Archive for 2013
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Need for Speed Rivals
It’s been an exciting week to be a video game revhead, with Gran Turismo 6, Forza Motorsport 5 and now Need for Speed Rivals all being announced within the last seven days or so.
Based on the west coast of Sweden, Ghost Games (formerly EA Gothenburg) has some work to do to follow Criterion’s well-received work on both 2010’s Hot Pursuit and 2012’s Most Wanted – but the studio is getting all the help it needs from the House that Burnout Built.
“We put together a new team to try to find some new energy and get some new thinking into it,” explains DICE and Battlefield veteran Marcus Nilsson, now heading up Ghost Games. “But Rivals is very much a product between Criterion and Ghost, which means that a lot of the details, a lot of the thinking, about how you create a racing game are going to be there.”
“
Rivals is very much a product between Criterion and Ghost.
“When you start a new studio and you have Criterion as your sister studio, you’d be pretty foolish if you don’t take all the best parts and the thinking from those people.
“The first people we hired to Ghost were low level physics programmers because, as you know, how the car feels is where it starts and ends. If the car is not really awesome to drive, don’t bother doing the rest. The heritage here from Criterion is hugely helpful. In my opinion, Criterion has the best arcade handling cars, and especially the best cameras connected to those cars.”
Keep rubbing it in, guys.
But when it comes to what differentiates Rivals from the last pair of Criterion cops ’n racers games, Nilsson describes Rivals’ new AllDrive feature.
“We bring a feature called AllDrive, which is fundamentally a way for us to destroy the line between single-player, co-op and multiplayer,” he says.
“You can be in Australia, you boot it up, you’re playing the game alone, you’re going through the single-player progression, playing through the premise, and then I join the game. We’re friends, you and me, so I’ll automatically be put into your world. I can still be playing my single-player progression, through my premise, but at any time – obviously, we’re in same world – our worlds can meet.
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[T]he idea with this is that you seamlessly, through player action, go from a single-player experience to [a multiplayer one.]
“I can be a cop, you’re a racer; you’re in a race, I’m in a pursuit. If we happen to be on the same road, I can start going after you. There’s obviously point bonuses and stuff involved in that, in the details, but the idea with this is that you seamlessly, through player action, go from a single-player experience to [a multiplayer one.]”
There’s been a real migration to connectivity in racing games; it’s been a long generation and there was quite a bit of discussion about where racing games could go during these final few years and beyond. Is something like AllDrive the next logical step?
“I’m obviously from Battlefield, worked on most of the Battlefield games, the last one being Battlefield 3, and, as you know, that has a real multiplayer focus,” says Nilsson. “It has a really connected focus with the Battlelog stuff and those are obviously things that I bring with me.”
“Need for Speed, traditionally, is played by people that play through the single-player part; they play alone. This game is going to be as rewarding, or even more rewarding, as the previous Need for Speed if you’re playing through alone, but with the layer of playing with others I believe we can take it to a Need for Speed experience they’ve never experienced before.”
Nilsson feels it’s a natural step. There are no lobbies with AllDrive.
“Rather I show up in your world and the game is presenting new options for us to play the game rather than playing it alone,” he says.
What seems to be the problem, officer?
Like many games arriving at the end of the year, Need for Speed Rivals is straddling two generations. AllDrive will feature across both current gen and next gen versions but, regarding the latter, what specifically does all this extra power allow Ghost Games to do that wasn’t possible before? Nilsson explains.
“Next generation to me is much more about a mindset; how you think about games,” he says. “How you think about games being connected. How you think about games being convenient.”
“Visuals is going to be the starting point; triple A games will look fantastic. You can do that with all that with this extra power, especially power focused on getting great stuff on screen. But I think we need to pick where we do it.
“
I’m talking about a world that feels a lot more alive, with things moving, using weather and really create a world that, quite honestly, could not be delivered on current gen.
“I think from a visual standpoint we will be able to make worlds that are far more alive than before; the sterile look of racing games is probably something of the past. I’m not talking about having pedestrians in Need for Speed games; I’m talking about a world that feels a lot more alive, with things moving, using weather and really create a world that, quite honestly, could not be delivered on current gen.
“It also comes back to feel. With extra CPU power you can actually have a lot more surfaces that the car can react to – not something that we’re going to go ‘sim’ on for that matter, but it is something that we now can differentiate a little bit more.
“But as I said, this is about a mindset; it’s about how you play games differently and how we can get you, in a smart way, to stay connected to the game – whether you’re inside a game or outside a game. Even getting into your game once you’re back; there’s a big extension to Autolog that I’m not going to talk about today but that is definitely a big part of what is making Need for Speed next generation this time around. How it’s evolved from simply a sofa experience with the controller in your hand to something bigger.”
From a development standpoint, Nilsson describes the step from this generation to the next has been similarly tough, but the challenges haven’t been the same.
“Thinking back to the old transition, we certainly had a lot of problems,” he says. “Xbox and PlayStation were not similar at that point in time. What we’re finding now is that both architectures are more alike.”
“But it was more complicated this time around, I think. It’s more than just a box. It’s about layers, it’s about clouds. It’s about data being transferred and matchmaked, not locally in your room but somewhere else.
“The technology is easier to work with; there are better tools, absolutely. Obviously we have Frostbite 3 engine which has gone through a few iterations now and truly, truly is powerful and really next gen ready.
“It is hard. Probably as hard as last time, but it’s just that the problems are a little different.”
Probably just a Top Gun fan, said no cop, ever.
On the topic of this year’s schedule of heavy-hitting first-party racing juggernauts, however, Nilsson is positive.
“I know for a fact that in transition years, racing games are important,” he says. “They were used last generation to show off the graphical fidelity of what the boxes could do, similar to now.”
“I think more racing games is good. I think that we can benefit from having more racing games. I think we need great racing games. We need innovation in racing games. And it cannot only be about details of car seats and seams and similar features; they need to be about gameplay. We need to change the enjoyment of playing games alone and together with others.”
Mirror’s Edge 2
A listing for Mirror’s Edge 2 has appeared on Amazon Germany. Listed for Xbox 360 (but with mocked-up box art that appears to indicate an Xbox One release), the game has a placeholder price of €99.99 (equivalent to roughly $130) and does not indicate any kind of release date.
We reached out to EA about the listing and a representative provided the following statement to IGN:
“We appreciate fan enthusiasm for Mirror’s Edge, especially fans throughout the retail channel. This is not official EA material. We have nothing to announce at this time.”
Back at E3 2011, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau indicated that Mirror’s Edge 2could happen using the Frostbite 2 engine. Gibeau said the publisher was “still considering” the title in July 2012, and DICE executive producer Patrick Bach told IGN in August that Mirror’s Edge is “too good to kill.”
For now, nothing about Mirror’s Edge 2 has been confirmed, but if it’s actually happening you can expect to hear about it at EA’s E3 2013 press conference on Monday, June 10th at 1:00 p.m. Pacific.
Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by on IGN.
Metro: Last Light
Getting everything out of Metro: Last Lightrequires slow and patient play. In a post-apocalyptic adventure that relies a great deal on constant bits of exposition, the experience quickly grows into something much more than just your everyday shooter. The more time you spend exploring, listening, reading, and watching, the more you appreciate what 4A Games has created: an interesting story-driven single-player-only FPS. It undoubtedly rewards methodical players.
Getting through Metro: Last Light also requires a different kind of patience, the kind that lets you forgive occasionally uneven play, questionable AI, and a story that starts strong but ends flat. These issues aren’t enough to sink Last Light – it’s most certainly a good game – but 4A Games’ latest foray is certainly hindered by them. Thankfully, Last Light on PC is technically superior to its console brethren, and doesn’t suffer from issues found on PS3 and 360, such as texture loading problems, occasional screen-tearing and lock-ups.
Inspired by the Metro universe created by author Dmitry Glukhovsky, Last Light is a follow-up to 2010’s Metro 2033’s riveting story of the years following a mutually assured destruction nuclear holocaust from the Russian point of view. Metro: Last Light shows this world-changing event in a stunning opening cutscene that illustrates the bombardment of Moscow as Russia launches its own missile stockpile, when it’s already too late for anything but revenge. By the time you jump in, decades have passed since that fateful day. Survivors are packed into the dark and always-dangerous subway tunnels under the dilapidated, radioactive capital city.
You’re cast as one of these survivors, a ranger named Artyom, the hero of Metro 2033 returned for another valiant adventure. Artyom, along with his group of survivors -- and
innocent bystanders in general -- find themselves caught with increasing frequency in the middle of warring factions in the metro, a situation made all the more dangerous and untenable by the mutated creatures that live both in the tunnels and on the surface. Metro’s world is tangibly dangerous and rife with terror, with a feeling of risk and foreboding around virtually every corner. The political thread that connects everything – how surviving factions lucky just to be alive could still be at each other’s throats -- makes the situation that much more interesting.
Last Light presents itself linearly, but it does a wonderful job of setting up plenty of context for your actions and goes to great lengths to make itself more than just another shooter as it alternates between missions that are action-packed and those that are slower and more deliberate. The latter are what make Last Light truly shine, for it’s here that you get to experience the careful attention to detail that 4A Games has packed into its dystopian adventure. The mood and atmosphere pad gametime with something more meaningful than loading screens and bad dialogue (though Last Light’s dialogue is littered with sometimes-abysmal Russian accents).
Exploring the various outposts and settlements you encounter conjures up tangible thoughts about what a post-apocalyptic situation would be like. Some of the better locations successfully transport players to this fictional place and time in question. Factory manufacturing is no more, large-scale agriculture is impossible, everything that already exists suddenly has a new, ingenious use, and just about anything you can hold in your hand – from an old postcard showing the colorful pre-war world to finely made bullets that act as currency – is precious. Precious, too, is electricity, clean water, and breathable air, the latter of which becomes essential to gameplay as you constantly have to juggle gas masks and filters to scrub the atmosphere’s isotope-laden oxygen.
But there’s more in Last Light than just things to look at. Discovery also comes through conversation, and while Artyom is your typical silent protagonist, everyone around you has a great deal to say, even if they’re not talking directly to you. You can spend a great deal of time listening to these conversations, building context for and understanding of the plight of the metro’s survivors, holding on to life by a mere string. You can even see things from Artyom’s point of view in the form of journal entries strewn around the tale’s various chapters. In a clever twist, these weren’t written by others; when found, Artyom will write notes to himself in his journal, working around his silent posture and providing players with one of two ways you get insight from the protagonist himself. The only time you ever actually hear him speak is during load screens when he verbally explains what’s coming up next.
Last Light’s plot weaknesses are readily visible, too. It starts out strong and really got me into Artyom’s plight – which I won’t elaborate on here – but things get muddled towards the end. With a chance to focus more on the survivors, their settlements, and individual stories, Last Light ends up getting mired down in a more supernatural tale that’s simply not as interesting as everything grounded in post-apocalyptic reality. By the last third of the game, I was longing for more about the Nazis and Communists (yes, both faction factions survived the apocalypse) and less about otherworldly entities. When it matters, Last Light chooses to ignore the politics and personalities that prove far more interesting.
There’s plenty of action to be had in Last Light, though its gameplay isn’t as strong as its presentation. This isn’t a guns-blazing shooter; at least, it’s not meant to be. It’s a stealth-first game that changes between bouts of forced action and slow-paced, methodical sequences that dare you to keep quiet and stay out of sight. Little things, like crouching while walking and unscrewing light bulbs or extinguishing oil lamps can leave your foes at a disadvantage and give you the edge, though Last Light’s predictable and easy-to-manipulate enemy AI removes much of the drama if you want to play with a stealth slant.
Indeed, getting through most stealth sequences requires stunningly little thought, and only late in the campaign are you in any real danger of running into trouble. Simply outmaneuvering, flanking, and backstabbing -- or knocking unconscious -- adversaries is the name of the game, though there doesn’t seem to be much of a point in letting anyone live by merely clocking them in the skull. When they are grouped together and talking, you usually have to wait for them to stop and walk away. If they don’t, then there’s almost assuredly a way around them. Of course, if you’re dying for some action, you could always just start shooting. Just be prepared to reap the whirlwind; if an enemy alerts his comrades, heavily-armored backup will scour the area looking for you, and you’ll need to use all of the firepower you have to survive, supplemented by the ammo, firearms and other goods your foes constantly drop once felled.
On the other hand, with Last Light’s litany of mutated creatures, stealth gameplay won’t work. The guns-blazing approach is a requirement, and it’s in these action-oriented engagements that the adventure begins to lose a little of its luster. The interplay between being underground in dank tunnels and caverns and on the surface in hazy, debris-strewn sunlight is admittedly brilliant – post-blast Moscow is stunningly detailed and a highlight of Last Light -- but fighting the abominations that stalk the desolate cityscape leaves something to be desired. These frays run the gamut from acceptable to obnoxious, and there are a few instances that vividly illustrate that while human enemy AI is weak, creature AI is too aggressive. This could be lazily explained away by the game’s lore, but Last Light tends to create the wrong kind of scares during fights with abominations in particular, the fright that comes from knowing that the odds are against you due to unbalanced, frenzied AI.
Metro's political intrigue is, at times, fascinating.
Nonetheless, Last Light’s economy keeps things interesting if you let it. Borrowing from the last game, you’ll be able to spend bullets to purchase weapons, explosives, and other assorted gear, or upgrade your weapons with an array of attachments. This system is underutilized and the player could very easily get through without ever visiting a merchant, but it’s cool that it’s there. Like its deep, detailed plot, characters, and setting, a system akin to this is not something I expect to find in a first-person shooter.
If you’re looking to make a choice between the PC version and the console versions, go with the PC version. It’s noticeably prettier – Last Light looked great on our mid-to-high range rig with an Nvidia Ge-Force GTX670 graphics card – and, as mentioned earlier, it doesn’t suffer from some of the technical issues that diminished the experience on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. All things being equal, the PC version is the best version.
10 New Ways to Enjoy Minecraft
Minecraft is a great game. We can all agree on that, right? One of the reasons it's so fun is that you can enjoy it any way you want! Minecraft is different to every player. Some people prefer digging underground tunnels in search of diamonds, some people prefer creating epic cabins on the side of mountains. You may think you're a Minecraft expert and you've done everything there is to do, but there are a variety of different and interesting ways to play the game.
By setting simple rules for yourself, Minecraft can become a totally new experience. I call these "Game Changers". Here are 10 ways you can change up your typical game of Minecraft.
1. THE FLOOR IS LAVA
As a kid, EVERYONE played the game where you weren't allowed to touch the floor/ground. You had to use pillows, chairs, rocks, logs, and anything else in your environment to keep you from touching the imaginary lava beneath you. The joys of this childhood game can be relived in Minecraft. First, gather the materials you'll need to start playing. Give yourself 10 minutes to prepare. Once the time is up, you have to stay off the ground. The "lava" is dirt, grass, stone, water, and every other typical surface. Anything that can be crafted is allowed to be stood upon. Cobblestone,Wood Planks and Lily Pads are all great materials to keep your feet from burning up. Make sure you collect the blocks behind you as you'll run out of materials eventually! For a more relaxed setting try playing on Creative and use fancy blocks such as Diamond Blocks as your stepping stones.
2. COLONIZATION
Your goal in Colonization is to lay claim to as many islands as possible. Build a structure on each island you find and take over the world. Once one island is claimed, move on to another.
Find a seed that is mostly covered in water. I recommend the seed "The Best Seed" for both Xbox and PC. On the Xbox 360 Edition It doesn't have a single tree on it, but it has a bunch of small islands. If you're playing on Xbox I recommend starting the seed in Creative Mode and giving yourself all the materials you'll need to conquer the world. Give yourself tools,beds, torches, wood, and boats.
This Game Changer becomes even more interesting while playing with friends. Try colonizing more islands than the other players! Choose a material to represent your nation. Join forces to take down other nations. After a while it becomes a big game of blocky Risk.
3. VILLAGE PILLAGE
The vikings were ruthless. They would destroy villages by burning them down, killing the inhabitants and stealing the loot. You can be just like them with this Game Changer. Hunt for Villages and take them down the old fashioned way. Make yourself a Flint and Steel to assist you in becoming an arsonist. Once there are no Villagers left, loot the ruins and move on to the next one.
Playing with friends makes this Gamer Changer significantly more entertaining as you can charge Villages in a pack and take them down in no time flat.
4. ZOMBIES
This one requires a bunch of friends and some honour rules. Xbox players have an advantage here, as some features required to play this game effectively are exclusive to Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition.
Your goal in Zombies is to infect every other player. It's similar to how Zombies games are played anywhere else. Since PC and Xbox differ, below are both versions of the game.
Xbox:
- Start up a seed in Creative Mode and set your boundaries with either a wall or an outline of some sort.
- Fill two chests with Diamond Swords and Golden Apples.
- The host must start up the seed and press Start > Help & Options > Settings > Options then toggle In-Game Gamertags off. This will make it so nobody has a Gamertag hovering over their head.
- One player starts as the Zombie. The Zombie gives everyone a few minutes to run. Skin Pack 1, Skin Pack 3, Festive Skin Pack, and Birthday Skin Pack all have good Zombie skins. If you don't have any of these, select a specific skin to be the Zombie skin.
- No hiding underground. The game would be much too difficult then. You may use caves or create shelters, but keep above ground level.
- When you are killed by a Zombie, change your skin to a Zombie skin, grab some Golden Apples and Diamond Swords and head out to find the others.
- The game ends when every player is a Zombie. You have to switch no matter how you die. So even if you fall to your death, you still have to join the Zombies.
PC:
- Start up a seed in Creative Mode and set your boundaries with either a wall or an outline of some sort.
- Fill two chests with Diamond Swords and Golden Apples and a third chest with armour of any type. Since there isn't a convenient way to hide names without hiding the entire hud, a larger boundary will suffice as you still need to be within a certain distance to see the names of other players.
- One player starts as the Zombie. The Zombie gives everyone a few minutes to run. To distinguish themselves, Zombies must wear a full set of armour. This will also make them stronger as they hunt for humans.
- No hiding underground. The game would be much too difficult then. You may use caves or create shelters, but keep above ground level.
- When you are killed by a Zombie, grab some Golden Apples, DiamondSwords, and armor and head out to find the others. The game ends when every player is a Zombie.
- The game ends when every player is a Zombie. You have to switch no matter how you die. So even if you fall to your death, you still have to join the Zombies.
With enough trust-worthy friends this Game Changer can be a lot of fun!
5. CAFFEINE BUZZ
With Caffeine Buzz you are never allowed to sleep in a bed. While this doesn't pose too much of a problem later on when you have a lot of materials, early on in the game night time can be quite dangerous. Some people skip the night whenever they can by sleeping through it, but you're not like that. You're strong! You don't need sleep! Prepare your shelters fast, as you'll be spending a lot of time huddling inside them in the fetal position, sucking your thumb and begging your mommy for the scary monsters to stop staring at you through your window.
Check out 10 Ways to Survive the Night for some tips on building shelters!
6. ENVIRONMENTALIST
A significant part of Minecraft involves placing blocks and mining blocks. With the Environmentalist Game Changer you are not allowed to do either. This forces you to use your environment wisely, especially when the sun goes down. You can collect as many materials from mobs and trees as you want and craft whatever you please, but don't even think of dropping a block down or breaking through a wall. Torches, ladders, and other items are allowed to be placed, so scaling cliffs will require some preparation.
If you're hardcore you can play this without breaking any trees. Alternatively you can give yourself the necessary tools before you start the Game Changer.
Explore your environment and never stop moving. This is your chance to enjoy the beauty of randomly generated worlds.
7. TIRED LEGS
Crouching is important in Minecraft, especially if you're exploring vast caves or building tall structures. While crouched you are unable to fall off of a block. You'll encounter many a precarious ledge on your adventures, and with Tired Legs you'll always be at risk of falling to your death. This can lead to a lot of comedy and frustration as you step into lava or off of a cliff. This is one of those game changers for those who want a challenge and enjoy adding danger to their game.
Try combining this with other Game Changers such as Darkness for a truly difficult experience!
8. VAMPIRE
Vampires hate the sunlight. With this Game Changer you must avoid it at all costs. During the day you have to stay underground, mining for materials. Only at night can you rise and explore the land. At the start of your game, immediately dig underground to escape the sunlight. You can also enter the first cave you find. Then your adventures as a vampire (sparkly or otherwise) begin. Make sure you collect the above-ground resources you need before the sun rises otherwise you might be in trouble during the day.
9. DARKNESS
With the Darkness Game Changer you are not allowed to place anytorches. All of your light must come from either fire or lava. Netherrackburns indefinitely, so it would be handy to obtain some of that. Unfortunately your quest into The Nether is a long and dangerous one.Flint and Steel will help you a lot on your quest, but night time will always be dangerous. While mining, if you stumble upon some lava I recommend creating a path for it to flow. You can use this stream of lava to light your way as you explore the darkness below.
10. MOB SLAYER
The Mob Slayer Game Changer is about killing as many mobs as you can find. Keep a notepad beside you and give yourself a point every time you kill a mob. The mobs must be enemy mobs. Friendly mobs such as sheepand cows don't count. Your points reset when you die, so stay alive to keep tallying them up. Your best bet for racking up points is hunting at night, however it's also the easiest way to get yourself killed. In the day, try searching in caves and exploring underground for mobs.
Try out these Game Changers for yourself! All of them are best played with friends, so get your buddies together for some Minecraft fun! Feel free to come up with your own variations and experience the game your own way.
Dawngate
EA has revealed its latest project; a fantasy MOBA called Dawngate.
It's the first project made by the previously-unheard-of Waystone Games, though it seems likely that the studio is a spin-off from Dead Space creators Visceral Games since it's owned by EA and we heard back in October it had a free-to-play MOBA in the works.
The game's official site reads, "Dawngate is a new MOBA, built from the ground up to look and feel familiar while offering a whole new way to experience MOBA gameplay. Dawngate empowers you to forge the champions you love for the roles you want in a competitive arena, shaped by ever-evolving, community-driven content and story."
While beta sign-ups are open, there's no word on when it'll start or the game will release. Additionally, the fact that the links to Twitch, Twitter and YouTube on the site are all dead suggest that it's possible the game has been revealed slightly ahead of schedule.
We've reached out to EA to see if there's any more information we can get about the game and will update the story as soon as we hear more.
