Peter Molyneux on the Future of Touch Control

Acclaimed game developer Peter Molyneux is hard at work with his new studio, 22 Cans, developing his next big game. While Molyneux is busy designing a series of interactive experiments, beginning with Curiosity, he has kept abreast of the developing game industry as it branches out to growing platforms like mobile, free-to-play, and social. He's had a chance to check out the Nintendo Wii U, as well as Microsoft's SmartGlass.

Thus far, he has reservations about tablet gaming.

Molyneux talks about the challenges that developers face when trying to create true multi-screen gaming experiences.

IGN: What do you think of the multi-screen experience that’s evolving with tablets and with the new Nintendo Wii U and Microsoft SmartGlass?

Peter Molyneux: The thing about the SmartGlass is that the tablet is a thing that you have with you all the time. Now, in that sense, I understand completely as a consumer and I’m excited to see what these guys do with it. But I do have a problem with it. I now have a screen in front of me on my lap and a screen up on the wall that I’m looking at. Which one should I be looking at? Should I be looking up at the big screen and down, or at my lap and up? Should I be checking down on my lap every few seconds?  What’s going to incentivize me to move my eyes from the wall to my lap?

In a way, part of me is excited by this. But part of me is worried that this is a bit of tech which us tech boys get really excited about, and until I see some really great uses of that SmartGlass or the Wii U GamePad, the jury is out for me to be honest with you. I can see it if I’m watching a football game that the scores would come up on the SmartGlass. I’m all there for that. I can see if I’m watching a TV episode and it gives me some background on the actors. I’m kind of there, but I can do that on the internet already. The real use for me is how it’s used as part of the entertainment experience, and then that divided attention that you’re demanding of a player is going to be really challenging to balance well.

IGN: Do you think also it could be a generational thing in the sense that you and I are both older, but there’s a younger generation that does currently watch TV and play on a tablet or a smartphone or a PC all at the same time?

Peter Molyneux: That’s a very interesting point, but I think what people do when they have multiple screens is something very simple. They will listen to the big screen whilst distracting themselves on the small screen. That’s not what SmartGlass and Wii U are talking about.

They’re talking about producing an entertainment experience that you’re engrossed in. So you’re not typing an email while watching TV. You’re playing a game while watching TV on the GamePad and that’s where my problem comes in. I know I need it when I’m watching a football game. I need SmartGlass to do my emails or check Twitter or distract myself, especially when the things are at a low point in the plot. But that’s not what SmartGlass or the Wii U are about.

It’s about giving you a second screen into the same experience, and that’s where I’m a little bit challenged. I agree that the younger generation has the ability to switch very fast between different things, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about them being in the same experience. I just think it’s like a lot of tech out there at the moment. There’s a huge amount of tech out there at the moment, including the cloud -- and the cloud has been around for some time -- and it’s not until we get the great applications that actually use that hardware and delight us with those experiences, that we’ve really appreciated its value.

IGN: What are your thoughts on what Nintendo is doing with the Wii U overall?

Peter Molyneux: I struggle to see anything amazing coming out of Nintendo. There are a few, “Oh, that’s smart,” but there’s nothing that makes me rush out as a consumer to buy the new device. I’ll give you a great example of how tech should be used.  It’s what Nintendo did with the Wii when it first came out. They introduced motion control.  They were one of the first companies to introduce motion control and they had a fantastic Wii Sports Game. As soon as I picked up the controller and started waving it around, I got it. I already understood it. But I’m not sure there’s a same sort of application out there for Wii U. I think to myself, “Well, what’s the reason to get it?”  Do you see what I mean?

IGN: I do. I’ve tried out a lot of the launch games and outside of the Nintendo games like NintendoLand and Ubisoft’s Rayman Legends and ZombiU, there’s not a lot of innovations. And I did find it challenging, even while standing at the kiosk, focusing on both screens.

Peter Molyneux: There you go. I had exactly the same experience. I played those games and I thought, “That’s cute.” But the psychology of making a game is hard enough because plasma screens are so big now. It’s hard enough to get the player to move their eyes from the center of the screen to the borders.

“

It’s hard enough to get the player to move their eyes from the center of the screen to the borders.

When you’re designing a game for a plasma screen you’ve got to really flash the corners of the screen. You’ve got to get movement in, otherwise people don’t notice anything in the corners. Getting people to move their eyes from the screen down to their laps is incredibly hard. There has to be some huge motivational thing like the words coming up, “Look at your GamePad now.” If you’re going to do that, from a design perspective that sounds a bit clumsy and complex.

IGN: As we look at the upcoming launches of three new consoles, what role do you see them playing in this evolving gaming ecosystem?

Peter Molyneux: Consoles have a very tough time ahead of them. The main issue is that existing console manufacturers are so embedded into the standard retail model in that they spend two years developing a game and then they push it out to retail stores and they’re done. They get a huge amount of money and then they move on to the next sequel that takes another two years. That world is gone forever.

Retail is still an important part of the console business, but a lot of consumers are starting to move to things like the iPad and to digital distribution. People don’t want to go down to a store and buy something that they can buy online just like they don’t want to go down to the store and buy music anymore. The console manufacturers have these two big problems. Their existing business model of development and investing in multiple million dollar development projects and then launching and having this marketing shock and awe campaign. Plus the fact that the technology that’s out there in every consumer’s hands through tablets and phones is now more accessible than ever, and their consoles are stuck in the basement or they’re stuck in the living room. That’s hugely challenging for them.

When you look at the number of units that Apple and Android and Motorola are able to make, the power of tablets and phones are going to exceed the power of consoles very soon now. That’s a problem for console manufacturers because if they’re lucky, over five years they’re going to sell 40 or 50 million devices. And if they’re very, very lucky they’ll eventually -- over a lifetime of consoles -- maybe sell 100 million. That is a drop in the ocean when you compare it to the number of smartphones that are in the market today, and then a tiny drop in the ocean when you compare the number of smartphones that are predicted in the market in the next few years. Just the scaling cost of producing hardware or the penetration of it means that they’ve got a real pricing issue.

“

We gamers love our games.

On the plus side, they have a very loyal following. We gamers love our games. We love setting up our gaming locations. We love going into them and inviting our friends.  So they have some loyal fans, but they used to be on the cutting edge of innovation. And they just feel like they’ve fallen back a step now and the people at Apple and Android have taken the crown of innovation from them.

John Gaudiosi is a freelance writer that, among other things, travels the world.

Source : ign[dot]com

Lord of the Rings Online Developer Hit by Layoffs

Layoffs have hit Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine. News of the layoffs first emerged this morning on Twitter, and a representative from Warner Bros. Interactive has now confirmed the news, providing IGN with the following statement:

“As part of the continual review of our business operations and fluctuating market conditions, we have had to make reductions in our Turbine workforce. The group continues to remain an integral part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.”

Turbine previously worked on the Asheron’s Call franchise, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online. The studio most recently developed Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan, which was released last month, and is also said to be working on a next-gen MMO.

IGN wishes the best of luck to anyone affected by today’s news.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Is Anarchy Reigns Coming to the West in January?

Japanese developer Platinum Games is well known for titles like Bayonetta and Vanquish. And its latest game, Anarchy Reigns (known as Max Anarchy in Japan) was supposed to come to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the west this past July. It still came out in Japan, but was inexplicably delayed mere weeks before its western launch.

Publisher SEGA later noted that the game would be released in Q1 of 2013, and it seems that SEGA was true to its word, at least according to online retailer Amazon.

Website Xbigy Games notes that if you go to Amazon and search for Anarchy Reigns, both the PS3 and 360 versions of the game show up. The PS3 version of the game has no date affixed to it, but the 360 version does: January 08, 2013.

January 08, 2013 is a Tuesday, which is the traditional day of the week games come out in North America. It could be a placeholder, but then again, it may not be. We’ve reached out to SEGA for confirmation of the date, and will update when we hear back.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

Layoffs Hit Fable Developer

Fable developer Lionhead Studios has been hit by layoffs. Microsoft confirmed the news this morning, providing the following statement to IGN:

“Following the completion of Fable: The Journey the Lionhead studio is in the process of beginning work on its next projects. As is common in the games industry, a reduced headcount is needed as projects kick-off and ramp up as development gets underway. At this time a very small number of positions have been identified as at risk of redundancy and the affected employees were notified today. We are working very closely with those people during this difficult time, to help them explore alternative opportunities within Microsoft including new roles at Microsoft Studios which is actively hiring.”

According to Develop, the layoffs represent less than 10% of Lionhead’s overall headcount and will be completed by the end of 2012. Microsoft also expects to add more than 100 new positions in the UK between now and June 2013.

Lionhead most recently released Fable: The Journey, which hit stores earlier this month. The studio was acquired by Microsoft in 2006 and led by founder Peter Molyneux until his departure earlier this year.

IGN wishes the best of luck to anyone affected by today’s news.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

MechWarrior Online Open Beta Announced and Then Delayed

Update: The MechWarrior Online open beta has been delayed. In an official release that went wide, developer Piranha stated:

We have decided to push Open Beta back.  We agree that the game's current state of stability is not allowing us to get the latest experience across to new and veteran players alike.  This is a short push back on the date and will depend on the stability and playability of the build.

We'll keep you posted on when they announce a new date.

Original story follows...

We've written about it several times at IGN, some of you have even been lucky enough to get into the closed beta, but now everyone finally gets a chance to try out MechWarrior Online on October 16th. While this is not the official release of the game, Piranha Games is launching the open beta, driving more users into their game so they can continue to make balance changes, tweak performance and continue to polish the next mech combat game.

To learn more about MechWarrior Online, check out our in-depth wiki. If you want to see the machines in action, as well as get the developer's take on what makes certain mechs and maps special, then head on over to our always-growing video index.

Anthony Gallegos is an Editor on IGN's PC team. He enjoys scaring the crap out of himself with horror games and then releasing some steam in shooters like Blacklight and Tribes. You can follow him on @Chufmoney on Twitter and on at Ant-IGN on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Next Game Boss Season 2 Casting Call

Casting has begun for the next season of IGN’s The Next Game Boss.

Are you an indie developer with a game you think could make it big? If you love to make games and want to prove you’ve got what it takes to go pro, this is your chance. A new web series for IGN is looking for small teams of developers with nearly-finished games to battle it out for completion funding. Forget Kickstarter, this is a chance to get your game seen by some of the most influential names in the business, as well as thousands of gamers looking for the next big thing.

The deadline for submissions is October 8, 2012.

To apply, you'll need to fill out an application and submit a video telling us why you think you're the next game boss. Download the application and video submission guidelines below:

For the application you’ll need to fill out, click here.

Video submission guidelines are available right here.

Please send all materials to gamebosscasting@authentictv.com. Good luck!

Source : ign[dot]com

Obsidian Teasing Mysterious "Project X"

A teaser for what appears to be a countdown to the reveal of a brand new game has appeared on popular RPG developer Obsidian's website.

The landing page currently features the number four enveloped by an Ouroboros, an ancient symbol depicting a snake or a dragon eating its own tail. The text below reads: "What do the words mean? Nothing. The Dirge of Eír Glanfath is sound without form, a lone voice crying out in mourning because it must."

Clicking on the image takes you to forum landing page for Project X Speculation & Discussion where Obsidian fans have begun to speculate on what the words mean.

Described as a forum for "Obsidian's next RPG endeavor" it teases said game is so secret "not even its project codename is yet being revealed."

Stick around for updates and speculation.

Source : ign[dot]com

Amnesia: The Dark Descent Sales Pass One Million

Frictional Games revealed today that nearly 1.4 million people have purchased Amnesia: The Dark Descent. According to a blog post from the developer, 710,000 copies of the game were sold directly, as well as sales from inclusions in the Humble Indie Bundle and Steam’s Potato Sack Reunion. Overall, the sales add up to 1,360,000 units in all.

“Despite that huge number of sales, what I think is more interesting is how good the monthly sales still are,” Frictional noted. “Not counting any discounts, the monthly full price sales lie at over 10,000 units. This means that less than every 5th minute someone in the world is buying a copy of Amnesia.”

Frictional also hinted at its next project, which is currently targeted for a 2014 release. “At Frictional Games our main concern is our new super secret project. We do not want to say much about this project yet, but we can disclose that it will be horror and that it will be first person,” the post reads. “One of the things I was most disappointed with in Amnesia was that it never really managed to deliver any deeper themes, but was more like a shallow fright-fest. For the new project we want to change that and really try and bring a certain theme to the front. Our hope is that this will create a very special experience, creating horror in a much more disturbing way.”

Frictional notes that “the game's current status is that we have pretty much all tech working, and have started to playtest the first parts. Still, a lot is up in the air and the current design is bound to change.”

Amnesia will continue with Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs later this year, which is in development by thechineseroom and produced by Frictional. For more on A Machine for Pigs, be sure to watch the debut trailer, and read all about Amnesia: Dark Descent in our list of the top 25 modern PC games.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Dream Roster: Warhawk

Ever since PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale was rumored, IGN's been pitching characters that need to be in the game. Well, after the leak, it appears developer SuperBot Entertainment isn't listening. So, IGN's Podcast Beyond is teaming with IGN reader Pandamusk to create videos for the fighters we think need to be in the game.

This week, we're pitching the plane from Warhawk. You read that right... it's Clements' idea.

Who do you think should be in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale? Let us know in the comments below. Plus, check out our past installments...

• Heavy Rain's Ethan Mars
• Crash Bandicoot's Crash Bandicoot
• The Sound Shapes Blob
• Mega Man

Greg is the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, cohost of Podcast Beyond and host of Up at Noon. Follow IGN on Twitter, and keep track of Greg's shenanigans on IGN and Twitter. Beyond!

Source : ign[dot]com

L.A. Noire Dev's New Game Whore of the Orient is Next-Gen

L.A. Noire developer Team Bondi, reborn after a timely buyout, has announced that its next game – Whore of the Orient – is being developed for the next-generation of home consoles and PC.

The developer's website has now gone live, revealing some new details about the game. The site contains a single image depicting a scene from a Chinese apartment and a man sweeping up in the background. And it's clear from the mood-setting snippet of prose posted on the site that the city of Shanghai will play a strong role in the game. The text reads:

"Shanghai, 1936. Whore of the Orient. Paris of the East. The most corrupt and decadent city on the planet, where anything can be had or done for the right price. Plaything of Western powers who greedily exploit the Chinese masses. Boiling pot of Chinese nationalism, with the Kuomintang ruthlessly trying to suppress Communism and the labour movement. Home to the International Police Force, a group of Western cops hopelessly trying to keep the lid on and keep the peace."

Brendan McNamara, writer and director of The Getaway and L.A. Noire, previously said that the team's next game will be "one of the great untold stories of the 20th Century."

Team Bondi is actively recruiting for the project which will be published by Warner Bros, with the site advertising several roles in the programming, animation, art, and design departments.

Team Bondi went into liquidation late last year, with many of the company's assets and staff being acquired by Academy award winning production team of Kennedy Miller Mitchell, responsible for the Mad Max and Happy Feet films.

Daniel Krupa is IGN's UK Staff Writer. You can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Bastion Comes to iPad

Bastion developer Supergiant Games announced that its smash-hit action-RPG is coming to iPad tomorrow, August 30 for just $4.99. Apple launches apps on a county-by-country basis, so gamers in New Zealand and some other territories can grab the title now.

IGN awarded Bastion a 9 / 10 “Editor’s Choice” designation in our original Xbox Live Arcade & PC reviews. Reviewer Greg Miller specifically praised the game’s gorgeous watercolor style, its often-parodied narrator, and its excellent design that keeps the player wondering what will come next.

In a lengthy FAQ on its website, Supergiant has revealed plenty of details about the iOS port. The iPad version’s default controls allow players to simply tap to move. Double-tapping executes an evasive roll, and The Kid attacks automatically when enemies are in range. A “classic control” option is also available for players that prefer a virtual joystick & buttons.

The iPad port doesn’t include any new story content (beyond integrating the Stranger’s Dream DLC), but it does feature Game Center achievements and support for the new iPad’s Retina Display screen. The previous version’s “No-Sweat Mode” has also been converted into an infinite lives option, for gamers that just want to run through the adventure stress-free.

Bastion on iOS for now only supports iPad 2 and newer devices.

IGN will have more on this high-profile iPad port very soon.

Justin is Editor of IGN Wireless. He has been reviewing mobile games since the dark days of Java flip phones. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Is Finished

Ever since the PlayStation Vita debuted, Sony has been showcasing LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, and we've been waiting for the final product. Well, it's finally final. Developer Tarsier Studios posted on its blog today that LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is finished and "all that remains to be done is print the cartridges and send them off to the shops."

"All story levels are designed, made pretty and filled with bubbles for you to collect," the post reads. "All tools work as intended – though we are sure you’ll find ways to make completely unexpected things with them – and thousands of pesky bugs were squashed. In short, the stage is now set for you to play, create and share levels on the go to your heart’s content."

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita arrives in Europe September 19th and in North America September 25th. Look for the full review here on IGN.

Greg is the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, cohost of Podcast Beyond and host of Up at Noon. Follow IGN on Twitter, and keep track of Greg's shenanigans on IGN and Twitter. Beyond!

Source : ign[dot]com

Walking Dead Episode 3: 'As Soon as Next Week'

If you're anxious to get into The Walking Dead: The Game -- Episode 3: Long Road Ahead, you're not alone. While we let you know the other week that developer Telltale Games was ready to submit the game for approval, we didn't know a release date. We still don't, but Telltale says it could be any day now.

"Episode Three: Long Road Ahead is in submission with our first party partners and we are anxiously awaiting a release date to be confirmed," a Telltale rep said. "We anticipate that this could be as soon as next week, and as soon as we have a confirmation on all platforms, we’ll be letting everyone know as soon as it happens."

So, keep your eyes here on IGN for the final news on the final release date. Until then, check out the new episode of Telltale's Playing Dead, which includes an introduction to Christa and Omid, two new characters coming in Episode 3. They pop up around the 7-minute 30-second mark in the video.

Greg is the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, cohost of Podcast Beyond and host of Up at Noon. Follow IGN on Twitter, and keep track of Greg's shenanigans on IGN and Twitter. Beyond!

Source : ign[dot]com

Halo 4 Achievement List Revealed

Halo 4's achievement list has been revealed by developer 343 Industries, offering some slim insight into what tasks we'll undertake in the game.

Beware of spoilers below. There's nothing too soul-shatteringly revelatory, but don't say you haven't been warned.

“

Developing and designing these game-specific challenges might seem simple but is quite a bit more complex once you begin digging into the psychology of a gamer.

The achievements on offer were revealed in an update on Halo Waypoint by community manager Jessica Shea, who also explained some of the reasoning that went into the achievements' design.

"Developing and designing these game-specific challenges might seem simple but is quite a bit more complex once you begin digging into the psychology of a gamer," she shared.

"Our primary goal when creating Halo 4’s achievements was to reward milestones and increase replay value while balancing both difficulty and the breadth of game modes.

"Our secondary goal was to live up to Halo tradition with weird ass names for some of them (hello, The Dongblainer!). While you will only be able to speculate on the exact nature of some of these achievements, here’s a peek at their very basic in-game descriptions."

So, without further ado, the achievements you'll be testing your Spartan training to breaking point to achieve are:

• Dawn - Complete Mission 1 on any difficulty - (10 Points)
• Requiem - Complete Mission 2 on any difficulty - (10 Points)
• Forerunner - Complete Mission 3 on any difficulty - (10 Points)
• Infinity - Complete Mission 4 on any difficulty - (10 Points)
• Reclaimer - Complete Mission 5 on any difficulty - (10 Points)
• Shutdown - Complete Mission 6 on any difficulty - (10 Points)
• Composer - Complete Mission 7 on any difficulty - (10 Points)
• Midnight - Complete Mission 8 on any difficulty - (10 Points)
• Wake up John - Complete the Campaign on Normal or harder - (20 Points)
• I Need a Hero - Complete the Campaign on Heroic or harder - (40 Points)
• The Legend of 117 - Complete the Campaign on Legendary difficulty - (70 Points)
• Lone Wolf Legend - Complete the Campaign solo on Legendary difficulty - (90 Points)
• Skullduggery - Complete any Campaign mission with 3 or more Skulls on Heroic or harder - (15 Points)
• Bropocalypse - Complete any Campaign mission co-operatively on Heroic or harder - (10 Points)
• Bromageddon - Complete the Campaign co-operatively on Heroic or harder - (40 Points)
• Contact the Domain - Find a Terminal in the Campaign - (10 Points)
• Terminus - Find all of the Terminals in the Campaign - (50 Points)
• Digging up the Past - In Mission 1, find and access Chief's record - (20 Points)
• Midnight Launch - In Mission 2, get significant air in the Warthog at midnight - (20 Points)
• This is my Rifle, this is my Gun - In Mission 3, carry a UNSC weapon all the way through on Heroic or harder - (20 Points)
• Bros to the Close - Make it through Mission 4 without one preventable Marine death on Heroic or harder - (20 Points)
• Mortardom - In Mission 5, hijack a Wraith and use it to kill at least four enemy Wraiths on Heroic or harder - (20 Points)
• Explore the Floor - In Mission 6, trick or force a Hunter to fall to his demise - (20 Points)
• Give Him the Stick - In Mission 7 in solo Campaign, take out both Hunters using only the Sticky Detonator - (20 Points)
• Chief, Smash! - In Mission 8, kill 3 Crawlers in one hit with the Gravity Hammer - (20 Points)
• Not Some Recruit Anymore - Rank up your Spartan-IV to SR-5 - (15 Points)
• Movin' on Up - Rank up your Spartan-IV to SR-20 - (30 Points)
• I ♥ Red vs Blue - Win 5 War Games matchmaking matches - (10 Points)
• The Dongblainer - Win 20 War Games matchmaking matches - (30 Points)
• Operation Completion - Complete a Spartan Ops Mission on any difficulty - (15 Points)
• A Legendary Episode - Complete all chapters in Spartan Ops Episode 1 on Legendary difficulty - (40 Points)
• Dedicated to Crimson - Complete all chapters in the first 5 episodes of Spartan Ops on any difficulty - (80 Points)
• Crimson Alone - Complete a Spartan Ops chapter solo on Legendary - (20 Points)
• Roses vs Violets - Find one of the RvB Easter Eggs in Spartan Ops - (20 Points)
• Rescue Ranger - Save at least one Marine in Chapter 3 of Episode 2 of Spartan Ops on Heroic or harder - (20 Points)
• Knight in White Assassination - Assassinate a Knight in any Spartan Ops mission - (20 Points)
• What Power Outage? - Complete Chapter 4, Episode 5 of Spartan Ops without losing a generator on Heroic or harder - (20 Points)
• No Easy Way Out - In Ch 1, Ep 5 of Spartan Ops survive all enemy waves during the defense on Normal or harder - (20 Points)
• The Challenged - Complete a Challenge - (10 Points)
• The Challenger - Complete 25 Challenges - (20 Points)
• Armorer - Change your Spartan's armor in the Spartan Armor card - (5 Points)
• Badge - Change your Emblem in the Spartan ID card - (5 Points)
• PWND - Change your Service Tag in the Spartan ID card - (5 Points)
• What a Poser! - Change your Spartan's pose in the Spartan ID card - (5 Points)
• The Cartographer - Create and save a Custom Map in Forge - (5 Points)
• Game Changer - Create and save a Custom Game type in War Games - (5 Points)
• Snapshot! - Save a Screenshot from the Theater - (5 Points)
• The Director - Save a Film Clip from the Theater - (5 Points)
• Sharing is Caring - Upload a File to your File Share - (5 Points)

Halo 4 will release on Xbox 360 on November 6.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Wield Godlike Power in Harold, a Playable Saturday Morning Cartoon

“My goal is to create a downloadable game with the quality of a triple-A game.”

Sure, like I haven’t heard a game developer tell me that a thousand times before. But for Moonspider Studios CEO Loris Malek, he’s taking aim at his goal by somewhat nontraditional gaming means: he’s hired a team of the most talented 2D animators he can find and is creating a Don Bluth cartoon that happens to be playable with a controller.

Yes, animation has been given top priority in Harold, a sidescrolling platformer where you control a veritable doofus. See, you’re a guardian angel’s apprentice, and in order get your people-protecting Master’s degree, as it were, you must complete the final exam in which you steer the clumsy Harold through timed obstacle runs where pratfalls and dangers constantly befall him.

The obstacle course also happens to be a race against other sad-sack mortals, however, so you’re competing with your fellow guardian angel apprentices for the top finish times. As such, you’ll need to egg Harold on with divine bolts of lightning, sabotage other racers, and use your godlike powers to look ahead in the race and clear a path for Harold as he ignorantly runs toward certain death.

And prepping the course for a smooth run is all you need to worry about, big job though it may be, as you don’t actually control Harold’s movements outside of jumping. Like the 2009 LucasArts platformer Lucidity, the stage is constantly advancing and you can’t stop it. Your job is to make sure Harold doesn’t kill himself, thereby causing you to flunk your guardian angel SAT.

Things start simply enough, but before long you’ll be constantly juggling hazards and looking for any shortcut you can in order to shave precious seconds off of Harold’s time. Gators ahead in a river you need to traverse? Give ‘em a holy whack on the noggin with your divine hammer. Is Harold nervously tiptoeing across a teetering plank bridge? Give him a nudge forward by pulling the bridge tight at each end and then release it to rubber-band snap the young man into gear. A total of four worlds – desert, jungle, beach, and snow – house multiple stages each, adding up to a pre-replayability total of about 6-8 hours of gameplay.

And as for those animations? You truly have not seen a video game look like this since…well, ever. “I wanted to make the first game that would look like a Walt Disney movie,” Malek says enthusiastically.

It shows. Film-quality cartoon cutscenes form the introductory sequence, finale, map introductions, and even mid-race moments. Harold is one game where you’re not likely to want to skip any of the cutscenes. Now that would be a divine miracle.

Ryan McCaffrey is the Executive Editor at IGN Xbox. He used to own a DeLorean, which is weird. Follow him on Twitter, on IGN, catch him on Podcast Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Source : ign[dot]com

No Single-Player for Command & Conquer: Generals 2 at Release

Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will apparently launch without a single-player campaign, according to developer Bioware Victory.

In an interview with PC Gamer, the company's general manager John Van Caneghem explained that “co-operative and competitive” skirmishes would be the main focus of the title initially, with other modes being added later based on community feedback.

“

We decided to choose Generals as the first set of games we build under the universe, but we’ll be expanding after that, like Tiberium and Red Alert as well as some others as well.

Speaking about the potential of a story campaign being one such mode, Van Caneghem said, "It is something we haven’t announced yet how we’re going to do it." He explained that one of the main benefits of the game being online was that it facilitated the easy testing of new play styles, claiming, "As a live service I think the exciting part is you can try things. You can see what the community wants, you can give it a shot, you can put it up for a weekend and see how it goes, develop towards what the fans like."

While he didn't comment on EA's decision to make the game free-to-play, he did reveal that Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will be the first in a new series of online C&C games that explore the series' history.

"We decided to choose Generals as the first set of games we build under the universe, but we’ll be expanding after that, like Tiberium and Red Alert as well as some others as well," he said. "Generals 2 was the first one, and it was one of the biggest sellers, as well as the fanbase has been asking for it for some time."

He rounded up the interview by explaining that Bioware Victory is keen for the upcoming RTS game to break onto the e-sports scene. To this end, alongside multiplayer deathmatch and co-operative modes, Van Caneghem claimed that, "We’re really going to run the gambit of what people enjoy in a multiplayer environment.

"I don’t think we’re making a list of the features yet, but I think you can basically make a list of the assumed ones that you’d need to be an e-sports game, and it’s definitely part of the plan," he added.

Command & Conquer: Generals 2 will release as a free-to-play title on PC sometime in 2013, but you can register your interest for the beta now.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and once almost died trying to build a home-made Tesla Coil. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Darksiders II Review

Darksiders II represents the latest offering from developer Vigil Games, a direct follow-up to the 2010 original. Much like its predecessor, Darksiders II provides some solid action, albeit nestled amid a somewhat flawed experience. It’s also possibly the most derivative game ever made - borrowing adventure and puzzle elements from The Legend of Zelda, action from God of War, platforming from Prince of Persia, and tone from some hellfire version of Lord of the Rings. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - an amalgamation of such incredible franchises could have resulted in the game to end all games. The thing is, if you’re going to so blatantly derive material from such well-known properties, you better nail it. While Darksiders II provides a lengthy and entertaining experience for action adventure fans to sink their teeth into, in the end it never comes close to reaching the heights of the various franchises it so freely borrows from.

Darksiders II further fleshes out the story of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse introduced in the first title - this time with War’s brother, Death, at the helm. Death believes that War has been wrongfully convicted of destroying mankind, and seeks to restore humanity to clear his brother’s name. The narrative is pretty entertaining, if not severely overdramatic. Though it should please anyone solely in the market for ‘epic,’ it lacks any trace of subtlety and often comes off as sophomoric. Given that the end result of any plot advancement is inevitably that Death needs to gather three of something and thrash some skeletons, hearing the characters go on about the old ways and soul judgement just feels a bit silly. However, if a healthy dose of ridiculous doesn’t faze you, the contrived reasons for Death’s various escapades through heaven, hell and everywhere in between do provide an amusing backdrop for his quest.

The majority of the adventure comprises rather standard action fare - Death wields both a fast primary weapon and a slow but powerful secondary weapon, and you chain together moves to slash your way through the various enemies.  There are also a few special abilities you gain along the way - like the ability to summon demon lords to do your bidding or to split your soul in two to solve dungeon puzzles. The game plays fine with a mouse and keyboard, but it’s best if you have a controller - this is clearly how the game was meant to be played, and in any case tracking down the menu to remap keys is a huge pain. The game also doesn’t allow for hot-swapping between controller and keyboard/mouse controls, so you’ll have to reboot if you want to switch.

The action segments are enjoyable enough - inasmuch as it’s hard to make slicing up undead baddies unenjoyable. Still, it’s disappointing that most of the enemies require next to no strategy to overcome. When you do come across an enemy that requires strategy to best, the joy of slaying it is truly satisfying - but these occurrences are few and far between. Most of the time, the answer is just to wait for the enemy to make their move, dodge, then attack. It’s still fun, because dodging and attacking are fun things to do in an action game, but it does get irritatingly repetitive after several hours of the same old song and dance.

One of the touted selling points of Darksiders II is that it’s far bigger than its predecessor - with a map that’s more than twice as big and a campaign that’s about three times longer than the original adventure. Unfortunately, in this case, bigger definitely isn’t better. The freedom Darksiders II offers is something to behold - you’re able to journey around huge areas as you please, slashing enemies and seeking out treasure and loot drops to your heart’s content. But the bloated environments are simply too barren and often devoid of anything interesting to do or see. Since so little is done to vary up the gameplay, the pacing drags and the length of the adventure feels more like a chore than a bonus.

The main problem is that the bulk of the adventure is repetitive. While it’s completely possible to reuse game mechanics throughout a campaign and still keep it feeling fresh, Darksiders II doesn’t achieve this. You’ll find yourself climbing wooden ledges and pegs, setting off bombs, and rolling balls over and over again in exactly same way, instilling a gnawing sense of deja vu. If these mechanics were employed in varied and clever ways, that would be one thing - but they’re not. I found myself rarely challenged by any puzzle I came across, and was often astonished that I was once again expected to repeat the same menial task I had just completed in the previous dungeon, or even in the previous room.

This is no place for a horse.

On the bright side, Darksiders II does offer up some truly epic boss fights to vary up the repetition, ones that will put your skills to the test and are truly exciting to overcome. You’ll fight all kinds of epic demons - ones that can regenerate, ones that are about 100 times your size, and ones that are just plain brutal in their assault patterns. The bosses are one of the highlights of the experience, offering a glimpse of what Darksiders II could have been had the entire quest been as varied and balanced as these memorable battles. 

As for gamers who don’t like fetch quests - this game is not for you. Seriously, the entire game is a fetch quest. All you do is run from area to area, fetching three of these, then three of these, then two of these, then three more of these with combat in between. As someone who honestly doesn’t mind a healthy dose of fetching in their games, Darksiders II still pushed my limits. You end up fetching so much and for so long that the majority of the game feels pretty pointless by the end. Can’t anyone in these various realms do their own errands, for crying out loud?

In truth, the game would have benefitted from being a skosh smaller and a lot more focused. In this way, the original game beats its sequel, as a more linear adventure that keeps the action coming befits this franchise’s intense style of gameplay. After all, there is a limit to how long you can run through similar environments and solve similar puzzles in order to appease your bloodlust for smashing things with cool weapons.

One of the game’s stronger elements is its art design and voice direction. It’s incredible that you can grow so fond of a main character who literally never emotes, as he’s wearing a skull mask for the entirety of the adventure. Death’s awesome voicework doesn't hurt either - hearing him growl at the Makers or deliver lines like, “This is no place for a Horse,” or “You find something for a change,” is inexplicably enjoyable. Even though he’s pretty impossible to relate to - being the embodiment of death and all - his design and presentation still do a great job of making him someone you want to see to his journey’s end.

While too many of the environments in Darksiders II are shockingly similar, some of them are well thought out and epic to behold, as are many of the characters and enemies found within. The visual presentation in this version of Darksiders II also fares better than its console counterparts, though the graphics options are bare minimum compared to other PC games. They get the job done, but don’t allow for the minor tweaks and alterations that PC gamers love. The good news is that the game runs much smoother as a result - gone are the framerate issues of the other versions, replaced by a silky smooth experience. The downside is that while the graphics are good, they’re not great. Things could look crisper, and there are still some shockingly bad textures underscoring the inspired art design. Considering the lack of customization and clumsy menus, this PC version comes off as a somewhat lazy port - but hey, at least it’s far less choppy.

I bet his shoulders are freezing.

A frustrating detractor to Darksiders II is the sheer amount of random glitches you’ll encounter along the way - ones that can’t be accounted for and appear and disappear for seemingly no reason at all. Seeing Death floating above the ground or over thin air is not uncommon, nor is pressing B to perform an action command only for nothing to happen until a few button presses later. Other random glitches I encountered include the inability to discard boots, ally AI that just stands in the corner staring at the wall, a Primary Quest icon that leads you in the wrong direction (then shift positions when you check the in-menu map), and an absence of music and sound effects until the game was reset - and that’s just to name a few. Most of these glitches only last for a short while, then disappear never to surface again. Others, like a targeting system that rarely seems to target the closest enemy or a camera that is often pointing in an inopportune direction, are quite persistent. Sadly, they’re things you’ll just have to learn to cope with if you hope to see Death’s journey to its conclusion. 

The funny thing is, despite its lengthy list of flaws and failures, Darksiders II still manages to offer an enjoyable experience. Despite its lack of variety, the combat is still satisfying to engage in, especially when you run across a behemoth of a boss. And even though there’s not enough to do in them, running around such huge environments is still incredible. Certain abilities you amass along the way - like the Deathgrip or the summoning ability - are terribly fun to play with, and make for some really cool dungeon moments (like dashing across a wall and Deathgripping at the last moment to reach the other side). It’s also worth noting that the game picks up considerably towards the end, finally finding its stride for the last few dungeons. The puzzles get more creative, the enemies and environments more varied - it’s just a shame it takes about 30 or so hours to get to this point.

Possibly the best part of the adventure, something that all action RPG games could learn from, is its implementation of RPG elements such as equipment and customization. Weapons found on the field can be instantly equipped or sent to your inventory with a single button press. Furthermore, each piece of equipment’s stats are displayed when you walk near it, as well as how it will raise or lower your own stats should you equip it. This makes fast decision making a breeze, and greatly increases the joy of seeking out the best armor to equip Death with. Every weapon or bit of armor you equip also changes Death’s appearance, which is a cool touch in making character customization feel more personal. The concept of cursed artillery, which you can ‘feed’ other items to, is also a great way to make the underpowered loot you come across feel like less of a waste. The way equipment is handled in Darksiders II is a true revolution in RPG gameplay, and one of the most solid parts of the experience.

Calling on Death’s bird, Dust, to show you the general direction you should go, and the deeply engrained Fast Travel system (which lets you instantly warp back to certain areas on the fly) are also great innovations for the genre. It’s a true shame the game’s impressive contributions are so severely undermined by its sheer amount of flaws and glitches.

Source : ign[dot]com

Soul Sacrifice Reveals the Brutal Cost of Ultimate Power

You wouldn’t think it to watch the trailer, but Keiji Inafune insists that Soul Sacrifice has strong autobiographical overtones. While the veteran developer readily admits that he’s never had to go quite so far as to stick his hand down his throat and pull his spinal column out through his mouth and brandish it as a sword, Inafune reveals that he struck upon the theme of sacrifice while reflecting on the career decisions that have brought him to his current role as an independent developer, after years of towing the company line at Capcom.

“I’ve always wanted to do a dark fantasy, but the concept of the sacrifice came up when I left my former job and looked back on my life and rethought the choices I’d made to get to that position,” explains Inafune. “I realised that I’d made sacrifices to get to that point and that made me think of the sacrifices that are necessary in life and the path that those sacrifices create.”

However, unlike Inafune, the decisions taken and sacrifices made by the player throughout this Vita-exclusive action-RPG will not lead to the founding of an independent video game company. Instead, they will influence how much power the customisable protagonist is able to wield and, ultimately, how noble or corrupt a sorcerer they will become.

“

The concept of the sacrifice came up when I left my former job and looked back on my life and rethought the choices I’d made.

The sacrifices are not just of a personal nature, though. While the wince-inducing sacrifice of a hand or eyeball will grant access to spells of varying destructive power, the most common choice to be made is with regard to the hostile denizens of Souls Sacrifice’s twisted worlds.

Once defeated, the broken creatures can either be offered in sacrifice, a process from which great power can be derived, or laid to rest, thus freeing their tortured souls. It’s a question that’s not unlike the harvest/rescue mechanic posed by Bioshock’s Little Sisters, but where those otherwise innocent infants were victims of Rapture’s peculiar ecosystem, the grotesque, once-human antagonists of Soul Sacrifice are creations of their own making, contorted by avaricious over-use of the same power afforded to the player.

Inafune hopes that the emotional kicker in this instance will come from the delivery method of the back story for each genus of creature. Instead of a static screen or entry in a bestiary that can be easily ignored, a tale of woe is spun via short sentences of text overlaid on the action as the player engages the beast in mortal combat. Subsequent encounters with bloated harpies or deformed minotaurs reveal more of the story of each and at the end of the fight the once aggressive assailant will become a pitiful shade of its former self and beg to be released from its torment. Whichever way the player leans in deciding the fallen creature’s fate will affect not only the power they can harness, but their path through the game, as different levels will open up depending on the choices made. The levels here are represented as chapters in a book that recounts the tales of former sorcerers, read and relived by the protagonist while their corporal body sits imprisoned in a cell.

“

It’s not as simple as making a choice one way and then making another choice the other way five times in a row

“It’s not as simple as making a choice one way and then making another choice the other way five times in a row; it’s not that mathematical,” explains Inafune. “Every time you’re given a different back story and so the more you find out about the monsters that you’re defeating, the more you might feel sorry for them.”

This constant requirement to re-examine your motivations extends to other players, too. Soul Sacrifice features ad hoc four-player co-op in which alliances with friends or strangers can be forged and broken as each player weighs-up the benefits of having other players fighting alongside them against the potential power to be harnessed by sacrificing them for their own ends, a process that the sacrificial victim has little say in – except perhaps to offer pleas to the other players over voice chat.

“There will be different rewards if you are sacrificed, but really what I want to illustrate is the emotional aspects of whether you are the one being sacrificed or are sacrificing another, such as feelings of guilt and different motivations that would lead you to do that,” highlights Inafune.

The headline gore and gristle of Soul Sacrifice might have already ensured it will be forever referred to as “that game where you pull your spine out through your mouth”, but its customisable protagonist, varied spell set and ample replay options suggest there’s more to its DNA that wanton, bloody violence; it appears that a tale of unlikely hope and irrepressible despair lurks beneath its adult-rated, mutilated facade.

Soul Sacrifice launches next spring exclusively for Vita, pricing details have not yet been revealed but in all likelihood it won’t cost an arm and a leg. Perhaps just an eye and a foot.

Source : ign[dot]com

Hybrid Review

The doom and gloom of brutal sci-fi warfare may be a far cry from the bubbly color and cutesy sheen of developer 5th Cell’s most famous franchise, Scribblenauts, yet the studio’s creative touch doesn't shine as brightly in its new divergent online-only multiplayer shooter -- at least not on the surface. Hybrid masks its highly innovative third-person combat with generic factions, standard weapons, and a presentation that's been cribbed many times before. But underneath all of that lies some of the craziest, most unique multiplayer mayhem I've hopped into in a long time.

Hybrid's three-on-three matches have teams of alien and human combatants gunning the hell out of one another across a medley of stark futuristic battlefields. While many of the weapons, play modes, and settings feel all too familiar, the bizarre way battles play out makes for a completely fresh, thrilling experience. Instead of running around freely on foot, everyone is stuck fighting from behind cover for most of the game. The only way to move around the map is to zip between fortified positions by picking another patch of nearby cover and making a wild, jetpack-aided beeline to safety. It's way cooler than it sounds. A lot can happen in the time it takes to rocket between locations, and the unpredictable ting of danger that comes with each commitment you make adds to the excitement.

Once you hit the air, you automatically fly to your selected destination, freeing up your focus to spray bullets at foes in any direction as you move. There's some built-in maneuverability to let you dodge and boost as you go, and selecting a different cover spot within view lets you change course on the fly. You can also tap a button to make a split-second retreat if things get too gnarly up ahead, which happens often. You could get blasted out of the sky in mid-flight or wind up landing face-to-face with a foe waiting for you on the opposite side of the barrier you just flew to. Firefights flow at a crazy pace, forcing you to keep a close eye on enemy positions and pull off turn-on-a-dime moves to stay alive.

Midair jetpack-fueled duels add chaos to Hybrid's cover-based shooting.

Successful kill streaks up the ante by letting you summon multiple tiers of AI-controlled robot drones to aid in battle, ranging from massive well-armed bots that pack a mean punch to heat-seeking ninja droids that emit a horrifying screech as they zoom in to insta-kill a single foe. In addition, unlockable special abilities and perks make leveling up feel satisfying and add nice depth to combat, since they expand your death-dealing repertoire with fun extras like teleportation, a self-destruct sequence, drone hacking grenades, increased firepower. You can only equip one cool-down ability and one persistent perk at a time, but there's a staggering amount of room for strategic variety.

Brisk one-off matches offer intense bursts of trigger-happy bliss on their own, but the fact they also play into a larger persistent global meta-game is what makes blasting from one battle to the next so addicting. Since you're recruited for one of the two warring factions from the get-go, every round you fight in a given territory earns points for your side and helps level-up your base in that region. Capturing territories takes a lot of joint effort but rewards your faction precious dark matter orbs that push you closer to winning the war. The meta-game is well underway, though there's plenty of contested territory left to capture before the season wraps up with a winner and everything is reset.

Source : ign[dot]com

Uncharted 3's Tournament Mode, New DLC

Been looking for a reason to get back into Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception multiplayer? Developer Naughty Dog is giving you more than 140 reasons to do it.

Today, patch 1.13 arrives for the multiplayer mode for IGN's PS3 Game of the Year 2011. It brings a number of additions -- a new mode, 137 pieces of downloadable content, and 50 Trophies -- and we were lucky enough to talk to developer Naughty Dog's Robert Cogburn about them.

THE TOURNAMENT SYSTEM

The biggest 1.13 addition is that of the Tournament System. Each week, you're awarded 10 tickets you can use to enter Team Deathmatch, Three-Team Deathmatch or Hardcore tournaments. However, these aren't tournament brackets like you might be expecting. Instead, you redeem one of your tickets before a match begins and then your individual performance earns you points in the tournament standings -- if your team wins; players on the losing team are awarded zero points.

When the week ends, the points are tallied and you find out where you stand. Do well enough, and you'll be placed in one of the three reward tiers. Players who earn one of these three distinctions are awarded in-game items (costume pieces for bragging rights) or weapons (skinned weapons with mod slots) to use for next week's tournament. Hit the gold tier six times, and you'll be awarded a special skin to rub in your opponents' faces.

"I'm really interested to see the type of gloating that's going to occur from this in our community," Cogburn said. "There's going to be a lot of trashtalking."

If you burn through your weekly allotment of 10 tickets and want more, you can buy them from the PlayStation Store. And fear not -- the number of points earned decreases based on party size (so no rolling groups of badasses) and you can never lose points.

137 PIECES OF DLC

Starting August 14th, 137 new pieces of downloadable content will start rolling out for Uncharted 3's multiplayer. You can unlock this content in game by earning levels in the game, completing treasure sets or simply purchasing it from the PlayStation Store. Yes, microtransactions have come to Uncharted.

"The microtransaction stuff is sort of Naughty Dog's way of testing the waters with these ideas and sort of seeing how this is going to pan out for us," Cogburn said. "Because these are inevitably, I believe, systems we're going to have to have in place. We kind of see Uncharted 3 right now as a way for us to see how we're going to internally do this stuff."

However, the DLC isn't just for show -- well, the taunts and emblems are, but the new hats like the buffalo helmet actually augment stats. Each head item comes with a unique pro and con, so you might be able to reload faster, but your health regeneration might be slower.

BLOCK MESH MAPS

“

As long as people keep logging on to play our game, we'll keep supporting it.

Since Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog has been using The Lab, a multiplayer option where the developers have players try new modes and multiplayer ideas. Once patch 1.13 is live, the stage will be set for Naughty Dog to add new "block mesh maps" to The Lab. Every Uncharted level starts as a block mesh map -- a basic geometric shape with no art and simple color -- before becoming a full-blown map. These original creations will be blocky arenas that have been designed to provide "some wild and distinct multiplayer gameplay."

"The thing that's pretty awesome about this system that we created for this patch is that these block mesh maps can be updated in real time," Cogburn said. "So the idea is we'll upload a map that people will be able to play for two weeks, we'll play it for, say, a week, get some feedback from people in the community, and then we'll be able to actually change the geometry in that map when people log back in to play it."

TROPHIES

Patch 1.13 also brings about the much desired Uncharted 3 multiplayer Trophies. There are 50 in total -- three Silver and seven Bronze for each DLC map pack. Check out our Uncharted 3 Wiki for the full listing.

THE FUTURE

It's not every day that a game as old as Uncharted 3 gets such a massive update, but Cogburn said that the team is far from done -- especially considering how the Drake's Deception community is still so active.

"As this goes out and we address any problems that come up with this system we'll be introducing a number of other things coming out for Uncharted 3 multiplayer that people should be pretty excited about," Cogburn said. "As long as people keep logging on to play our game, we'll keep supporting it."

Greg is the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, cohost of Podcast Beyond and host of Up at Noon. Follow IGN on Twitter, and keep track of Greg's shenanigans on IGN and Twitter. Beyond!

Source : ign[dot]com