The latest drop of Wildstar media explains the final two of the MMO’s four “Paths” – the player choice that defines the type of content you’ll get to focus on. Previously we learned of the Explorer and Soldier paths. Not that they weren’t somewhat self-explanatory: explorers explore, and soldier… er… soldie? Now we get to see the Scientists and Settlers. Can you guess what they do?
If that rambunctious round-up hasn’t fully explained the Scientist’s research-focused skill-set, or the Settler’s construction kit of team bonuses, the game’s latest Devspeak Diary is an only slightly less exuberant look at the four paths, and how they work both separately and in combination.
Wildstar is currently in the second phase of closed beta testing. You can learn more about the game with our hands-on preview.
Could Battlefield 4 get any more human, dramatic, or believable than it did by using “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in a gameplay trailer? I know, I didn’t think so either—but they’ve done it again! EA is getting in touch with our soft sides by appealing to our heartrending desire to own all of the DLC, and they’re doing it by offering the first for free. Provided you pre-order, that is.
Little’s been revealed of the first “sprawling” DLC, China Rising, which is set across four multiplayer maps on the Chinese mainland and offers new vehicles and high-tech military equipment. When pre-ordering Battlefield 4 over at the website, though, you’ll receive China Rising for “no additional cost” on top of the base game’s $ 60.
Meanwhile, if you order the Digital Deluxe edition through Origin, you get some bonus unspecified in-game digital items and access to the multiplayer beta in addition to the base game and first DLC.
Details probably seem a little scant because of Battlefield 4 being on that Xbox thing, but we’ll dig up more info for you soon.
Assuming you’ve utterly gorged yourself on icing-laden birthday goodness, TERA players are now qualified for a weirdo sort of treasure hunt that culminates in your coming into control of a gibbering, only vaguely terrifying new mount.
Gift boxes have been strewn haphazardly across Arborea, and while some may contain unspecified “other items,” you’ll want to be on the lookout for the letters spelling out the name of your favorite MMO. No, not Rift—I mean T-E-R-A! Once you’ve collected the all four letters, click on the “A” to receive the Gourmando Amount skill book, from which you can learn to ride, well, this fruit-basket-topped thing:
En Masse have created an FAQ for the event, but the most pertinent facts you’ll need to know are that A. the spell book is tradeable (so if you can’t be bothered, you can probably expect another player to sell you one for an extortionate price) and B. the event ends May 31. So get up and get searchin’; Gourmando’s not going to stick around forever, but cake will always be there for you, even at the end of the birthday month.
The big finale at Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal today was not Call of Duty: Ghosts. It was Call of Duty: Ghosts’ instantly famous mo-capped dog. That’s right, Ghosts will feature Peter Molyneux’s essential invention: a dog companion to keep us company as we fight back against an oppressive someone. This is Call of Doggy. Collar Duty. The rex generation of gaming. I could go on, but I’ll stop before you flea.
The lead character and his pup will be an emotional duo, according to Activision, which brought in Academy Award winning filmmaker Stephen Gaghan, writer of Traffic and Syriana, to pen the script.
“We’re pushing the genre forward with Ghosts,” said Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg. “I think a lot of people were expecting us to create Modern Warfare 4, but we didn’t want to rest on our laurels. We wanted to press the franchise forward with a new world and new engine.”
“Soldiers stand against their enemies, but ghosts haunt them,” rumbles the trailer, a string of in-engine cutscenes which you can watch above. The rest of the reveal was largely behind-the-scenes video of mo-cap sessions and asset creation, but Activision did show off impressive destructible multiplayer maps which will react to player-triggered events. The other gameplay snippets were less-impressive demonstrations of leaning and sliding, which both look just fine, but aren’t exactly groundbreaking stuff.
The bulk of the presentation, however, was about the engine’s graphical improvements. Aside from the high-fidelity dog, Activision showed off arm hair, a shaved head, and the jungle scene below. We captured these from the Xbox One reveal livestream, but we’ll replace them with high-quality screenshots when they become available.
A fresh release of Dish Anywhere for Android just hit Google Play, bringing it up to speed with its iOS counterpart. Now, the application allows users to stream On Demand content from wherever they have an internet connection, and adds Facebook and Twitter sharing. The experience has also received a dedicated app for tablets running Google’s mobile OS, sporting a look that makes better use of the extra screen real estate, and a skinned remote to boot. In addition to a few miscellaneous bug fixes, the update includes support for handsets with large screens, such as the Droid DNA. Jab the links below to grab ahold of the latest version.
Because we can never have enough big stompy mechs, we’ve brought in some new friends to join Hawken and MechWarrior Online. Today’s Kickstarter heavyweight is Heavy Gear Assault—yep, a continuation of the mech-based universe that spanned not only two Activision games in the late ’90s, but also a tactical tabletop war game and a combat card game. So much stompery! Its new developers, a blend of hardcore gamers and industry vets, are hoping to convince you to chip into their $ 800,000 asking price by way of this helpful destruction demonstration.
Now wasn’t that fun? Play it on a loop and it becomes something quite mesmerizing. Let’s hope the same hyper-detailed destruction physics will be applied to the mechs as well, because Heavy Gear Assault is aiming for a special place in eSports, and I can envision their livestreams doing very well indeed if every enemy defeat is as cinematic as that crumbling bridge.
Their Kickstarter is currently spinning up, with 39 days left to conjure a cool 800 grand from your pockets (with any extra being put towards some very ambitious stretch goals)—though it’s worth noting that as Heavy Gear Assault is planned to be free-to-play, most of the various tiers’ rewards come in the form of equivalent amounts of in-game cash. Alternatively, you can pledge directly on the website.
On Saturday more people were playing Dota 2 at the same time than there are residents of St. Louis.
Valve’s multiplayer phenomenon surpassed its previous record for concurrent players on Saturday, reaching 329,977 simultaneous users. The stars may have simply aligned to produce an usual amount of free time for PC gamers, but it’s more likely that there were piles of people logging into Dota 2 to watch the West Qualifier for The International 3 through the client itself.
Whether or not this makes Dota 2 the most-played game on PC remains unclear. An April report measured from a variety of unnamed sources (but including ancient utilities like Xfire) put Dota 2 above League of Legends. Riot Games claimed in response that a single server shard for LoL exceeded 500,000 simultaneous players at its daily peak. Both sets of data are unverifiable and incomplete, but our gut tells us that League of Legends’ longer history (two years more than Dota 2) would give it a higher population worldwide.
Dota 2′s weekend spike in concurrent players—which we always encourage you to think of as an indicator of a game’s population rather than an exact representation—also comes on the heels of the Interactive Compendium.
Do henchmen get medical insurance? If not, I just can’t see it being a viable career path. Sure, it’s fine as you go about the day-to-day business of thuggery and robbing – that’s the bread and butter stuff. But eventually Batman is going to come and pound your face into mush and, judging by this trailer – the full version of Thursday’s brief teaser – you’re in for some hefty medical bills.
It’s not just anonymous face crushing: we also get a big CGI fight between Batman and Deathstroke.
“Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight,” announces the trailer’s description.
If that visual explosion of violence wasn’t enough for you, Warner Brothers have also released the following screenshots:
Yes, you do have gum on your shoe.
Of all the supervillains, Joker must have the best dentist.
Dammit, helicopter! Turn around and see my dramatic pose!
Ugh, monologues. This is why no-one comes to arty outdoor film festivals.
Yeah, I just outstretch my arms and spin around on the spot.
Everyone agreed that Batman had run out of gadget ideas after the “laser pointer”.
While Mountain View’s Field Trip app may find attractions off the beaten path, footing the bill for excursions has been up to users. Now, however, the Niantic Labs-made application is handing out freebies for an unspecified limited time, allowing those who wield it to waltz into 13 museums for free. Folks near the establishments will receive Free Entry cards in the “nearby” tab, which will let them pass turnstiles without forking over a dime. Although Field Trip has been beefed up with points of interest in over 80 countries, the participating institutions — which range from The Field Museum to the Walt Disney Family Museum — are all located in six US cities. Head past the break for the full list.
Fussy about boot times, carry-weight or weak battery life? Then you probably gave Lenovo’s IdeaPad U310 a wide berth. The thing is, aside from those flaws, it was otherwise a very solid Ultrabook for those whose wallets couldn’t stretch to a premium model. We want to know, did you buy one? If so, what did you think of it, and let’s imagine you were dreaming up a budget Ultrabook — what would you change?
