Tag: Video Games (Page 17 of 24)

      Blizzard is Abandoning Diablo III’s Team Deathmatch Mode

      December 27, 2012 /

      Game developers have had to apologize for a lot of things over the years, from content to characters to endings, and in the case of the recent “War Z” debacle, pretty much the fact that their game even exists.

      Now it’s Blizzard’s turn to taste humble pie, as they are admitting defeat, and yanking the imbalanced and unpopular team deathmatch mode from “Diablo III”. Citing numerous shortcomings, Blizzard admits they just couldn’t find a way to get the mode to work, and will be removing it, ultimately, because it wasn’t really any fun.

      However, they are working on a temporary mode that will still allow for player duels which should arrive with the next patch, and are also apparently designing an entirely new mode that will replace, and hopefully surpass, team deathmatch. The only details know about this new mode is that it will be a free addition to the game, available sometime in the new year.

      Considering the numerous failures surrounding “Diablo III” at its release, it’s easy to look at this news as a further embarrassment, or a little more dirt on the grave. However, Blizzard is spot on that the mode just didn’t work in any entertaining or creative way, and even though the work on implementing team deathmatch apparently took up a sizeable amount of the development time leading up to “Diablo’s” release, its best that they admit their failures now and improve them, rather than skirt the issue entirely and rest on the laurels of some sizable sales figures. It’ll be exciting to see what they come up with instead, now that they have some more perspective on what works, and what definitely doesn’t.

      Reviews

      Ubisoft is Interested in Buying THQ

      December 21, 2012 /

      The ongoing financial situation plaguing THQ Games has been well documented, and recently resulted in such actions as the company hosting a prolific, and somewhat successful, humble bundle sale, but still ultimately filing for bankruptcy and selling their assets to the Clearlake Capital Group for $60 million. It’s a sad situation not only for the employees of THQ, but for gamers as well, as THQ still has quite a few high quality franchises to its name, including “Metro”, the WWE games, “Darksiders”, “Company of Heroes”, “Warhammer”, and “Saints Row”. Now, though, the future of those titles, and more, is cast in serious doubt even as THQ seemingly remains active for the moment.

      However, some hopeful news has emerged from the whole matter recently, as there is a rumor that Ubisoft is seriously interested in buying the properties of THQ. While the early reports suggest they will be waiting until THQ is a little more certain (and, frankly, desperate) that they will be selling their properties in order to get a better price, Ubisoft has been clear with their interest in the assets should they have the opportunity.

      “We are always interested in good brands.” Says Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, “For sure, it’s something we can consider, but I can’t tell you more.”

      While the option is out there for Ubisoft to snatch certain titles, it’s looking more likely they will be eyeing the entire line up. From an outside perspective, this would be a real win, win for all parties if the buyout happens, as it would not only save the reeling developer, but Ubisoft would add some substantial games to its already stacked repertoire. For gamers who are interested in THQ’s titles, there couldn’t be a better interested buyer than Ubisoft, as the two company’s philosophies concerning quality development are very similar, and Ubisoft has proved to be one of the most consistent developers and publishers of the last decade.

      As bad as this whole ordeal has been for THQ, it’s good to know that it may not be game over for the company just yet.

      Reviews

      Before you Begin “Bioshock: Infinite”, Ken Levine Would Like to Talk to You About the End

      December 18, 2012 /

      While the home stretch of “Bioshock” was not exactly the highlight of the experience (that would be opening moments actually), the third act obviously didn’t tarnish the game’s legacy too much, and just stands as an asterisk on an otherwise pristine title.

      It seems, however, that lead designer Ken Levine took the criticism towards the game’s final moments to heart, and has now thrown out significant bit of hype concerning “Bioshock: Infinite”, claiming that the ending to “Bioshock: Infinite” is unlike anything gamers have seen, and admits that he’s not sure how people will react to it.

      “The end of the game, I can’t tell whether people will like it or not like it. I can say it’s something we’re incredibly proud of. It’s like nothing you’ve actually experienced in a video game before.”

      I have to say, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anyone hype the ending to something like this. We’ve seen developers like Bungie or Bioware hype the ending of a whole series, or critics note the quality of a finale in their reviews, but I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a major developer come out and specifically isolate the ending as a selling point in promoting a single title.

      And you know what? There is probably a good reason for that. While the initial hands on previews have assured people that “Bioshock: Infinite” will be supremely entertaining at the least, the early trouble concerning the amount of developers leaving the game, along with the somewhat mysterious nature of the game’s development, are not advisable circumstances to be in to come out and say that the very end of your game is going to be a one of a kind, mind blowing and perception altering experience, which you may or may not like at all, and not expect it to result in backlash down the road.

      It sounds like more of a warning than anything actually, or like when you pose a question to a friend about yourself that you don’t want to admit you know is true, and are hoping they will contradict you. In fact, as a general tip to Mr. Levine and the rest of the “Infinite” development team, if you’re about to do something that sounds like it is something that Peter Molyneux might do, just shut up and get back to work.

      Whatever He’s Saying, He’s Overselling It

      News

      How Would You Like Some of the Best Games Ever for under $3?

      December 14, 2012 /

      If you weren’t aware, the folks over at Good Old Games have been doing a tremendous service to old school PC gamers, as they routinely offer a huge catalogue of nostalgic PC classics for low prices. While not as robust as Steam’s selection, it’s hard to not browse their titles without drifting deeply into fond memories, and maybe instinctively reaching for your credit card once or twice.

      That’s an instinct that just got a lot tougher to ignore, considering that GOG has marked down a huge chunk of their library up to 75% until January 3rd. New deals are promised each day until then, but at the moment almost 500 games are marked down and, while some are modern blockbusters, the real deals are to be found if you’re looking to beef up your classics collection. You can hold your finger to the screen and scroll blindly, and in almost every instance you will randomly stop on an all-time, hall of fame classic that is worthy of the meager investment required. While it’s almost impossible to make a cohesive list of suggestions, for any gamers of a certain age, the number of great games available is almost pornographic, and can almost certainly drive the unprepared veteran gamer to madness trying to sort through them all, while still maintaining any amount of restraint.

      I can’t speak highly enough of this sale, and whether you’re a fan of the classics, or a newbie boning up on their gaming history, it’s one of the best deals I’ve seen in some time. Even if you’re tapped from Black Friday sales, considering you can walk in with a $20 bill, and leave with 5 of the best games of all time (in a variety of options), it’s hard to not advise heading over and giving a great site some mush deserved business.

      News

      A Shocker, but Crysis 3 Apparently Looks Really, Really, Good

      December 11, 2012 /

      Every developer naturally hypes up their releases. Most of the time though, the hype is just that, and ends up being completely unjustified (see Molyneux, Peter).

      When it comes to the developers of the “Crysis” series hyping the graphical prowess of their next title though, you can usually take that guarantee to the exceptionally well rendered bank, as the series continues to produce the most jaw dropping titles available. True to form then, Crytek’s CEO Cevat Yerli is promising that “Crysis 3” is going to be stunningly beautiful. How good looking? Apparently they have maxed out the capabilities of the current generation of consoles, and are promising that no game released in the current gen will look as good as “Crysis 3”. He goes on to stay that the consoles will still have nothing on the PC version, which at max specs will supposedly rival or exceed the early batch of next gen titles for graphical prowess.

      Do we believe these impressive claims? Well considering “Crysis 2” is over a year old and looks like this:

      I’d say they have a pretty good chance. And while it would have been more intriguing if we were promised the most incredible gameplay of the generation, I can’t wait to see what the peak of the current hardware looks like in motion, and maybe even a preview of what to expect from the true debut of the next generation.

      Oh, ummm….Sorry Wii U

      Reviews

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