelling choices and move on, allowing those choices to coalesce into the greater Chosen One tale.</p><blockquote><p style="">In our eyes, individual terror is inadmissible precisely because it belittles the role of the masses in their own consciousness, reconciles them to their own powerlessness, and turns their eyes and hopes toward a great avenger and liberator who someday will come and accomplish his mission.</p><cite>Vladimir Lenin, Why Marxists Oppose Individual Terrorism</cite></blockquote><blockquote><p style="">Unsophisticated minds continue to imbue him with romantic power, giving him such dangerous poetic labels as the One Free Man, the Opener of the Way.</p><cite>Dr. Wallace Breen, Half-Life 2</cite></blockquote><p style="">An apparent weakness notable in Water Hazard and the few chapters beyond is that the Combine don't represent much danger, which runs counter to the understanding that Gordon is not a soldier. The HEV suit itself provides some counterpoint, offering protection from both physical harm and radiation, but Half-Life 2 is an easy game on default difficulty, and it seems implausible that Gordon would so easily mow down these grunts with a pistol. The upside is that the initial ease allows Valve to stick closely to a predictable but understandable gameplay arc in which the tension, difficulty, and combat enjoyment crescendo over time.</p><p style="">The early rhythm sets up this arc extremely well. You spend the majority of these levels not shooting guns, but speeding through canals, avoiding gunfire, and occasionally disembarking to solve a few physics puzzles and explore a few structures. This may sound boring, but Half-Life 2's pacing is masterful, finding new ways to diversify the adventure, and establishing itself not as a straight-up shooter, but as a first-person adventure.</p><p style="">Some of this diversity arrives by way of subtle but expert storytelling. In one facility, you once again find a monitor broadcasting a message from Dr. Breen, but the message has changed, and he now warns the populace of imbuing Gordon with "romantic power," and suggesting that doing so is "magical thinking." (This speech, of course, calls to mind Breen's earlier speech in which he warned of instinct and "superstition." "Be wise. Be safe. Be aware," Breen suggests, again reminding us that the powerful would have us choose between security and liberty. Remember this broadcast when viewing future ones; Breen has yet to express the panic that creeps into his future speeches.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418966" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418966/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Other diversity comes within the action sequences themselves, many of which incorporate physics (crouch and push a cart down a walkway to avoid gunfire), put you behind a mounted gun (again, you do not see Gordon's hands actually grasp the hardware), and vehicular chase sequences. (Remember: Half-Life 2 heeds Chekhov's principles; if you can take control of a mounted gun, you must have a reason to use it!) Throughout all of these examples, the attention to pacing detail is superb. Consider the warehouse battle, which emerges as the game's first somewhat challenging sequence. The addition of the Magnum to your arsenal just preceding this fight is a judicious development decision.</p><p style="">Before we take this hovercraft ride to its conclusion and find our way to Eli, I'd like to again call out Half-Life 2's environments. The Eastern European setting has already been more or less established by this point, but your ride through the canals has drawn a more specific parallel: The Chernobyl nuclear disaster.</p><p style="">Three years after Half-Life 2's release, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series would eventually face this disaster head on. The Chernobyl connections here are less overt, though rather obvious upon examination. Consider, for instance, the images below, which compare the tenements of Half-Life 2 to those in Pripyat, Ukraine, the town most affected by nuclear disaster. The game explores other Chernobyl parallels in the trainyard and at Nova Prospekt, and while the primary thematic connections are obvious--radioactive hazards are common in Half-Life and its sequel, hence the HEV suit--there's a less obvious theme running beside them. Namely, the secrecy of the Soviet Union's response to the Chernobyl disaster, which was almost Combine-like in its tight control over information.</p><figure data-embed-type="comparison" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532189-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-48.jpg,http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532190-hl2_pripyat-chernobyl.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532189,1300-2532190" data-size="large" data-image-titles=",Pripyat" data-resize-urls="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532189-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-48.jpg,http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532190-hl2_pripyat-chernobyl.jpg" data-resized="" data-resize-url=""><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532189-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-48.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532189" ><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532189-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-48.jpg"></a><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532190-hl2_pripyat-chernobyl.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532190" title="Pripyat"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532190-hl2_pripyat-chernobyl.jpg"></a><figcaption>The shadow of Chernobyl looms large in Half-Life 2. </figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><figure data-embed-type="comparison" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532194-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-47.jpg,http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532195-hl2_chernobyl_cr.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532194,1300-2532195" data-size="large" data-image-titles=",Chernobyl Nuclear Plant" data-resize-urls="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532194-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-47.jpg,http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532195-hl2_chernobyl_cr.jpg" data-resized="" data-resize-url=""><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532194-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-47.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532194" ><img src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532194-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-47.jpg"></a><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532195-hl2_chernobyl_cr.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532195" title="Chernobyl Nuclear Plant"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532195-hl2_chernobyl_cr.jpg"></a><figcaption>If this is the best humanity has to offer, perhaps it's best that Breen surrendered. </figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">Locals learned of the accident not because they were informed, but because they began to suffer from life-ending illnesses in a matter of hours. It wasn't until a Swedish nuclear plant detected the Chernobyl radiation that the Soviet Union issued their first statement, which came two days after the meltdown: "There has been an accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. One of the nuclear reactors was damaged. The effects of the accident are being remedied. Assistance has been provided for any affected people. An investigative commission has been set up." Half-Life 2's appropriation of the Chernobyl incident is chilling not just for recalling the horrors of a nuclear event, but for its subtler references to a regime dedicated to keeping the masses uninformed. Like the Soviet Union, the Combine keeps its citizens ignorant as a means of control. It's difficult to "be wise, be safe, be aware" when your wisdom is limited by your own government--and by a Stalinesque figure who presides over an entire planet's populace.</p><p style="">Your time with the hovercraft comes to an end when you reach your destination, but not without the first sign that Gordon might be able to lead a revolution he never asked to be a part of. I speak of the boss fight versus the mine-dropping gunship. The music kicks in when you leave the hangar after being granted your own vehicular weapon, which sets up the urgent minutes to follow, which include shootouts on land as well as on water. The concluding gunship battle does a fantastic job of bridging the gap between Gordon's early hours as prey and the revolution that will ultimately come. Gordon, the hunted, must avoid the mines and stay on the move lest he fall victim to the oppressors. Gordon, the hunter, must attack in return if the uprising is to succeed. His success, just he is about to meet Eli and Dr. Judith Mossman, is important to both researchers, though for very different reasons.</p><p style="">To come in Part 2: Playing catch, playing with gravity, and going to Ravenholm.</p> Wed, 28 May 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-2-the-anatomy-of-a-classic-part-one/1100-6419674/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlecry-is-bethesda-s-stylish-and-gun-free-shot-at-team-fortress-2/1100-6419907/ <p style="">Back in 2012, Bethesda Softworks established a new development team called Battlecry Studios. Two years later, we finally know what this Austin outfit has been up to with the reveal of Battlecry. The game. Not the studio. It's...the same name.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">So what is Battlecry? In short, it's a free-to-play multiplayer action game. Now, if you're still reading this after that "free-to-play" bit, you have my profound thanks. I certainly can't blame anyone for losing interest over the idea of yet another major publisher dipping its feet into the world of free-to-play. But there's nothing about this game that strikes me as a cynical cash grab; it's actually pretty interesting. In fact, there are a few things about it that have me genuinely excited.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418976" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418976/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">First, there's the overall aesthetic. Battlecry's creative director is Viktor Antonov, a talented visual artist whose work includes <a href="/half-life-2/" data-ref-id="false">Half-Life 2</a>'s City 17 and <a href="/dishonored/" data-ref-id="false">Dishonored</a>'s Dunwall. Antonov's distinct touch was immediately apparent in the map I played on, an alternate-history take on an industrial English city that manages to feel both grimy and oddly beautiful at the same time. It's a run-down setting, but one rendered with a stylized, painterly quality that bears a strong resemblance to the bizarro Victorian world of Dishonored.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Equally stylish are the game's competing factions. See, Battlecry is like a military history lesson as viewed through the lens of a graphic novel--and without the slightest regard for historical authenticity. You've got the Cossack Empire, looking as though it has tumbled right out of an old propaganda poster, as well as the Royal Marines, all decked out in the reds and whites of the 18th-century British army. But the class-based characters are what really stand out. You need look no further than the Royal Marines' brawler, a bald, mustachioed brute who looks like what old-timey boxers would look like if they had mechanical arms with which to better pummel their opponents.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2542434-welcome%2520to%2520the%2520warzone.png" data-ref-id="1300-2542434" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2542434-welcome%2520to%2520the%2520warzone.png" data-ref-id="1300-2542434"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/642/6422750/2542434-welcome%2520to%2520the%2520warzone.png"></a></figure><p style="">In fact, there are no guns at all in Battlecry. This is an alternate history where nations have signed a peace treaty outlawing the use of gunpowder, leading to a proliferation of slick melee weapons and the occasional electrical super move. Therefore, there's a lot of up-close and personal combat, whether you're playing as the tanky enforcer who employs a massive broadsword, or the DPS-focused duelist, who can dash in and out of a fight with a handy cloaking ability. The exception, of course, is either team's tech archer, who is the ranged character of the bunch.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Those are pretty basic archetypes, but the type of stuff you generally find in role-playing games rather than competitive online action games. Add in a fluid movement system that lets you zip across big swaths of the map using a grapnel gun, and you've got a game that doesn't feel like all the shooters and multiplayer online battle arena games that have come to dominate the free-to-play space.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Now, it's still got a ways to go. In the handful of matches I got to play, the combat system tended to feel like more of a rugby scrum than a battleground. Anytime I ran into four or five players in close quarters, it immediately became a frenzied mess of blood splatter and dead bodies. Maybe that's just what happens when you've got people playing for the first time, but I hope battles wind up feeling a little less chaotic and a little more duel-like.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2542440-cossack_rampage.png" data-ref-id="1300-2542440" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2542440-cossack_rampage.png" data-ref-id="1300-2542440"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/642/6422750/2542440-cossack_rampage.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The other thing that bothered me was the way that none of the game's visual character transferred over to the audio side. The world is so striking and the characters so lively that I would expect the game to sound a bit more interesting than it did. There was nothing wrong with the score; it just felt sparse. Battlecry feels like a game in need of an announcer or some clever banter between characters, but as is, the audio is merely serviceable.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">There's still plenty of time to fix that stuff, though. Battlecry won't be going into open beta until 2015. I'm curious to see how it comes along, because I definitely enjoyed what I've played so far.</p> Wed, 28 May 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlecry-is-bethesda-s-stylish-and-gun-free-shot-at-team-fortress-2/1100-6419907/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-will-share-money-with-youtubers/1100-6419918/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2440725-ncwvau-grpwrto8ksutg2qvzdmrpoczm.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2440725" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2440725-ncwvau-grpwrto8ksutg2qvzdmrpoczm.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2440725"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2440725-ncwvau-grpwrto8ksutg2qvzdmrpoczm.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">About a year ago, it came to light that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-claiming-ad-revenue-for-user-created-youtube-videos/1100-6408458/" data-ref-id="1100-6408458">Nintendo was claiming advertising revenue for user-created YouTube videos that feature its games</a>, drawing criticism from creators. Now, the Mario maker has revealed a new "<a href="https://twitter.com/Nintendo/status/471260005702709248" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">affiliate program</a>" that will divide revenue between Nintendo, YouTube owner Google, and the content creators themselves.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/218572/Nintendo_reveals_YouTube_affiliate_program_for_Lets_Players.php" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Gamasutra </a>received the following statement from a Nintendo of America representative: "Nintendo has been permitting the use of Nintendo copyrighted material in videos on YouTube under appropriate circumstances. Advertisements may accompany those videos, and in keeping with previous policy that revenue is shared between YouTube and Nintendo."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In addition, for those who wish to use the material more proactively, we are preparing an affiliate program in which a portion of the advertising profit is given to the creator," Nintendo added. "Details about this affiliate program will be announced in the future."</p><p style="">There's no word yet on the specific revenue split that will be in place, or how content creators can gain membership to Nintendo's "affiliate program." It's also unclear what impact this new program could have on people who create content around Nintendo games, but one popular figure--TotalBiscuit--doesn't appear to be happy about it. Here's what he said on Twitter (via <a href="http://kotaku.com/nintendo-has-a-plan-to-share-money-with-youtubers-1582170982" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Kotaku</a>).</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543360-total.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543360" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543360-total.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543360"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543360-total.jpg"></a></figure><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543361-total1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543361" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543361-total1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543361"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543361-total1.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543362-total2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543362" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543362-total2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543362"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543362-total2.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""><a href="/mario-kart-8/" data-ref-id="false">Mario Kart 8</a>, which launches this Friday for Wii U, will allow users to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mario-kart-8-for-wii-u-lets-players-upload-gameplay-directly-to-youtube-330-premium-bundle-confirmed/1100-6419316/" data-ref-id="1100-6419316">upload their gameplay clips to YouTube directly through the game</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 06:50:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-will-share-money-with-youtubers/1100-6419918/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-pr-stunt-goes-wrong-bomb-squad-called-in/1100-6419916/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2543108-watchdogslaunch_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543108" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2543108-watchdogslaunch_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543108"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2543108-watchdogslaunch_005.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Some of Ubisoft's marketing efforts for open-world action game <a href="/watch-dogs/" data-ref-id="false">Watch Dogs</a> have been <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-punks-people-with-elaborate-watch-dogs-street-hack/1100-6419687/" data-ref-id="1100-6419687">entirely excellent</a>, but now comes an example where things probably could have gone better. <a href="http://mumbrella.com.au/australia-square-evcauated-bomb-squad-called-pr-agency-sends-suspicious-package-ninemsn-229352" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Mumbrella</a> reports that a bomb squad was called to the Sydney, Australia offices of major Australian online publication ninemsn after the company received promotional material for Watch Dogs inside of a beeping safe.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ninemsn has now <a href="http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/2014/05/28/15/14/suspicious-package-sees-ninemsn-office-evacuated" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">separately confirmed the story</a>, saying a reporter was sent a black safe and a blacked-out note asking them to "check their voicemail." This reporter apparently does not use voicemail when they went to open the safe, it began to beep. The editorial staff reached out to other news publications to see if they were also sent a similar package, and when none said they had, ninemsn called the police to inform them of the matter.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The entire floor to which the beeping package was delivered was evacuated and four police cars and a "police rescue unit" were dispatched to the scene. Officers scanned the safe and them "forced" it open in the basement of the building. What they found was a copy of Watch Dogs, which was strange because ninemsn does not cover video games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The PR company no doubt got carried away with their creativity and ended up sending us something the bomb squad had to open up," ninemsn editor Hal Crawford said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A representative for Ubisoft in Australia <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/28/5757168/watch-dogs-promotion-triggers-bomb-squad-response-to-major-publication" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">told Polygon</a> that the voicemails and packages were part of a promotional effort to hype the recent release of Watch Dogs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Our team in Australia sent voicemail messages to some local media alerting them that they'd receive a special package related to the game," Ubisoft said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the delivery to ninemsn didn't go as planned, and we unreservedly apologize to ninemsn's staff for the mistake and for any problems caused as a result. We will take additional precautions in the future to ensure this kind of situation doesn't happen again."</p><p style="">Watch Dogs<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-release-date-announced-for-everything-except-wii-u/1100-6417977/" data-ref-id="1100-6417977"> launched May 27</a> across Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. The <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-for-wii-u-definitely-not-canceled/1100-6418164/" data-ref-id="1100-6418164">Wii U version will be released sometime later</a>. For more on Watch Dogs, check out<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/watch-dogs-review/1900-6415770/" data-ref-id="1900-6415770"> GameSpot's review </a>and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-review-roundup/1100-6419892/" data-ref-id="1100-6419892">what other critics are saying</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 06:23:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-pr-stunt-goes-wrong-bomb-squad-called-in/1100-6419916/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/looks-like-ea-s-weird-plants-vs-zombies-fps-is-coming-to-playstation-consoles/1100-6419915/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543327-flyshooter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543327" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543327-flyshooter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543327"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543327-flyshooter.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">It looks like Electronic Arts' <a href="/reviews/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-review/1900-6415676/" data-ref-id="1900-6415676">Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare</a>, a "weird" FPS spin on the popular strategy series, is coming to PlayStation consoles. <a href="https://twitter.com/EA/statuses/471546579288326144" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Writing on Twitter</a>, the EA account said: "It's time for an announcement…" Accompanying the tweet was an image of "Fly Shooter," an obvious riff on Sony's <a href="/reviews/sly-cooper-thieves-in-time-review/1900-6403394/" data-ref-id="1900-6403394">Sly Cooper</a> series of PlayStation-exclusive action games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">EA released similar mash-up images in the past, including those for <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-teases-grass-effect-dead-face-for-e3/1100-6409120/" data-ref-id="1100-6409120">"Grass Effect" and "Dead Face 3,"</a> parodies of course of the Mass Effect and Dead Space franchises.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare launched earlier this year for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, while a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-s-weird-shooter-plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-hits-pc-june-24/1100-6419256/" data-ref-id="1100-6419256">PC version is due out next month</a>. We asked PopCap Games producer Brian Lindley earlier this year if the game could one day come to PlayStation consoles, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/plants-vs-zombies-shooter-has-no-microtransactions-at-launch-probably-doesn-t-run-in-1080p/1100-6417864/" data-ref-id="1100-6417864">he said</a>, "We have nothing to announce at this point, but I always caveat that with the comment that we want to get this game in the hands of as many people as possible." Releasing it for PlayStation consoles would be a way to do just that. </p><p style="">EA <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-adds-microtransactions-to-plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-next-week/1100-6419237/" data-ref-id="1100-6419237">added microtransactions to Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare in April</a>. For more on Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, be sure to read <a href="/reviews/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-review/1900-6415676/" data-ref-id="1900-6415676">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 05:47:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/looks-like-ea-s-weird-plants-vs-zombies-fps-is-coming-to-playstation-consoles/1100-6419915/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/steam-controller-delayed-to-2015/1100-6419914/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543317-steamcontrollerdesign.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543317" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543317-steamcontrollerdesign.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543317"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543317-steamcontrollerdesign.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Valve's new Steam Controller, which <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-reveals-steam-controller-with-touch-screen-haptic-feedback/1100-6415065/" data-ref-id="1100-6415065">features haptic feedback</a>, will not be available in 2014 as the company previously said. Product designer Eric Hope <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse#announcements/detail/1820891223906967821" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">wrote on the Steam website</a> that, because there is so much feedback to consider and new ideas to implement, Valve is now planning a release for the controller sometime next year.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We're now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers. It's generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we'll be able to make the controller a lot better," Hope said. "Of course, it's also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements. Realistically, we're now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The wording of Hope's post also suggests, but does not specifically state, that Steam Machines themselves are also not going to be available until 2015.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Obviously we're just as eager as you are to get a Steam Machine in your hands. But our number one priority is making sure that when you do, you'll be getting the best gaming experience possible," Hope said. "We hope you'll be patient with us while we get there. Until then, we'll continue to post updates as we have more stories to share."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Valve <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-reveals-steam-machines/1100-6414959/" data-ref-id="1100-6414959">announced the Steam Controller and Steam Machines last year</a>, giving <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-steam-machine-roundup-prices-images-and-full-specs-revealed/1100-6416968/" data-ref-id="1100-6416968">more details about these endeavors</a> at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year. Are you excited about Valve's upcoming hardware offerings? Lets us know in the comments below!</p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 05:31:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/steam-controller-delayed-to-2015/1100-6419914/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-ceo-rubbishes-idea-that-xbox-division-will-be-sold/1100-6419912/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2543289-9125174362-24316.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543289" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2543289-9125174362-24316.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543289"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2543289-9125174362-24316.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has rubbished the idea that Microsoft intends to sell off its Xbox division.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">At the Code Conference, taking place this week in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, and <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/27/5756062/microsofts-nadella-xbox-isnt-going-anywhere" rel="nofollow">reported on by The Verge</a>, Nadella responded to a direct question about whether there were plans to say goodbye to Xbox at Microsoft.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I have no intent to do anything different on Xbox than we are doing today," replied the Microsoft CEO. He also said the same thing about Microsoft's Bing division.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Questions about whether Microsoft might spin-off its Xbox business have been doing the rounds since Nokia chief Stephen Elop said he'd consider the move if he ended up becoming Microsoft CEO. Company cofounder Paul Allen's investment group Vulcan Capital, which has a $2 billion stake in the corporation, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-cofounder-s-investment-group-calls-for-xbox-spinoff/1100-6415919/">urged Microsoft to consider spinning off Xbox brand and focus on corporate customers</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Bill Gates has also chimed in on the debate, saying that he wholeheartedly supports Nadella's eventual decision, but a company spokesman <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bill-gates-wouldn-t-object-to-xbox-business-spinoff/1100-6419429/">explained to GameSpot after these comments</a> that "Microsoft is committed to gaming across multiple platforms with Xbox as the centerpiece of our gaming strategy. We remain committed to Xbox and the millions of Xbox fans around the world."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox One launched last November and, despite stronger sales than its predecessor the Xbox 360, the machine isn't lighting up tills like Sony's PlayStation 4. Earlier this month Microsoft conceded on its vision for a Kinect as an integral part of every Xbox One, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/399-xbox-one-without-kinect-launching-in-june/1100-6419601/" data-ref-id="1100-6419601">and will begin selling a Kinect-free Xbox One for $399 in early June</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft will <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">show off its latest Xbox One wares at E3 2014</a>.</p> Wed, 28 May 2014 04:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-ceo-rubbishes-idea-that-xbox-division-will-be-sold/1100-6419912/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-wolfenstein-the-new-order-pirated-more-than-100-000-times/1100-6419911/ <p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418871" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418871/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Bethesda's recently released first-person shooter <a href="/wolfenstein-the-new-order/" data-ref-id="false">Wolfenstein: The New Order </a>has been illegally downloaded more than 100,000 times, according to a report from <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/huge-wolfenstein-download-infuriates-but-doesnt-deter-pirates-140526/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">TorrentFreak</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The number could have been even higher if it weren't for the massive file size for the game--around 43.65GB. TorrentFreak quotes Pirate Bay users as saying, "43GB? holy f**k," with another adding, "I have to uninstall like 10 games to play this sh*t!!"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The site quotes another user who says they were going to torrent Wolfenstein: The New Order but later decided to buy a legitimate copy through Steam after thinking about the game's file size and how long it would take to download the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A Bethesda representative declined to comment. </p><p style="">While thousands of people are stealing Wolfenstein: The New Order, many are paying for legitimate copies as well. It was the <a href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/steam-top-ten-sellers-chart-may-18-24/0132969" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">top-selling title overall on Steam last week</a>, and was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wolfenstein-the-new-order-is-the-uk-s-second-biggest-release-of-2014-behind-titanfall/1100-6419896/" data-ref-id="1100-6419896">bumped down to the number two position yesterday</a> only as <a href="/watch-dogs/" data-ref-id="false">Watch Dogs</a> was released. Right now, Wolfenstein: The New Order <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">sits in the fifth position</a> on Steam's list of best-sellers.</p><p style="">Wolfenstein: The New Order launched May 20 for PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/wolfenstein-the-new-order-review/1900-6415765/" data-ref-id="1900-6415765">GameSpot's review</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wolfenstein-the-new-order-review-roundup/1100-6419762/" data-ref-id="1100-6419762">what other critics are saying</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 04:37:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-wolfenstein-the-new-order-pirated-more-than-100-000-times/1100-6419911/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-video-leaks-online-shows-new-gameplay-footage/1100-6419910/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO2dEm4q6UA" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FiO2dEm4q6UA%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiO2dEm4q6UA&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FiO2dEm4q6UA%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">A seven minute video of <a href="/battlefield-hardline/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Hardline</a> (now removed) has leaked online, showing off gameplay footage and new details surrounding both single-player and multiplayer modes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The video, which appears to be designed for internal briefings rather than general distribution, refers to the game by its presumed codename--Omaha--rather than Battlefield Hardline, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-to-launch-this-fall/1100-6419908/" data-ref-id="1100-6419908">the title which EA and developer Visceral Games officially confirmed yesterday</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Battlefield Hardline is all about battles between cops and robbers, and the multiplayer modes detailed in the trailer are:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><strong>Heist</strong> features the robbers breaking into a bank vault to secure as much loot as possible before staging a getaway.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Rescue</strong> has SWAT teams work to save hostages, in a mode that looks similar a a round of Counter-Strike.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Hotwire</strong> is all about vehicle chases.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Bloodmoney</strong> has the two forces fighting to secure a massive pile of cash and return it to their respective safehouse.</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">The single-player campaign revolves around young Miami detective Nick Mendoza, and features an episodic structure designed to mimic a TV drama, following a campaign where Mendoza chases his old partners across the country, who appears to go rogue after stumbling upon a stash of cocaine worth $9.9 million.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The narrated video also mentions that the enemy AI has been completely redesigned, and that the levels are more open than in Battlefield 4. Destruction is said to be even more prominent--the word leveloution is used--and there's a big emphasis on gadgets across the campaign and multiplayer. Yes, there are tasers, as well as zip lines and grappling hooks.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Battlefield Hardline will be released later this in 2014, and will <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">feature as part of EA's E3 2014 press conference on June 9</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 03:45:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-video-leaks-online-shows-new-gameplay-footage/1100-6419910/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-to-launch-this-fall/1100-6419908/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2543059-bfhardline_keyart.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543059" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2543059-bfhardline_keyart.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543059"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2543059-bfhardline_keyart.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Electronic Arts and Visceral Games have officially announced the next entry into the Battlefield series, Battlefield Hardline. The game is scheduled to launch this Fall.</p><p style="">The news was revealed in a post on the official <a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/05/bf-hardline-coming-this-fall/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield blog</a> by Steve Papoutsis, general manager of Visceral Games and executive producer on Battlefield Hardline. According to the post, the upcoming game will centre on "the war on crime and the battle between cops and criminals".</p><p style="">News of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/" data-ref-id="1100-6419893">Battlefield Hardline was firs</a><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/" data-ref-id="1100-6419893">t</a><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/" data-ref-id="1100-6419893"> leaked earlier to</a><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/" data-ref-id="1100-6419893">day</a>. Shortly after, EA launched the Battlefield Hardline website, confirming the name of the upcoming Battlefield game. No mentions of platform releases were made.</p><p style="">Visceral Games is part of the EA Games Label. Battlefield Hardline will mark the first time the developer has worked on a Battlefield game. The studio most recently worked on the <a href="/dead-space/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Space</a> trilogy, which culminated with last year's <a href="/dead-space-3/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Space 3</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Zorine Te is an associate editor at GameSpot, and you can follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/ztharli" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @ztharli</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Tue, 27 May 2014 18:33:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-to-launch-this-fall/1100-6419908/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/mario-kart-8-bounden-watch-dogs-the-lobby/2300-6418971/ Join us this week on The Lobby as we try to avoid all the shells in Mario Kart 8, Dance around with the iOS game Bounden, Have Tech Time with Peter Brown with the Retron 5 and try to hack the planet in Watch Dogs. Tue, 27 May 2014 18:07:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/mario-kart-8-bounden-watch-dogs-the-lobby/2300-6418971/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/mario-kart-8-now-playing/2300-6418977/ Nintendo let us show off some Mario Kart 8! Check it out here! Tue, 27 May 2014 17:26:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/mario-kart-8-now-playing/2300-6418977/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418973" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418973/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">[UPDATE] Electronic Arts has launched the official <a href="http://www.battlefield.com/hardline" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Hardline</a> website. The page lists June 9, 12:00 PM PDT as the time when more information on the game will be announced. The reveal will take place at EA's E3 press conference in Los Angeles.</p><p style=""><em>The original story continues below.</em></p><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Electronic Arts is working on a new Battlefield game called Battlefield: Hardline, according to information pulled from Battlelog source code. A logo for the game and references to Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC were<a href="http://eaassets-a.akamaihd.net/bl-cdn/cdnprefix/production-99/public/generated-sass/bf4-static.css" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> spotted on EA's own servers</a>.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541766-hardline.png" data-ref-id="1300-2541766" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541766-hardline.png" data-ref-id="1300-2541766"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1179/11799911/2541766-hardline.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The unofficial <a href="https://twitter.com/BFDaily?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurogamer.net%2Farticles%2F2014-05-27-new-battlefield-game-clues-spotted-in-battlelog-update-reports&tw_i=471277762905657345&tw_p=tweetembed" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Daily Twitter account </a>has rounded up various icons and images reportedly for Battlefield: Hardline, including those for vehicles, weapons, and equipment, among others. A logo for Visceral Games was also discovered, suggesting that the <a href="/dead-space/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Space</a> creator is developing the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">There's no word yet on what the plot for Battlefield: Hardline might be, but Visceral Games' rumored Battlefield game is believed to be a <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/2/1/5360976/layoffs-hit-ghost-games-uk-office-unannounced-nfs-title-mothballed" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">police-themed entry in the series</a>. Adding to this rumor, logos for groups called "SWAT" and "Thieves" were also discovered.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">EA has not announced a new Battlefield game, so this should all be taken with a grain of salt.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">If Battlefield: Hardline is indeed real, it could be <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-will-announce-a-major-frostbite-3-game-at-e3-what-do-you-think-it-is/1100-6419476/" data-ref-id="1100-6419476">one of the six games EA plans to announce at E3 2014 next month</a>. One of these titles is a "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-will-announce-a-major-frostbite-3-game-at-e3-what-do-you-think-it-is/1100-6419476/" data-ref-id="1100-6419476">major</a>" game that runs on Frostbite 3, EA's proprietary engine that powered games like <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a> and<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/need-for-speed-rivals/" data-ref-id="false"> Need for Speed: Rivals</a>. EA's E3 2014 press conference takes place <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">Monday, June 9 at 12 noon PDT</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It wouldn't be all that surprising if Battlefield: Hardline turns out to be real, as Battlefield is one of EA's biggest and most important franchises. EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said earlier this year that the Battlefield franchise will be "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-battlefield-s-rocky-launch-did-not-damage-the-franchise/1100-6418131/" data-ref-id="1100-6418131">critical</a>" to EA's fiscal year 2015, which runs April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541788-bfhardline1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541788" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541788-bfhardline1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541788"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2541788-bfhardline1.jpg"></a><figcaption>Image credit: BF Daily</figcaption></figure><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541789-bfhardline2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541789" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541789-bfhardline2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541789"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2541789-bfhardline2.jpg"></a><figcaption>Image credit: BF Daily</figcaption></figure><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541790-bfhardline3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541790" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541790-bfhardline3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541790"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2541790-bfhardline3.jpg"></a><figcaption>Image credit: BF Daily</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Tue, 27 May 2014 17:06:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/
Gamespot's Site MashupFallout, Elder Scrolls publisher making a 32-player free-to-play game with no gunsBattlecry Announcement TrailerHalf-Life 2: The Anatomy of a Classic - Part OneBattlecry Is Bethesda's Stylish and Gun-Free Shot at Team Fortress 2Nintendo will share money with YouTubersWatch Dogs PR stunt goes wrong, bomb squad called inLooks like EA's "weird" Plants vs. Zombies FPS is coming to PlayStation consolesSteam Controller delayed to 2015Microsoft CEO rubbishes idea that Xbox division will be soldReport: Wolfenstein: The New Order pirated more than 100,000 timesBattlefield Hardline video leaks online, shows new gameplay footageBattlefield Hardline to launch this fallMario Kart 8, Bounden, Watch Dogs - The LobbyMario Kart 8 - Now PlayingReport: New Battlefield game revealed [UPDATE]
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 28 May 2014 07:24:22 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-elder-scrolls-publisher-making-a-32-player-free-to-play-game-with-no-guns/1100-6419913/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418976" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418976/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Almost two years after <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bethesda-opens-new-studio-with-ex-bioware-dev-rich-vogel/1100-6397646/" data-ref-id="1100-6397646">opening Battlecry Studios in Austin, Texas</a>, studio owner Bethesda (Fallout, Elder Scrolls) has announced the company's first game: <a href="/battlecry/" data-ref-id="false">Battlecry</a>. It's a free-to-play multiplayer action game for PC being worked on under the direction of studio head Richard Vogel. He previously held the position of vice president at BioWare Austin (<a href="/star-wars-the-old-republic/" data-ref-id="false">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a>).</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Battlecry supports up to 32 players at once and because there are no guns in the game (it's set in an alternate history where nations signed a peace treaty forbidding the use of gunpowder), combat is often up-close and personal. There are exceptions, however, including a ranged Archer class for either side. The game features two factions--Royal Marines and Cossacks--and a host of classes for each side, including the aforementioned Archer, as well as Gadgeteer, Duelist, Enforcer, and Brawler.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The BattleCry team is happy to unveil the game that bears our studio's name," Vogel said in a statement. "We have been hard at work to create a fresh experience for gamers that brings together multiplayer action with visually stunning combat and are excited to share details about the game and have people play Battlecry in Bethesda's booth at E3."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Vogel is not the only industry veteran working on Battlecry. Its creative director is Viktor Antonov, a visual artist whose credits include <a href="/half-life-2/" data-ref-id="false">Half-Life 2</a>'s City 17 and <a href="/dishonored/" data-ref-id="false">Dishonored</a>'s Dunwall. An open beta for Battlecry kicks off in 2015, and you can read much more about the game through our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlecry-is-bethesda-s-stylish-and-gun-free-shot-at-team-fortress-2/1100-6419907/" data-ref-id="1100-6419907">just-published preview </a>and at Battlecry's <a href="http://www.battlecrythegame.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">official website</a>.</p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Wed, 28 May 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-elder-scrolls-publisher-making-a-32-player-free-to-play-game-with-no-guns/1100-6419913/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/battlecry-announcement-trailer/2300-6418976/ Check out the first bloody trailer for Battlecry. Wed, 28 May 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/battlecry-announcement-trailer/2300-6418976/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-2-the-anatomy-of-a-classic-part-one/1100-6419674/ <p style="">"Wake up and smell the ashes."</p><p style="">These words from G-Man, spoken just moments after Half-Life 2 begins, resonate throughout the game. There are plentiful theories as to who this man is, who employs him, and what his relationship is to Gordon. But Half-Life 2 is not one of the greatest games of all time simply because the G-Man speaks such mysteries with his halting voice, but because it is so thoughtfully assembled and thematically consistent.</p><p style="">Of course, a few thousand words isn't enough to express what makes Valve's masterpiece so enthralling. I have much to share with you--so much, in fact, that I want to close out Video Game History Month with a multipart analysis. My dissection isn't intended to speculate on the story elements that give rise to so many wonderful theories and extrapolations. Instead, I hope to look at its various mechanics, narrative devices, and map designs--to explore the anatomy of Half-Life 2. And its birth begins with a gaunt G-Man's call to action, and a train ride to City 17's rail station.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418965" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418965/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><h3>One Man, One State</h3><p style="">Once the opening credits conclude and you disembark, you immediately understand that you are not an aggressor--and that the Combine soldiers are in control. Should you draw too close to a soldier, he will shove you backwards, and it's hard to forget the soldier who later asks you to pick up a soda can and drop it into the nearby wastebasket. This is a small touch, no doubt, but it's a great example of how gameplay and story can be merged in a single interaction. Mechanically speaking, the game is teaching you how to pick up and drop objects, if you haven't already figured it out. Narratively speaking, the game is reinforcing who is truly dominant--and it isn't you. This is a theme that Half-Life 2 returns to time and time again, and one that allows it to stand proud among shooters a decade later. Where the majority of modern shooters make you the aggressor, Half-Life 2 is no power trip. In fact, you spend a good while without a weapon in your hands. That may sound boring, but Half-Life 2 keeps your attention by giving you a number of sights, sounds, and events to ponder and analyze.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532203-we1_cr.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532203" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532203-we1_cr.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532203"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2532203-we1_cr.jpg"></a><figcaption>A still from a German television production of Yevgeny Zamyatin's We. Note how One State's citizens, like City 17's, are clad all in blue. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Consider, for instance, the vortigaunt you glimpse within a station. He is sweeping the floor and closely watched by a nearby Combine grunt. The alien may look odd, but he is performing a mundane duty. Note the collar and other hardware attached to his body. You immediately understand that the vortigaunt is either subservient or enslaved, and in one small stroke, Half-Life 2 casts these aliens not as threats, but as allies, or at very least, victims of the Combine. All of this exposition occurs at your own pace. Half-Life 2 does not introduce you to these concepts by having one of the nearby residents catch you up on current events or explaining the circumstance in an opening narration.</p><p style="">Instead, Half-Life 2 remains a masterclass in environmental storytelling. Dr. Wallace Breen's "welcoming" telecast is particularly noteworthy not just in how insincere his words sound, but in the kind of language he uses. The word "benefactor"--the word he uses to describe the faceless ones who have seemingly imprisoned humanity--is a not-so-subtle attempt to characterize these beings as benevolent (clearly, they are not), but also harks back to Yevgeny Zamyatin's novel <em>We</em>, which is largely considered to have inspired Adolf Huxley's <em>Brave New World</em>, to which Half-Life 2 is occasionally compared. <em>We</em> is one of the first depictions of a dystopian future that satirized the author's culture--in this case, Soviet Russia. Its world is presided over by a man known only as The Benefactor, and its citizens are known only by numbers.</p><p style="">City 17 and <em>We</em>'s One State are different, of course, and the plots of these works aren't particularly parallel, but the similarities are worth noting, particularly in light of the Combine propaganda on the walls. Consider the poster featuring Breen looking off into the horizon in a pose long associated with an individual facing a brighter future. Soviet propaganda often depicted Stalin and Lenin in similar poses, as you can see below, and given the Cyrillic text on these posters, the references to Soviet Russia seem obvious. Half-Life 2 doesn't take place in Russia, most likely, though City 17 is assumed to be somewhere in Eastern Europe. I'll let devoted Half-Life 2 theorists debate about City 17's exact location; I am more concerned with how these small details communicate totalitarian ideals without the game expressly spelling out the backstory. If you're an American, particular one that lived during the height of the Cold War, the Cyrillic text communicates the kind of otherness you were taught to fear. We'll visit this subject later as we rush through the canals and make our way to Nova Prospekt.</p><figure data-embed-type="comparison" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541076-hl2+2014-05-06+22-56-56-45.jpg,http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541077-lenin-on-a-soviet-propaga-001_cr.png" data-ref-id="1300-2541076,1300-2541077" data-size="large" data-image-titles=",Soviet Propaganda" data-resize-urls="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2541076-hl2+2014-05-06+22-56-56-45.jpg,http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2541077-lenin-on-a-soviet-propaga-001_cr.jpg" data-resized="" data-resize-url=""><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541076-hl2+2014-05-06+22-56-56-45.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541076" ><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2541076-hl2+2014-05-06+22-56-56-45.jpg"></a><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541077-lenin-on-a-soviet-propaga-001_cr.png" data-ref-id="1300-2541077" title="Soviet Propaganda"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2541077-lenin-on-a-soviet-propaga-001_cr.jpg"></a><figcaption>Fact: Men in beards cannot be trusted.* *Not actual fact.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">Of course, systemic oppression wasn't the exclusive domain of Soviet Russia. Consider Breen's own words: "And so, whether you are here to stay, or passing through on your way to parts unknown, welcome to City 17. It's safer here." Safety versus freedom is a frequent theme in an age where we are taught to fear terror by a government that would violate our privacy in the name of security. With the jingoism of <a href="/call-of-duty-ghosts/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Duty</a> and <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield</a> finding more prominent roles in modern games, Half-Life 2 provides a vital counterpoint.</p><h3>Basic Instinct</h3><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541466-hl2+2014-05-06+23-11-29-38.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541466" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541466-hl2+2014-05-06+23-11-29-38.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541466"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2541466-hl2+2014-05-06+23-11-29-38.jpg"></a><figcaption>Freedom? Not quite. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Just after Barney arrives, dressed as a Combine soldier, Valve raises the fear factor, showing you glimpses of presumably violent interrogations occurring behind closed doors. If you're worried, you needn't be, of course: Barney uncovers his friendly face just moments later, and you soon emerge into City 17. It's a fantastic reveal for its immediate impression of openness, followed by the realization that the Combine are watching, documenting, and imprisoning as much as possible. That freedom-versus-confinement dichotomy plays out in a number of ways. You see buildings in the distance and the Citadel rising above you, but the Combine's blockades confine you. A hotel and souvenir shop greet you, but they are boarded up and abandoned. It's the nature of most shooters--and games in general, for that matter--to provide a sense of a greater world while limiting your freedom, but Valve finds a way to make this gaming convention make sense in its world. The Combine have a vested interested in limiting your movement. There is no control when you cannot leash your subjects.</p><p style="">Before you emerge into City 17, however, listen to Breen's second telecast in which he responds to a supposed letter written to him about overcoming instinct, the instinct in this case to reproduce. No surprise: he is once again echoing major themes of the Soviet era, in this case espousing the concept of the "New Soviet Man." Here are some of Breen's words: "Instinct creates its own oppressors, and bids us rise up against them. Instinct tells us that the unknown is a threat, rather than an opportunity. Instinct slyly and covertly compels us away from change and progress. Instinct, therefore, must be expunged." Compare them to Leon Trotsky's words in <em>Literature and Revolution</em>: "Man will make it his purpose to master his own feelings, to raise his instincts to the heights of consciousness, to make them transparent, to extend the wires of his will into hidden recesses, and thereby to raise himself to a new plane, to create a higher social biologic type, or, if you please, a superman." The New Soviet Man's goal was to triumph over his own instincts.</p><blockquote><p style="">Superstition, which lies at the root of ritual, must, of course, be opposed by rationalistic criticism.</p><cite>Leon Trotsky, The Family and Ceremony</cite></blockquote><blockquote><p style="">Let me remind all citizens of the dangers of magical thinking. We have scarcely begun to climb from the dark pit of our species' evolution. Let us not slide backward into oblivion, just as we have finally begun to see the light.</p><cite>Dr. Wallace Breen, Half-Life 2</cite></blockquote><p style="">Gordon still has no offensive capabilities, but he is absolutely capable of taking damage. The apartment escape sequence initiates Half-Life 2's primary narrative arc, which begins with a vulnerable Gordon on the run, powerless to fight back, and ends with him at the forefront of a revolution. These moments leading to your first encounter with Alyx Vance are self-explanatory, but they provide an effective glimpse at the lives of City 17's citizens, who live sparsely, and in constant fear. Alyx's introduction, however, is notable for how it subverts the common damsel-in-distress trope, with Alyx in the role of savior, and Gordon in the role of victim. Of course, Gordon is this world's true chosen one (more on this later), but Alyx is a leader in her own right, and it's a shame that she doesn't earn more screen time.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541468-hl2+2014-05-06+23-27-18-80.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541468" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541468-hl2+2014-05-06+23-27-18-80.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541468"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2541468-hl2+2014-05-06+23-27-18-80.jpg"></a><figcaption>Dr. Kleiner and Alyx have obviously been very close for a long time. Note the little construction-paper cutout signed by Alyx near the bottom right of the corkboard. Adorably, it looks like she didn't spell 'Kleiner' quite right.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Now that Alyx has brought you to relative safety and you've been reunited with Barney, you collide with the telling traits of lean storytelling: there are few activities or lines of dialogue that don't have purpose. The upshot to lean storytelling is that you spend less time listening to other characters telling you about the world and more time seeing it for yourself. The downside is that you can infer future events from minor details. Every line of dialogue or story event either moves the plot, develops a character, tells a joke, or foreshadows the future. "I still have nightmares about that cat," says Barney, and Alyx replies with slight panic, "What cat?" We now know not only that the teleporter is unsafe, but we can presume that Gordon's transfer to Eli's facility will not go according to plan. The shenanigans of Lamarr, the de-fanged headcrab, occur just afterwards. Hmm--could it be that Lamarr is going to disrupt the transfer?</p><p style="">Well of course that's what it means, but at least you get to play around a little beforehand. Check out the miniature teleporter against the wall with a cactus in it. Not only can you transfer the cactus from one point to the other, but you can remove the cactus and replace it with other objects lying around the room. What a nice touch: the current key story element is also presented in a simple interactive form. You also get to put on your HEV suit before stepping into the teleporter. Putting on the HEV suit is an interesting moment, not only because we see more of Gordon's body than we ever do, albeit only his arms and hands, but because it's accompanied by a musical riff that now plays during the introductory credits of every Valve game. Half-Life 2 is, overall, a musically quiet game. Music is reserved for the most vital moments, rather than being a crutch to communicate tension, as it so often is in games and film. When Half-Life 2's soundtrack kicks in, it's telling you to pay attention.</p><p style="">In any case, the teleportation doesn't go according to plan and your scrambled brains get a peek inside Breen's office. He recognizes you, of course, but I'm more interested in the Combine prisoner pods you see to Breen's left. It's easy to miss them, but they, too, provide a very early glimpse of the future. Again: Valve rarely puts something into its games just to have it there. Remember the glimpse of your first strider back in City 17? That wasn't for show: that was Half-Life 2's version of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chekhov's_gun" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Chekhov's gun</a>. Those pods mean something, and while you may not consciously notice them, they become part of the game's narrative tapestry. Chekhov would have been proud of Valve's ability to keep narrative elements relevant. Valve also applies Chekhov's principle to gameplay. For instance, in Half-Life 2, you don't get to take control of a mounted gun if there's no reason to use it.</p><h3>Crowbar and Sickle</h3><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418967" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418967/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541465-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541465" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2541465-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541465"><img src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2541465-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>A collapsing bridge may seem old-hat now, but this was really something back in 2004. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Action! Physics! The journey is finally underway, but your crowbar isn't much help against the Combine soldiers firing at you in the distance. Fortunately, it isn't long before you grab a pistol, though even after you've taken down a few Combine, there's always something even more powerful suppressing you, such as the gunship that dogs you as you travel to the canals. As phenomenal as Half-Life 2 is even today, there are elements of it that come across as rather quaint, such as the insanity of the ragdoll deaths and the all-too convenient placement of explosive barrels. (What are those barrels doing there?!) Even with the action underway, Valve continually sends the message that Half-Life 2 is not primarily about shooting. Luckily, it's not just about stacking cement blocks either. (Does anyone like that puzzle?)</p><p style="">A few notes about this level before moving on. First: the introduction of barnacles is handled incredibly well. A barnacle's tentacle pulls up a crow and draws it into its maw. You know in 10 seconds what a barnacle does and what makes it dangerous without the game having to cut away to a tutorial video to show you. Moments later, you discover that a barnacle will latch on to anything, even if it isn't edible. Again, you are being introduced to an important behavior without Half-Life 2 making a parade of it. Second: Valve is very good at designing levels that subtly draw your attention to enemies and point of interest. Barnacles are often placed on ceilings next to lights, for instance, ensuring that you notice them.</p><p style="">Soon after begins the oft-discussed and oft-criticized Water Hazard level. It's important, however, that this sequence exist in the game where it does. While we have had glimpses of the resistance, and how the One Free Man symbolizes their struggle and future emancipation, Gordon is not yet entrenched in this group, and their safe havens are few and far between. "Run, Gordon, Run" would have been an apt title for the next few hours of the game, which reinforce Half-Life 2's lengthy narrative and gameplay arc showing Gordon slowly gaining control.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418968" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418968/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Throughout this arc, Gordon Freeman is a man who doesn't make things happen so much as he's a man to whom things happen. That may seem like an unlikely attitude in a genre in which shooting people is your primary goal, but it's not so uncommon in fiction, and science fiction and fantasy in particular. This is the nature of the "chosen one" narrative: the chosen one has not decided upon his or her own path. Sometimes it's a deity making the decision (<em>The Stand</em>'s Mother Abigail); sometimes it's a prophesied destiny (<em>The Wheel of Time</em>'s Rand al'Thor, Harry Potter); and other times it's luck, circumstance, or the sheer force of social upheaval, as is the case with Doctor Freeman. (As G-Man says, he is "the right man in the wrong place.")</p><p style="">Valve, in turn, underscores its Chosen One narrative with several sensible storytelling and presentation decisions. Gordon doesn't speak, we never see his reflection in a mirror, and we don't even see his arms and hands when he pilots the airboat. The Half-Life series occasionally receives flak for the inert nature of its protagonist, but Gordon's silence is a vital artistic choice that emphasizes his lack of agency. Alyx and Barney both have a little fun at Gordon's expense before the teleporter incident, pointing out his muteness (as well as his MIT education), but Valve is wise in this case to acknowledge their storytelling choices and move on, allowing those choices to coalesce into the greater Chosen One tale.</p><blockquote><p style="">In our eyes, individual terror is inadmissible precisely because it belittles the role of the masses in their own consciousness, reconciles them to their own powerlessness, and turns their eyes and hopes toward a great avenger and liberator who someday will come and accomplish his mission.</p><cite>Vladimir Lenin, Why Marxists Oppose Individual Terrorism</cite></blockquote><blockquote><p style="">Unsophisticated minds continue to imbue him with romantic power, giving him such dangerous poetic labels as the One Free Man, the Opener of the Way.</p><cite>Dr. Wallace Breen, Half-Life 2</cite></blockquote><p style="">An apparent weakness notable in Water Hazard and the few chapters beyond is that the Combine don't represent much danger, which runs counter to the understanding that Gordon is not a soldier. The HEV suit itself provides some counterpoint, offering protection from both physical harm and radiation, but Half-Life 2 is an easy game on default difficulty, and it seems implausible that Gordon would so easily mow down these grunts with a pistol. The upside is that the initial ease allows Valve to stick closely to a predictable but understandable gameplay arc in which the tension, difficulty, and combat enjoyment crescendo over time.</p><p style="">The early rhythm sets up this arc extremely well. You spend the majority of these levels not shooting guns, but speeding through canals, avoiding gunfire, and occasionally disembarking to solve a few physics puzzles and explore a few structures. This may sound boring, but Half-Life 2's pacing is masterful, finding new ways to diversify the adventure, and establishing itself not as a straight-up shooter, but as a first-person adventure.</p><p style="">Some of this diversity arrives by way of subtle but expert storytelling. In one facility, you once again find a monitor broadcasting a message from Dr. Breen, but the message has changed, and he now warns the populace of imbuing Gordon with "romantic power," and suggesting that doing so is "magical thinking." (This speech, of course, calls to mind Breen's earlier speech in which he warned of instinct and "superstition." "Be wise. Be safe. Be aware," Breen suggests, again reminding us that the powerful would have us choose between security and liberty. Remember this broadcast when viewing future ones; Breen has yet to express the panic that creeps into his future speeches.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418966" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418966/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Other diversity comes within the action sequences themselves, many of which incorporate physics (crouch and push a cart down a walkway to avoid gunfire), put you behind a mounted gun (again, you do not see Gordon's hands actually grasp the hardware), and vehicular chase sequences. (Remember: Half-Life 2 heeds Chekhov's principles; if you can take control of a mounted gun, you must have a reason to use it!) Throughout all of these examples, the attention to pacing detail is superb. Consider the warehouse battle, which emerges as the game's first somewhat challenging sequence. The addition of the Magnum to your arsenal just preceding this fight is a judicious development decision.</p><p style="">Before we take this hovercraft ride to its conclusion and find our way to Eli, I'd like to again call out Half-Life 2's environments. The Eastern European setting has already been more or less established by this point, but your ride through the canals has drawn a more specific parallel: The Chernobyl nuclear disaster.</p><p style="">Three years after Half-Life 2's release, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series would eventually face this disaster head on. The Chernobyl connections here are less overt, though rather obvious upon examination. Consider, for instance, the images below, which compare the tenements of Half-Life 2 to those in Pripyat, Ukraine, the town most affected by nuclear disaster. The game explores other Chernobyl parallels in the trainyard and at Nova Prospekt, and while the primary thematic connections are obvious--radioactive hazards are common in Half-Life and its sequel, hence the HEV suit--there's a less obvious theme running beside them. Namely, the secrecy of the Soviet Union's response to the Chernobyl disaster, which was almost Combine-like in its tight control over information.</p><figure data-embed-type="comparison" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532189-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-48.jpg,http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532190-hl2_pripyat-chernobyl.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532189,1300-2532190" data-size="large" data-image-titles=",Pripyat" data-resize-urls="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532189-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-48.jpg,http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532190-hl2_pripyat-chernobyl.jpg" data-resized="" data-resize-url=""><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532189-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-48.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532189" ><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532189-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-48.jpg"></a><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532190-hl2_pripyat-chernobyl.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532190" title="Pripyat"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532190-hl2_pripyat-chernobyl.jpg"></a><figcaption>The shadow of Chernobyl looms large in Half-Life 2. </figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><figure data-embed-type="comparison" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532194-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-47.jpg,http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532195-hl2_chernobyl_cr.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532194,1300-2532195" data-size="large" data-image-titles=",Chernobyl Nuclear Plant" data-resize-urls="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532194-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-47.jpg,http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532195-hl2_chernobyl_cr.jpg" data-resized="" data-resize-url=""><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532194-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-47.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532194" ><img src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532194-hl2+-+hl2+-+2014-05-12+01-09-47.jpg"></a><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2532195-hl2_chernobyl_cr.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2532195" title="Chernobyl Nuclear Plant"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2532195-hl2_chernobyl_cr.jpg"></a><figcaption>If this is the best humanity has to offer, perhaps it's best that Breen surrendered. </figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">Locals learned of the accident not because they were informed, but because they began to suffer from life-ending illnesses in a matter of hours. It wasn't until a Swedish nuclear plant detected the Chernobyl radiation that the Soviet Union issued their first statement, which came two days after the meltdown: "There has been an accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. One of the nuclear reactors was damaged. The effects of the accident are being remedied. Assistance has been provided for any affected people. An investigative commission has been set up." Half-Life 2's appropriation of the Chernobyl incident is chilling not just for recalling the horrors of a nuclear event, but for its subtler references to a regime dedicated to keeping the masses uninformed. Like the Soviet Union, the Combine keeps its citizens ignorant as a means of control. It's difficult to "be wise, be safe, be aware" when your wisdom is limited by your own government--and by a Stalinesque figure who presides over an entire planet's populace.</p><p style="">Your time with the hovercraft comes to an end when you reach your destination, but not without the first sign that Gordon might be able to lead a revolution he never asked to be a part of. I speak of the boss fight versus the mine-dropping gunship. The music kicks in when you leave the hangar after being granted your own vehicular weapon, which sets up the urgent minutes to follow, which include shootouts on land as well as on water. The concluding gunship battle does a fantastic job of bridging the gap between Gordon's early hours as prey and the revolution that will ultimately come. Gordon, the hunted, must avoid the mines and stay on the move lest he fall victim to the oppressors. Gordon, the hunter, must attack in return if the uprising is to succeed. His success, just he is about to meet Eli and Dr. Judith Mossman, is important to both researchers, though for very different reasons.</p><p style="">To come in Part 2: Playing catch, playing with gravity, and going to Ravenholm.</p> Wed, 28 May 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-2-the-anatomy-of-a-classic-part-one/1100-6419674/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlecry-is-bethesda-s-stylish-and-gun-free-shot-at-team-fortress-2/1100-6419907/ <p style="">Back in 2012, Bethesda Softworks established a new development team called Battlecry Studios. Two years later, we finally know what this Austin outfit has been up to with the reveal of Battlecry. The game. Not the studio. It's...the same name.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">So what is Battlecry? In short, it's a free-to-play multiplayer action game. Now, if you're still reading this after that "free-to-play" bit, you have my profound thanks. I certainly can't blame anyone for losing interest over the idea of yet another major publisher dipping its feet into the world of free-to-play. But there's nothing about this game that strikes me as a cynical cash grab; it's actually pretty interesting. In fact, there are a few things about it that have me genuinely excited.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418976" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418976/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">First, there's the overall aesthetic. Battlecry's creative director is Viktor Antonov, a talented visual artist whose work includes <a href="/half-life-2/" data-ref-id="false">Half-Life 2</a>'s City 17 and <a href="/dishonored/" data-ref-id="false">Dishonored</a>'s Dunwall. Antonov's distinct touch was immediately apparent in the map I played on, an alternate-history take on an industrial English city that manages to feel both grimy and oddly beautiful at the same time. It's a run-down setting, but one rendered with a stylized, painterly quality that bears a strong resemblance to the bizarro Victorian world of Dishonored.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Equally stylish are the game's competing factions. See, Battlecry is like a military history lesson as viewed through the lens of a graphic novel--and without the slightest regard for historical authenticity. You've got the Cossack Empire, looking as though it has tumbled right out of an old propaganda poster, as well as the Royal Marines, all decked out in the reds and whites of the 18th-century British army. But the class-based characters are what really stand out. You need look no further than the Royal Marines' brawler, a bald, mustachioed brute who looks like what old-timey boxers would look like if they had mechanical arms with which to better pummel their opponents.</p><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2542434-welcome%2520to%2520the%2520warzone.png" data-ref-id="1300-2542434" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2542434-welcome%2520to%2520the%2520warzone.png" data-ref-id="1300-2542434"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/642/6422750/2542434-welcome%2520to%2520the%2520warzone.png"></a></figure><p style="">In fact, there are no guns at all in Battlecry. This is an alternate history where nations have signed a peace treaty outlawing the use of gunpowder, leading to a proliferation of slick melee weapons and the occasional electrical super move. Therefore, there's a lot of up-close and personal combat, whether you're playing as the tanky enforcer who employs a massive broadsword, or the DPS-focused duelist, who can dash in and out of a fight with a handy cloaking ability. The exception, of course, is either team's tech archer, who is the ranged character of the bunch.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Those are pretty basic archetypes, but the type of stuff you generally find in role-playing games rather than competitive online action games. Add in a fluid movement system that lets you zip across big swaths of the map using a grapnel gun, and you've got a game that doesn't feel like all the shooters and multiplayer online battle arena games that have come to dominate the free-to-play space.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">Now, it's still got a ways to go. In the handful of matches I got to play, the combat system tended to feel like more of a rugby scrum than a battleground. Anytime I ran into four or five players in close quarters, it immediately became a frenzied mess of blood splatter and dead bodies. Maybe that's just what happens when you've got people playing for the first time, but I hope battles wind up feeling a little less chaotic and a little more duel-like.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2542440-cossack_rampage.png" data-ref-id="1300-2542440" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/642/6422750/2542440-cossack_rampage.png" data-ref-id="1300-2542440"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/642/6422750/2542440-cossack_rampage.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">The other thing that bothered me was the way that none of the game's visual character transferred over to the audio side. The world is so striking and the characters so lively that I would expect the game to sound a bit more interesting than it did. There was nothing wrong with the score; it just felt sparse. Battlecry feels like a game in need of an announcer or some clever banter between characters, but as is, the audio is merely serviceable.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">There's still plenty of time to fix that stuff, though. Battlecry won't be going into open beta until 2015. I'm curious to see how it comes along, because I definitely enjoyed what I've played so far.</p> Wed, 28 May 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlecry-is-bethesda-s-stylish-and-gun-free-shot-at-team-fortress-2/1100-6419907/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-will-share-money-with-youtubers/1100-6419918/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2440725-ncwvau-grpwrto8ksutg2qvzdmrpoczm.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2440725" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2440725-ncwvau-grpwrto8ksutg2qvzdmrpoczm.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2440725"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2440725-ncwvau-grpwrto8ksutg2qvzdmrpoczm.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">About a year ago, it came to light that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-claiming-ad-revenue-for-user-created-youtube-videos/1100-6408458/" data-ref-id="1100-6408458">Nintendo was claiming advertising revenue for user-created YouTube videos that feature its games</a>, drawing criticism from creators. Now, the Mario maker has revealed a new "<a href="https://twitter.com/Nintendo/status/471260005702709248" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">affiliate program</a>" that will divide revenue between Nintendo, YouTube owner Google, and the content creators themselves.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/218572/Nintendo_reveals_YouTube_affiliate_program_for_Lets_Players.php" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Gamasutra </a>received the following statement from a Nintendo of America representative: "Nintendo has been permitting the use of Nintendo copyrighted material in videos on YouTube under appropriate circumstances. Advertisements may accompany those videos, and in keeping with previous policy that revenue is shared between YouTube and Nintendo."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"In addition, for those who wish to use the material more proactively, we are preparing an affiliate program in which a portion of the advertising profit is given to the creator," Nintendo added. "Details about this affiliate program will be announced in the future."</p><p style="">There's no word yet on the specific revenue split that will be in place, or how content creators can gain membership to Nintendo's "affiliate program." It's also unclear what impact this new program could have on people who create content around Nintendo games, but one popular figure--TotalBiscuit--doesn't appear to be happy about it. Here's what he said on Twitter (via <a href="http://kotaku.com/nintendo-has-a-plan-to-share-money-with-youtubers-1582170982" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Kotaku</a>).</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543360-total.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543360" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543360-total.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543360"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543360-total.jpg"></a></figure><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543361-total1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543361" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543361-total1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543361"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543361-total1.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543362-total2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543362" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543362-total2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543362"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543362-total2.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""><a href="/mario-kart-8/" data-ref-id="false">Mario Kart 8</a>, which launches this Friday for Wii U, will allow users to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mario-kart-8-for-wii-u-lets-players-upload-gameplay-directly-to-youtube-330-premium-bundle-confirmed/1100-6419316/" data-ref-id="1100-6419316">upload their gameplay clips to YouTube directly through the game</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 06:50:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-will-share-money-with-youtubers/1100-6419918/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-pr-stunt-goes-wrong-bomb-squad-called-in/1100-6419916/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2543108-watchdogslaunch_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543108" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2543108-watchdogslaunch_005.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543108"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2543108-watchdogslaunch_005.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Some of Ubisoft's marketing efforts for open-world action game <a href="/watch-dogs/" data-ref-id="false">Watch Dogs</a> have been <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-punks-people-with-elaborate-watch-dogs-street-hack/1100-6419687/" data-ref-id="1100-6419687">entirely excellent</a>, but now comes an example where things probably could have gone better. <a href="http://mumbrella.com.au/australia-square-evcauated-bomb-squad-called-pr-agency-sends-suspicious-package-ninemsn-229352" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Mumbrella</a> reports that a bomb squad was called to the Sydney, Australia offices of major Australian online publication ninemsn after the company received promotional material for Watch Dogs inside of a beeping safe.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Ninemsn has now <a href="http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/2014/05/28/15/14/suspicious-package-sees-ninemsn-office-evacuated" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">separately confirmed the story</a>, saying a reporter was sent a black safe and a blacked-out note asking them to "check their voicemail." This reporter apparently does not use voicemail when they went to open the safe, it began to beep. The editorial staff reached out to other news publications to see if they were also sent a similar package, and when none said they had, ninemsn called the police to inform them of the matter.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The entire floor to which the beeping package was delivered was evacuated and four police cars and a "police rescue unit" were dispatched to the scene. Officers scanned the safe and them "forced" it open in the basement of the building. What they found was a copy of Watch Dogs, which was strange because ninemsn does not cover video games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The PR company no doubt got carried away with their creativity and ended up sending us something the bomb squad had to open up," ninemsn editor Hal Crawford said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A representative for Ubisoft in Australia <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/28/5757168/watch-dogs-promotion-triggers-bomb-squad-response-to-major-publication" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">told Polygon</a> that the voicemails and packages were part of a promotional effort to hype the recent release of Watch Dogs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Our team in Australia sent voicemail messages to some local media alerting them that they'd receive a special package related to the game," Ubisoft said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the delivery to ninemsn didn't go as planned, and we unreservedly apologize to ninemsn's staff for the mistake and for any problems caused as a result. We will take additional precautions in the future to ensure this kind of situation doesn't happen again."</p><p style="">Watch Dogs<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-release-date-announced-for-everything-except-wii-u/1100-6417977/" data-ref-id="1100-6417977"> launched May 27</a> across Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. The <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-for-wii-u-definitely-not-canceled/1100-6418164/" data-ref-id="1100-6418164">Wii U version will be released sometime later</a>. For more on Watch Dogs, check out<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/watch-dogs-review/1900-6415770/" data-ref-id="1900-6415770"> GameSpot's review </a>and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-review-roundup/1100-6419892/" data-ref-id="1100-6419892">what other critics are saying</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 06:23:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-pr-stunt-goes-wrong-bomb-squad-called-in/1100-6419916/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/looks-like-ea-s-weird-plants-vs-zombies-fps-is-coming-to-playstation-consoles/1100-6419915/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543327-flyshooter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543327" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543327-flyshooter.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543327"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543327-flyshooter.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">It looks like Electronic Arts' <a href="/reviews/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-review/1900-6415676/" data-ref-id="1900-6415676">Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare</a>, a "weird" FPS spin on the popular strategy series, is coming to PlayStation consoles. <a href="https://twitter.com/EA/statuses/471546579288326144" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Writing on Twitter</a>, the EA account said: "It's time for an announcement…" Accompanying the tweet was an image of "Fly Shooter," an obvious riff on Sony's <a href="/reviews/sly-cooper-thieves-in-time-review/1900-6403394/" data-ref-id="1900-6403394">Sly Cooper</a> series of PlayStation-exclusive action games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">EA released similar mash-up images in the past, including those for <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-teases-grass-effect-dead-face-for-e3/1100-6409120/" data-ref-id="1100-6409120">"Grass Effect" and "Dead Face 3,"</a> parodies of course of the Mass Effect and Dead Space franchises.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare launched earlier this year for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, while a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-s-weird-shooter-plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-hits-pc-june-24/1100-6419256/" data-ref-id="1100-6419256">PC version is due out next month</a>. We asked PopCap Games producer Brian Lindley earlier this year if the game could one day come to PlayStation consoles, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/plants-vs-zombies-shooter-has-no-microtransactions-at-launch-probably-doesn-t-run-in-1080p/1100-6417864/" data-ref-id="1100-6417864">he said</a>, "We have nothing to announce at this point, but I always caveat that with the comment that we want to get this game in the hands of as many people as possible." Releasing it for PlayStation consoles would be a way to do just that. </p><p style="">EA <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-adds-microtransactions-to-plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-next-week/1100-6419237/" data-ref-id="1100-6419237">added microtransactions to Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare in April</a>. For more on Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, be sure to read <a href="/reviews/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-review/1900-6415676/" data-ref-id="1900-6415676">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 05:47:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/looks-like-ea-s-weird-plants-vs-zombies-fps-is-coming-to-playstation-consoles/1100-6419915/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/steam-controller-delayed-to-2015/1100-6419914/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543317-steamcontrollerdesign.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543317" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2543317-steamcontrollerdesign.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543317"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2543317-steamcontrollerdesign.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Valve's new Steam Controller, which <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-reveals-steam-controller-with-touch-screen-haptic-feedback/1100-6415065/" data-ref-id="1100-6415065">features haptic feedback</a>, will not be available in 2014 as the company previously said. Product designer Eric Hope <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse#announcements/detail/1820891223906967821" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">wrote on the Steam website</a> that, because there is so much feedback to consider and new ideas to implement, Valve is now planning a release for the controller sometime next year.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We're now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers. It's generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we'll be able to make the controller a lot better," Hope said. "Of course, it's also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements. Realistically, we're now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The wording of Hope's post also suggests, but does not specifically state, that Steam Machines themselves are also not going to be available until 2015.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Obviously we're just as eager as you are to get a Steam Machine in your hands. But our number one priority is making sure that when you do, you'll be getting the best gaming experience possible," Hope said. "We hope you'll be patient with us while we get there. Until then, we'll continue to post updates as we have more stories to share."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Valve <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-reveals-steam-machines/1100-6414959/" data-ref-id="1100-6414959">announced the Steam Controller and Steam Machines last year</a>, giving <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-steam-machine-roundup-prices-images-and-full-specs-revealed/1100-6416968/" data-ref-id="1100-6416968">more details about these endeavors</a> at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year. Are you excited about Valve's upcoming hardware offerings? Lets us know in the comments below!</p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 05:31:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/steam-controller-delayed-to-2015/1100-6419914/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-ceo-rubbishes-idea-that-xbox-division-will-be-sold/1100-6419912/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2543289-9125174362-24316.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543289" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2543289-9125174362-24316.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543289"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1493/14930800/2543289-9125174362-24316.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has rubbished the idea that Microsoft intends to sell off its Xbox division.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">At the Code Conference, taking place this week in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, and <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/27/5756062/microsofts-nadella-xbox-isnt-going-anywhere" rel="nofollow">reported on by The Verge</a>, Nadella responded to a direct question about whether there were plans to say goodbye to Xbox at Microsoft.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I have no intent to do anything different on Xbox than we are doing today," replied the Microsoft CEO. He also said the same thing about Microsoft's Bing division.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Questions about whether Microsoft might spin-off its Xbox business have been doing the rounds since Nokia chief Stephen Elop said he'd consider the move if he ended up becoming Microsoft CEO. Company cofounder Paul Allen's investment group Vulcan Capital, which has a $2 billion stake in the corporation, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-cofounder-s-investment-group-calls-for-xbox-spinoff/1100-6415919/">urged Microsoft to consider spinning off Xbox brand and focus on corporate customers</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Bill Gates has also chimed in on the debate, saying that he wholeheartedly supports Nadella's eventual decision, but a company spokesman <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bill-gates-wouldn-t-object-to-xbox-business-spinoff/1100-6419429/">explained to GameSpot after these comments</a> that "Microsoft is committed to gaming across multiple platforms with Xbox as the centerpiece of our gaming strategy. We remain committed to Xbox and the millions of Xbox fans around the world."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Xbox One launched last November and, despite stronger sales than its predecessor the Xbox 360, the machine isn't lighting up tills like Sony's PlayStation 4. Earlier this month Microsoft conceded on its vision for a Kinect as an integral part of every Xbox One, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/399-xbox-one-without-kinect-launching-in-june/1100-6419601/" data-ref-id="1100-6419601">and will begin selling a Kinect-free Xbox One for $399 in early June</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft will <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">show off its latest Xbox One wares at E3 2014</a>.</p> Wed, 28 May 2014 04:44:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-ceo-rubbishes-idea-that-xbox-division-will-be-sold/1100-6419912/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-wolfenstein-the-new-order-pirated-more-than-100-000-times/1100-6419911/ <p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418871" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418871/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Bethesda's recently released first-person shooter <a href="/wolfenstein-the-new-order/" data-ref-id="false">Wolfenstein: The New Order </a>has been illegally downloaded more than 100,000 times, according to a report from <a href="http://torrentfreak.com/huge-wolfenstein-download-infuriates-but-doesnt-deter-pirates-140526/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">TorrentFreak</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The number could have been even higher if it weren't for the massive file size for the game--around 43.65GB. TorrentFreak quotes Pirate Bay users as saying, "43GB? holy f**k," with another adding, "I have to uninstall like 10 games to play this sh*t!!"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The site quotes another user who says they were going to torrent Wolfenstein: The New Order but later decided to buy a legitimate copy through Steam after thinking about the game's file size and how long it would take to download the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A Bethesda representative declined to comment. </p><p style="">While thousands of people are stealing Wolfenstein: The New Order, many are paying for legitimate copies as well. It was the <a href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/steam-top-ten-sellers-chart-may-18-24/0132969" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">top-selling title overall on Steam last week</a>, and was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wolfenstein-the-new-order-is-the-uk-s-second-biggest-release-of-2014-behind-titanfall/1100-6419896/" data-ref-id="1100-6419896">bumped down to the number two position yesterday</a> only as <a href="/watch-dogs/" data-ref-id="false">Watch Dogs</a> was released. Right now, Wolfenstein: The New Order <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">sits in the fifth position</a> on Steam's list of best-sellers.</p><p style="">Wolfenstein: The New Order launched May 20 for PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/wolfenstein-the-new-order-review/1900-6415765/" data-ref-id="1900-6415765">GameSpot's review</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wolfenstein-the-new-order-review-roundup/1100-6419762/" data-ref-id="1100-6419762">what other critics are saying</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 04:37:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-wolfenstein-the-new-order-pirated-more-than-100-000-times/1100-6419911/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-video-leaks-online-shows-new-gameplay-footage/1100-6419910/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO2dEm4q6UA" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FiO2dEm4q6UA%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiO2dEm4q6UA&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FiO2dEm4q6UA%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">A seven minute video of <a href="/battlefield-hardline/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Hardline</a> (now removed) has leaked online, showing off gameplay footage and new details surrounding both single-player and multiplayer modes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The video, which appears to be designed for internal briefings rather than general distribution, refers to the game by its presumed codename--Omaha--rather than Battlefield Hardline, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-to-launch-this-fall/1100-6419908/" data-ref-id="1100-6419908">the title which EA and developer Visceral Games officially confirmed yesterday</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Battlefield Hardline is all about battles between cops and robbers, and the multiplayer modes detailed in the trailer are:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><strong>Heist</strong> features the robbers breaking into a bank vault to secure as much loot as possible before staging a getaway.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Rescue</strong> has SWAT teams work to save hostages, in a mode that looks similar a a round of Counter-Strike.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Hotwire</strong> is all about vehicle chases.</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Bloodmoney</strong> has the two forces fighting to secure a massive pile of cash and return it to their respective safehouse.</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">The single-player campaign revolves around young Miami detective Nick Mendoza, and features an episodic structure designed to mimic a TV drama, following a campaign where Mendoza chases his old partners across the country, who appears to go rogue after stumbling upon a stash of cocaine worth $9.9 million.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The narrated video also mentions that the enemy AI has been completely redesigned, and that the levels are more open than in Battlefield 4. Destruction is said to be even more prominent--the word leveloution is used--and there's a big emphasis on gadgets across the campaign and multiplayer. Yes, there are tasers, as well as zip lines and grappling hooks.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Battlefield Hardline will be released later this in 2014, and will <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">feature as part of EA's E3 2014 press conference on June 9</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Wed, 28 May 2014 03:45:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-video-leaks-online-shows-new-gameplay-footage/1100-6419910/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-to-launch-this-fall/1100-6419908/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2543059-bfhardline_keyart.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543059" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2543059-bfhardline_keyart.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2543059"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2543059-bfhardline_keyart.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Electronic Arts and Visceral Games have officially announced the next entry into the Battlefield series, Battlefield Hardline. The game is scheduled to launch this Fall.</p><p style="">The news was revealed in a post on the official <a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/05/bf-hardline-coming-this-fall/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield blog</a> by Steve Papoutsis, general manager of Visceral Games and executive producer on Battlefield Hardline. According to the post, the upcoming game will centre on "the war on crime and the battle between cops and criminals".</p><p style="">News of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/" data-ref-id="1100-6419893">Battlefield Hardline was firs</a><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/" data-ref-id="1100-6419893">t</a><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/" data-ref-id="1100-6419893"> leaked earlier to</a><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/" data-ref-id="1100-6419893">day</a>. Shortly after, EA launched the Battlefield Hardline website, confirming the name of the upcoming Battlefield game. No mentions of platform releases were made.</p><p style="">Visceral Games is part of the EA Games Label. Battlefield Hardline will mark the first time the developer has worked on a Battlefield game. The studio most recently worked on the <a href="/dead-space/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Space</a> trilogy, which culminated with last year's <a href="/dead-space-3/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Space 3</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Zorine Te is an associate editor at GameSpot, and you can follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/ztharli" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @ztharli</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Tue, 27 May 2014 18:33:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-to-launch-this-fall/1100-6419908/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/mario-kart-8-bounden-watch-dogs-the-lobby/2300-6418971/ Join us this week on The Lobby as we try to avoid all the shells in Mario Kart 8, Dance around with the iOS game Bounden, Have Tech Time with Peter Brown with the Retron 5 and try to hack the planet in Watch Dogs. Tue, 27 May 2014 18:07:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/mario-kart-8-bounden-watch-dogs-the-lobby/2300-6418971/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/mario-kart-8-now-playing/2300-6418977/ Nintendo let us show off some Mario Kart 8! Check it out here! Tue, 27 May 2014 17:26:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/mario-kart-8-now-playing/2300-6418977/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418973" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418973/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">[UPDATE] Electronic Arts has launched the official <a href="http://www.battlefield.com/hardline" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Hardline</a> website. The page lists June 9, 12:00 PM PDT as the time when more information on the game will be announced. The reveal will take place at EA's E3 press conference in Los Angeles.</p><p style=""><em>The original story continues below.</em></p><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Electronic Arts is working on a new Battlefield game called Battlefield: Hardline, according to information pulled from Battlelog source code. A logo for the game and references to Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC were<a href="http://eaassets-a.akamaihd.net/bl-cdn/cdnprefix/production-99/public/generated-sass/bf4-static.css" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> spotted on EA's own servers</a>.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541766-hardline.png" data-ref-id="1300-2541766" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541766-hardline.png" data-ref-id="1300-2541766"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1179/11799911/2541766-hardline.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The unofficial <a href="https://twitter.com/BFDaily?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurogamer.net%2Farticles%2F2014-05-27-new-battlefield-game-clues-spotted-in-battlelog-update-reports&tw_i=471277762905657345&tw_p=tweetembed" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Daily Twitter account </a>has rounded up various icons and images reportedly for Battlefield: Hardline, including those for vehicles, weapons, and equipment, among others. A logo for Visceral Games was also discovered, suggesting that the <a href="/dead-space/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Space</a> creator is developing the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">There's no word yet on what the plot for Battlefield: Hardline might be, but Visceral Games' rumored Battlefield game is believed to be a <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2014/2/1/5360976/layoffs-hit-ghost-games-uk-office-unannounced-nfs-title-mothballed" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">police-themed entry in the series</a>. Adding to this rumor, logos for groups called "SWAT" and "Thieves" were also discovered.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">EA has not announced a new Battlefield game, so this should all be taken with a grain of salt.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">If Battlefield: Hardline is indeed real, it could be <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-will-announce-a-major-frostbite-3-game-at-e3-what-do-you-think-it-is/1100-6419476/" data-ref-id="1100-6419476">one of the six games EA plans to announce at E3 2014 next month</a>. One of these titles is a "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-will-announce-a-major-frostbite-3-game-at-e3-what-do-you-think-it-is/1100-6419476/" data-ref-id="1100-6419476">major</a>" game that runs on Frostbite 3, EA's proprietary engine that powered games like <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a> and<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/need-for-speed-rivals/" data-ref-id="false"> Need for Speed: Rivals</a>. EA's E3 2014 press conference takes place <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">Monday, June 9 at 12 noon PDT</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It wouldn't be all that surprising if Battlefield: Hardline turns out to be real, as Battlefield is one of EA's biggest and most important franchises. EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said earlier this year that the Battlefield franchise will be "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-battlefield-s-rocky-launch-did-not-damage-the-franchise/1100-6418131/" data-ref-id="1100-6418131">critical</a>" to EA's fiscal year 2015, which runs April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541788-bfhardline1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541788" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541788-bfhardline1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541788"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2541788-bfhardline1.jpg"></a><figcaption>Image credit: BF Daily</figcaption></figure><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541789-bfhardline2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541789" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541789-bfhardline2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541789"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2541789-bfhardline2.jpg"></a><figcaption>Image credit: BF Daily</figcaption></figure><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541790-bfhardline3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541790" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2541790-bfhardline3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2541790"><img src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2541790-bfhardline3.jpg"></a><figcaption>Image credit: BF Daily</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Tue, 27 May 2014 17:06:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-battlefield-game-revealed-update/1100-6419893/
