Favorite Games of 2012 Halo 4

 

the idea of proclaiming a single one as the best of 2012 strikes us as a little limiting. This year, and write about the experiences that brought us the most enjoyment this year-- and that's the point of playing video games, isn't it?

I guess it should come as no surprise that Halo 4 is one of my favorite games of 2012. The first entry in a new trilogy -- and helmed by Microsoft's internal developer 343 Industries -- does an admirable job of resurrecting everything I love about the series. Halo 4 consistently lives up to what I expect of a Halo game: polished gunplay, a unique visual style, and engaging offline and online features that makes the repetitive act of shooting feel satisfying hours, weeks, even months later.

 Halo 4 isn't the standout of the series. It tinkers with ideas which came before and assembles a strong overall package to fit modern shooter standards. To frame it as some second coming for the series seems a bit naive. Outside of some story beats involving a dormant forerunner threat and the fate of Cortana, nothing that happens in Halo 4 hasn't happened in some form before. But I say what's wrong with more Halo? What's wrong with more missions that tweak existing ideas and enemy counts to feel bigger and better over time? What's wrong with introducing new hardware and vehicles that continue to expand the satisfying combat? Halo 4 takes a slightly conservative approach to updating one of the most beloved shooters in video games, but the results still feel on par or better than anything else out there.

Shooters come and go every year -- with impressive efforts by Gearbox and Ubisoft in Borderlands 2 and Far Cry 3,but few deliver the satisfying gunplay that keeps me coming back to Halo 4 months later. jose otero

Oculus team building immersive gaming goggles

Strap on the headset and adjust the goggle to your eyes. Look down and you'll see the floor of a space station. Look up and pipes weave above your head. Turn left or right and the tight walls of a dark corridor flank your sides. An alien bursts through a door. Look at the monster, pull the trigger and mow it down.
Palmer Luckey cobbled the headset together from spare smartphone parts. His partner Brendan Iribe is rallying the videogame industry to build the games. The result is a relatively affordable, next-generation headset that eventually will allow players to disappear into virtual worlds.

Virtual reality experiences have been the stuff of dreams for decades, with movies such as "The Lawnmower Man," "The Matrix" and the holodeck on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" popularizing the idea. So far, though, systems to take people to other worlds are expensive and built only for niche uses, such as military training.
Luckey and Iribe, the founders of Irvine's Oculus VR, have raised $2.4 million through online crowd funding to build a system that offers a virtual-reality experience to at-home gamers.
"It's the future," Luckey said. "It's the matrix."

The task facing anyone working on a virtual-reality experience is two-fold – create a device inexpensive enough so people will buy it and improve upon the current state of gaming.
"If there's not something additive or functionally better, it's not going to catch on," said Jesse Divinich, vice president in charge of analysis at video-game research firm EEDAR. "It has to do a better job than the market standard that existed before."

Luckey and Iribe are trying to tackle both problems and look to succeed where others have failed. Luckey is using low-cost smartphone components to make a headset – called the Rift – that costs hundreds of dollars rather than thousands.

"A lot of things we're doing weren't invented by us," Luckey said. "They were invented by other people. And we happen to have the luck to be in the right decade to make it happen."
Luckey is the 20-year-old co-founder of Oculus. A passionate gamer from Long Beach, he's also obsessed with virtual reality. His workspace is covered in disassembled gadget guts, and he's like a walking encyclopedia of all things VR. He perused government auctions, hospital liquidations and university sales to add to his collection of headsets, which is now more than 40. He also worked for about a year under Mark Bolas, a leading researcher in head-mounted displays at USC.by ian hamilton

New ‘Medal of Honor’ In Hot Water

Navy SEALs who worked on the video game “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” is the latest in a series of misfires for the interactive medium’s popular military shooter genre, which continues to face scrutiny as high-definition graphics become more lifelike and gamemakers attempt to create the most authentic experiences possible.

“These games are now trying to portray things and tell stories around current events,” said Casey Lynch, editor-in-chief of the gaming site IGN.com. “When you’re dealing with current topics, there’s a higher level of sensitivity. I think most people would agree there’s not the same level of sensitivity when compared to old World War II or Vietnam War games.”

Navy officials said last week that seven members of the secretive Navy SEAL Team 6, including one involved in the mission to take down Osama bin Laden, were reprimanded for disclosing classified information to the creators of “Warfighter,” a modern-day, first-person shooter from developer Danger Close Games and publisher Electronic Arts Inc
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“We worked really closely with more than two dozen operators on the mission objectives, operations, maneuvers and various elements in the game that helped shape our single-player campaign, things like the weaponry, the gear, the way these operatives perform door breeches,” said Luke Thai, producer at Danger Close Games, ahead of the game’s Oct. 23 debut.

Thai noted that both the gamemakers and military personnel who consulted on “Warfighter” were cognizant about not detailing too much about current conflicts — or making them boring in virtual form. One of the game’s missions tasks players with explosively battling a band of Somali pirates. Thai said the real-world inspiration for that level was far less fiery.

“In terms of the various conflicts that are still going on throughout the world, we touch upon those, but we don’t replicate them exactly,” he said. “They serve as dotted-line inspiration for things that go on in the game. For instance, our overarching single-player campaign story revolves around a global hunt to shut down a fictional terror network.”

Still, to ramp up the game’s realism, “Warfighter” creators mimicked real-world weaponry and centered the plot on the ripped-from-the-headlines threat of an industrial explosive known as PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, the same material used in 2001 by convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid when he tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight.

The tactic doesn’t seem to have helped fuel “Warfighter” sales. The NPD Group, which tracks sales of new physical products, said last week that “Warfighter” ranked eighth in overall game sales in October, behind such titles as “NBA 2K13” and “Resident Evil 6.” EA noted in an earnings call last month that “Warfighter” had a “weaker than expected performance.”

(EA spokesman Peter Nguyen said last Friday the company has no plans to recall or alter “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” in light of the SEALs’ punishment.)A/P

'NBA 2K13' delivers again

A video game that has been so excellent for the past several years, but 2K Sports has found ways to make “NBA 2K13” even better – with some help from the league’s most famous owner.
Along with fluid gameplay, enhanced graphics and a smoother control scheme, this year’s edition of the best-selling basketball franchise welcomes rapper – and minority owner of the Brooklyn Nets – Jay-Z as executive producer.

From the start, Jay-Z makes his presence known. The introduction is like the opening of one of his electrifying concerts, with his “Public Service Announcement” serving as the soundtrack to a medley of highlights, from Russell Westbrook’s thunderous one-handed dunk to Josh Smith’s soaring alley-oop slam. Jay-Z selected 24 songs for the game’s soundtrack, and they feature some of music’s top acts, including himself, Kanye West, Coldplay, U2, Nas and Roy Ayers.

But Mr. Beyonce’s star power isn’t the only thing elevating this franchise’s game. One of the new elements in “NBA 2K13” is signature skills, which assigns star players a variety of traits that make them special commodities. For example, LeBron James has five different traits, including Chasedown Artist, which allows the reigning NBA Finals MVP to chase opponents down to negate shots on fast breaks.

Another improvement is the integration of the “MyPlayer” and “MyCareer” modes. In “MyPlayer,” you are able to build a player from scratch and purchase everything from game-day accessories to casual clothing with virtual currency. From there, you can take your created player and insert him into “MyCareer,” where your player is chosen as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
On the court, the gameplay is stellar. The new dribbling and shooting control scheme gives gamers more offensive freedom, with an array of moves to drive past defenders or create enough space from an opponent for an efficient jump shot.

Defense has gotten some improvement also. Now you have the ability to lock down an offensive player, using the trigger button to disrupt the ball handler’s rhythm by crowding him.

The commentary, from Kevin Harlan, Steve Kerr, Clark Kellogg and sideline reporter Doris Burke, is once again solid. The player models are still on point, and the artificial intelligence on offense and defense makes playing against the computer seem realistic. The 1992 Dream Team and this year’s U.S.A. Olympic team are also available. A/P

GTA San Andreas Lawsuit Fails

Jjudge denies supposed Cypress Hill backup singer's claims that Rockstar used his likeness as model for CJ character.

Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive has won a lawsuit over Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, writes The Hollywood Reporter. An appellate court judge on Wednesday denied supposed Cypress Hill backup singer Michael "Shagg" Washington's claims that Rockstar used his life story and physical appearance as a basis for protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson. Cypress Hill denies any association with Washington.

Washington sued Take-Two in 2010 for $250 million, alleging that during the course of the game's development, he met with Rockstar to discuss details regarding his former life as a gang member. He even provided the company with a photo of himself and his name appears in the GTA: San Andreas credits.
However, a judge did not find this to be enough, and a California appeals court has concurred. Washington's principal problem was that he could not prove it was his likeness that appeared in San Andreas. The judge said, "Plaintiff is relying entirely on CJ's physical appearance in the game, but that appearance is so generic that it necessarily includes hundreds of other black males."
Additionally, the judge ruled that even if Rockstar did base CJ on Washington, it would have been protected as transformative fair use. This is an argument based on the fact that the First Amendment allows existing materials, including images, to be used so long as they are amended enough for a new purpose.
"Washington has presented no evidence demonstrating that the plot or characters of GTA: San Andreas have any relevance to his life or his purported fame," a statement from the decision reads.by eddie makuch

HALO 4 REVIEWS

Players jumped in by the millions to finish the fight in Halo 3, back in 2007. And yet, like many a franchise before it, the one-time trilogy of Halo games finds itself with a new fourth sibling, years later.

Minecraft Review - Xbox 360

360 version of Minecraft gives players a map at the start of each game, for free. Getting something for nothing in Minecraft is almost sacrilege, but it’s much appreciated here. Maps are craftable in the PC version, but not until you’ve found some redstone deep in the earth and crafted iron to built a compass, which means you have to figure out how mining and smelting works before you’ve ever figured out where you are.
Sitting next to loved ones and playing a game is an often overlooked source of fun in the age of online multiplayer, and in an open-world game like Minecraft, it’s like bringing your friend to a massive playground, except with more zombies.
Even with a four-player split screen going and other players in your server, navigating through Minecraft’s complicated menus is quickly mastered, if your television is big and HD enough. The menu system is about as serviceable as you could realistically expect from a 360, which is not to say it’s good or anything. Consoles just aren’t suited to complicated menus–a mouse and keyboard is the much preferable input solution.


So that’s all the good, but here comes the bad: Overall, console-Minecraft is based on an early version of the game. The PC version of Minecraft has evolved through updates to contain a whole lot more stuff than the 360 version, as well as noticeably improved lighting and graphics. A partial list of content that’s missing: Modding. The hunger mechanic that drives the PC version. The ability to raise animals from babies. Jungle cats. The jungle biomeme. Ruins in mines. NPC characters and villages. The enchanting system. The alchemy system. The End World, Ender Men, and the Ender Dragon final boss. And more. While some of these “later” additions aren’t all that great, and none are necessary for having a good time, on the whole, the PC Minecraft experience provides greater diversity and much deeper gaming, especially for more seasoned players. While 4J has said it’s interested in frequently updating Minecraft-360, those updates are not available at the time of this review. Let’s hope they’ll come soon.


The list of Minecraft features missing from the 360 is long, but the most egregious omission is the sheer scope of the PC version of Minecraft. While computer Minecraft’s procedurally generated geography is limited only by the amount of memory your PC has, the 360 version takes place on a 1024 by 1024 block level. That’s pretty big in terms of many games, but tiny in terms of Minecraft. It’s dispiriting to get to the edge of the map with so little effort, especially when the boundary has been so shoddily defined. A wall of lava or an un-climbable peak would have been preferable to Minecraft’s lazy invisible barrier. The absence of endless open spaces means that you can essentially never get really lost, and it also limits the amount of sheer raw materials in the world, potentially scuttling hugely ambitious building plans.

Speaking of resources, the PC version of Minecraft contains a creative mode where you have access to everything the game has to offer. It’s perfect if you prefer building with an infinite Lego set and don’t feel like being ravaged by skeletons. The 360 game offers only the survival mode. Big points off for that. And big points off for not allowing gamers to change difficulty in the middle of games, too.
On the whole, any Minecraft is better than no Minecraft, and the 360 version is a full, satisfying game, when not judged against the PC version.stephen a johnson

Atari 2600 35 Years Later

it launched in the U.S. in October 1977 -- and 35 years is a long, long time.And while Atari supported the 2600 into the '90s, for most consumers the system's life effectively crashed to an anticlimactic end in 1983 when Warner (who owned Atari at the time) reported that its games division had overextended itself and lost billions of dollars. The U.S. video game industry reeled from those losses and didn't recover until Nintendo performed triage a few years later with the NES -- the system that a large percentage of 1UP readers regard as their entry into the medium.

The simple fact is that 35 years is a long time in video game terms, and while the average age of gamers continues to rise, today's "core" gamer tends to have gotten into gaming well after the 2600's heyday. Many contemporary game fanatics, weaned on post-PlayStation 3D visuals, can barely stomach the comparatively primitive visuals of NES and Genesis games; for them, Atari 2600's minimalist blocks and bleeps are so far removed from their expectations for video games that they may as well be cave paintings.

And yet, regressive as the 2600 may appear to the modern eye, video games would exist as they do today without the influence of that console. The 2600 didn't really do anything first, but it did it better, and it created an industry in the process. The 2600 helped transform games from a novel amusement into a creative medium: A financial juggernaut. And while the system had its failings, both technical and corporate, it taught its successors both what to do and what not to do. And for millions of kids -- now grown adults who perhaps no longer respond to Internet solicitations for their memories of video games -- it opened a world of imagination, entertainment, and even addiction.

Maybe most gamers don't see Atari 2600 as the baseline of video games the way they did back in the NES and even PlayStation days, but the system's impact has in no way diminished over time. The 2600 remains as important today as it was in the days when it ruled the living room and school kids replaced "a partridge in a pear tree" with "a cartridge for Atari" when they sang "The 12 Days of Christmas."by 1up

Microsoft compares Next Halo to Call of Duty

Gamers have long drawn comparisons between chart-topping shooter franchises Halo and Call of Duty, but now Microsoft has commented on the similarities. Speaking to GameSpot, Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor said such comparisons are "reasonable," Halo 4's new loadout system. Ultimately, though, he said Halo is different than Call of Duty because it does not favor the player with the "bigger gun."
"Halo 4's loadout system frequently, and sort of appropriately, gets compared to other FPS games, including Call of Duty and others. And definitely, in terms of how much effect the progression system has on your player, that's a reasonable sort of comparison," O'Connor said.
"I think the real difference is that Halo is built on a notion of really balanced gameplay. I love Black Ops, for example, and in Black Ops I'm always trying to get to a weapon; my eyes are always on that prize. And it will be a very, very powerful weapon," O'Connor added. "Halo is really more about survival encounters, rather than getting the drop on someone or winning through having a bigger gun. And also using the things you've learned on the battlefield. So while you are able to unlock weapons and abilities that do modify your baseline traits [in Halo 4], they're, bluntly, not as powerful and not as game changing. They're about subtly and their about style ultimately."
Players will be able to decide for themselves this November. Halo 4 arrives on November 6.by eddie makuch 

No Far Cry 3 on Nintendo's Wii U

Following the publication of this story, a Ubisoft representative confirmed to GameSpot that Far Cry 3 will not be available for the Wii U because the system was not considered at the onset of development.
"We will not be releasing Far Cry 3 on Wii U," reads a line from the statement. "The game has been in development for more than two years and at the time Wii U had not been considered."

Far Cry 3 is the latest AAA title to skip the Wii U. An Ubisoft representative has told CVG that Ubisoft's December-dated first-person shooter is not planned for Nintendo's first high-definition console

Ubisoft did not provide the site a rationale as to why Far Cry 3 is bypassing the Wii U, and the company had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment at press time.
Ubisoft is one of Nintendo's most prolific partners for the Wii U at launch. The French publisher is bringing a host of games to the console, including Assassin's Creed III, ZombiU, Just Dance 4, Rayman Legends, Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, and Rabbids Land.
Other big-name games skipping the Wii U include Resident Evil 6 and Dead Space 3. Additionally, just last week, Fallout and Elder Scrolls publisher Bethesda said it presently has no plans for the Wii U.
The Wii U is due out on November 18 in North America beginning at $299.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Top Selling Console

Fears of video games sales slumping due to the lack of new consoles, Microsoft’s (MSFT) seven-year-old Xbox 360 continues to be the No.1 selling console in the U.S. for the 20th consecutive month, according to NPD Group. The data reveals 193,000 Xbox 360 systems were sold in August giving Microsoft’s console a lofty 48% share of the U.S. console gaming market. In addition to holding the top spot for hardware, five out of the top-10 selling games in the U.S. last month were Xbox 360 titles: Call of Duty: Black Ops, Darksiders II, NCAA Football 13, Sleeping Dogs, and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. NPD gathers that retail spending on the Xbox 360 topped out at $196 million and expects this holiday’s strong lineup of titles including Halo 4, Forza Horizon, Dance Central 3, Fable: The Journey, Kinect Sesame Street TV, Kinect Nat Geo TV and enhancement features such as SmartGlass to keep the Xbox 360 as the frontrunner for the current console generation.

Castlevania 3DS delayed

Konami today confirmed a delay for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. Previously expected to launch this fall, the 3DS debut for the whip-cracking action series has been pushed back to an early 2013 release.

In announcing the delay, producer Dave Cox explained, "It's been two years since the enormous success of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and with this next installment, we want to take the necessary time needed to give fans a handheld title unlike any other."

Stepping back from Dracula's story, Mirror of Fate redirects its focus on the Belmont clan, 25 years after Lords of Shadow's conclusion. Players take on the roles of Trevor and Simon Belmont, as well as Dracula's own son, Alucard. The game will also lead into next year's other Castlevania game, Lords of Shadow 2 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. All three games have Mercury Steam as developer.by brendan sinclair

DayZ a Shining Example of PC Gaming at Its Finest

DayZ is now officially on the path to becoming a standalone game. The popular ARMA II mod recently surpassed 1 million players, a milestone which coincides with today's announcement that ARMA developer Bohemia Interactive, along with DayZ designer Dean Hall, will be creating a version of DayZ that functions independently of the games currently required to play it. It's quite the success story -- the mod has only been available for about four months -- and is a testament to what's possible on computers.

A quick glance at of DayZ might give the impression that it is nothing more than a dreary-looking zombie mod. Look a bit deeper and you'll find out there is a very good reason that, even with as many zombie games as there are out there, people are compelled to purchase a three-year-old military game best known to many as the source of footage mistook for an IRA film in a British documentary last year. More than a zombie mod, DayZ is an open-world survival mod that happens to be set in a world inhabited by zombies. You don't have a set of missions to complete or a certain finish line to cross; after awaking on a beach with next to nothing to your name, you're set into a huge world with only the goal of surviving. That entails more than just avoiding long drops from the top of a building or aggressive zombies; you also have to worry about your temperature, getting sick, and eating and drinking regularly. To take care of hunger you'll need to track down food somewhere in the world, illnesses require antibiotics, and having your temperature drop means finding the tools necessary to start a fire. These resources can be difficult to track down, and guns can be even harder to come by, which is a brave but sensible decision for a game that looks like a first-person shooter This in and of itself can be challenging enough, and you'll likely die helplessly more than a few times as you learn the ins and outs of the game. But you also have to account for the fact that you're playing on a server with dozens of other players who also have needs. Much like in a real zombie apocalypse, others may decide to be friendly and share resources with you, or they might see you as a threat and take you down the second the second you walk into their crosshairs. What makes this all the more significant is the game's use of permadeath -- die, whether by the hand of another player's hand or otherwise, and you'll lose all of your progress, forcing you to start over again from scratch on the beach.

In a way, it is almost like the EVE Online of zombie games. Unlike most games, where you're expected to complete particular goals, you're essentially left to your own devices to make your own fun and craft your own stories with other players. With no story in the game itself, this may not sound like the makings of a truly memorable narrative. In reality, this ensures no two playthroughs are alike, and the tension that stems from interacting with other players leads to an experience unlike anything else I've experienced in gaming -- all this from a mod that is still considered to be in alpha (and rightfully so, as it's not yet an especially smooth experience).

The mod will continue to be developed alongside the standalone version of the game which Hall, DayZ's creator, calls "the fairy-tale outcome for a mod that many would have said impossible four months ago." And he's right, as many of the details about DayZ don't necessarily sound like they would add up to a mod that a million people have now played. Yet here we are, with the game doing well enough to justify the development of a standalone game and ARMA II: Combined Operations (a bundle of ARMA II and the Operation Arrowhead expansion, which is also necessary to play DayZ) having been one of the best-selling games throughout this year's Steam Summer Sale.Development of the standalone DayZ will employ the Minecraft model, which is to say, it will feature "fast iterations with the community alpha available for a heavily discounted price." Minecraft began being sold not long after its development started at a discounted price, with those who bought in early receiving all future updates for free while being able to play the game and provide feedback before its official launch. Going this path with DayZ is a wise decision, and not simply because Minecraft proved to be such a remarkable success. With players already having experienced the mod and feeling like a part of the development process, it wouldn't make sense to suddenly adopt a traditional development model that shuts them out until the game is mostly complete. Why wait to release a somewhat final version of the game (it's hard to call anything "final" these days with the way games evolve post-release) when you can involve ardent fans in the development process (and get money upfront)? Doing so will only lead to a better finished product and more invested players who are in turn more likely to champion the game and encourage friends to check it out. The notion of PC gaming's death has been disproved and shot down so many times it seems silly to even continue to acknowledge it. Still, as someone who adores PC games, it's nice to have yet another piece of evidence for why anyone who suggests PC gaming is in decline is flat-out wrong; the NPD Group's inability to reflect DayZ's popularity in its sales charts doesn't change the fact that the mod has driven hundreds of thousands of sales of ARMA. Better yet, DayZ is also an example of something that is currently only possible on computers. Hopefully console manufacturers will one day open things up to the point where mods like this can also thrive on their platforms -- bringing an experience like this to more people can only lead to good things. Until that time, computer games will continue to be a bastion for innovative titles, particularly those which feature elements which deviate from the accepted standard of what makes for a commercially successful game.by chris pereira

Amazon Leaks Wii U Box Designs?

don't read too much into them, but just in case they're the real deal, what do you think of the splash? And the colour scheme?
The yellow is a bit weird, but the "swoosh" design is something we've seen from Nintendo plenty of times before, from the spine of DS games to the top of GameCube covers.
We're asking Nintendo for clarification, and will update if we hear back.

Wii U.luke plunkett 

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Next-generation Xbox developer leak may reveal Xbox 720 specs

 A supposed Xbox 720 “Durango” developer kit was posted on an obscure developer forum and offered to the public for the price of $10,000. The device resembles a traditional PC tower running a regular debug launcher, leading many to be skeptical about the authenticity of the prototype, which was said to feature an Intel processor, NVIDIA graphics, and “more than 8GB of memory.” EuroGamer’s Digital Foundry reached out to the source of the leak and multiple developers, however, and determined that the system is in fact “genuine.”

The man behind the leak, known only as DaE, revealed that Microsoft’s next-generation gaming and home entertainment system will feature an eight-core CPU, confirming previous rumors that have suggested the future system would contain six to eight cores. The next-generation console is also rumored to include support for Blu-ray, true 1080p and native 3D output, and is expected to be six times more powerful than the current Xbox.by dan graziano

Darksiders 3:A Tighter Experience

fans should not expect the great sprawling world from Darksiders 2. Darksider 3 will more likely be a tighter, more refined world. The idea behind the change is to create a more polished bug free end product, Dalton believes that by reducing the scope, the developers will be able to deliver a a more focused approach experience for gamers.
 Reports have appeared that say that the world of Darksiders 2 is over four times larger than that of the original Darksiders game. Dalton believes that in a smaller world, there would be more interaction. Does this mean that Darksiders 2 will be empty? It seems that perhaps developers should be more careful about talking up sequels before the current game has come out. Any talk of the next game draws excitement away from the current one.

Screenshot of Darksiders 2 (Credit: Vigil Games)

Regardless of the hype for the third game there are still many people who are interested in seeing what this next instalment brings to the table. And the question remains just how important are animations, a destructive environment, and those finer details to the die hard fans who love what is at the core of the game. Darksiders 2 is expected to arrive on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. What is really exciting in that Darksiders 2 will be one of the first games to test the Wii U’s muscle, when it comes out at the end of the month.gamebandits

Dawnguard PC info coming soon

Bethesda VP of marketing Pete Hines had us a little bit worried when he said last week that Bethesda “have not announced Dawnguard for any other platform.” Follow up messages suggested that the tweet was designed to diffuse expectations of an imminent Dawnguard release on PC and PS3, but it was all a bit vague.
This post on Blue’s News suggests that the situation will be resolved shortly. In a response to a twitter question asking if Dawnguard has been cancelled for PC, Hines reiterated that “nothing has been said/announced about it,” but added that “we should have info later this week.”
“Just sit tight,” he tweets in response to another Dawnguard PC cancellation query. “We’ll have info soon.”
Dawnguard’s been out for a month on the Xbox.Stay tuned for news of this release.by tom senior

Capcom brought back zombies for Resident Evil 6

Capcom is returning to regular old zombies.
"We brought zombies back because they’re popular," executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, speaking to Siliconera. "Everyone loves ‘em, that’s why we brought them back.... We tried to respond to the requests and put them in this game. We tweaked them a bit so they aren’t the same zombies you would expect."
The zombies in Resident Evil 6 slowly shamble, but if they spot you or you get too close, they'll dash forward.
"We tried to make this as instantaneous as possible," said producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi. "Some of them will leap out at you. For the most part, they are zombies, but they have a bursts of energy here and there that give them a little extra oomph."
That "oomph" works for players, too. Youcan roll or slide out of the way of enemies or close the distance faster between you and a zombie horde.
The zombies in RE6 can use weapons, but not because of some new intelligence.
"It’s not that they are purposely using weapons," said Hirabayashi. "It’s in the back of their mind because they used to use weapons before they became zombies.by stephanie carmichael

EA Losing NCAA Exclusive Rights

Should a proposed settlement to a lawsuit against Electronic Arts be approved, the publisher would no longer be the only one allowed to create games using the NCAA license for at least a five-year period. This will come as welcome news to those hoping to see another developer get a crack at making a college football game, something this settlement would make into a real possibility. At the same time, this doesn't ensure that future iterations of EA Sports' NCAA Football will suddenly be faced with any serious competition.
A lawsuit first filed on June 5, 2008 has morphed into a class action suit that now has a settlement awaiting court approval. EA is accused of violating antitrust laws with its exclusive agreements with the National Football League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and Arena Football League which made it the only company with the right to create games using these respective licenses.This also included the matter of price fixing, as EA allegedly forced a premium upon consumers with the Madden series following its acquisition of the NFL's exclusive rights, a move which came on the heels of competitor ESPN NFL 2K5 being sold for $19.99 (rather than $49.99).
This settlement would have no impact on EA's arrangement with the NFL -- an agreement that was extended last year, possibly as a result of the looming lockout, to run through 2013. It would, however, see those who bought certain EA sports football titles in the United States during the period of January 1, 2005 through June 21, 2012 receive a cash payment (up to a total of $54.32 for 'Sixth Generation Titles,' referring to those for Xbox, PS2, PC, or GameCube, or up to $15.60 for 'Seventh Generation Titles' for 360, PS3, or Wii). More notably, in addition to not seeking out further exclusive trademark licenses with the AFL or Collegiate Licensing Company, EA would not be allowed to go after another exclusive rights arrangement with the NCAA until five years had passed following the expiration of its current deal in 2014.
That would, of course, open the door for a rival company to come out with their own college football game to compete with the NCAA Football series. There are undoubtedly those who would welcome such a thing with open arms, if only to escape from the clutches of EA Sports. Those people would be well-served to manage their expectations, though.
I was among those excited to see 2K Sports attempt to compete with EA and its exclusive NFL rights in 2007 with All-Pro Football 2K8, the first football game from Visual Concepts since 2004's NFL 2K5. 2K5 was and still is regarded as one of, if not the best football sims of all time, so for its developer to be back in the game and working on a football title was great news. When All-Pro came along, it was lacking in some regards -- it played plenty fine,but its AI was weak, it didn't look particularly good, and it had a limited number of game modes. Likewise, Madden NFL 06 for Xbox 360 featured a lack of game modes as EA Tiburon worked to adjust to the realities of high-definition game development.

Given those struggles, and the foundation on which both had to build, it's hard to imagine a developer new to the genre coming in with a game superior to NCAA Football right away. For as much as NCAA Football is, like Madden, derided for failing to innovate enough on an annual basis -- this is a common complaint about NCAA Football 13 -- that doesn't change the fact that NCAA Football 13 is a good game. It would take more than a year or two to truly become competitive with the firmly entrenched EA Sports offering, and with the proposed settlement's ban on an exclusivity arrangement lasting only five years, a prospective publisher may not be interested in the significant, long-term investment needed to build a competitive college football franchise when EA could gobble the NCAA rights back up before the decade is over.
Despite this, I do hope at least one company -- 2K Sports seems like the obvious one, given its history with football games and its continued inability to develop games using the NFL license -- decides to give EA Sports some competition. It would be challenging to compete initially, but if the NCAA license is available there's no reason that success could not eventually be achieved. The license may not be as important as, say, the NFL's is to NFL simulation games, what with the NCAA games lacking real-life player names, but it is still the critical element in being able to compete in the marketplace. And with the impending launch of next-generation hardware, this five-ye
ar period after the NCAA deal lapses might be the perfect opportunity to come in with a new game.
Any reason for EA to feel pressure to innovate would be good news for gamers. As things currently stand, a new game comes out each year for $60 and may or may not bring with it enough new content to justify that cost. With so many players buying the latest release every year regardless of what changes it introduces, the online community for each game dries up before long, leaving those averse to buying the newest iteration just because without much competition beyond what the game's AI and local multiplayer can offer. And with EA having a habit of shutting down the online servers for its older titles, it's all but assured that those looking to enjoy some online college football action have no choice but to buy a new NCAA Football title at least every few years.

While it might not guarantee anything, if NCAA Football were faced with a competitor like what NFL 2K was to Madden in the early 2000s, it would increase the odds of seeing real innovation from EA Tiburon with each and every release.Alternatively, a competitor could choose to compete with the more established NCAA series by being priced lower -- NFL 2K5 is highly regarded in its own right, but it was also sold at launch for the mind-blowingly low price $19.99. If a publisher were to try a similar strategy with a competent college football game, EA would need to either strive to justify the premium price tag of its own games or do what it did at the time and drop the price of its games. Either way, consumers would greatly benefit.by chris perrira

Nintendo continues to dominate portable console gaming

Nintendo announced  that sales of its 3DS portable gaming console surpassed 5 million units in the United States, a 500,000 device increase from March. The gaming company, which is attempting to recover from an annual loss, in June sold more than 155,000 3DS consoles, more than 150,000 original DS handhelds and almost 95,000 Wii consoles, Bloomberg reported. For the second consecutive month, Nintendo controlled 75% of portable-hardware sales. The company is predicting a 37% sales jump with the introduction of the 3DS XL, a new handheld that features a 90% larger viewing area, for $199 on August 19th. Nintendo will also launch its next-generation Wii U console ahead of the holidays, and both devices are expected to help the company return to profit this fiscal year.by dan graziano

Battlefield 4 beta starts Autumn 2013

Electronic Arts confirmed Battlefield 4, and said a beta for the new shooter will commence during fall 2013 for unspecified platforms. Gamers can get access to the trial period by preordering this October's Medal of Honor Warfighter. EA said more details regarding Battlefield 4 and its beta will be announced at a later date.

Speculation concerning Battlefield 4 was sparked over the weekend, when EA's Origin webstore posted, and subsequently removed, promotional material for the game.
 The official Battlefield website has been updated with a message from EA on Battlefield 4. The statement says the company has nothing further to share on Battlefield 4 at present, and talked up Battlefield 3 as a game still in its early stages.
"Even with billions of bullets fired and millions of games played, we know the Battlefield 3 story is still just the beginning," reads a line from the statement.
The existence of Battlefield 4 comes as little surprise. Battlefield 3 arrived  to a warm critical reception and shipments of 15 million units. Additionally, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said in November "there is going to be a Battlefield 4." by eddie makuch
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Best FPS Must Play Shooters

Doom II

 

id Software has Made some incredible games over its twenty-plus years of existence. But in tense atmosphere, none made the splash that Doom II did in 1994. Following up on its 1993 predecessor, as well as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom II delivered a tense experience that even its follow up couldn't capture with the same level of craftsmanship.

With the sequel, the Space Marine hero returns back to Earth to discover that the demonic forces he fought in the first game has invaded. It's loaded with more enemies to fight and more tension.

 

 Killzone 3

 

 Looking for a shooter that takes you through beautiful war-torn environments, pits you against threatening, intelligent enemies, and is an action-packed roller coaster ride from beginning to end, Killzone 3 will definitely keep you satisfied. Killzone 3's campaign breaks ups the regular shooter mediocrity by throwing in monstrous set-pieces, fast-paced vehicle segments, and even a few stealth missions.
All the pieces culminate to form a cohesive campaign that will keep you enthralled the whole way through. There aren't nearly enough games that will let you fly around in machine gun armed jetpacks or pilot heavily armored Helghast stomping mechs

Metroid Prime

When Metroid Prime was released another lesson was learned. No one expected the franchise to make such an amazing full-on first person shooter. It just felt like an unnatural change - like when Samus miraculously morphs into a ball. How wrong we were.
Metroid Prime destroys expectations. Not only does viewing Samus's world from inside her helmet's visor completely immerse you as the Mother Brain blasting bounty hunter, it give you unequaled precision for blasting space pirates and an up-close and personal look when scanning the environment for clues. Prime not only proved the franchise could live on as an FPS, but the engrossing story, mystical alien environments, and challenging combat still make it one of the best shooters gamers can get their hands on.

BioShock

studios can still give players a unique experience and tell amazing stories. From the moment you step into the art-deco, underwater metropolis to the first Big Daddy you meet to the mind-blowing twist ending, the game entrances players with its creepy atmosphere and excellent storytelling. Speaking of Big Daddy, Bioshock created one of the most menacing and memorable enemies in gaming history. And no matter how powerful the player got, Big Daddies were still challenging and pants-wetting scary.
Not only does the games powers system  provide players with new and interesting ways to defeat enemies, but also tools to progress through the game. And the RPG elements not only allow for a variety of play styles but also let players switch up their customizations without punishing them for experimenting with different Plasmids. What really puts Bioshock above other FPS’s is its creativity – from the superb storytelling, to eerie atmosphere, to the memorable characters. Bioshock is an experience we won’t soon forget.by gamesradarstaff


 

game collection sells for $1.23 million on eBay

French video game collector has sold a collection of more than 7,000 video games for $1.23 million on eBay.

"I perfected some full sets by getting every title of them factory sealed, just for the challenge of it," Andre, 32, who did not disclose his full name, told the Los Angeles Times. "Some titles are extremely hard to come by brand new when they're 25 years old. Now that the mission is complete, maybe it's time to move on."

300,000 people have viewed the eBay auction page, which includes photos of the gaming sets and an exhaustive listing of all 7,000 titles.

The collection of 22 individual sets includes every title from a number of Nintendo gaming systems, every Sega console game ever produced and all of the games for the lesser-known NEC gaming systems.

"What was important was the completion of each full set, every game of all those systems, all complete in box with instructions, or even brand new factory sealed," Andre said.

And as Yahoo! Games noted yesterday, the winning bidder, who is from Canada, will have to pay more than $1,200 in shipping costs alone.

Even though Andre says it's time to move on, he says not to worry that he will be left without any video game options, telling the L.A. Times that he still has thousands of other games in his collection.

He even has a contingency plan in case the winning bidder does not come through with his payment.

"If the payment doesn't come, I'll probably list [it] again on eBay, or on Japanese auction [sites], but maybe I'll split it by selling each [full set] separately,""We'll see in time."by eric pfeiffer

No short-term plans to add game-streaming to Steam

Valve has revealed that it has no short-term plans to add game-streaming to Steam. Jason Holtman, Valve business development director revealed this at an industry conference Develop.

“Though “those [technologies] are really interesting to us, they’re not in our short-term plans,” he said, as reported by Gamespot.

Team Fortress 2 designer Robin Walker added: “We love cloud gaming and we think we do it already… you can think of it as just a way of using a back-end structure [for gaming].”
He mentioned that he places customer experience ahead of anything else.
“We’re not so excited by distribution. We’re excited by a change in customer experience… the exciting thing about Steam is that we can deliver new experiences, iterate on our games much faster.”
Tell us what you think in the comments section below.by kartik mudgal

Pre-Order COD Black Ops 2 and Get The NUKETOWN 2025 BONUS MAP

Pre-order now and get the Nuketown 2025 downloadable bonus map.
Small and simple, yet lending itself to a variety of playstyles, the original Nuketown became an instant fan-favorite in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
An arena-style map with unique art design, Nuketown promoted the type of fast-paced action that Call of Duty fans from around the world have come to love. Now re-imagined in a 60's depiction of the "Model Home of the Future", Nuketown 2025 is set to take that familiar close-quarters chaos into the future!

My Personal Video Unboxing & Review of the Asus Xonar Phoebus

'Rambo: The Video Game?

Rambo: The Video Game  at August's Gamescom expo with a playable version available on the show floor.

Publisher Reef Entertainment didnt uttered a peep about it since reaching a deal with rights holder StudioCanal back in August 2011.

Its June 6 announcement was similarly quiet, embellished only by a quote from Rambo: First Blood to extol John Rambo's fighting qualities.

Reef's most recent game was March 2012 puzzle title Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle for the Wii, DS, PlayStation 3 and Windows systems; before that, it was Sniper Elite for the Wii in 2010.

Rambo's already appeared in several video games down the years, from the 1980s' officially licensed Rambo, Rambo II and Rambo III to a wealth of spoofs and homages including those of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, World of Warcraft, Rocketbirds, Contra, Ikari Warriors, and Facebook political parody Hillary: First Blood.

This year's Gamescom expo in Cologne, Germany, runs August 15-19, coinciding with the cinematic debut of Rambo actor Sylvester Stallone's ensemble action sequel The Expendables 2.by afp relax news

Woman Goes To Jail For Using Fake Tokens

A Chinese woman was recently sentenced to 8 months in prison and fined 20000 RMB after being caught using fake game tokens at a  arcade.

Recently divorced 34-year-old Zhang Lili of Sanmenxian Zhejiang province China spent the better half of the last year playing arcade games at her local video game arcade. Each arcade token costs about 0.5 RMB (3 cents). Zhang was particularly enthralled with the digital fishing game, spending loads of tokens each sitting.

Zhang says she spent way too much money so when she heard about a website where she could buy custom game tokens for cheap, she "pounced" on the opportunity. Taking pictures of the tokens used at her local arcade, Zhang ordered over 30,000 tokens.

From May to October, she spent the most of her fake tokens. her usage of tokens caught the eye of the arcade owner. He discovered that there were way more tokens in his arcade than the amount that the arcade started with.

Zhang confessed to the crime and went to the local police station to turn herself in. According to the police Zhang spent over 20,000 of her funny tokens causing the arcade to lose over $1570.by eric jou

Metro Last Light

A direct sequel to the million-selling Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light builds upon the first-person shooting action of the original whilst simultaneously upgrading its already-stunning graphics engine to previously unseen sights.

Though early in development we can already confirm the inclusion of DirectX 11 effects, tessellation, stereoscopic NVIDIA 3D Vision support, advanced depth of field effects, dynamic physics effects powered by NVIDIA’s hardware-accelerated PhysX technology, advanced volumetric fog, and advanced simulated particle effects. And with plenty of time until the game’s 2013 release even more effects are bound to be added, though going by the stunning screenshots it’s hard to see how the game’s graphics could be  improved.

 the single-player campaign is set one year after the events of Metro 2033 and sees the various human groups at war with each other and the mutated beasts that control the streets of Moscow. Things are going from bad to worse, and now there’s a superweapon in play that could annihilate the last remnants of humanity once and for all. For further single-player story info check out the official live-action short film that bridges the gap between 2033 and Last Light.
by geforce.com

Games that already benefit from six cores CPUs

More Cores, More FPS

 

Since March 2010, there have been six-core-CPUs around. But which games benefit from hexacore-processors? PC Games hardware recaps old and current titles.

PCGH-Special: These Games Already Benefit from Six Cores [Source: view picture gallery]

Arcania - Gothic 4: Up to 30 per cent plus compared with Quadcore (Attention: in preview-version only - the release patch with improved multi-core-support coming soon!) [Source: view picture gallery]

Dead Rising 2: Up to 20 per cent plus compared with Quadcore   

Since March 2010 (Intel Core i7-980X) or June 2010 (AMD Phenom II X6 1055T and 1090T) respectively, there have been early desktop processors that carry six CPU-cores. Processors with eight or even twelve cores are in progress. What gamers might ask is: What's the gain of these additional cores?

In order to be able to make presentable statements, we tested 24 games allowing for their ability to handle multi-core. A remarkable thing to say is that a great number of games already benefits from six cores. When we think back, the transisiton from two to four cores was slower. Back then, it took the games almost one year to profit by additional cores.

Among other titles, we tested:

• Arcania - Gothic 4 (Preview-Version)
• Civilization 5
• Dead Rising 2
• Dragon Age (v1.04)
• F1 2010
• Lost Planet 2
• RUSE

Check the gallery for the results.

Things You Need To Know About The Elder Scrolls Online

The Elder Scrolls Online is a hardcore fantasy MMORPG for PC and Mac, so if you’re not into that sort of game you probably ought to steer clear of this one when it comes out next year. But if you’re a fan of the Elder Scrolls series, I’m filing this report from the E3 show floor to tell you that you ought to be interested in how Zenimax Studios is designeding The Elder Scrolls Online. Here’s a few reasons why:

Your Favorite Locations Are In This Game: If you’ve ever played an Elder Scrolls game before, you probably have a  spot for some iconic swath of Tamriel’s geography. It sounds silly, but it’s true; whether you’re exploring the snowy mountain ranges of Skyrim or the ash-covered wastes of Morrowind, the Elder Scrolls games are defined by the memorable worlds they allow you to explore. The developers at Zenimax Online are keenly aware of this, and they made a point of showing off well-known landmarks from every Elder Scrolls game as they exist in The Elder Scrolls Online.

During our demo we saw Morrowind’s Red Mountain, the Redguard capital of Hammerfell, ancient Dwemer fortresses and mysterious Altmeri ruins. The game looked gorgeous, and anyone with fond memories of exploring Tamriel in a previous Elder Scrolls game can expect to get kicked square in their sense of nostalgia by The Elder Scrolls Online’s vast virtual world.

A Daedric Prince Steals Your Soul: No matter what kind of character you create, your personal story begins when the Daedric Prince Molag Bal steals your soul. This curses you with immortality until you get it back, which handily explains why players in The Elder Scrolls Online can constantly be cut down in combat only to rise again for another round. It’s sort of like the opening to Planescape: Torment, except this time the game might not end when you earn your mortality back.

Necromancy is actually a common problem in The Elder Scrolls Online; not only are there potentially millions of players running around as soulless vagabonds, the kings of Cyrodiil have actually made a pact with Molag Bal to raise undead armies with which to conquer their enemies.

Real-Time Combat In An MMO: Get ready to hold down keys in order to charge up your hammer swings or keep your shield up. Character in The Elder Scrolls Online have a Stamina meter which can be depleted in order to fight defensively or charge up attacks for more damage, and using these abilities deftly in combat will net you Finesse points.

While we don’t yet fully understand how these Finesse points will work, a Bethesda rep suggested that players who earn enough Finesse points will be rewarded with extra treasure. During our demo we witnessed a character receiving extra loot after a battle, and it seems like a smart way to reward skilled players with better items and gear.

Characters Have a Voice: At least, the most important ones do. During our E3 demo we witnessed major NPCs speaking their dialogue aloud, though the player character remained silent. We don’t know yet whether all dialogue in the game will be spoken, but the most important figures in the game should have recognizable voice actors.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an MMORPG with voice acting, but it’s a nice feature that makes the game feel more vibrant and alive. Previous Elder Scrolls games have featured well-known voice actors  playing characters with pivotal roles, and hopefully The Elder Scrolls Online will be no exception.



Open Player vs. Player Combat With Persistent Consequences: When your Elder Scrolls Online character gains enough experience he should be able to take part in massive battles against other players to determine which player faction controls certain towns and territories. If you choose to take part in these battles you’ll engage in large-scale battles  to conquer cities, siege castles and even crown a member of your faction as King of Cyrodiil. Of course, even if you win your faction will have to try and hold these titles, towns and fortresses against the other factions.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because we saw a very similar faction vs. faction PVP system in Dark Age of Camelot, an older MMO that many of the current Zenimax Online employees previously worked on. Dark Age of Camelot was critically acclaimed for it’s tri-faction PVP battles, and it looks like The Elder Scrolls Online will be a worthy successor for PC and Mac gamers seeking a vast, persistent fantasy world that changes in response to it’s players.by alex wawro

Wii U Is a Great Console

The extra hands-on time has clarified what Nintendo is trying to do with the Wii U -- where it succeeds and where it needs work. While other consoles targeted serious gamers first before broadening their reach to "home entertainment," Nintendo went right for the family room with the Wii in 2006, and clearly hopes to keep it there with the newest console. The question is, what games will compel people to buy it?

The Wii U tablet controller, known as the GamePad, was more refined and comfortable to use than I originally imagined. Nintendo had adjusted the form factor -- it is light and comfortable to hold. The real test will be asking players to hold one for multiple hours at a time, as I feel the controller's bulkiness will still get in the way.

The bottom line is, you can't play the same old games on this controller. That's not a bad thing; it pushes the industry, and Nintendo will try to pick up the slack with the "Pro" controller. But trying to graft play experiences onto it can feel unnatural, just like gestures for the Wii became more irksome for certain games.

The GamePad Isn't for All Games

ZombiU is a perfect example of where the controller can feel bulky and unnatural. I was dropped into a level where I had to scan the area for weapons. This requires lifting the tablet and pointing it at the TV like a scanner. Once you've located the crate, you find a crossbow which also requires you to point the GamePad at the screen to use. The reticle appears on your tablet -- aim it at zombies and fire. Nothing about this is natural. This isn't how anyone would imagine holding a crossbow, and instead of making the game feel immersive, it's gimmicky.

This could just be Ubisoft's fault. The publisher's Wii launch title Red Steel was similarly intended to showcase the potential of motion controls for "mature" gamers, but was underwhelming.

There are plenty of great ways to appreciate the GamePad. It adds an extra dimension of play to games like New Super Mario Bros. U, where one player can add powerups and blocks to help (or troll) the others on a shared screen. In Scribblenauts Unlimited, it functions as an input device for players to type in words. In Pikmin 3, the GamePad extends the map functionality in creative ways that trigger you to explore.

All of these are simple and elegant functions, but none of them are necessary for gameplay. The second screen almost reminds me of the one on the Nintendo DS; it adds some value, but isn't always utilized in compelling ways. What I saw, aside from the Nintendo Land minigames, didn't make the second screen of the GamePad a must-have tool, but rather a small diversion.

What the Wii U Needs: Great Games

Nintendo Land, the game that will come bundled with the system, takes players through several Nintendo franchise-themed minigames, but doesn't appear to have the magnetism of Wii Sports. Wii Sports was the "must-have" game that demonstrated why motion controls were fun -- it alone was the reason many purchased the system in the first place.

From what I've played so far, the Wii U doesn't have a killer game. The new Mario and Wii Fit titles are great, but not enough to get most people to upgrade. It has video chat and social networks, which we already have elsewhere. It has beautiful third-party titles that are already available on other consoles or will be at the same time.

This isn't bad news, yet. Plenty of Nintendo consoles didn't pick up steam until one particular game changed the demand. For the Nintendo 64, it was GoldenEye. For the Sony PlayStation, it was Final Fantasy VII. For beautiful hardware like the Wii U to work, it needs solid games behind it, whether you are appealing to the hardcore or casual fans. Almost all of the games I played on the Wii U were fun, but none made me want to get in line at 5 a.m. on release day.

I do have faith in Nintendo, however. It has time before the holiday release, and we could see the killer game appear in 2013 -- one that will make the console worth clamoring for.

This story originally published on Mashable .

Final Fantasy XIII-3

 Interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu, FFXIII and XIII-2 director Motomu Toriyama dropped some hints that we may soon be adventuring with Lightning once more.

“

The [FFXIII-2] Lightning download content had an ending that left a feeling mystery and hope. The day when the meaning of this will come to light is not too far off.

When asked if whether Final Fantasy XIII would be a focus at the the upcoming Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary event, he replied, "The [FFXIII-2] Lightning download content had an ending that left a feeling mystery and hope. The day when the meaning of this will come to light is not too far off."
Speculation about the possibility of a third instalment in Lightning's story has been rife since Final Fantasy XIII-2 ended with the words "to be continued", but this was later suggested to refer to DLC. Now though it seems the original idea could be closer to the mark.
Thankfully we won't have to wait too long to find out; the anniversary event mentioned by Toriyama is scheduled to take place at an art gallery in Shibuya from August 31.
Despite the realms of possibility this opens up, there are some drawbacks. Firstly, while it was never likely the team were going to start work on a Final Fantasy VII remake anytime soon, this pretty much confirms it isn't a priority.
Secondly, Toriyama had some ominous comments for anyone waiting for the HD remake of Final Fantasy X. It seems a release date is still nowhere near being set,by luke karmali

Ouya:Android game console designed by Yves Behar

Ouya has recruited the talents of Yves Behar to build a $99 Android game console that you can connect to a TV, with a high-concept developer ecosystem that's as free as can be. Any developer will be able to publish games, claims the listing, and all games will be free to play. Even the underlying hardware is "built to be hacked" — every customer who buys a retail box will get a dev kit in the bargain, the site claims.
As we alluded to earlier, though, it's not just Jawbone Jambox and One Laptop Per Child designer Yves Behar who's on board. The project's advisors also include Ed Fries of Xbox fame, Amol Sarva of Peek, Peter Pham of Color, and counts Julie Uhrman of IGN as its founder and CEO. There's also a gentleman named Muffi Ghadiali, who appears to be leaving Amazon's Lab126 where he helped ship Kindle. At $99, the Ouya would be playing in the same space as Google TV boxes like Vizio's Co-Star, but we're eager to see what games Ouya might attract. We're on the lookout for more details and hope to have them for you soon.by sean hollister

Video Game Sale: Up to 82% off Select PC Games

Deal Description: Amazon Video Game Sale: Up to 82% off Select PC Games

Amazon is offering PC downloadable games up to 82% off during their Best Deals of July Event. All games below are at the lowest prices we could find. Key deals include:

• Battlefield 2 Complete Collection $5
• Bioshock Dual Pack $7.49
• Borderlands Game of the Year Edition $7.49
• Plentiful Paradox Package $12.49
• The Darkness II $12.49
• Syndicate $14.99
• Call of Duty: Black Ops $19.99
• 2K Shooter Pack (3 games) $19.99
• Max Payne 3 $29.99
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 $29.99
• Battlefield 3 $35.99

Most Overclocked Graphics Cards Look Like a Sci-Fi Movie Set

 PC wizard Hazzan has broken the world record for...overclocking PC graphics cards. How do you even measure such a thing? The scene uses the scores handed out by benchmark tool 3DMark 11, and Hazzan's 4-way SLI GTX 680 setup registered a score of P33190, which beat the previous mark by 39 points.
To reach the score, as you can see in the pic above, Hazzan had to do what a lot of these serious guys have to do: namely, stand over his PC with an open bottle of liquid nitrogen and keep pouring some in every few minutes so the entire rig doesn't burst into flames.
According to EXP, his entire rig reads as follows:

The platform included Core i7-3930K processor (oc'ed to 5784MHz), 8GB quad-channel GSkill DDR3 memory (oc'ed to 2480MHz), Antec High Current Pro 1300W power supply, ASUS Rampage IV Extreme mobo and ASUS GTX 680 DirectCU II graphics card，the CPU and graphics adopted liquid nitrogen cooling.by luke plunkett