Monthly Archives: January 2015
Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited Coming to Xbox One, PS4
Bethesda's MMO, The Elder Scrolls Online, is coming to Xbox One and PS4 on June 9 with several updates.
Titled The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, the MMO includes everything from the original PC and Mac game, plus all updates and content additions. It will not require a monthly subscription fee.
Pre-orders for The Elder Scrolls Online on consoles will automatically transition to the new game.
Tamriel Unlimited is coming to PC and Mac as well. All existing PC or Mac accounts will be updated to the Tamriel Unlimited edition on March 17, free of charge. You'll just have to log in and update the client.
Alongside the re-launch, Bethesda is offering a new paid service called ESO Plus. It will be offered in 30-, 90-, and 180-day durations. ESO Plus members have full access to all downloadable content, a monthly allowance of Crowns (an in-game currency), bonuses to experience earned and gold acquired, plus other benefits.
Iconic RPG Franchise Returns With Underworld Ascendant
In 1992, Looking Glass Studios released Ultima Underworld. It was the first RPG to feature a first-person perspective in a 3D environment, and would go on to influence a generation of developers, many of whom would work on Thief, System Shock, Bioshock and Dishonored.
And now, 23 years after the original's release, creator Paul Neurath is returning to the franchise with Underworld Ascendant.
"Our goal is to retain what was great about the original," Neurath told IGN. "We're pretty convinced it will play as well today as it did 20 years ago. That deep immersion, that sense that you're there, the fun in exploring with that sandbox gameplay and RPG nature of the game."
Ascendant was originally called Underworld Ascension, but Otherside Entertainment subsequently changed the moniker. The team is launching a Kickstarter campaign on Feb. 4, with a $1 million base goal, and extensive stretch goals for subsequent funding. Neurath couldn't go into too much detail about the gameplay yet, but did say there will be opportunities for the player to maneuver between political factions in the living world that was created in 1992.
Sky Castles, New Gun Class, More Hitting TERA in 2015
Tera: Rising is set to get new dungeons, guild housing and even a new class in 2015 according to a fresh producer's letter.
The blog post reveals a Skycastle guild hall will be available for the top-ranking PvP and PvE guilds at the end of the season, which you'll then be able to fly to using your own Pegasus master. Alongside this, a new instance called Sky Cruiser Endeavour will arrive with both normal and hard modes in tow.
You'll also be able to "awaken" your gear, enchanting it to +15 when all this arrives before the end of February. The standard array of balance and bug fixes will be accompanied by a 5v5 version of Champions' Skyring too.
H1Z1 Offline for Eight Hours, Item Dupe Glitch Fixed Quickly
Critical bugs have caused SOE to take H1Z1 offline.
Following the introduction of the latest patch, eight hours ago SOE president John Smedley said a bug had slipped through. Smedley posted another update to Twitter a few hours later, which read “Still working on two issues. Sorry for the extended downtime. Kind of issues that must be solved and not just go back to last patch.”
Issues currently drawing heat from the H1Z1 playerbase include quest markers buried under piles of dirt, blocked doorways, and an item duplication glitch which found its way onto the live servers. That said, SOE was quick to act.
“For those wondering, this: ‘Drop,’ ‘Unload’ and ‘Place’ inventory options have been removed from proximity items,” says H1Z1 designer Adam Clegg. “Means dupe bug is fixed.”
Theme Hospital is Currently Free on EA Origin
Classic management sim Theme Hospital is currently free to download for anyone with an EA Origin account.
The deal comes as part of the mega-publisher's "On the House" promotion, which offers a different title to download every month. Once you've picked it up, it's yours to keep forever.
Bungie Hotfixes Crota’s End, Prepares Players For Hard Mode
Before Hard Mode for Crota's End is rolled out later today, Bungie will be deploying a quick update to address a handful of persisting raid issues.
In a recent blog update, the developer confirmed that following the fix, players will no longer be able to de-spawn enemies after "activating bridge plates and holding a specific spot". A rare problem that prevented Crota from summoning Oversouls in the finale has also been addressed.
To be first to confront Crota in the Hard Mode for the Raid, log out of Destiny tomorrow before 10AM Pacific and watch here for updates.
NASA is Testing if Humans Can Make a Round Trip to Mars
A “key stepping stone” to human exploration beyond Earth will launch in March when NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko embark on a year long mission to study the effects of spaceflight on the human body. This mission will determine if humans could go to Mars and return to Earth safely.
NASA’s Human Research Program will investigate what effect a year of weightlessness has on their bodies to get an idea of the physical and mental changes astronauts may experience on long-term missions, such as to an asteroid or Mars.
Heroes of the Storm Founder’s Pack Now Available
Blizzard has revealed a Heroes of the Storm Founder's Pack is now available for purchase.
The Founder's Pack costs £29.99 / $39.99 and grants immediate access to the game, which is currently in closed beta, as well as several additional heroes and mounts to use in-game.
Anyone who opts to buy a Founder's Pack will get access to Raynor, Diablo and Tyrande for use as heroes right off the bat, with an additional skin also granted for each. You'll get Commander Raynor, Lurkablo Diablo, and Blood Elf Tyrande.
This Week on the PSN (January 20, 2015)
Every Tuesday, Sony drops a bunch of new stuff onto the PlayStation Network. Those with a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, or PlayStation Vita can download these goodies, which include PSN games, movies, themes and more. While the Official PlayStation Blog outlines these updates in full each week, we thought we'd help truncate the good news into something more digestible.
After two weeks of no PS4 games, there are now seven new ones to choose from!
- Citizens of Earth ($14.99)
- Ironclad Tactics ($14.99)
Evo 2015 Lineup Includes Tekken 7 on Arcade
Evolution Championship Series organizer Joey "Mr Wizard" Cuellar took to a Twitch TV stream today to announce the lineup for this year's fighting game tournament Evo 2015, a list notably featuring Tekken 7 on arcade.
This year’s competition currently includes nine fighting titles, although Cuellar stated during the stream that organizers aren’t likely to add more titles to the lineup after this date. The definitive list for Evo 2015 follows:
- Ultra Street Fighter 4
- Marvel vs. Capcom 3
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- Guilty Gear Xrd
- Killer Instinct