Monthly Archives: May 2015
WildStar Devs Confirm Free-to-Play as Part of Huge Revamp
NCSoft’s struggling sci-fi MMO WildStar will be going free-to-play this autumn. Developer Carbine Studios has confirmed the rumours reported a couple of weeks ago, and also gone into detail about the hows and whys of the decision.
Firstly, creative director Chad Moore and Mike Donatelli are keen to stress all areas of the game will be open to all players and there won’t be any cynical moves like preventing players from using speed boosts, though an optional subscription will be available for certain perks. This “Signature Membership”, as it’s currently called, is planned to offer bonuses to XP, crafting, currency and item drops, though these are yet to be finalised. It’s worth noting too that CREDD will still be available for gold in-game or real-world cash, to then be sold or exchanged for a month of this preferred status. Anyone who’s subbed to the game at any stage, whether that’s been since launch or once the transition happens, will earn Loyalty Points to earn Loyalty Rewards. Carbine plans to put all the free-to-play changes onto the Public Test Realm (PTR) so players can try them out and offer feedback before the switch occurs.
Look at these New Dragon Quest VIII 3DS Details and Images
Square Enix has released screenshots and details about exclusive features for the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VIII.
The 3DS game will follow the same story and world as the PS2 version, with new episodes focusing on the history of the villain, Dhoulmagus, and the protagonist’s childhood. Although the 3DS version will not support stereoscopic 3D, it will add other new elements at a later date, including StreetPass support.
In the 3DS version, the soundtrack will be orchestrated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and it will be the first fully-voiced numbered entry in the Dragon Quest series.
FIFA 16 Introduces Female Footballers for the First Time
Electronic Arts' football/soccer franchise FIFA is introducing female players for the first time. (You can see new players in action in the trailer over on YouTube.)
The sports game will feature 12 international teams (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the United States of America) when the latest instalment, FIFA 16, launches on September 22. Just as their male counterparts, female players will look and move "like they do on the pitch when representing their country".
IGN caught up with FIFA VP and GM David Rutter to find out if it's the "all-time high" interest in women's football that's spurred this latest addition to the established franchise, or if EA has been playing with the idea of bringing women into the game for some time.
England Explodes in New London Has Fallen Posters
This sequel to action-hit Olympus Has Fallen has a couple of new posters, which feature great British landmarks taking a battering.
London Has Fallen - which stars Aaron Eckhart, Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman - hits screens in October, and if these one-sheets are anything to go by, Big Ben and St. Pauls Cathedral will come under fire during the film.
St Paul's - in trouble.
New Xbox One Controller Coming in June
Microsoft has revealed a new Xbox One controller will be released in June with a headphone port on the base.
The controller, presumably due for an official announcement at E3, was revealed early thanks to an update to the company's Xbox Support website. The description of the pad on the site includes a 3.5mm headphone port on the base, that is "only available on controllers released after June 2015".
It's currently unclear if the new pad will incorporate other fan-demanded updates, with one of the biggest being a controller that can be charge via USB straight out of the box. No changes appear to have been made to the shape of the pad.
The BBC Investigates Sony’s Digital Policy
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's digital refund policy has been scrutinised by a BBC investigation.
According to Eurogamer, the investigation -- which will form part of BBC's Watchdog programme this evening at 8pm BST -- was launched following a complaint from a customer who was unable to get a refund despite Sony acknowledging that his PSN account had been stolen.
Writing on rllmukforum (via NeoGAF), John Lappin explained that a £40 charge had been brought against his PSN account from a PlayStation 3 he didn't own.
Need for Speed Reboot Release Date and Features Leak
EA's upcoming Need for Speed reboot will launch on November 3, according to a prematurely-revealed product page.
The since-removed page popped up on Microsoft's Xbox site, and was swiftly screen-capped and posted on Reddit.
The accompanying blurb also reveals several new features we haven't previously heard about. Apparently there'll be five "ways to play" called Speed, Style, Build, Crew and Outlaw.
These Are Lego Bricks You Can Eat
Someone has finally found a way to turn Lego into delicious jelly snacks.
The person behind the findings is one Grant Thompson, also known as the King of Random on his YouTube DIY channel.
How’s it all made? Well, the jelly Lego bricks only contain two ingredients – gelatine and water. Although should you wish to flavour the jellies, you can use flavoured gelatine, or Vitamin C just for kicks.
Then it’s just a case of mixing the two ingredients in cold water that’s being brought to the boil. Once the jelly mixture is ready, Thompson recommends using a condiment container to squirt the jelly mixture into the Lego moulds.
Mortal Kombat X Tanya DLC Release Date Announced
Mortal Kombat X will gain a new fighter in the form of Edenian warrior Tanya on June 2 for Kombat Pack owners, before becoming available for separate purchase on June 9.
The news once again comes courtesy of Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon, who announced the date on Twitter. Tanya is the third DLC fighter to join the bloody brawler, following in the footsteps of Goro and Jason Voorhees.
Tanya has appeared in multiple versions of the NetherRealms fighter going back to Mortal Kombat 4. Recently, her finishers were revealed in a patch forMortal Kombat X.
Robots Will Soon be Able to Adapt to Injury
Scientists have developed a trial and error algorithm which allows robots to adapt to damage and compensate for it.
This idea for robots that can adapt like animals was printed in Nature this week, where the process was detailed.
The algorithm is for robots that work in large search spaces. Before deploying, the robot creates a detailed map of the location which "represents the robot's prior knowledge about what behaviours it can perform and their value." If it becomes damaged, then it conducts experiments based on its knowledge to find a way to compensate.
So far the algorithm has successfully worked for robots with missing or broken legs, and damaged arms.