Monthly Archives: January 2015
How the PlanetSide 2 Closed Beta Will Shape its Launch on PS4
PlanetSide 2, Sony Online Entertainment's free-to-play massively multiplayer first-person sci-fi shooter, has officially kicked off its closed beta today on the PlayStation 4.
Players who previously registered to participate in the beta should receive their digital golden tickets via the same email address used to register, granting them access to PlanetSide 2 on the other side of today's PlayStation Network update.
The beta will run as long as it's needed, with "a few thousand" codes going out to participants in the opening phase, based on the order in which they registered. The beta will operate during what Sony Online Entertainment described as good, peak hours for the PlayStation Network, with the play schedule unfolding as follows:
Podcast: Join the Digigods Oscar Pool to win prizes
From their secluded home-theater compound, film critics Wade Major and Mark Keizer mix insightful commentary with irreverent banter, covering the latest DVD and Blu-ray news and new releases of the week, including studio, independent, television and special-interest titles.
Digigods Podcast, 01/20/15 (MP3) -- 40.9 MB
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Battlefield Hardline’s ‘Crosshair’ Mode Revealed
Crosshair is Battlefield Hardline’s most hardcore and competitive multiplayer mode. Traditional Conquest, of course, sees big battles with vehicles, exploding skyscrapers, and huge heists, but Crosshair focuses down, amps up the difficulty, and puts everyone at a high level of risk. Nobody respawns when they’re killed, and it makes either hunting or rescuing a VIP that much more challenging.
Two teams of five face off in standard shooter style. Cops and criminals load up with weapons and gadgets, spawn opposite each other on a map, and attempt to wipe out the other team as quickly as possible – Crosshair’s three-minute timer forces the teams’ hands in that way. Amid all this, a player-controlled VIP has to extract at one of two designated points.
Remember Me and Life Is Strange Dev Making RPG Vampyr
Paris-based developer DontNod and Focus Home Interactive have revealed a new RPG titled Vampyr.
Details are scarce at the minute with only a tweet and an image to go on. That said, TheSixthAxis reports that the game is set just after the First World War, where players are cast into the role of a doctor who returns home to find his homeland ravaged by the Spanish Flu. After treating one of his patients, the doctor gets bitten, thus transforming him into a vampyr.
New Will Arnett Netflix Comedy Series for 2016
Netflix has announced a new original comedy series starring Will Arnett to debut in 2016.
Flaked stars Arnett as Chip, a "guru" in Venice, California who falls for his best friend's crush. He starts to stack lies on top of half-truths, and his life becomes a predictably tangled mess. The series will run for eight episodes.
Arnett co-created and co-wrote Flaked with Mark Chappell, and the executive producers includes Mitch Hurwitz, the creator of Arrested Development. Said Arnett, in a statement, "We're very excited to partner with Netflix-- the home of original, original content -- and the network I knew would be the ideal home for this passion project."
Will Arnett (seen here in The Millers).
Match Fixing Allegations at Top Level of American Counter-Strike
New evidence points to alleged match-fixing at the highest level of Counter-Strike eSport competition.
Back in August of 2014, one of the top Counter-Strike teams in the US, iBUYPOWER, fought a match against NetCodeGuides.com. iBUYPOWER went in as the favourite to win, but ended up losing 16-4 at the CEVO Professional Season 5.
Now, a new report from TheDailyDot claims to have evidence that indicts the competition may have been rigged.
According to the site, a day after the competition an eSports journalist got in touch with screencaps of a conversation between himself and professional player Shahzed ‘ShahZam’ Khan prior to the match. It’s alledged that Khan claims the match was fixed and iBUYPOWER were going to throw the match. After the match, it’s said Khan would reveal who was involved, but went on to only offer a “no comment.”
Justified: The Final Season Begins
Justified begins its final 13-episode season Tuesday night, which means anything can happen, now that the story of Raylan Givens is wrapping up. In fact, when I spoke to star Timothy Olyphant about this season, he told me, “Raylan dies in episode seven. People are going to be a little shocked!”
He was joking, I promise (unless he was really playing a mind game!), but obviously, things are going to be different knowing the end is coming.
As a reflection of that, as Season 6 begins, Raylan is finally out to truly take down Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), after the two have been at odds, yet always occupied with other obstacles, since the series began.
Justified: Season 6 Photos
Parks and Recreation Creator on Bringing the Final Season into the Future
Parks and Recreation returned this past week, as it kicked off its seventh and final season. On the heels of that premiere, and right after the Parks and Rec panel at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour this past week, I sat down with the co-creator and showrunner of Parks and Rec, Michael Schur, to discuss the approach to Season 7.
Chris Pratt on Why He Never Considered Leaving Parks and Rec
State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition Release Date Announced
Microsoft and Undead Labs have announced that State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition will be available via disc or download on April 28 for $29.99. Those who own State of Decay for Xbox 360 will receive a 33% discount, making Year One Survival Edition $19.99 for them. Existing State of Decay owners also get an exclusive playable character.
The Xbox One version of the game bundles in the Breakdown and Lifeline expansions as well as every patch. It also features a handful of new vehicles, weapons, mission types, and various graphical touch-ups.
In case you don't remember State of Decay or missed it in 2013, see our video review above or our written review. Hint: we really, really liked it.
Ori and the Blind Forest Will Bend Your Brain…or Break It
Little time remains between now and the March 11th release of Moon Studios’ platformer, Ori and the Blind Forest. But even after Microsoft allowed the press to explore a new area last week, much of its details are still shrouded in mystery. Information on the story is still particularly thin; basic questions still linger about Ori’s identity, the history of the forest he’s exploring, and why his fate is intertwined with it.
I wasn’t able to obtain any further answers to those questions after wandering through The Forlorn Ruins, an area players will encounter about halfway through the game. (By the developers’ estimate, it’s about 5-6 hours in.) No story tidbits cropped up beyond a reference to an older race, the Gumon, and their inventions – one of which Ori must shoulder at start of the level and return to its rightful place.