Tag Archive

Half Life 3 Confirmed…. To Be Prototyped With RTS Elements


Posted on January 7, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Half-Life might as well be a mythical unicorn that poops rainbows and that could even the oldest video cards into a GTX 1080 by the simply being loaded. One journalist from Games Informer attempted to track down the elusive 10 year old piece of vaporware as revealed at the end of the most recent Game Informer video podcast.

Interestingly enough according to his sources Half-Life 3 never really made it out of the prototype stage, with no more than a handful of developers working on each prototype. One of these prototype used Real Time Strategy mechanics, could Gordon Freeman have commanded entire armies of Ant Lions at some point? Another idea that Valve reportedly experimented with was adventure game mechanics that used real life actors. Could this have been some sort of advanced performance capture technology?

Sadly Andrew Reiner didn’t really offer up any more concrete information save for this truncated soundbite regarding what he knows about the previous state of Halfe-Life 3:

“I was actually chasing a story on Half-Life 3 … I talked to one developer who told me it was a hot mess. There were so many proto-types with four or five people working on them that went no where. Two of the ideas was an RTS game that would have changed the script. Another would have been a version with live actors, like NightTrap… I reached out to 10 – 15 people who worked for the company and they just didn’t want to talk about it all.”

To watch the Game Informer crew chat about Half-Life 2: Epsode 3 head-on over to the 5:45 mark of the embedded video below. Perhaps in some alternate universe the Combine have successfully enslaved humanity simply because Half-Life 3 is a reality.

 


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Report: EVE Online Creators CCP Being Eyed For Buy-Out


Posted on December 11, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

It looks like the developers of popular MMORPG EVE: Online and the in-universe VR flight title EVE: Valkyrie might be entertaining offers from unknown 3rd parties interested in buying up the company from its current owners Novator Partners & General Catalyst Partners LLC. Supposedly CCP has been valued as high as $955 million US dollars, making the potential acquisition one of the highest in recent years.

All of this comes from unnamed sources cited by the reputable Bloomberg News Service but no official confirmation has been made by CCP, their owners and any potential buyers are not yet known. The last time a value for CCP was publicly disclosed was back in November 2015 when $300 million USD was raised from current stakeholders Novator Partners Inc. More than a year ago CCP was appraised at 1/3rd of its estimated current value, $330 million USD.

On the official EveOnline reddit /r/EVE players voiced their concerns about a potential buy-out by a larger corporation or publisher. Some worried that if CCP ends up being sold that the transaction would negatively impact the development of EVE Online and related titles. Other opined that CCP being purchased could end up just as negative as Electronic Arts’ acquisition of Mythic, a company that EA later shuttered after cancelling Warhammer Online.

As Jackalime wrote:

“The company that purchases EVE might be hoping to make it oriented for the type of market / store they are involved in, which would affect all future development. It would likely be with the intention of exploiting it to their advantage in the short-term future, since even assuming long-term interest for EVE remains the same, it would take decades to get a return on it.”

While wiiki24 drew comparisons to the aforementioned Mythic acquisition:

 “Just to point out, Mythic had bitten off way more than it could chew with Warhammer. They were out of money, and they had to sell, or the company never could have lasted as long as it did.

The ironic part was the EA suits buying into the Mythic guy’s promises to be able to make a WoW competitor in three years. Why anyone ever believed that is beyond me, since that’s pretty much impossible (9 women can’t give birth to 1 baby in a month), but they did.”

Still others like Leshoyadut maintain that EVE Online has been a stable niche product for over 13 years now and to expect huge changes would be messing with a successful formula:

“ Also, much as EVE has a niche market, it’s still a long-term money maker. It’s been making money for 13 years, and recently had a pretty positive reception of F2P, meaning its slow decline has been pushed off by probably at least another couple years on top of whatever life was already left (assuming alpha players keep coming at a moderate pace in the months ahead).

For all that CCP doesn’t have a huge market, it’s actually pretty successful.”

Personally I feel like the release of the latest expansion EVE Online: Ascension has provided CCP with a lot of positive press and visibility over the past couple of months. With the introduction of free-to-play Alpha Clones and concurrent player numbers their highest in three years it is no surprise that larger companies & publishers might be submitting purchase deals to CCP. Also just because CCP’s owners have offers on the table doesn’t necessarily mean that they will sell the company, failed mergers & business deals happen all the time.


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Report: Nintendo Switch Will Have GameCube Virtual Console Support


Posted on December 7, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo’s next console may come with support for GameCube virtual console titles if tweet by a well known industry insider is to correct. The deputy news editor for outlet EuroGamer, which originally broke the news of the detachable Nintendo Switch “Joy-Cons”, has posted on twitter that the upcoming Nintendo Switch will have GameCube emulation support for the third iteration of the Virtual Console.

Here is the original tweet by Tom Phillips that has set a wave of speculation across the internet:

No details about what GameCube titles that may be currently in testing at Nintendo or which games the console manufacturer may be considering for the Switch’s launch next March. Tom Phillips is promising that an upcoming report on EuroGamer will outline what may be the 1st games to hit the 3rd generation of the Virtual Console service.

We will update this post as soon as more information becomes available.


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Resident Evil 7 VR Mode Supposedly PlayStation Exclusive For An Entire Year


Posted on October 2, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

According to a popular post on the Resident Evil sub reddit the next entry in the franchise might be locked to PlayStation VR for a period of one year. Poster Xx-MCXCVI-xX says that they encountered an advert for Capcom’s upcoming first person horror experience on Facebook and that the small text at the bottom of that advertisement states that RE7 is “PlayStation VR exclusive for 12 months,

Capcom plans to bring Resident Evil 7 to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC next January, so this exclusivity window must pertain to just the VR exclusive features. It is not known currently if Resident Evil 7 will support VR functionality will work on existing PC VR headsets right away – meaning that the VR features are only console exclusive – or if intrepid fans will have to mod the feature into the game before the exclusivity period ends.

Here is the original image as posted on Reddit:

tnpt7xbaf0spjcjkq0j_ogo80dmv3xwh9cvhmhfstsu


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Rumor: New Armored Core 6 Under Development At ‘From Software’


Posted on September 14, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Out of the 2016 Tokyo Games Show comes a report that a new entry in the long running mech series Armored Core is in development courtesy of series creators From Software. Dualshockers supposedly spoke with Armored Core director Hidetaka Miyazaki who stated that work on the next entry in the franchise was under way.

Miyazaki didn’t reveal any other information about the new project. His work with the franchise began with 2005’s Armored Core: The Last Raven as a planner. He also directed both Armored Core 4 and Armored Core: For Answer on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Hidetaka Miyazaki is probably best known as the director of multiple Demon’s Souls titles as well as the original 2009 Dark Souls.

The last entry in the Armored Core franchise – Armored Core V – was released back in early 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was met with above average reviews – earning a 65% on the PlayStation 3 according to MetaCritic. I personally found the game’s take on the mech action genre to be fun, up until the difficulty ramped up around the mid point within the campaign.  After spending about a dozen or so hours on Armored Core V I eventually gave up and just traded the game back to GameStop.

Here’s hoping From Software have something awesome planned for the franchise – COME ON CROSS PLATFORM VR MECHS – and we will hear about it in 2017!

Pictured Above: Armored Core V for PS3.

 


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New Evidence Suggests That Final Fantasy XV Has Indeed Been Delayed


Posted on August 14, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Rumblings have been happening on places like the official Final Fantasy XV Reddit, NeoGAF and other gaming discussion communities that the upcoming Final Fantasy XV has been delayed by 60 days. Originally posted by outlet Gamnesia – instructions were reportedly sent out to GameStop locations in the United States to update their cardboard standees with a new date: November 29th 2016.

Kotaku reporter Jason Schrier took to Twitter to confirm that he has confirmed the delay with non-retail sources. Here’s the original tweet:

Images also surfaced on NeoGAF from the GameStop mail-out explaining the process of updating Final Fantasy XV’s in-store marketing materials.

final_fantasy_xv_launches_nov_29__large

Final Fantasy XV re-emerged from years of silence during E3 2013 and has had two playable demos released to the public over the past 18 months – Episode Duscae was released as a pack in with  Final Fantasy Type-0 HD in March 2014 and Final Fantasy XV: The Platinum Demo was released just before E3 2016. Final Fantasy XV began development as Final Fantasy Versus XIII and was announced more than 10 years ago at E3 2006!

 


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Ubisoft CEO Says That Nintendo NX Will Bring Back The Casual Audience


Posted on July 20, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo’s next generation console, currently code-named “NX” is still shrouded in mystery but one particular outspoken advocate of the console, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, says that what he has seen looks very promising. Not only is touting the capabilities of this new console but also making the bold prediction that it will bring back the casual audience to the Nintendo brand.

Here’s is how WCF Tech described Mr.Guillemot remarks on a recent company conference call with investors:

“Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot talked about the Nintendo NX, stating that what they have seen so far of the console is really great. Guillemot also notes how having this machine coming is going to help the industry growing as well as take a lot of casual players back in the industry.”

Nintendo did not have any NX presence at this year’s E3, instead focusing on the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. More information about NX could possibly be released during the Tokyo Game Show this September, although Nintendo typically skips TGS  there is precedence – as they revealed the WiiMote back in September 2005 around TGS Time.

nintendo_wii_u_gamepad_update

Nintendo’s last generation console, Wii, was an immensely successful product that launched the Big N back into the public conscience similar to the way Pokemon GO has recently or how Nintendo orginally swept America with the NES back in the 1980s. According to VGChartz the Nintendo Wii sold around 101 million units worldwide, in comparison the Wii U has sold just over 13 million units – putting it just above the SEGA Dreamcast. 

The Nintendo NX will be launched in March of 2017, regardless of what form it takes.


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Dead Rising 4 Leaks Ahead of Official Unveiling Next Week


Posted on June 7, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

It looks like the cat is out of the bag for one of Capcom’s big reveals at Microsoft’s E3 press briefing. The infected shall rise again, facing off against longtime Zombie slayer Frank West in a Xbox One / Windows Store exclusive Dead Rising 4 according to leaked screenshots and promotional material that appeared online yesterday.

Despite its’ title Dead Rising 4 will reportedly be a reboot/alternate telling of the Willamette Incident that introduced us to the world of Phenotrans, Zombrex and those pesky wasps that cause necrotic flesh to come back to life. Reportedly the game will also shift the time period of the Willamette Incident from late Summer to Christmas time. Unlike the other games in the franchise, DR4 will run on Epic’s Unreal Engine 4, ditching the proprietary engine that has powered the series since Capcom Vancouver’s Dead Rising 2.

Dead Rising 4 is expected to be revealed next week and now confirmed information has been released just yet. Check out te quite convincing leaked assets below:

DR4_1

DR4_2

DR4_3

[Source]


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Rumor: Sonic The Hedgehog Part of Lego Dimensions Series 2


Posted on May 4, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Could the Blue Blur make an appearance in the universe hopping Lego Dimensions toys to life games as part of the upcoming ‘series 2’ line of play sets? According Lego fan-site Brick Inquirer. See back in September, when the first version of Lego Dimensions launched a series of set “codenames” were leaked, one of which was labelled set “S1”. At the time it was believed that “S1” stood for The Simpsons but now fans have reason to believe otherwise.

Known Lego insider CM4Sci posted on fan-forum EuroBrick with the following little tidbit about our favorite hedgehog:

“Sonic’s coming !”, then a couple of minutes later replied again, “I also know for a fact Sonic is in if that confirms anything”

Last year’s launch of the original Lego: Dimensions saw add-on packs featuring characters from Back to the Future, Doctor Who, The Simpsons, Ghostbusters, Jurassic World and even a playset based upon Valve’s Portal franchise (Cake not included).


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Uncharted 4 Teases The Return of a Former Sony Mascot


Posted on April 30, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Naughty Dog is well known for their work on last generations huge PlayStation exclusive franchises Uncharted and The Last of Us, but before they took on the task of redefining third person combat the studio was well known for a PlayStation One exclusive staring a certain marsupial.

Crash Bandicoot put both the PlayStation brand and Naughty Dog on the map back in the early 90s. With its fast 3D platforming action and an ‘tude only the mid 90s could produce, the series went on to produce three successful games on the original PlayStation before Sony’s exclusivity deal with Vivendi Universal ended in 2000.

Crash

Tucked away in Uncharted 4 – according to one image that originated on Twitter – purports to show a character holding a jewel case for Crash Bandicoot for the PlayStation 1. Could this mean that Sony is teasing the return of the franchise to Naughty Dog?  Sony has been not so subtly through some of their official twitter accounts for some time.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a PlayStation 4 exclusive and is scheduled for release on May 10th.

[Source: Twitter]


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[Rumor] Smash 4, Splatoon, Zelda Wii U & Mario Maker All In Development For NX


Posted on April 12, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Yet another day means yet another round of supposed leaks for the Nintendo NX. As with anything related to the unannounced console, take these with a grain of salt because we all remember how that supposed controller leak went down last month.

This last news comes by the way of multiple NeoGaf threads and a locked Twitter account belonging to a known industry insider.

The Legend of Zelda For Wii U has long been rumored to be coming to both the Nintendo NX and Wii-U and this latest lengthy post by 10K adds another anonymous confirmation to that list. Other Wii-U titles supposedly in development for the NX? Ports of Mario Maker and Splatoon are both in active development according to 10K’s multiple sources. While these games may certainly be in development there is some contention about whether or not they may come to market due to the challenge of engineering cross platform play for Splatoon and backwards compatibility with existing levels for Mario Maker. Apparently it is also “100% confirmed” that Smash 4 (otherwise known as Smashbros for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U) will be making its way to the NX as an enhanced port, no rumblings if this game may also support cross platform play or use the 3DS as a controller.

Apparently development kits have not been sent to eligible developers yet. Although, the Software Development Kit (or SDK) is apparently in the hands of developers as of the publication of the lengthy post. In relation to ports of current generation titles (Xbox One / PS4) –  these anonymous sources have had no problem porting current generation code to Nintendo’s SDK with ease and reportedly the NX’s clockspeed will be somewhere around 15-30% faster than the one found in the PlayStation 4.

Some of these rumors have been backed up by Emily Rogers. Unfortunately the account is locked so we can not verify the authenticity of these tweets but here is a screenshot as it appeared in the original GAF thread:

NX

What do you think these of these? Fake? Real? E3 Is only two months away, I suppose we will find out then.


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Nintendo NX Reportedly Running On x86 Architecture


Posted on April 8, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Verified leaker untypedhero on Reddit who is known to have industry connections with inside knowledge about Nintendo’s next console has posted a few new tidbits of information about the NX. Reported the upcoming system will run on the x86-64 architecture similar to the processors that power modern computers, PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.

Other information that has come to light includes the fact that the NX will report second screen integration of some kind, will allow users to back-up their data to some kind of Nintendo cloud service and by using Nintendo software you can earn My Nintendo points for use in their new apps like Miitomo.

In terms of power the Nintendo NX is said to be able handle ports of current generation titles.

Here is the content original reddit post:

x86 architecture.
Backup data to Nintendo server (most likely My Nintendo).
Support for additional screen.
Can handle ports of current-gen games.
Will be able to interact with smart device apps.
Using NX software will unlock My Nintendo reward points.

As soon as more information about the Nintendo NX is leaked or officialy announced we will bring it to you.


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Did the plot of Mass Effect Andromeda leak in a Survey?


Posted on March 30, 2016 by Fionna Schweit

An EA marketing survey may have just exposed the plot for Mass Effect Andromeda. Take this with a grain of salt because this comes from screengrabs posted by NeoGAF user anexanhume. NeoGAF is often responsible for false or just plain faked information on upcoming games and system, so take the following images with a grain of salt.

SPOILERS BE AHEAD (potentially) so click the jump if you want to see them

Read More


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Are these new images of the NX controller?


Posted on March 23, 2016 by Fionna Schweit

New images of the development kit version of the Nintendo NX controller have leaked thanks to Perkele37 on Reddit. We now have an up & close look at the controller in much higher detail than the previous leaked photos. From these photos it is quite clear that the NX’s thumbsticks are physical nubs, not unlike the Vitas, and not on-screen controls as some had suggested. We also now know that the development hardware supports 3.5mm headphone audio output and features haptic feedback similar to Apple’s force touch.

Here are the brand new details leaked by Perkele37:

  • Only the upper ‘nubs’ of the sticks move. The bottom part is static (kind of like the circle pad, but it moves along the bottom ‘sphere’.
  • The rollers on the top feel and look pretty much identical to a mouse scroll-wheel. Though I do don’t believe this will be the final design.
  • Haptic feedback is feels like Apples ‘taptic’ engine. Not like regular rumble.
  • 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom

Here are the images that went along with the post

NXcontroller2 NXcontroller

what do you think?


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Nintendo Denies That They Are Ending Wii U Production In Japan


Posted on March 22, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Wii U Production Stop

Rumors popped up earlier this week that Nintendo would cease production of its nearly 4 year-old home console the Wii U by the end of this current calendar year according to a repors by Nikkei. To date Nintendo has sold over 12.6 million units worldwide since the console’s launch in 2012, one year prior to the launch of rival PS4 and Xbox One consoles.

Nintendo has responded to these rumors by providing a statement to Japanese site itmedia media which refutes these claims. According to Nintendo:

“[the original article” isn’t an announcement from the company and production [of the Wii U home console] will continue beyond the next fiscal year.”

Nintendo’s next fiscal year will end on March 31st 2017. The Wii U’s successor, codenamed NX, is expected to launch before this date. Most rumors have pegged the new console for a reveal later this year alongside a holiday launch window.


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