Monthly Archives: September 2015
GTA Online Gets More Immersive with Open World Events
Rockstar has announced Freemode Events are coming to GTA Online, a new feature that'll see structured events pop up in the open world for you to tackle without needing to enter a lobby first.
Set to debut in the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions of GTA Online on September 15, the aim is to blend the freeform gameplay of the open world with structured events that offer lucrative rewards.
Every 12 minutes in the open world, a new Freemode Event will start, with a countdown clock on the HUD alerting players how much longer they have until it starts. If you miss the start or opt not to participate, you'll still be able to spectate those who chose to get involved.
Over 200 variants of Freemode Events will be available at launch, including cooperative battles, individual live stunt challenges, free-for-all King of the Hill modes, and challenges tasking you to break speed limits and deal as much damage as possible within a time limit. Successfully completing any of them will net players huge cash and RP rewards, which scale based on how well you performed.
Flame Over Comes to PS4 This Month
Indie squirt-‘em-up Flame Over is coming to PlayStation 4 on September 15 in North America, and September 16 for Europe.
Price-wise you’ll be able to pick the game up for £8.99 / €11.99 / $11.99.
Flame Over first released for PS Vita back in March of this year. For those who haven’t played it, the game is described as a ‘pyroguelike’ twin-stick shooter that fuses single-life gameplay with randomly generated levels. You play as a firefighter doing their best to save as many lives as possible without getting burned alive.
There’s also some news for Vita owners. Flame Over will see a patch in the coming weeks that will “bring it in line (as closely as possible) with the forthcoming PS4 version and fix some pesky bugs and balancing issues,” according to a post on the official website.
New Fallout 4 Video Series Breaks Down Your Attributes
Update: We added the brand new Luck video below! Check out how tipping the scales of chance in your favor will help your character in Fallout 4.
The seven attributes of Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck form the acronym S.P.E.C.I.A.L. and choosing which ones to prioritise will define what challenges you'll be able to overcome once you venture beyond the vault.
So far, Bethesda has released old-timey videos for six attributes: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence and Agility. Check them all out below!
As you'd expect, Agility lets you act a lot quicker in combat, whether it comes to switching between targets or making the most of sneak attacks.
DJ Three Dog Not Returning in Fallout 4 After All
Erik Todd Dellums, the voice actor responsible for bringing Galaxy News Radio DJ Three Dog to life in Fallout 3, seems unlikely to return in Fallout 4 after all.
A couple of years ago, Dellums teased Three Dog may be returning in another Fallout game. Indeed, it was one of the first teases we got about Fallout 4, and was apparently officially sanctioned by Bethesda bigwigs.
Now, however, it seems the decision has been made not to include Three Dog in Fallout 4. Dellums has released a series of tweets in which he appears to be both surprised and disappointed by the news.
Comic Book Reviews for September 9, 2015
September really heated up this week when it came to new comic book releases. DC delivered a stellar new issue of Batman that flashed back to Bruce Wayne's early days, while Catwoman and Gotham Academy also impressed. Marvel kicked off their Star Wars: The Force Awakens prequel Shattered Empire with a promising debut issue, while also closing out several Secret Wars tie-ins. Between those books and great indie comics like The Wicked +The Divine, Phonogram and Tet, there was something for every reader this week.
Scroll down to see out reviews for these and many other new comics. And be sure to let us know your favorite books of the week in the comments below.
DC COMICS
Here Are the New Emoji in iOS 9.1
Apple has sent out the first iOS 9.1 beta to developers, and it looks like a number of new emoji are being added.
The Next Web first spotted the new emoji, which include a unicorn, a taco, a burrito, a turkey, a stop hand, a block of cheese, prayer beads, a lion, and many more across all categories.
Image credit: The Next Web
Nintendo Releases Japanese Mario Maker Art Booklet
Nintendo has made the Japanese Super Mario Maker art booklet available for download.
The booklet - found here - has a few hidden gems tucked away inside its pages in the form of hints, artwork, sheet music, and even some concept art. Towards the end of the booklet (which we’ve included in the slideshow below), there are even some background planning sheets from the original Super Mario Bros.
Have you read our Super Mario Maker review yet? In it we said “You never know what to expect in any given level of Super Mario Maker, and that element of surprise makes playing the levels made with this robust course builder incredibly fun,” before awarding it a 9.
Twitter Is Unifying its Apps Across Apple Devices
Twitter has now changed its iOS mobile app to adapt based on what device you're using.
According to the Twitter app's description on the iTunes Store, "Twitter now adapts to best fit your device, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or iPod. That means your experience is more consistent across all of your iOS devices, and many features previously available only on iPhone are now also on iPad."
iPad users will see the most changes, with trending topics, the ability to visit product and place pages, and the option to use Twitter's quoting system. These features were previously only available on the iPhone.
In other Twitter news, the 140 character limit on direct messages was removed last month. If you missed Apple's press event yesterday, IGN has all of the announcements for you.
Ron Perlman on Hellboy 3: “We Owe It To The Fans!”
Ron Perlman recently stopped by IGN’s London office to discuss his new Amazon series, Hand of God. The full interview can be viewed below, but while we had him cornered, we asked Perlman about Hellboy and the chances of us getting that third instalment in the franchise.
IGN: Is Hellboy a character you think could be resurrected on TV?
Ron Perlman: Anything’s possible. It won’t be me playing him. The only time I would ever go back to do Hellboy is to do the third and final instalment of the trilogy. Which is why I’ve been yapping away and opening my big f**king mouth on Twitter and all that sh*t.
IGN: We love it when you do that.
Upcoming Smartphones Could Have 6GB RAM
Samsung has announced it has begun production on the first example of 12Gb LPDDR4 RAM on its 20nm manufacturing process.
According to Ars Technica, the new chips offer a 50 percent greater density than its existing 8Gb chips. This opens up the possibility of putting 6GB of RAM into smartphones and tablets (Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge+ currently has the most at 4GB).
Its greater density also means that the same amount of space would be used in a new 6GB package than with existing 3GB packages.
The new 12Gb chip is reported to be a little over 30 percent faster than the 8Gb versions, with a per-pin speed of 4266Mbps which gives a bandwidth of 34Gbps over a 64-bit bus.