The new adventure is a three-part DLC called 'Lost Crowns.' The first of which 'The Crown of the Sunken King' will be released July 22. The others are 'The Crown of the Old Iron King' (August 26) and 'The Crown of the Ivory King' (September 24).
Thursday, 5 June 2014
Dark Souls 2 DLC 'Lost Crowns' announced
It looks like fan feedback was pretty good as DLC is on the way for Dark Souls 2 and has been announced with a new video.
The new adventure is a three-part DLC called 'Lost Crowns.' The first of which 'The Crown of the Sunken King' will be released July 22. The others are 'The Crown of the Old Iron King' (August 26) and 'The Crown of the Ivory King' (September 24).
The new adventure is a three-part DLC called 'Lost Crowns.' The first of which 'The Crown of the Sunken King' will be released July 22. The others are 'The Crown of the Old Iron King' (August 26) and 'The Crown of the Ivory King' (September 24).
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Marvel Now!'s Moon Knight changing team, Shalvey to stay on?
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| Cover of Moon Knight #6. Photo Credit: Multiversity Comics |
The series was released to critical acclaim, and reviewers have received it mostly positively. Here's the bit from Marvel's website:
Monday, 2 June 2014
Watch Dogs promotional box leads to bomb scare
A Watch Dogs promotional item caused quite a scare for an Australian online news publisher yesterday.
Ninemsn, a online publication, contacted authorities after receiving a black safe and a note. The note had the supposed pin code to the safe, but the code caused the object to begin beeping.
Employees were sent home as a bomb squad investigated the mysterious device. When it was opened, it was revealed to contain a copy of Watch Dogs, some hats, and a note about the game's release date.
While the idea of sending a safe containing Watch Dogs was a clever way to promote the game that heavily involves secrecy and hacking, sending a beeping black box to a newsroom seems questionable at best. Thankfully, Ubisoft Australia released a statement apologizing for the misunderstanding.
"Our team in Australia sent voicemail messages to some local media alerting them that they'd receive a special package to the game," Ubisoft said. "Unfortunately, the delivery to Ninemsn didn't go as planned, and we unreservedly apologize to Ninemsn's staff for the mistake and for any problems caused as a result. We will take additional precautions in the future to ensure this kind of situation doesn't happen again."
Hal Crawford, editor of Ninemsn, called the situation "the other side of the line in terms of what is safe for a PR company to send anonymously to a newsroom."
Ninemsn, a online publication, contacted authorities after receiving a black safe and a note. The note had the supposed pin code to the safe, but the code caused the object to begin beeping.
Employees were sent home as a bomb squad investigated the mysterious device. When it was opened, it was revealed to contain a copy of Watch Dogs, some hats, and a note about the game's release date.
While the idea of sending a safe containing Watch Dogs was a clever way to promote the game that heavily involves secrecy and hacking, sending a beeping black box to a newsroom seems questionable at best. Thankfully, Ubisoft Australia released a statement apologizing for the misunderstanding.
"Our team in Australia sent voicemail messages to some local media alerting them that they'd receive a special package to the game," Ubisoft said. "Unfortunately, the delivery to Ninemsn didn't go as planned, and we unreservedly apologize to Ninemsn's staff for the mistake and for any problems caused as a result. We will take additional precautions in the future to ensure this kind of situation doesn't happen again."
Hal Crawford, editor of Ninemsn, called the situation "the other side of the line in terms of what is safe for a PR company to send anonymously to a newsroom."
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Dungeons and Dragons announces free basic rulebook
Wizards of the Coast, publisher of collectable card games and the renowned tabletop fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, has announced that the basic digital rulebook for Dungeons and Dragons will be available as a free download on the official website.
The basic rolebook will explain how to get started with a D&D campaign, and has information from levels one through twenty for the classes fighter, wizard, rogue, and cleric. Subclasses and races will also be included, allowing new players to craft a character without feeling overwhelmed by too many options.
"Basic D&D is the true heart of the game and could easily provide a lifetime of gaming," says senior manager Mike Mearls in a statement announcing the free rulebook. "In August, with the release of the Player’s Handbook, Basic D&D will expand to include the essential monsters, magic items, and DM rules needed to run the game, along with the rules for wilderness, dungeon, and urban adventuring. "
This free rulebook is a great opportunity for new players to get into the world of Dungeons and Dragons, and for experienced players to help friends understand the game and get started making characters, picking traits, and rolling their D20s.
Anyone interested in learning more or downloading the free PDF should check out the announcement on Wizards of the Coast's website.
The basic rolebook will explain how to get started with a D&D campaign, and has information from levels one through twenty for the classes fighter, wizard, rogue, and cleric. Subclasses and races will also be included, allowing new players to craft a character without feeling overwhelmed by too many options.
"Basic D&D is the true heart of the game and could easily provide a lifetime of gaming," says senior manager Mike Mearls in a statement announcing the free rulebook. "In August, with the release of the Player’s Handbook, Basic D&D will expand to include the essential monsters, magic items, and DM rules needed to run the game, along with the rules for wilderness, dungeon, and urban adventuring. "
This free rulebook is a great opportunity for new players to get into the world of Dungeons and Dragons, and for experienced players to help friends understand the game and get started making characters, picking traits, and rolling their D20s.
Anyone interested in learning more or downloading the free PDF should check out the announcement on Wizards of the Coast's website.
Monday, 26 May 2014
First Impressions: WildStar
Over the last few days I've been trying out NCSoft's upcoming MMORPG, WildStar, during its open beta stage. After only a brief time with the game I can safely say I haven't been this excited about an MMO in a long time.
WildStar is one of the few MMOs I've seen that doesn't bog itself down with "innovation for innovation's sake," or trying to change formulas that have worked for years. The story, gameplay, mechanics, and tone are all polished and refined. It doesn't try to redefine the MMO formula that has worked for games like World of Warcraft, but there are enough new and exciting additions to make the game feel fresh and enjoyable for MMO veterans looking for a new experience.
When you begin your adventure in WildStar, you're greeted with a fairly standard character creation process - eight races divided into two factions (Dominion or Exiles), six classes (Warrior, Engineer, Esper, Medic, Stalker, Spellslinger), and four paths (Settler, Soldier, Scientist, Explorer). Fans of character customization will find a lot to enjoy about the creation process, but might feel underwhelmed initially by the limited amount of choices for each race and gender.
After preparing your character, you begin exploring the capital ship of your faction after spending time in cryosleep. Your faction has come to the planet Nexus to claim it as their home. Your first few levels will be spent on the ship going through a series of gameplay tutorials that introduce new players to the game's combat, movement, controls, and other useful tools such as your class' basic abilities, how to communicate with NPCs, and how to gain "path" experience. I found the tutorial stage very helpful on my first character, but after making a few more I found myself wishing for an option to skip the process.
WildStar is one of the few MMOs I've seen that doesn't bog itself down with "innovation for innovation's sake," or trying to change formulas that have worked for years. The story, gameplay, mechanics, and tone are all polished and refined. It doesn't try to redefine the MMO formula that has worked for games like World of Warcraft, but there are enough new and exciting additions to make the game feel fresh and enjoyable for MMO veterans looking for a new experience.
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| WildStar's unique visual style and combat system have many gamers eagerly awaiting its release date. |
When you begin your adventure in WildStar, you're greeted with a fairly standard character creation process - eight races divided into two factions (Dominion or Exiles), six classes (Warrior, Engineer, Esper, Medic, Stalker, Spellslinger), and four paths (Settler, Soldier, Scientist, Explorer). Fans of character customization will find a lot to enjoy about the creation process, but might feel underwhelmed initially by the limited amount of choices for each race and gender.
After preparing your character, you begin exploring the capital ship of your faction after spending time in cryosleep. Your faction has come to the planet Nexus to claim it as their home. Your first few levels will be spent on the ship going through a series of gameplay tutorials that introduce new players to the game's combat, movement, controls, and other useful tools such as your class' basic abilities, how to communicate with NPCs, and how to gain "path" experience. I found the tutorial stage very helpful on my first character, but after making a few more I found myself wishing for an option to skip the process.
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Star Wars: Episode VII cast announcement
Hold on to your Jedi robes and stormtrooper helmets - the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII has been announced.
A release on the official Star Wars website has listed a variety of actors including Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, King Kong), John Boyega (Attack the Block, Law and Order: UK), Daisy Ridley (Silent Witness, Toast of London), Adam Driver (Girls, Lincoln), Oscar Isaac (Sucker Punch, Robin Hood), Domnhall Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, True Grit), and Max von Sydow (The Exorcist, Minority Report).
These new faces will be working alongside Star Wars veterans Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
"We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again," said director J.J. Abrams. "We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."
Seeing talented actors like Max von Sydow and Andy Serkis on the cast list has done a lot to reassure many fans (myself included) that Episode VII will be the great Star Wars film we've been waiting for.
Some recent Star Wars rumors suggest that Harrison Ford's fan favourite Han Solo will have a leading role, Max von Sydow will be playing the villain, and the film's subtitle will be "The Ancient Fear." At this point it's difficult to tell what's fact or speculation, but Abrams will surely keep our wait interesting with more teasers and casting information.
Episode VII is set to open worldwide on December 18, 2015.
A release on the official Star Wars website has listed a variety of actors including Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, King Kong), John Boyega (Attack the Block, Law and Order: UK), Daisy Ridley (Silent Witness, Toast of London), Adam Driver (Girls, Lincoln), Oscar Isaac (Sucker Punch, Robin Hood), Domnhall Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, True Grit), and Max von Sydow (The Exorcist, Minority Report).
These new faces will be working alongside Star Wars veterans Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
"We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again," said director J.J. Abrams. "We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud."
Seeing talented actors like Max von Sydow and Andy Serkis on the cast list has done a lot to reassure many fans (myself included) that Episode VII will be the great Star Wars film we've been waiting for.
Some recent Star Wars rumors suggest that Harrison Ford's fan favourite Han Solo will have a leading role, Max von Sydow will be playing the villain, and the film's subtitle will be "The Ancient Fear." At this point it's difficult to tell what's fact or speculation, but Abrams will surely keep our wait interesting with more teasers and casting information.
Episode VII is set to open worldwide on December 18, 2015.
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Xbox One will now have a Kinect-free version for $399 starting June 9th
It didn't take very long in the end, roughly seven months from the release of the Xbox One, for Microsoft to adapt and find a way to match Sony at the $399 price tag.
After losing the battle in sales up to this point Microsoft have now announced that there will be an Xbox One model available that does not include a Kinect, the piece of tech widely seen as the reason for the initial price differential in Microsoft and Sony's consoles, starting June 9th.
The voices of consumers have been heard according to the announcement which said:
"We’ve heard that you want more choices from Xbox One. You want a wide variety of options in your games and entertainment experiences and you also want options in your hardware selection."
This should give a boost to the Xbox One's sales numbers, but it is also another example of Microsoft fixing a mistake, something they have being doing a lot of the past year.
There is something to be said for fixing and adapting, and the responses Microsoft has made to things not going how they planned thus far have been quick.
But it would be nice to see things like not needing an Xbox Live Gold membership to watch Netflix, having the option to buy a Kinect-free console, not needing to always be online, or being able to play used games be the initial stance and options presented by Microsoft.
The sad fact is these have all come from bad press and consumer pressure. Maybe that can change one day too.
The obvious lesson for the consumer in this is not spending your dollars can say as much as spending them.
The announcement is available here: http://news.xbox.com/2014/05/xbox-delivering-more-choices
After losing the battle in sales up to this point Microsoft have now announced that there will be an Xbox One model available that does not include a Kinect, the piece of tech widely seen as the reason for the initial price differential in Microsoft and Sony's consoles, starting June 9th.
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| Picture this, minus the top part. |
The voices of consumers have been heard according to the announcement which said:
"We’ve heard that you want more choices from Xbox One. You want a wide variety of options in your games and entertainment experiences and you also want options in your hardware selection."
The announcement also said Microsoft still see the Kinect as an important aspect of what they are trying to do and that standalone sensors will be available in the fall and the company will still have the Kinect-included version available.
This should give a boost to the Xbox One's sales numbers, but it is also another example of Microsoft fixing a mistake, something they have being doing a lot of the past year.
There is something to be said for fixing and adapting, and the responses Microsoft has made to things not going how they planned thus far have been quick.
But it would be nice to see things like not needing an Xbox Live Gold membership to watch Netflix, having the option to buy a Kinect-free console, not needing to always be online, or being able to play used games be the initial stance and options presented by Microsoft.
The sad fact is these have all come from bad press and consumer pressure. Maybe that can change one day too.
The obvious lesson for the consumer in this is not spending your dollars can say as much as spending them.
The announcement is available here: http://news.xbox.com/2014/05/xbox-delivering-more-choices
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