Monthly Archives: June 2015
Burnout Dev Criterion Nearly Made a F-Zero Wii U Game
It's been revealed Nintendo once asked Burnout developer Criterion to create a new F-Zero title to launch with the Wii U.
According to Nintendo Life, Nintendo of Europe wanted Criterion to have a brief demo of the game ready to show at E3 2011 before the full game launched alongside the Wii U, but unfortunately this tight turnaround meant the developer had to turn it down as Need for Speed: Most Wanted was taking up most of its resources. Criterion founder Alex Ward verified timing was the issue.
The last full F-Zero game was F-Zero Climax, a Game Boy Advance title that was never released outside of Japan in 2004. Since then, we've had to make-do with cameos in the likes of Nintendo Land and Mario Kart 8.
Blade & Soul’s Free-to-Play Business Model Detailed
NCSoft has confirmed Blade & Soul will launch in Europe and North America as a free-to-play game, and revealed new details about its business model.
All game content will be available to all players, though a currency called NCoin can be used to purchase certain convenience perks. Already used in games like Aion and Lineage II, the NCoin can buy food and experience potions, additional inventory and character slots or costumes and cosmetics.
Additionally, it's worth noting NCSoft has said a special free currency that can be earned in-game will allow players to buy the same kind of items available for NCoin, like costumes, accessories, food, potions and repair tools.
Watch the New Hitman: Agent 47 Trailer
Hitman: Agent 47 is back in a new trailer for the upcoming film, and we’ve got it exclusively here on IGN. Watch it up above.
Based on the popular video game series about a genetically engineered assassin, Hitman: Agent 47 stars Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto, Ciarán Hinds and Thomas Kretschmann. We’ve also got a new poster for the film:
Dragon Ball Z Extreme Butoden Coming To EMEA and US
Bandai Namco has confirmed that Dragon Ball Z Extreme Butoden is heading to Nintendo 3DS in Europe, Middle-East and Australasia from October 16, and the United States from October 20.
Today's announcement confirms the rumours that the new Dragon Ball Z game - which will boast 20 playable characters, "amazing features" and "more than 100" support characters - was heading westward.
“Bandai Namco is listening to fans and will keep on surprising them over the next few years," said Herve Hoerdt, vice president of Marketing & Digital at Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe. "In the meantime, everybody will enjoy a high-quality fighting game based on one of the most emblematic Anime & Manga ever created!”
Fallout 4 Lead Voice Actors Revealed
The voice actors for Fallout 4's male and female protagonists have been revealed.
The game's lead designer and writer, Emil Pagliarulo, tweeted a picture of Courtenay Taylor and Brian T. Delaney, who will be voicing the female and male player characters, respectively.
Taylor's previously been heard bringing life to Jack in the Mass Effect Games, along with Juhani in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. She also has previous experience of working in the Fallout universe, by lending her pipes to voice Gloria Van Graff, Janet and Jas Wilkins in Fallout: New Vegas. Delaney, meanwhile, isn't quite as prominent but has had roles in several games, including the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians.
Dishonored 2: Of Powers, Paths and Personalities
Arkane Studios' bosses Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith have revealed new details about how Dishonored 2 will differentiate between Emily and Corvo, and what changes fans of the original should expect.
Speaking to IGN during E3 2015, the duo explained you won't be switching between the two characters as missions go on, but will instead face a choice near the start of the game that'll be permanent.
"The way we’re doing it this time is you play Emily for about 20 or 30 minutes at the beginning of the game, then there’s this very dramatic moment where you can choose which one to continue with, either Emily or Corvo," Smith explained. "Then for the rest of the game you’re locked into that choice. But it’s the same series of missions whether you choose or the other, they just have different perspectives and commentary on it.
Guild Wars 2 Gets Additional Pre-Purchase Bonus After Complaints
ArenaNet has responded to player feedback by announcing new rewards for veterans and a refund policy for those who purchased the core game by mistake.
Veteran Guild Wars 2 players who registered the base game before January 23, 2015, and also pre-purchased any version of the Heart of Thorns expansion prior to release, will be gifted one extra character slot.
Every player who purchased the core game via the Guild Wars 2 website, and registered between January 23 and June 16, 2015, will be automatically given a refund should they decide to purchase Heart of Thorns, so long as it’s bought by July 31, 2015.
The news comes following fan outrage regarding how ArenaNet is handling the latest expansion. Three different pricing tiers were announced a short while back, but the pricing wasn’t directly the main issue. You see, the cheapest version of Heart of Thorns comes with a copy of the core Guild Wars 2 game. For new players looking to get into the series, it was a great entry point, but seasoned players who already owned the base game were confused as to why they needed to rebuy something they already own.
New Contract and Armour Set Coming to The Witcher 3
CD Projekt Red has revealed what we have to look forward to as part of this week's free DLC for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
So far we received a Temerian Armor Set and an array of additional beards and hairstyles for Geralt in the week following launch. This was then followed by a new Witcher Contract quest and skin for Yennefer, then a new armour set and crossbow weapons. We've also seen new Gwent Cards and Quests, while last week gave us alternative looks for Triss and another new quest.
Batman: Arkham Knight Suffering Major Issues on PC
Numerous reports are surfacing of Batman: Arkham Knight's PC port suffering performance problems.
We've experienced the issues ourselves, which include frequent stuttering and audio glitches while moving around the open-world. As a result, Steam user reviews (which can only be given by people who've purchased the game) are flooded with complaints, as are the NeoGAF boards.
Additionally, many gamers have been bemused to find a 30 frames-per-second cap in place. Thankfully, a work around has been discovered. All you need to do is open your Arkham Knight install directory, and navigate to, "BmGameConfigBmSystemSettings.ini”. In the config file, search for "Max_FPS=30", and change it to "Max_FPS=9999".
Sony’s 4K Ultra Thin TVs, When and How Much?
Sony has announced the pricing and release dates for its X900C and X910C series 4K Ultra HD TVs.
The X900C will be $2,500 for the 55-inch model, while the 65-inch model will go for $4,000. The 75-inch X910C will cost you $5,500.
Pre-sales on the X900C begin on June 21, with full purchase availability starting in July. According to Sony, the X910C will be available "this summer".
We found out at CES this year that the X900C is just under 0.2-inches thick. Sony isn't the only company in the 4K game though, as Vizio is looking to compete by offering cheaper options.